Henry IV of Castilla (1454-1474) . An exceptional urologic patient. An endocrinopathy causing the uro-andrological problems of the Monarch. Artificial insemination attempts (IV)
Maganto Pavón, E.; Henry IV of Castilla
Archivos espanoles de urologia 56(3): 245-254
2003
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-0614 PMID: 12768985 Document Number: 556674
To analyze, in accordance to contemporary and current chronicles and manuscripts, all known data about possible infertility or sterility suffered by Henry IV and attempts of artificial insemination undertook by his wife Juana of Portugal with the Monarch's semen due to his complete impotence. His possible infertility was unfairly used by his enemies to deny the right of succession to his daughter Juana, called "La Beltraneja", in a similar way than what has happened with his erectile dysfunction. In our work, we tried to demonstrate if Henry IV was or not able to conceive and paternity of his daughter Juana, based on our current knowledge and presumed endocrinopathies suffered by the Monarch in accordance to some medical writers. We reviewed a total of 10 chronicles, 5 contemporary texts and manuscripts, and 25 books about the figure of Henry IV published before year 2000, analyzing medical works in detail, particularly those from Marañon, Eisenberg, and Suarez, who studied the facts referred to the presumed Monarch's infertility and his paternity trying to establish a relationship with current endocrinologic syndromes that cause infertility or sterility and with the chronological dates of conception and birth of Juana "La Beltraneja". As it has been said before, although the study may be falsified by document manipulation done by those chroniclers partisans of the Catholic Kings, retrospective analysis seems to show that if the Monarch suffered eunuchism (hypogonadism) or hypophyseal tumor he should have been sterile. In a similar way than Suarez, we don't dare to judge if the attempts of artificial insemination performed to his wife Juana were successful or not, so the historical controversy about "La Beltraneja" continues.