Ferdinand of Aragon

Did Ferdinand of Aragon die from ingesting a love potion?

.

According to Jerónimo Zurita, Ferdinand II of Aragon was served a vile stew, consisting of the fried and crushed testicles of a bull, mixed with Spanish fly.

Spanish fly was well known for its aphrodisiac properties, but it was also a poison.

Ferdinand had been married to Isabella, queen of Castille. However, in 1504 Isabella died, and the only children left from this marriage were Katharine of Aragon, married to Henry VIII, and her sister Joanna the mad, married to Philip I, duke of Burgundy.

In 1505, at the age of 53 he married a 16-year old princess, Germaine of Foix.

He had a son with Germaine, but this child was only short-lived.

In his later years, and in order to help him overcome his impotence so Germaine might have more children, she had him imbibe this stew concoction.

Not long after eating the stew, he started to feel unwell.

Ferdinand worsened with each day, suffering with “dropsy, faints and a weakening heart”

Ferdinand died on 23rd January 1516 under severe pain, widely believed to have been caused by his “sEx-mad” queen.

According to general opinion, Germaine was mad about having fun, dancing and garden parties.

She introduced the French fashions to the austere Castilian court. She is also said to have limped slightly, a sure sign of someone in 'cahoots with the devil'.

Ferdinand II of Aragon is buried beside his first wife Isabella, at Cailla Real, the royal chapel of the Granada Cathedral.

Ironically, his hated son-in-law, Philip the Handsome, and his abused daughter, Joanna of Castile, are laid to rest there as well.

.

https://www.medieval.eu/medieval-political-satire-and.../....

.

https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders

.

Michael Sittow - Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Bilddatenbank.