Johanna the Mad: A Queen, a Coffin, and a Whole Lot of Royal Drama!
Imagine, dear reader, you are living in one of the largest kingdoms in Western Europe and your queen.... is mad as hatter!
Meet: Johanna of Castile! Johanna was born into the world in 1479 as the daughter of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, (of Columbus fame), and the older sister of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife. Just from that description alone you can tell there's going to be drama!
Suffice it to say, Johanna didn't have your traditional upbringing. She grew up in one of the most powerful royal courts in Europe, where religion, discipline, political ambition, and the constant question of who would inherit the throne shaped nearly every aspect of her childhood. Oh, what an absolute delightful way to live!
In 1496, at age 16, Johanna married Philip the Handsome, (um ok?), a Habsburg prince and son of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.
The dowry agreement joined the Hapsburgs of Austria to the powerful Houses of Spain and allowed for Johanna's brother John to also married Philip's sister Margaret. It would be the equivalent of a marriage BOGO, I presume?
After the wedding the newlyweds returned to Philip's place in the Low Countries, which we now think of as modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands region. Left alone in a strange court, the blossom soon fell off the bloom however, when it was discovered that "The Handsome" was getting it on with every lady-in-waiting, courtier's wife and milk maiden in the kingdom.
Johanna did not take the cracks in her marriage particularly well, at least according to accounts written at the time. And, old Phil the Medieval Thrill, was about to discover that marrying a Spanish princess came with rather more complications than the wedding contract might have mentioned.
One tale claims Johanna even having a rival’s hair chopped off, though that story, this writer admits, may have been embellished. Between Philip’s wandering eye and their constant battle for political influence, this marriage could be described as less fairy tale and more royal soap opera.
In 1504, her mother, Isabella I, died and Johanna became Queen of Castile, but her father, Ferdinand, was reluctant to surrender power. I guess maybe Columbus hadn't repaid the loan and he was hurting for money?
Then Philip died suddenly in 1506, leaving Johanna devastated. Her behavior became increasingly troubling to those around her, and people began questioning her mental state. Stories of her traveling with Philip's coffin and delaying his burial I'm sure fueled the growing belief that something was wrong.
But one thing is for sure, once people at court began questioning Johanna’s state of mind, Ferdinand, saw his opportunity to retake control of Castile and he took it. Johanna was quickly pushed aside politically and abandoned by her supporters. In 1509, she was confined by Ferdinand to the Royal Palace of Tordesillas.
In 1517, Ferdinand died and Johanna's son Charles inherited the crowns of both Castile and Aragon ~ Essentially all of modern-day Spain. Even after he became the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, he did nothing to stop the confinement of his mother. Whether or not the continued confinement was legitimate or convenient, we may never know.
But what we do know for sure, is that just a few years later, Charles V would sack Rome, imprison a Pope and get caught up in one of the messiest divorces on record when his Aunt Catherine of Aragon asked for her help in staying married. But that, dear reader, is tea for another day!
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