Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country’s throne, has been for centuries an enigmatic figure shrouded in lurid myth. Was she the bereft widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time? In his stunning new novel, C.W. Gortner challenges the myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to … to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand.
The third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, Juana is born amid her parents’ ruthless struggle to unify their kingdom, bearing witness to the fall of Granada and Columbus’ s discoveries. At the age of sixteen, she is sent to wed Philip, the archduke of Flanders, as part of her parents’ strategy to strengthen Spain, just as her youngest sister, Catherine of Aragon, is sent to England to become the first wife of Henry VIII.
Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her handsome young husband, the sole heir to the Habsburg Empire. At first she is content with her children and her life in Flanders. But when tragedy strikes and she inherits the Spanish throne, Juana finds herself plunged into a battle for power against her husband that grows to involve the major monarchs of Europe. Besieged by foes on all sides, her intelligence and pride used as weapons against her, Juana vows to secure her crown and save Spain from ruin, even if it could cost her everything.
With brilliant, lyrical prose, novelist and historian C.W. Gortner conjures Juana through her own words, taking the reader from the somber majesty of Spain to the glittering and lethal courts of Flanders, France, and Tudor England. The Last Queen brings to life all the grandeur and drama of an incomparable era, and the singular humanity of this courageous, passionate princess whose fight to claim her birthright captivated the world.
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I had been wanting to read a novel on the infamous Juana La Loca (Juana the Mad) because history on her tries to push that she was insane and unfit to rule Castile after her mother Isabella dies. This historical fictional novel on her gives a different perspective and argues that her fits weren’t madness but rage at her cheating husband and father …
Ah – the magic spell of a powerful, wonderfully written historical novel like The Last Queen! Treading on the edge of my consciousness even when forced to put the novel down, The Last Queen invaded my dreams, taking me over both night and day.
Welding history into believable and well crafted fiction takes not only writing talent, but also the …
Fabulous historical fiction.
I love a history lesson, that has been well researched, along with the interesting story of real people who have been fictionalized.
This is the first book I read by Gortner. After I finished, I tracked down his novel about Joana’s mother, Isabella of Castile. I absolutely loved this book, and since I’m a biographical fiction addict, this one really kept my attention.
I have always been intrigued about the Spanish queen and her husband and this picks up with the treachery that ensues when they marry off their daughters for politiv=cal alliances. This involves Catherine’s sister who did not fare any better than she did when she n[married Henry the 8th.
C.W. Gortner really brings these historical characters to life. A must read!
You really feel like you are part of the unfolding history. I loved it.
An intriguing tale of the Spanish court in the time period of Henry the 8th. Juana, sister to Henry’s first Queen, Catherine of Aragon, led just as difficult life,buffetted by hidden and open court personal and political battles. Who was friend and who, foe was not always easy to discern. History has judged Juan insane. This presents a …
I liked this book. I’ve read of Queen Juana, but never knew much about her. This book made her story come alive.
Well-written, easily understood history of the tragedy of Juana’s life. It definitely engages one’s interest.
Juana La Loca has fascinated me for many years and I am glad to discover an even handed life. Her life was truly tragic, and she was used and betrayed by the men she loved. This fictional life never becomes sensationalist, but records events that the reader who’s familiar with Juana will recognize as possible sources of the lurid tales which …
As a lover of historical fiction I found this book fascinating. An interesting story about a little known character, who had contact with so many influential people in western European culture. I highly recommend it and I really enjoy CW Gortner’s works.
Juana of Castile, known to most of us as Joanna the Mad, is a sad and interesting study, especially since historians don’t even agree whether she was mad or not. C.W. Gortner has painted a sympathetic portrait of this tragic princess, tugged this way and that by self-interested parties who would probably have been just as willing to throw her away—except that she held the key to the kingdom. Torn from the dubious comfort of her family as soon as she was marriageable, the reluctant Juana was sent to Flanders and wed to the handsome Philip of Burgundy. At first this was a successful love match and she soon gave her loyalties to her delightful spouse. But when she discovered his infidelities, her passion turned to anger and then to hate, and it seemed that their successive children were invariably the result of rape.
This is a difficult period of history to understand, and I soon got lost in the layers of politics and betrayal. One thing is for sure: Juana had no one she could trust, especially after her cold-hearted mother died and left her the crown of Castile. This is when the real trouble started. Philip would not be content with anything less than the crown for himself, and his strategy to declare her mad and shut her off from the world seems to have served him well. Of course, he had to drag her around with him to make it look legitimate.
It’s ironic that the man her parents forced her to marry ended up being the not-so-secret foe of her father Ferdinand. Juana thought her beloved father would come to her rescue, but how was she to know he also coveted the crown? Once Philip died, her illusory freedom devolved into captivity under Ferdinand, though she didn’t recognize the situation at once. She was still technically queen, and when pressured refused to abdicate, which sealed her doom. The madness ploy was easy to sustain and poor Juana did not have a chance. She was shut up in a convent for over 40 years; who wouldn’t have become depressed?
Most of her children were dispersed to other relatives for safety’s sake, and apparently they remained strangers to her. Could this be why Juana carried around Philip’s corpse until the end? I was always under the illusion this was part of her madness, but this anecdotal evidence is played down in the novel. Since she pretty much hated him by the end of his life, it makes little sense that she wouldn’t part with his body. But on the other hand, perhaps Philip offered the only fleeting happiness she ever felt in her life. What I took away from this book was the unsettling awareness of just how powerless a woman could be if faced by a ruthless rival. Juana of Castile never had the chance to prove her worth to the world.
Very good.