La Reina Loca: A Juana I of Castile Timeline
- Thread starter pandizzy
- Start date
And hopefully Jorge will not get more than OTL, where he had wed a princess of the blood as Manuel had promised but from a junior branch
January 1496.
Toledo, Castile. January 1496.
Juana thought of Dom Manuel every day. She prayed for his health and for his kingdom. How happy she was when she learned of the death of King John, no matter how sinful such a thought was. To know that his great enemy was dead gave her much joy, and that he was now king. His successes pleased her more than anything; his sorrows were hers to feel just as keenly. She was desperate for news from him, even just rumours, and every night, she knelt down to pray that the next would be the day she was finally called to join him.
Juana hadn’t seen a portrait of her love yet, but she could imagine his face well enough. She had seen his mother once, when Dona Beatriz came to Castile to see her sick sister, Juana’s grandmother, and she was a very austere woman. Religious and sombre, worthy of respect, but one could still see how beautiful she’d been in her youth. That had been before Juana knew of her intended engagement, though, she’d been unable to tell her great-aunt how she longed for Dom Manuel.
She would whisper his name into the pillow. Manuel, Manuel, Manuel. It sounded sweeter than honey now to her. Soon after his accession in October, he recalled his sister Isabel and named her son as his heir, until the time came for him to have his own children. Although Dona Eleanor was his elder sister, the Dowager Queen had refused to swear an oath on the grounds that she had no issue to leave the kingdom too. Juana didn’t know why they needed to swear oaths when she was ready to bear children for Dom Manuel.
They would have many children. Juana wanted a large family, bigger than her mother’s. At least eight, but she was comfortable with whatever number the Lord decided to gift her with. She would bear them all with a smile, knowing that as a man, Dom Manuel would want many children to inherit his throne after him.
But then… Something horrible happened just as the celebrations for Christmas ended. Juana knew that an embassy from Portugal arrived the past week, though she wasn’t allowed to meet them personally. She thought it would only be a matter of time before she left for Portugal. How foolish she was.
She was with Isabel, helping her sister with an embroidery that would be given as alms to the poor. They were sitting together, quietly working when her mother and father came into the room. It was a shock, to see them together, and as she raised from her curtsy, Juana felt her heart race.
Her mother looked saddened and there was a twist in the mouth of her father, telling her that he was angry. Isabel could see it too, for she asked, “Did something happen?”
Their parents exchanged a glance, a look that silently spoke a thousand words before turning back to them.
“We met today with the Portuguese ambassador,” said her mother. “He is eager to see our accord with the King done.” She looked sadly at Juana. “But in a different manner than what we expected.”
“What do you mean?” Juana asked, a cold hand of fear clutching her heart.
“King Manuel has asked for the hand of Isabel, madrecita,” her father said to Juana, fondly using the nickname he gave her. “Not yours.”
No.
“Me?” Isabel exclaimed. “Why not her?” She pointed at Juana who felt her entire body sway, her heart stuttering as if it would soon slip out from her ribs. “It was agreed! I don’t wish to remarry.”
“The King gave two reasons,” her father said. “Your age, which will allow you to produce a son without worries, and the love that his subjects still feel for you.”
“No,” Isabel said simply, her pale eyes flashing with something erratic and frightening. “No. No. I shall not go to Portugal. Not again. Not after my dear Afonso. I should rather die a thousand deaths than suffer returning to that country.”
“The matter is not yet decided, Isabel,” Her mother offered soothingly, in the gentle manner she had adopted in speaking with Juana’s irrational older sister. “He may very well choose Juana or Maria in time. Your father has made it clear that your grief is considerable.”
“Has he?” Isabel glared at her father. “Has he explained the measure of my grief when he fails to understand it? My heart died when Afonso passed to the right hand of God, and I have seen fit to take vows and been denied time and again by Father. Let me take the veil and leave me to my mourning.”
“Who cares about your mourning?” Juana exclaimed, tears coming to her eyes. “You don’t even want him! I want him! And he chose you instead of me!”
Isabel turned to her, eyes sharp and cruel. “I do not want this, you ignorant fool! Father, tell the King of Portugal that I will not be his Queen.”
“You are the eldest daughter of the King of Aragon and Queen of Castile, Isabel. You have a duty to your country and to your family.” Their father’s voice was stern, a warning to be careful. “Whatever happened to the gracious and obedient daughter who was sent to Portugal with all honours?”
“I’m obedient!” Juana said, running to her father. She fell to her knees, grasping the edge of his cloak desperately. “I’ll marry Dom Manuel without complaint, father. Please, tell him it’s only me he will have.”
He clutched her by the arms and forced her to stand. “Juana,” Her father’s voice was not as sharp as it was with Isabel, but the exasperation was there, “Be sensible. You are a valuable match to be sure, but your sister is the Princess of Portugal. If the King wants her, then he shall have her.” But tears were still flowing down her cheeks, all of her dreams and hopes dashing away. “I’ll find you a new husband. A better man for you.”
“I don’t want a better man!” Juana whined. “I want Dom Manuel.”
Her mother cupped a hand to Juana’s cheek, wiping her tears. “It will be better this way,” her mother said gently. “Isabel is closer to Dom Manuel’s age. Put him from your mind and you will forget him soon enough, Juana. Your father and I will see you married happily and well.”
Juana shook off her father’s hold, tears sliding down her cheeks and turned back to look at her sister. “I hate you!” she shrieked, half mad. “You’ve ruined my life!” She wanted to tear her sister’s hood off and pull out her hair, to scratch out her eyes and make her ugly, so Dom Manuel would see that he didn’t want her. Not really.
“I don’t want him, you stupid girl,” Isabel said. “Unlike you, I know Dom Manuel and I also know I will never be happy with him as I was with my dear Afonso. So you suffer, should the world cease to turn because you do not have whatever you desire? You do not know the meaning of sorrow, dear sister. You are young enough to be completely ignorant of it.”
Juana didn’t see herself slapping Isabel. Or pulling at her hair. Only that one moment, she was stepping forward and the next, her father was dragging her away whilst her mother ran to help her sister. She fought against the King, screaming and weeping, and her father held her close, whispering in her ear.
“We’ll find you a new husband,” he whispered. “Don’t worry. You will soon forget of Dom Manuel.”
But Juana didn’t know if she was capable of it.
You have watched the TV serie Isabel haven't you @pandizzy?
Juana is not winning any sympathy points here. It's not like Isabella wants Manuel.
#Team Isabella here. I really hope she gets a happy ending in this story.
Good grief, Juana needs to calm down. Isabella doesn't deserve this.
You have never meet him!
Because those sentences were straight out of the same scene where Ferdinand and Isabella told Princess Isabella that Manuel wanted her. Kudos to you for that!
Yes, I can understand that, but assaulting Isabella for a match she did not even want made my stomach churn. And I'm worried about what you are gonna do with Isabella in this story. She always gets shafted.
Same, that that's juana for ya, even before her volatile tendencis got out of hand she was very dramatic
That was not helped as she ended up married to the worst husband ever and got caught in a tug of war between her parents and spouse.
Hopefully the more demure and pious Maria will fair better with Philip.
And Manuel will be far more understanding than Philip ever was
Philip’s dead tho. Maria is shipped off to his younger brother who lives instead of him ttl
Since she ends up queen ITTL, I suppose Isabella goes as OTL...