Juana I: Legitimacy and Conflict in Sixteenth-Century Castile

Queenship and Power

by Gillian B. Fleming

This book examines the deep and lengthy crisis of legitimacy triggered by the death of Prince Juan of Castile and Aragon in 1497 and the subsequent ascent of Juana I to the throne in 1504. Confined by historiography and myth to the madwoman’s attic, Juana emerges here as a key figure at the heart of a period of tremendous upheaval, reaching its peak in the war of the Comunidades, or comunero uprising of 1520–1522. Gillian Fleming traces the conflicts generated by the ambitions of Juana’s father, husband and son, and the controversial marginalisation and imprisonment of Isabel of Castile’s legitimate heir. Analysing Juana’s problems and strategies, failures and successes, Fleming argues that the period cannot be properly understood without taking into account the long shadow that Juana I cast over her kingdoms and over a crucial period of transition for Spain and Europe.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Academic, Historical, Royalty

353 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Gillian B. Fleming received her doctorate from the International History Department of the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

Reviews

[Carolyn Harris]

An excellent scholarly biography of Queen Juana I, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella. Juana has gone down in history as Juana la Loca and most biographies and cultural representations of the Queen focus on her mental health instead of her sovereignty. In contrast, Fleming examines Juana's political significance as Queen of Castile and places her within the context of sixteenth century attitudes toward female rule in the Iberian peninsula and beyond. I found the background concerning Ferdinand's family particularly interesting as one of his half sisters had been imprisoned by his father because her determination to exercise her rights over her mother's inheritance threatened his rule. A similar pattern unfolded in Ferdinand's treatment of Juana. Well written, well researched and interesting to read. Highly recommended.

[Luke]

This was a fantastic, well-researched work written in a highly engaging way. I used it as one of my two main sources (along with Bethany Aram’s biography of Juana) in my Honours dissertation this past year at university. It treats Juana with enough respect and nuance to avoid ever victimising her or blaming her - it paints a very human portrait of her.

[Lois]

This is long, detailed, interesting and worth reading.
I gave 3 stars because this focuses more on Juana as documented by the players around her.
Also this places a lot of focus on her son, Carlos V.
I understand theres more available about those that held her captive than what she thought or felt.
That's also true in biographies about thoss held in chattel slavery. That's handled by documenting sources but the enslaved person remains at the center despite the fact that we have nothing written in their own hand. Something similar should've been done here.
I think this is possibly a nice companion to the biography written by Bethany Aram.
Unfortunately I'm unable to access that other than purchasing it and it's at text book prices so hard pass🤷🏽‍♀️