Chapter 185 - Explanations given by that same doctor as to why neither the King of Castile nor his wife should be selected as rulers

Summary

Leaving aside those impediments on the part of the mother, and others concerning her own person on which we could detain ourselves, such as her being her husband's niece and daughter of her first-degree cousin, and the fact that, if there was a dispensation, it had not been granted by a true pope, as well as other similar reasons which could demonstrate that the marriage was not valid, let us come to another and greater counter-argument.

It is a fact that the inheritance which the King and Queen of Castile were to receive from this kingdom was to be valid for a certain number of years and to depend on certain conditions which he, the king of Castile, and his wife swore to abide by, subject to great penalties provided for by the treaties. The king totally agreed to these treaties, before he took her to wife when he received her in Badajoz. The king gave his royal oath on the Holy Gospels, physically touching them; placing his hands on the consecrated Body of Christ which the bishop of that city, dressed in his pontifical robes, held in a paten, he swore to keep and fulfil each and every clause contained in the treaties and never to act against them partially or completely, neither by himself nor on behalf of another party, in public or in secret, neither by deed nor word nor by any other means. Furthermore, should he in any way reason or speak against any of the conditions, partially or completely, rightfully or wrongfully, in public or in secret, nothing would be valid, and he would be considered to have committed perjury, and would incur a penalty of 100,000 gold marks.

Should he incur such a penalty, he would be quite satisfied to allow King Fernando or those who had the power to do so, and all the men in the kingdom of Portugal, on their own authority and without further ado, to seize and accept the surrender of the towns and cities and property of the realm of Castile, for which reason King Fernando could make war against him and all his inhabitants until those 100,000 gold marks were paid over. For that war, the King of Castile could seize neither lands nor the property belonging to the Portuguese.