John II of Castile and León

John II of Castile and León, in Spanish, Juan II (1405-1454), King of Castile and León (1406-1454), the son of Henry III. He reigned under the regencies of his mother and his uncle, Ferdinand I of Aragón, until 1419. John entrusted the government to Don Álvaro de Luna, his chief counsellor. In 1450, after the death of John's wife, Luna arranged the king's marriage with a Portuguese princess, who promptly broke Luna's power by encouraging the king to assert his independence. In 1453 John ordered Luna's execution, but reportedly died of remorse over this treachery.