Joan of Castile (or Joan the Mad)

Royals Behaving Badly Series: Crazy for you

Jul 13, 2007 Jeannine Dugan

Joan of Castile, successor to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, is best known for her infatuation with her husband and apparent madness after his death.

Queen Juana I of Castile or Joan the Mad (Juana la Loca)

Insanity runs through many bloodlines of royal families, and this Spanish family was no exception.

Born in November, 1479, Joan was the second daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Dark and brooding, Joan resembled the King’s mother, Juana Enriquez, but unfortunately had the disposition of the Queen’s mother, the mad Isabel of Portugal.

In 1496, Joan married Philip the Handsome of Austria, son of the Emperor Maximilian I. For the young couple, it was lust at first site. Philip demanded that they be married immediately and carried his young bride off to bed. Raised in a strict Catholic upbringing, Joan was truly mad about her husband (and the sex) and total infatuation ensued. Philip, however, was used to the more lenient ways of the Austrian court and continued womanizing after he was married. Joan would often fly into jealous rages over his infidelity and Philip would punish her by refusing to visit her bed at night.

By 1500, Joan was the immediate heir to her parent’s throne and the royal couple were summoned to Spain. There, Joan’s antics clearly upset her mother and her physicians were concerned for Isabella’s health. Disgusted, Philip left in 1502, leaving his bride behind. After considerable mental deterioration, Joan was allowed to return to Flanders in 1504 and in November of that year, Isabella died, making Joan Queen of Castile. In 1506, Joan and Philip returned to Spain to claim her inheritance, despite attempts by Philip and King Ferdinand to declare Joan incompetent and to make Ferdinand co-regent.

In the fall of 1506, Philip died suddenly at the age of 28. Racked by grief, Joan continued to caress his corpse and had to be forcibly pried away from his body. She refused to allow any females near his casket and a long funeral procession to Granada began. It has been reported that Joan had the casket opened at least four times along the way.

In early 1507, Joan met her father in Tordesillas, where he had her locked away in a tower. It has been debated whether she was locked up for political reasons or because she truly was insane. Regardless, she spent the rest of her life imprisoned. In 1516, on the death of King Ferdinand, her son Charles V came to Spain to claim his inheritance. However, he did not release his mother. Joan remained locked in the tower until her death in 1555.

In popular culture, Joan was the subject of an Argentinian Opera composed by Eduardo Alonso-Crespo and the Spanish Film "Juana la Loca", renamed "Mad Love" for release in the United States.

Insane or a political prisoner? Some historians believe that Joan was schizophrenic, and genealogists have traced mental instability throughout her royal descendants. Others claim that her "madness" was simply a political ploy to strip her of her power.

For Further Reading:

Farquar, Michael. A Treasury of Royal Scandals. 2001. Penguin Books. London.

Juana the Mad of Castile

Kings and Queens of Spain

Joanna of Castile

The copyright of the article Joan of Castile (or Joan the Mad) in Historical Biographies is owned by Jeannine Dugan. Permission to republish Joan of Castile (or Joan the Mad) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Juana la Loca