eliminate Álvaro de Luna, constable and favourite of John II. The reign of John II's successor, Henry IV was marked by successive conflicts between the king and the most powerful nobles, who tried to control the appointment of the royal heir/heiress and diminish the influence of Beltrán de La Cueva, the king's constable and favourite, and, according to rumours, the lover of Queen Joan. The marriage agreement between Isabella and Alfonso V of Portugal, and Henry IV in April 1464 led the nobles to formalize a league on May 16, 1464, to defend the rights of succession of Prince Alfonso and to prevent Isabella from marrying without the consent of the nobles. Joanna was then only two years old and rumors were circulating that she was the daughter, not of the king, but of Beltrán de La Cueva, which is the origin of her nickname "la Beltraneja." On June 5, 1465, the league organized what became known as the Farce of Ávila, where they acclaimed Alfonso as king. Before his death, on June 5, 1468, there were already schisms in the league: One of its most prominent leaders, Álvaro de Zúñiga y Guzmán, Count of Plasencia and head of the influential House of Zúñiga, reconciled with Henry IV in 146. The marriage without royal consent of Isabella to Ferdinand II, king of Sicily and successor to the throne of Aragon, contributed to the Liga Nobiliaria's shift in support of the king, who rehabilitated his daughter Joanna as his legitimate successor on July 26, 1470. After Henry's death on December 12, 1474, Isabella was proclaimed queen the next day in Segovia. In March 1475, Álvaro de Zúñiga took Joanna to Trujillo, where she was acclaimed Henry's legitimate successor. The Portuguese king Afonso V decided to marry Joanna, then 13 years old, and claimed the crown of Castile for himself. In early May 1475, Afonso V entered Castile with his army and was received in Plasencia by Zúñiga and other members of the league who support the claims of the Portuguese king. Alfonso and Joanna were proclaimed rulers of Castile and León on May 25, 1475. The Portuguese king abandoned the war after being defeated at the Battle of Toro (March 1, 1476). The Zúñiga, who were among the main supporters of Afonso V and Joanna - although some of their members fought alongside Isabella's forces - had already adopted a strictly