Juana la Loca: The Queen Who Loved Too Much and Lost Her Mind
The story of Juana la Loca, one of the most tragic and fascinating figures of the House of Habsburg, is a tale where love turns into madness and greatness is tinged with decay. From her birth in 1479 to her death in 1555, her life was marked by an intense passion for her husband, Felipe el Hermoso, and a fate that led her to lose not only her sanity but also her claim to the throne.
The Birth of a Princess in a Powerful Empire
Juana of Castile was born on November 6, 1479, in the Royal Palace of the Catholic Monarchs in Toledo, Spain. She was the daughter of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, a marriage that unified Spain and laid the foundations for the rise of the House of Habsburg in the Iberian Peninsula. From her childhood, Juana was destined to play a crucial role in European politics, being a key figure in the multiple marriages that would form alliances between the royal houses of Europe.
In 1496, at the age of 16, Juana married Felipe el Hermoso, prince of the Netherlands and future king of Castile. Their love was immediate and passionate, becoming a love story that resonated throughout the courts of Europe. However, this union was not without political intrigue, as the Habsburgs sought to expand their influence through this marriage. The great expectation was that the union would strengthen the Habsburg position in Spain while also ensuring a dynastic legacy.
Love and Madness: The Fall of Juana
Juana's happiness was short-lived. After the death of her beloved Felipe in 1506, the queen's deep despair plunged her into a state of anguish and madness. Chroniclers of the time, such as the famous historian Francisco de Rojas, documented…