Oh dear Juana may have overreacted but I can feel for her, such rejection must hurt..
La Reina Loca: A Juana I of Castile Timeline
- Thread starter pandizzy
- Start date
Remember not only is Juana...Juana, but she's also only 16. 16 year old girls getting into fights over boys is hardly anything new even at this time.
True that. But Isabella is the next heiress to Castile if her brother dies, so it's understandable that Portugal wants her.
And Juana is very young and the daughters of Isabella the Catholic were known for their dramas, except for Maria.
If Juana is available and Isabella take the vows as she wanted, Juana would be the heiress if their brother dies
I hope that is what happens to Isabella here. I would rather see her as a nun (perhaps functioning as regent for her sister) rather than dying.
She was incredible obstinate and her declaration before the Blackfriars court was just pure intensity. Not to mention sending the bloody coat of James IV to Henry after the battle of Flodden Field.
How do? I was under the assumption that most believed she did not have sex with Arthur Tudor.
Catherine of Aragon’s Speech at Blackfriars – June 1529
In researching history, I find there are some really dramatic occasions. Catherine of Aragon’s speech at the Legatine Court of Blackfriars on June 21, 1529 is one of those moments. King Henry VIII …
thefreelancehistorywriter.com
Here her speech is in its full glory.
I never said insanity, I said intensity and that she was obstinate. No one, not even Catherine's worst enemies accused her of insanity.
I know when Henry VIII told her he wanted a divorce she wept copiously and it made him uncomfortable but like... that's understandable.
January 1496.
Toledo, Castile. January 1496.
She sat imperiously, as though on a throne, as if she were already a Queen and they her subjects. It enraged Ferdinand to see his eldest so impertinent, a triumphant smile on her gaunt face.
“Those are my conditions, Father. I do not see how they are so impossible to deny. Are they not what you demanded of those whose kingdoms you won?” His eldest lifted her chin haughtily, and he winced at the sharp lines of her face. Scourging and starving herself had robbed her red hair of its lustre, and her blue eyes were pale, erratic and faraway.
“You ask too much, my dear one. To expel every last man, woman, and child unless they convert. Such a thing cannot be done immediately. And the King of Portugal requires an heir soon to appease the Cortes,” his wife argued, patient as ever with their willful daughter. The self-same patience that allowed her to believe herself capable of dictating to them.
Ferdinand shook his head, sitting before Isabel in his chambers, where the Dowager Princess of Portugal had come in the late evening. “Your mother and I have indulged your foolish grief long enough,” he spoke disdainfully. “The boy is dead and your misery has grown inconvenient. You affront God with your impertinence towards your mother and father, along with your willful destruction of the gifts He bestowed upon you. To think such a foolish girl could be born to such esteem.”
The words had their intended effect. His daughter turned on him, as sharp and vicious as a cornered stray cat. “I conduct myself as I have been commanded to by God and my conscience! When my Afonso was taken to His right hand, I obeyed the scriptures by remaining however much I wished to be with my beloved again! I have asked to be sent to a nunnery and I will not be denied again, Father. Send me to a nunnery and give Juana to Manuel, for he will have none of me.” She touched her cheek, the reddened bruise given to her by her sister still visible. “My sister will be glad to have him.”
“The years between you and your siblings have given you thoughts that you’re above us all,” said Ferdinand, remembering the long years where Isabel was their heir. “A woman does not make demands of her lord husband. If it’s his will, and ours, you will go to him gladly.”
“I would sooner die,” Isabel said flatly, and he thought of the scourging and the starvation again. What would she do in the Portuguese court if sent? How would Manuel take a wife that had something resembling madness in her eyes? “The Lord punished my dear Afonso because Portugal welcomed the Jews that you and mother expelled from Castile and Aragon. It’s clear to me. To force me to marry someone I do not want to would be an even greater affront in His eyes.”
“I will drag you down that aisle myself if it is Manuel’s pleasure and mine. Your arrogance to speak for the Almighty does not sit well with me, daughter.” His voice was low, so much that it made Isabella pale. It was like a distant boom of thunder, promising vicious storms to come. “You will remain here while the negotiations are made and be attended to by your mother and her ladies. Guards will be posted at your door and an archbishop will preach to you of your duties as a daughter and wife until you accept your place.”
Isabella placed a hand over his. “Perhaps, we do not need to be so strict, husband,” she said. “Let us send the message to Dom Manuel. If he accepts, we will know that Isabel shall go gladly, and to a country free from vermin.” She made a face, hating all things Jewish and he knew at once where his daughter had gotten her stubbornness. At least, Juana, María and Catalina were different. That much was a comfort to him.
Ferdinand glowered at his wife and daughter before nodding curtly. “Send the letter to Dom Manuel and see whether he agrees. God willing, we may yet send this willful child away and be done with her once and for all.”
“A touching display of love, dear father. I shall pray that your rider falls and breaks his neck on the journey,” Isabel japed as she stood up and left.
That awkward moment when you a Trastamara history enthusiast are reminded what the Trastamara thought of a quarter of your family.
Love the dynamic between Ferdinand and Isabella jr.
Love the dynamic between Ferdinand and Isabella jr.
Lmaoooo say that again ferdinand say that again
(I know he's thinking of Juana, María, and Catalina being obedient daughters but still!)
She wanted to send his head!!
@pandizzy , you have no idea how much I squeaked and clapped at finding this TL. I have always loved Juana, looking forward to more!