Joanna of Castile

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Joanna of Castile

Introduction

Joanna of Castile (1479-1555 , or Joan the Mad ' the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella , is best known for her infatuation with her husband and apparent madness after his death (Jeannine Dugan 2007 . Wild , impetuous , but possibly not insane , Joanna spent the majority of her life imprisoned by her own father not long after the birth of her youngest child in 1507 . Almost fifty years later , abandoned and alone , and considered as being died in her windowless prison at

the age of 75 years

This essay will be considering the life of Joanna of Castile through primarily considering her ancestry and childhood . Reflection will then be given to the circumstances surrounding Joanna 's marriage and relationship with her husband , while also considering the worldviews of the 14th century , including the ways in which the surrounding society viewed gender roles . Finally , the will conclude by attempting to respond to whether Joanna was truly mad , or whether the men who controlled her were using this accusation as a way of obtaining their political ambitions

Ancestry and Childhood

Joanna of Castile was born on November 6 , 1479 , the second daughter of King Ferdinand ll off Aragon and Queen Isabella l of Castile , whose marriage had united Spain . A difficult , fretful baby , Joanna developed into a moody and sullen child , who solitude . Joanna , who received a good education , was a studious pupil , and considered as being intelligent , hardworking , and pious . Besides a vivid interest in books the young Princess was fluent in Latin , played the clavichord and guitar , and was a graceful dancer . However , although in appearance she resembled her father 's mother , the beautiful Juana Enriquez . in disposition she resembled her mother 's mother , the mad Isabel of Portugal (Xs4all .nl , Online Article , 2007 - author 's italics

Joanna was only sixteen years old when she was betrothed to Philip the Handsome of Austria (1478-1506 , who was the only child of the Emperor Maximilian l . Although still an adolescent , Joanna traveled to the Low Countries to marry Philip in 1496 , accompanied by a massive fleet with approximately 22 ,000 people on board . After more than a month at sea , and after having lost three ships in a terrible storm , Joanna disembarked both ill and exhausted to find that her future husband had sent his sister to meet her (Geoffrey Woodward , 1998

A Wife , a Mother , and 14th Century Worldviews

When Joanna and Philip finally did meet , however , and despite their not being able to communicate through speaking different languages their sexual desire for one another was evident . Philip immediately demanded that they be wed instantly , while , The cleric was hardly finished before the couple vanished to their bedroom , flung off their clothes and passionately made love (Xs4all .nl , Online Article 2007 . Nevertheless , despite this mutual desire , many historians have stated that the couple had different feelings for one another , with Joanna being was purely carnal

Philip , at just 18 years old , was hardly...