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Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile - Julia Fox
Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile
by: (author)
3.82 55
The history books have cast Katherine of Aragon, the first queen of King Henry VIII of England, as the ultimate symbol of the Betrayed Woman, cruelly tossed aside in favor of her husband’s seductive mistress, Anne Boleyn. Katherine’s sister, Juana of Castile, wife of Philip of Burgundy and mother... show more
The history books have cast Katherine of Aragon, the first queen of King Henry VIII of England, as the ultimate symbol of the Betrayed Woman, cruelly tossed aside in favor of her husband’s seductive mistress, Anne Boleyn. Katherine’s sister, Juana of Castile, wife of Philip of Burgundy and mother of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, is portrayed as “Juana the Mad,” whose erratic behavior included keeping her beloved late husband’s coffin beside her for years. But historian Julia Fox, whose previous work painted an unprecedented portrait of Jane Boleyn, Anne’s sister, offers deeper insight in this first dual biography of Katherine and Juana, the daughters of Spain’s Ferdinand and Isabella, whose family ties remained strong despite their separation. Looking through the lens of their Spanish origins, Fox reveals these queens as flesh-and-blood women—equipped with character, intelligence, and conviction—who are worthy historical figures in their own right. When they were young, Juana’s and Katherine’s futures appeared promising. They had secured politically advantageous marriages, but their dreams of love and power quickly dissolved, and the unions for which they’d spent their whole lives preparing were fraught with duplicity and betrayal. Juana, the elder sister, unexpectedly became Spain’s sovereign, but her authority was continually usurped, first by her husband and later by her son. Katherine, a young widow after the death of Prince Arthur of Wales, soon remarried his doting brother Henry and later became a key figure in a drama that altered England’s religious landscape. Ousted from the positions of power and influence they had been groomed for and separated from their children, Katherine and Juana each turned to their rich and abiding faith and deep personal belief in their family’s dynastic legacy to cope with their enduring hardships. Sister Queens is a gripping tale of love, duty, and sacrifice—a remarkable reflection on the conflict between ambition and loyalty during an age when the greatest sin, it seems, was to have been born a woman.
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Format: hardcover
ISBN: 9780345516046 (0345516044)
ASIN: 0345516044
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages no: 480
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Introverted Bear
Introverted Bear rated it
1.0 Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives Of Katherine Of Aragon And Juana, Queen Of Castile
I didn't like this book because it seemed to lack a focus. It was mostly written in a chronological order. However, I'm not sure what the focus was in the lives of Katherine and Juana. In the beginning, there seems to be no focus, but the book gains more of a focus as it progresses. I think it's an ...
Sty of Books
Sty of Books rated it
1.0 Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives Of Katherine Of Aragon And Juana, Queen Of Castile
I didn't like this book because it seemed to lack a focus. It was mostly written in a chronological order. However, I'm not sure what the focus was in the lives of Katherine and Juana. In the beginning, there seems to be no focus, but the book gains more of a focus as it progresses. I think it's an ...
jemidar
jemidar rated it
Accessible and easy to read biography of Katherine of Aragon and Juana of Castile. Like many of Alison Weir's bios this offering from Fox reads more like a novel than a bio and is pitched often in quite simplistic terms. There were several stylistic quirks that drove me nuts but on the whole it wa...
Telynor's Library, and then some
Telynor's Library, and then some rated it
4.0
Smart, insightful look at two daughters of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, and what became of them. While Katherine of Aragon has been written about endlessly, Juana of Castile's story tends to get overlooked. While I could have hoped for more about Juana, this is still a decent read, and a good, s...
misfitandmom
misfitandmom rated it
This book is about two sisters, the daugthers of Ferdinand and Isabella. Katherine of Aragon was the first of Henry VIII's six wives and queen of England, and Juana was married to Philip of Burgundy, and became queen upon her mother's death. Much of this history is fairly well known and doesn't need...
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