Farce of Ávila

The powerful Marquis of Villena was unhappy with the preferential treatment by the king of his rivals, the House of Mendoza and the favourite Beltrán de la Cueva.

[3] On a large platform visible from a distance, the conspirators erected a wooden statue representing the king, dressed in mourning clothes and with his crown, staff, and sword.

According to them, the king showed sympathy towards Muslims (who still controlled the Emirate of Grenada); he was homosexual; his character was conciliatory and overcautious; and (the most serious charge) he was not the real father of Princess Joanna, which meant that she was ineligible to inherit the throne.

[3] The new king Alfonso XII was considered a puppet in the hands of Villena and was not accepted by the majority of the country, which remained loyal to Henry IV.

Don Diego Gómez Manrique organized festivities and composed theatrical "momos" teatrales to celebrate the royal birthday in which the court ladies played the role of fairies.