Henry VII, the Tudor King who for a day handed the crown to Juan de Lepe (author unknown, c. 1923)
Thanks to a card game, Juan de Lepe, an Andalusian sailor and adventurer, was for one day King of England — and returned rich to his native Huelva.
We’ve probably all heard stories of people who gambled ridiculous amounts during a card game. Maybe a monthly salary, a branded watch or even a car — but nothing as grand as an entire country.
However, this is exactly what happened in England, in the mid-15th century, during the reign of Henry VII, recalls .
At the time, there was a sailor and adventurer named Juan who lived in the small town of Lepe, in the southwestern province of Huelva — which is why he became known as Juan de Lepe.
One day, Juan decided to leave Spain and go to England to make a living. Somehow (the story is not very clear in this part) managed to infiltrate the court from then King Henrique VII, a King Tudoreventually becoming his confidant, friend, dinner guest, court jester and… opponent in all types of games.
According to historians, King Henry VII was a very reserved and cautiousbut also patient and vigilant, in addition to having an enormous passion for all types of games.
Juan de Lepe was supposedly the Henry VII’s favorite adversarysays .
One day, while they were playing cards (some sources say it was a game of chess), Henry VII decided to stake his crownsaying that if his Andalusian rival won the game, would make him King of England for a day.
Inevitably, Juan won and, to the surprise of the rest of the court, Henry VII fulfilled his promise and crowned him king for a day. He even made the announcement public, and Juan was greeted by the people as “Little King of Englanda”.
On that day, Juan de Lepe not only gained a title, but also the riches associated with it: Henry VII gave the Andalusian the right to benefit and enjoy everything that, as King of England, he received during that day.
Some claim that Juan even reached the point of keep one of the crowns of Henry VII. Other sources say he stole it, while others claim it was a gift from the king.
Whatever the truth, Juan returned to Lepe as a rich man. Some historians believe that he began his return journey to Spain shortly afterwards, while others say that waited until after death of Henrique VII in 1509.
What we do know is that, back in his native Lepe, Juan had a luxurious lifehaving even donated many of his riches to the Franciscan monastery near Santa María de la Bella.
If we search the History books, we do not find references to Juan de Lepe in the chronological chain of English monarchs. Historical records are incomplete and English sources say nothing about this chapter of Henry’s life.
He would be British folklore, Spanish legend or pure fiction? Perhaps. But it’s a story that has long been told to schoolchildren along Spain’s Costa de la Luz.
