The Catholic Book Club discussion

9. How did you find the ending? What would you change, if anything?

I explained in other section i think that Louis de Wohl did not want to conclude with the campaign of Flanders. I think that for being German he had protestant Friends and he did not want to speak bad of the protestantism only in One novel Set all the fire he speaks of the protestantism. I think that Louis de Wohl is Closer to the tradition of Henryk Sienkiewicz and Geza Gardonyi where the christianity his glory is the fight against the muslim. Un my case i would have liked that Louis de Wohl had concluded the story of John Austria when he died afterwards of winning the Battle of Gembloux against calvinist in Flanders as Laszlo Passuth and Luis Coloma did in their books. Perhaps was the only critic that i could do It to Louis de Wohl.

It left everything hanging. Don Juan has a premonition he won't live long, but the reader is left wondering what really happened not only to him but why he didn't succeed his half-brother as king. And how Dona Magdalena and Maria decide her "vocation" is religious life!

Ana, last wife of Phillip II, had a son who became Phillip III. The book mentions the marriage to Ana (who had also been considered as a bride for Prince Carlos), but doesn't mention the birth of the new prince. The prince was born, in fact, in 1578, the same year Juan de Austria died. Phillip II died in 1598.

It was also common to send younger children or out-of-wedlock children to convents from their childhood.

Here's another dumb question. Why was Juan called "of Austria"--never lived there, spoke Spanish...

The royal family in Spain was of the House of Habsburg (also known as the House of Austria) starting with Charles the First of Spain (Emperor Charles the V of the Holy Roman Empire). Charles V was the grandson of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, on his mother's side, and of Emperor Maximilian I of Austria on his father's.

By calling him "of Austria", Phillip was recognizing Juan as a member of the royal family.

María Angel explained really good the dinasty of Habsburg ruled Austria and since the death of Segismund Luxembourg they were chosen emperors of Holy Empire Roman German indeed Segismund prepared the election of Albert II. The surprinsingly is that the origin of the Habsburg dinasty is From Switerland but they were expelled in the 14th century with the son of Rudolf I Albert I. It is the origin of the famous William Tell oficially Switerland give Up being part Holy Roman German Empire in 1648 with the end of the War 30 years although they had autonomy since 14th century.
Really John of Austria borned in Germany in the city of Regensburg in spanish Ratisbona. De Wohl spoke about This when he spoke about Barbara Blomberg. As Bárbara was frivolous and inmature was decided that John of Austria were grown Up by others Family until he was ready to understand his heritage. Mother and son met in Flanders at finally thanks to Dona Magdalen Barbara entered in a convent he caused a lot of damage to his son for his trendness inmature and frivolous.

Jill wrote: "It left everything hanging. Don Juan has a premonition he won't live long, but the reader is left wondering what really happened not only to him but why he didn't succeed his half-brother as king..."

He would never have succeeded his brother, for he was illegitimate. If Philip II hadn't had a son (later Philip III), there would have been a succession problem, as Philip II had two daughters who became adults, and although Castile allowed women to reign, Aragon didn't. With his last (fourth) wife, Philip II had four sons and a daughter, but only Philip III became adult.

The parallel biographical novel "Jeromín" by Father Coloma doesn't stop at Lepanto, it ends with Don Juan's death. I agree this is a failure in this novel.

Jill wrote: "And how Dona Magdalena and Maria decide her "vocation" is religious life!"

This has been invented by De Wohl. Maria de Mendoza disappeared from history, nobody knows what happened to her. That she became a nun is just De Wohl's way of tying knots so as not to leave anything unsolved.

I am sure that in case that Philipp II had not had a son surely Philipp II had managed that the husband of Elisabeth Claire Eugenie Albert had been King. There was a strange measure to do King the Duke of Savoy that he is married with the second daughter of Philipp II Catherine Michaella knowing the nature of his son. It is possibly that Philipp II did not dislike the plan. He has two quotes about This question and God Who gives so territories has denied a son for ruling It. The second quote is Don Christopher i fear that my son was dominated. It is truth that Philipp III but i did not consider a Bad period despite Duke of Lerma, Franqueza, Rodrigo Calderón and the Duke Uceda. Spain had a relative Peace and he had a very skillfull diplomats Gondomar, Bedmar and the Duke of Osuna. Spain showed that It could be a fearsome adversary in Times of Peace for This Henry IV tried to look for the War because he feared of Spain.

another question for you Spanish history buffs: Wikipedia says Juan of Austria had a second daughter -- doesn't seem consistent with the way he is presented here; what's the story?

Jill wrote: "another question for you Spanish history buffs: Wikipedia says Juan of Austria had a second daughter -- doesn't seem consistent with the way he is presented here; what's the story?"

True. It happened one year after Lepanto. This is how Fr. Coloma tells about it: And engulfed in these pastimes and continuous diversions of Naples, it happened to Don Juan what in similar circumstances happens to the unwary and passionate youth: he went further than he would have liked to go. In this first stumbling block of Don Juan in Naples there were strange interventions that astonish today more than they astonished then. The case was this way... on the last Sunday of October, the magnificent autumn day in Naples, a certain gentleman from Sorrento, named Antonio Falangola, who lived in Naples with his wife, Lucrecia Brancia, and his daughter Diana, reputed by the most beautiful woman from Naples. Antonio Falangola was poor for his class, boastful and not scrupulous; Lucrecia, devious and hypocritical, and both wanted to profit from the beauty of their daughter, who was in turn very coy. So they displayed themselves everywhere with great luxury and ostentation, leaving the misery and scarcity of their poverty hidden at home. That Sunday they arrived... in front of the site reserved for Don Juan de Austria.

Now comes the description of a bullfight where Don Juan was the main actor, and offered his triumph to Diana Farangola.

Antonio Falangola, moved, delirious, asked Don Juan for permission to present himself the next day, as a sign of gratitude, with his wife and daughter. Don Juan corresponded... making delicious gifts to Lucrecia and Diana; Antonio Falangola was soon leaving as governor to Puzzoli, appointed by Granvela, leaving his wife and daughter in Naples: "to apparent not knowing anything about his shame"...

A little later he adds: This rambling of Don Juan did not last long; in mid December [he retired to a monastery, confessed and made penitence].

This happened when Don Juan was between 25 and 27 years old (the exact date of his birth is unknown).

In other words, Don Juan was very pious and prayed a lot. But when other people (usually the girl's relatives) put a pretty girl in his bed, he was a man, although later he was sorry of his fall, confessed and made penitence.

I am going to say the same i also Read that Don Juan has a lover in Naples This thing i know for the Father Coloma. We can say that the only achilles heel was the women but i said This question. This thing is not a problem to the catholicism of the Hero. In the novel of Laszlo Passuth The natural lord Passuth invented that he has a romance with a huguenot french Woman besides he met with Ridolphi the Big Catholic Spy in England to explore the situation of the Catholic in England and his marriage with Mary Stuart. We must remind that his Father Charles V had two natural Sons Don Juan and Margaret the mother of Alexander Farnese the Hercule nephew she was a governoss of Netherlands and This thing did not avoid that they were Champions of the christianity. The own Alexander Farnese and Alba were Big catholics and Pious men. The soldiers of Alexander Farnese sang psalms.

I thought it was perfect.
De Wohl’s focus is on the last crusader , hence the story needs to climax on the crusade - the Battle of Lepanto - the rest is merely a footnote.

Well It had been Interesting to see the end of Don Juan and the situation of Netherlands in the War of 80 years. Laszlo Passuth and Coloma had not any problem to speak about This issue.