Fernando Play

Fernando Play

Venue:  Theater at Catholic High School or University.

Curtain opens.  NARRATOR addresses theater audience.

NARRATOR:  Understand we have students from Social Studies and Religion

classes in the audience today. 

NARRATOR:  Good.  Then I shall begin with a question?  In the reconquest of

Spain.  Can you name the person or persons who drove the Moors out of Spain.

AUDIENCE: Chorus - Ferdinand & Isabella, 1492.  Any more questions. (Laughter)

NARRATOR: True. , but only one Kingdom--Granada.  Who drove the Moors out of

the vast majority of Spain 200 years before Ferdinand & Isabella?  Who recaptured almost all of Spain and several major cities including the 2 most important supposedly unconquerable Moorish strongholds Cordoba and Seville?  If you don't know, that's OK. Very few students or even teachers do.His name was Fernado, a youth of 18 years of age. He would be known as 

Fernando the 3rd. King of Castile.

A little background on this young Prince.  He was the son of King Alphonse of 

Leon and Dona Berenguera.   After Berenguera younger brother Enrique inherited 

the throne, died  at age 13.  He was succeeded by his sister Berengurera

She was proclaimed Queen of Castile.  When some Nobles opposed the Queen

(friends of Alvaro Nunez) Her Highness convoked a meeting of the Cortez and planned

a little surprise.  

NARRATOR EXITS. .  Curtain rises to laughter and chatter to reveal The CORTEZ.

A crowd of Knights and Nobles in conversation.   Archbishop Jiminez escorts 

Berenguera to a Throne Chair.  Jiminez call for silence in the court.  The Queen begins

her address to the assembly which will end in her abdication in favor of her son.

Though approved by the Cortes--there is likely to be some objections from Nobles

loyal to Alvaro Nunez.

Scene one

Knight, enters a different Castle room with the banner of Leon, says to 18 year old Fernando: 

Count Alvaro is invading Castile with plans to attack you Mother's castle. You and I must  leave immediately from your father’s castle because he is just a pawn in Alvaro's plan to rule Castile.

Fernando: 

Let's us ride like the wind so we can defend my mother. Alvaro because he has my uncle Enrique the king under his control thinks that he can destroy my mother. He will have to kill me first.

Fernando arriving at his mother's castle says to his mother and Archbishop Jimenez: 

I want nothing more than to defend you my mother. 

Berenguera: 

My son, your uncle is dead by a accident that has put in motion many things. Count Alvaro has convinced your father to war with us to make himself or your father king of Castile. Castile must act quickly as the armies of Alvaro and your father are invading. 

Archbishop Jimenez: 

Come Fernando, the Cortes and nobles are in assembly and they are going to crown your mother the queen of Castile.

Archbishop Jimenez approaches on the throne Berenqurea seated next to Fernando. He whispers to her and then the Archbishop joins the assembly. 

Dona Berenguera: 

I have an announcement to make to the Cortes. As you can see my son arrived from Leon. I would like you and him to hear what I have to say. 

Berenguera says in front of the assembly of nobles and clergy: 

I renounced the throne in favor of her son you must  proclaimed him king. I am grateful for the honor bestowed upon me this day. However, my reign as Queen will be short. Therefore let it be known with your consent and witness I intend to renounce my claim to the throne of Castile. 

A prolonged applause

In shock, Fernando, as he leave the room, says: 

What must do now that you have made me king at the age of 18?

Noble watching Fernando leave approaches Bereguera says:

I'm concerned because Ferdinand's age. Madam, he is just a boy.  Does he know how fierce a foe we

contend with?

Berenguera:  

Come with me.  She takes the Knight to a Chapel

What do you see Senor?You will rescue your own country. By your chivalry, loyalty and generosity of character.

A boy in prayer before an image of The Madonna.

Berenquera:

He prays almost every day--ever since he was consumed with

an illness with repulsive sores--and had a miraculous recovery from Our Lady.

One day I eaves dropped and heard

these words.  "Tell Jesus

that he is my King.  I will suffer great labors for him--in war against

the Moors--for him and his glorious Mother--My Lady. You will rescue your own country. By your chivalry, loyalty and generosity of character."

KNIGHT.  If we are to liberate Spain it all comes down to prayer.

Scene 2

King Alfonso who is Fernando's father [and was Berenquera's husband until their marriage annulled by the pope because they were cousins]:

After hearing of Count Alvaro's revolt I have decided to invade Castil.

