Joan "The Mad" of Castile
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
By Juan de Flandes
Partner portrait to Phillip the Handsome
Juana was born on 6 Nov 1479 in Toledo, Castile to Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, elder sister to Catherine of Aragon (1st wife of Henry VIII).
She had a fair complexion, blue eyes and strawberry blonde fair.
She was a clever and diligent child who excelled academically, as well as with languages and reading.
she took to the refinements of courtly etiquette and enjoyed outdoor activities.
However in 1495 she had started to show signs of skepticism towards the Catholic faith.
This horrified her mother, a woman who had established the Spanish Inquisition so intolerant was she to heretical thought, and a Princess of the Catholic faith could not be seen as a heretic.
There is evident through letters that there was intervention and that Juana was punished using La Cuede (weights strapped to the feet whilst hoisted in the air by a rope strapped to the arms), and a considerable amount of frustration from the priests because she would not confess to heretical thoughts.
In 1496, aged 17, she was betrothed to Philip of Flanders, son of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. He was also known as Philip the Handsome.
They were married by proxy at the Palace de Los Vivero. Then in August Juana left from the Port of Laredo for Flanders.
20 Oct 1496 the official marriage took place in Lier.
Between 1498-1507 they had six children.
With the death of her older siblings, in 1502 Juana found herself the heir to the throne of Castile and Leon, being given the title Princess of Asturias.
In Nov 1504, on the death of her mother, Juana became Queen Regent of Castile and Philip King. As a result Ferdinand lost hs monarchical status and was unwilling to accept the situation. His first move was to have coins minted featuring himself with Juana as joint ruler. in retaliation Philip had started doing the same thing.
Then in 1505 Ferdinand the Cortes that Juana's "illness is such that the said Queen Dona Juana our Lady cannot govern."
The Cortes agreed and appointed Ferdinand as Juana's guardian and Governor of Castile and Leon.
Philip was unwilling to accept this threat and in late 1505 the couple traveled Castile.
However, they were shipwrecked off the coast of Devon and ended up staying as a "guest" of Henry VII until April 1506. This would be the last time she would see her sister Catherine.
When they finally arrived back in Coruna, the Castile nobility gave their allegiance to the couple.
Ferdinand and Philip meet and agreed a treaty that would hand rule to Philip so long as he agreed that Juana's "infermieties and sufferings" made her incapable to govern, Ferdinand would deny this the same day and try to shift the blame to Philip. Whoever was responsible (probably both) on 9th July 1506 the Procurators of the Cortes swore allegiance to Juana and Philip together as co-governors.
It did not last long. On 25th Sep 1506 Philip died after being ill for 5 days. The official cause was sited as Typhoid fever, but rumors at the time suggested poison.
Juana was devestated. It was clear she had loved her husband despite his affairs, torments and cruelty. She was also pregnant.
She struggled with the idea of parting with his body and accompanied his coffin all the way from Burgos to Granada - some 600km. It is said she would frequently open the coffin to embrace him).
Meanwhile the region began to fall apart - plaque and famine ravaged the area, and whilst Juana tried to manage on her own she does not seem to have had backing financially or emotionally.
Once the crisis reached its height, in July 1507 Ferdinand arrived back in Castile.
Although Juana made it known she had no wish to hand over government, it was decided by the Cortes that Ferdinand would once again be Governor. She would be Queen in name only.
By 1509 all her loyal servants had been dismissed and had only a small retinue loyal to Ferdinand.
She had been confined to the Palace in Torledo.
In 1516 Ferdinand died a bitter man. Much against his wishes the throne of Aragon would go to Juana and her son Charles.
Nov 1517 Charles and his sister Eleanor visited their mother, where they extracted the required authority for Charles to rule as co-ruler. This did not win her freedom though. Instead she was kept confined in the palace where her daughter attempted to create a household for her.
In 1519 Charles was elected Holy Roman Emperor.
There were plots by various groups to rescue Juana and put her back on the throne, but she refused to co-operate against her son.
This did not benefit her though. Charles, seeing her a risk, had her transferred to the Royal convent where she was kept in solitary confinement.
After that her health declined including her ability to move, and she died on 12 April 1555, aged 75.
She is entombed beside her parents and next to her husband in the Royal Chapel in Granada.
Mad or mistreated?
