The Last Queen: A NovelIn this stunning novel, C. W. Gortner brings to life Juana of Castile, the third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, who would become the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country’s throne. Along the way, Gortner takes the reader from the somber majesty of Spain to the glittering and lethal courts of Flanders, France, and Tudor England. Born amid her parents’ ruthless struggle to unify and strengthen their kingdom, Juana, at the age of sixteen, is sent to wed Philip, heir to the Habsburg Empire. Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her dashing young husband, and at first she is content with her children and her married life. But when tragedy strikes and she becomes heir to the Spanish throne, Juana finds herself plunged into a battle for power against her husband that grows to involve the major monarchs of Europe. Besieged by foes on all sides, Juana vows to secure her crown and save Spain from ruin, even if it costs her everything. Praise for The Last Queen “This moving tale of Juana la Loca (the Mad) vividly re-creates the passion, politics, and betrayals that drove a smart and spirited queen to the brink of insanity . . . or perhaps, as C. W. Gortner suggests, to the pretense of insanity–a pretense that baffled Juana’ s enemies and led to triumph for her children and her country. The Last Queen is an absorbing account of one of history’s most fascinating women, from her never-before-told point of view.”—Donna Woolfolk Cross, author of Pope Joan “I ached for this intelligent, one-of-a-kind queen. Her struggle and passion kept me up until the early hours of the morning. A page-turner, a nail-biter, an eye-opener: I loved being possessed by The Last Queen!”—Ki Longfellow, author of The Secret Magdalene “A vibrant tapestry of love and hate . . . brings to life an extraordinary queen at an unforgettable time in history.”—Sandra Worth, author of Lady of the Roses “An exquisite evocation of a dangerous era and of a forgotten queen.”—Holly Payne, author of The Virgin’ s Knot “Gripping and unforgettable . . . captures Juana of Castile’s electrifying drama.”—Judith Merkle Riley, author of The Water Devil |
Contents
Section 1 | 3 |
Section 2 | 7 |
Section 3 | 14 |
Section 4 | 27 |
Section 5 | 36 |
Section 6 | 44 |
Section 7 | 57 |
Section 8 | 63 |
Section 21 | 211 |
Section 22 | 219 |
Section 23 | 227 |
Section 24 | 235 |
Section 25 | 249 |
Section 26 | 263 |
Section 27 | 268 |
Section 28 | 278 |
Section 9 | 71 |
Section 10 | 83 |
Section 11 | 98 |
Section 12 | 115 |
Section 13 | 121 |
Section 14 | 133 |
Section 15 | 145 |
Section 16 | 157 |
Section 17 | 170 |
Section 18 | 181 |
Section 19 | 188 |
Section 20 | 198 |
Section 29 | 288 |
Section 30 | 301 |
Section 31 | 310 |
Section 32 | 321 |
Section 33 | 331 |
Section 34 | 354 |
Section 35 | 359 |
Section 36 | 361 |
Section 37 | 367 |
Section 38 | 379 |
Section 39 | 383 |
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Common terms and phrases
admiral Anne of Brittany Aragón archbishop archduke asked Beatriz Benavente Besançon betrothal Boabdil bowed breath Burgos Castile Catalina chair chamber child Cisneros Cortes court daughter death Don Manuel Doña Ana Doña Josefa door duenna everything eyes face father fear felt Fernando fingers Flanders Flemish France French gasp gaze Germaine de Foix glanced goblet gown Granada Habsburg hair hand head heard heir Highness husband infanta infanta of Castile Isabella Juana king king consort knew ladies laugh leave letter lifted lips looked Lopez lord Louis Madame de Halewin Majesty Mamá Margaret matrons mother mouth Naples never night nobles nodded palace Papá paused Philip Philip of Habsburg prince prince consort Princesa queen returned seemed Segovia sent shoulders sister smile Soraya Spain stare stood tell thought throne told Toledo took turned Villena voice waited whispered woman women word