What does it matter if a handful of nobles did make Berenquera their queen and my son king? I was her husband and his father I will take what is should be mine with my army. 

Fernando: The army of my father and the traitor Alvoro are surrounding León. I will deal withe traitor, but I will not fight my father. Archbishop Ximénez de la Rada this parchment I give to you to take to my father to 

In the next scene, the Archbishop reads the letter to Fernando's father:

“Lord Father King of León, Don Alfonso, my Lord: What rage is this? Why do you wage war and harm me, when I do not deserve it? It seems that my well-being makes you sad. Rather, you should be very happy to have your son the King of Castile, for it is to your honor. There is not a ruler, Christian or Moor, that would dare come to me with a plan to do you harm. And what is the reason for this rage? You should remember, that it was you who attacked, and now we have two large opposing armies in the field and, normally, any king in such a position as yours should expect an all-out attack from us. But I cannot strike at you because you are my father and my lord. So, I am prepared to sit here and suffer with my troops until you come to your senses.”

King listens with a grim face and says: 

“Archbishop, you will tell the King of Castile that the war is due to the fact that he has not paid the ten thousand maravedis that King Don Henry had promised me in exchange for Santibañez.”

Picture of San Fernando:

Painting of Alfonso IX de León by José María Rodríguez de Losada.

Archbishop: “I assure you, Lord King, that this sum will be paid to you very quickly because Ximénez de la Rada. I know well the King Don Ferdinand my lord. I am certain that if he has not yet done it, it is because he has had no knowledge of it.”

“If that is the case,” concluded the King of León, “there will be no difficulty on my part for peace; and I will name the archbishop of Santiago, along with the bishops of Zamora and Astorga, to negotiate it.” [https://nobility.org/2014/10/king-st-ferdinand-endures-war-from-his-father-part-3/] 

(When the Archbishop returned with the peace treaty for Fernando to sign with his father He found that Fernando had been in prayer in the tent the day he had been gone entreating Our Lady to bring peace)

Virgin of the Battles, at the Cathedral of Seville. Photo by Jose Luis Filpo Cabana. This ivory statue went with St. Ferdinand in all of his warlike undertakings. He carried the Image, set in his saddle horn.

Next scene, Archbishop, who had the most authority, approached the tapestry dividing the tent of the king and called, “Lord!

Fernando (who heard him and turned abruptly as he looked at Our Lady with an expression of love with blood on the ground from his scourging which he did as reparation for his and the sins of his father as well as his ancestors) said:

I know well, Lady, that whatever I entrust to thee will never fail. You, Archbishop, and your companions, have rendered me a greater service than I have asked of you; it would have been very wrong and a terrible example for a son to wage war against his father. Glory be to God and His glorious Mother!

Fernando: Yes mother with all my being I want to punish Alvaro for the evil he has done to you and our kingdom but our suffering Lord Jesus Christ King of Kings came to me and said he wishes me to spare the count he said it would be a it would not be a sin to put him to death, but come to myself and He asked me to forgive him.

B: My son are you troubled 

Fernando: My mother and my queen after the Queen of heaven you are the greatest benefits and it angers me to count on who is not who is not only who was not only guilty of murder and treason but he has slandered you and tried to destroy you it is only just that he should be punished with death for his crimes 

B: I can see that punish them for his many crimes is not what troubles you. 

Fernando: Yes I am going to forgive him for the Lord but yet I I am worried that my forgiveness will be seen by our subjects as weakness of a young king of 18 who cannot carry out his duty his duties 

B: My advice is what the Queen of heaven said at the wedding piece of Cayman do whatever he tells you 

Fernando: Yes mother I know he will probably betray me and only stop trying to harm me at his death but I fear neither him nor my enemies as long as my God and my Lord is on my side vanquish my passion that my enemies can be vanquished 

B: I predict that the count will be trade your clemency and will again be defeated and at his death he will humbly repent of his infamy and you will win a soul for Christ and his mother and I will supply the needs for his Christian burial in forgiveness for our enemy for love of our Lord and our lady

One year later, Fernando who loved and reverenced his mother as a saintly and wise woman turning to her said:

I needed your prayers and wisdom to govern as Our Queen in Heaven want me this last year to get our kingdom to be safe and lawful, but now I need you to take over administrative duties so I can on put on my armour, grip my sword and ride forth to free Spain of the invaders who destroy our churches and make sex slaves of our captured woman.  

Berenguera: I agree that that is what the King of Kings to calling you to do, but first you need to marry, give Castile a heir and formally become a knight.  

To be continued..