Joanna of Castile Archives - History of Royal Women

Lost Kingdoms – Kingdom of Sardinia

May 7, 2018 Moniek Bloks 0

The Kingdom of Sardinia began its life in 1324 when King James II of Aragon claimed the territories as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica. The Kingdom remained separate from the Crown of Aragon. House of Barcelona James II was married four times but as his first marriage to Isabella of Castile had been annulled, [read more]

Queens Regnant – Isabella I of Castile

February 1, 2016 Moniek Bloks 1

Isabella was not born to be a Queen. She was born on 22 April 1451 as the daughter of John II, King of Castile and his second wife Isabella of Portugal. She had an older half-brother from her father’s first marriage to Maria of Aragon, the future Henry IV of Castile. A younger brother, Alfonso, was [read more]

Burial Places of the Queens of Spain

December 30, 2015 Moniek Bloks 0

Anna of Austria – El Escorial (San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain) Barbara of Portugal – Convent of the Salesas Reales (Madrid, Spain) Beatrice of Portugal – Monastery of Sancti Spiritus (Toro, Spain) Berengaria of Barcelona – Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain) Berenguela of Castile – Abbey of Santa Maria la Real de Huelgas (Burgos, Spain) Blanche of Bourbon – Monasterio de San Francisco de Jerez [read more]

Queens Regnant – Joanna of Castile

November 2, 2015 Moniek Bloks 5

If there was one person not meant to be Queen, it was probably Joanna of Castile. She was born as the third child and second daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile on 6 November 1479 in Toledo. She received an excellent education, also from educator Beatriz Galindo. Besides [read more]

Introducing The Queens Regnant Series

October 30, 2015 Moniek Bloks 0

“A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king, or a queen regent, who is the guardian of a child monarch reigning temporarily in their stead” — Starting this Monday, I’ll be introducing History [read more]

Queens Regnant – Blanche II of Navarre

April 7, 2015 Moniek Bloks 0

Blanche was born on 9 June 1424 as the daughter of Blanche I of Navarre and John II of Aragon. She had an elder brother, Charles, so she was not initially expected to succeed. She also had an elder sister, Joan, who died at the age of just two. After Blanche came younger sister Eleanor. Blanche [read more]