Joan "The Mad" of Castile
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
By Juan de Flandes
Partner portrait to Phillip the Handsome
Juana was born on 6 Nov 1479 in Toledo, Castile to Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, elder sister to Catherine of Aragon (1st wife of Henry VIII).
She had a fair complexion, blue eyes and strawberry blonde fair.
She was a clever and diligent child who excelled academically, as well as with languages and reading.
she took to the refinements of courtly etiquette and enjoyed outdoor activities.
However in 1495 she had started to show signs of skepticism towards the Catholic faith.
This horrified her mother, a woman who had established the Spanish Inquisition so intolerant was she to heretical thought, and a Princess of the Catholic faith could not be seen as a heretic.
There is evident through letters that there was intervention and that Juana was punished using La Cuede (weights strapped to the feet whilst hoisted in the air by a rope strapped to the arms), and a considerable amount of frustration from the priests because she would not confess to heretical thoughts.
In 1496, aged 17, she was betrothed to Philip of Flanders, son of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. He was also known as Philip the Handsome.
They were married by proxy at the Palace de Los Vivero. Then in August Juana left from the Port of Laredo for Flanders.
20 Oct 1496 the official marriage took place in Lier.
Between 1498-1507 they had six children.
With the death of her older siblings, in 1502 Juana found herself the heir to the throne of Castile and Leon, being given the title Princess of Asturias.
In Nov 1504, on the death of her mother, Juana became Queen Regent of Castile and Philip King. As a result Ferdinand lost hs monarchical status and was unwilling to accept the situation. His first move was to have coins minted featuring himself with Juana as joint ruler. in retaliation Philip had started doing the same thing.
Then in 1505 Ferdinand the Cortes that Juana's "illness is such that the said Queen Dona Juana our Lady cannot govern."
The Cortes agreed and appointed Ferdinand as Juana's guardian and Governor of Castile and Leon.
Philip was unwilling to accept this threat and in late 1505 the couple traveled Castile.
However, they were shipwrecked off the coast of Devon and ended up staying as a "guest" of Henry VII until April 1506. This would be the last time she would see her sister Catherine.
When they finally arrived back in Coruna, the Castile nobility gave their allegiance to the couple.
Ferdinand and Philip meet and agreed a treaty that would hand rule to Philip so long as he agreed that Juana's "infermieties and sufferings" made her incapable to govern, Ferdinand would deny this the same day and try to shift the blame to Philip. Whoever was responsible (probably both) on 9th July 1506 the Procurators of the Cortes swore allegiance to Juana and Philip together as co-governors.
It did not last long. On 25th Sep 1506 Philip died after being ill for 5 days. The official cause was sited as Typhoid fever, but rumors at the time suggested poison.
Juana was devestated. It was clear she had loved her husband despite his affairs, torments and cruelty. She was also pregnant.
She struggled with the idea of parting with his body and accompanied his coffin all the way from Burgos to Granada - some 600km. It is said she would frequently open the coffin to embrace him).
Meanwhile the region began to fall apart - plaque and famine ravaged the area, and whilst Juana tried to manage on her own she does not seem to have had backing financially or emotionally.
Once the crisis reached its height, in July 1507 Ferdinand arrived back in Castile.
Although Juana made it known she had no wish to hand over government, it was decided by the Cortes that Ferdinand would once again be Governor. She would be Queen in name only.
By 1509 all her loyal servants had been dismissed and had only a small retinue loyal to Ferdinand.
She had been confined to the Palace in Torledo.
In 1516 Ferdinand died a bitter man. Much against his wishes the throne of Aragon would go to Juana and her son Charles.
Nov 1517 Charles and his sister Eleanor visited their mother, where they extracted the required authority for Charles to rule as co-ruler. This did not win her freedom though. Instead she was kept confined in the palace where her daughter attempted to create a household for her.
In 1519 Charles was elected Holy Roman Emperor.
There were plots by various groups to rescue Juana and put her back on the throne, but she refused to co-operate against her son.
This did not benefit her though. Charles, seeing her a risk, had her transferred to the Royal convent where she was kept in solitary confinement.
After that her health declined including her ability to move, and she died on 12 April 1555, aged 75.
She is entombed beside her parents and next to her husband in the Royal Chapel in Granada.
Mad or mistreated?