Sister Queens

The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile

By: Julia Fox

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

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.

Critic reviews

Praise for Sister Queens

“Julia Fox’s vivid and sympathetic book now shows us [Katherine of Aragon’s] life and marriage in another context, setting it against the even more terrifying story of her elder sister, Juana. . . . As Fox recreates Juana and Katherine’s lives in colorful detail, she manages to draw out the spirit and resilience of two women fearfully abused in a very cruel, very male world.”—The Spectator (UK)

“[Fox] offers an absorbing, rich, and fresh view of the entwined royal relationships that helped define the 15th- and 16th-century European political landscape.”—Publishers Weekly

“A talented entrant in royal biography, Fox fairly bids for the popularity historian Alison Weir currently wields.”—Booklist

Praise for Julia Fox’s Jane Boleyn

“Fox does a splendid job in conveying life at the top of the Tudor pyramid.”—USA Today

“Fox is an English historian [who] imbues her writing with rich detail and confident knowledge. . . . She’s given depth and character to Jane Boleyn.”—The Austin Chronicle

“Outstanding . . . a fascinating and moving read.”—Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire and A World on Fire

“Julia Fox’s immaculate detective work and vivid storytelling bring to life one woman’s struggle to survive at the apex of a society where success could bring untold riches and a king’s anger could cost you your life.”—Leanda de Lisle, author of The Sisters Who Would Be Queen

“Engrossing . . . a sparkling chronicle, fine-tuned to the personal stories that lend texture and emotion to a biography.”—Kirkus Reviews

Sad but Fascinating Lives

Julia Fox came up with a fascinating idea in writing a dual biography of the most renowned of Ferdinand and Isabella???s daughters: Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII???s beleaguered queen, and Juana of Castile. The last work of non-fiction that I read (Alison Weir???s bio of Mary Boleyn) was tediously repetitious and digressive, a problem I???ve found with many historical biographies. Fox, however, has avoided that pitfall, creating an engaging and highly readable narrative.

Katherine and Juana have been reduced over time almost to caricatures, Katherine as the stubbornly Catholic wife who refused to let Henry go, and Juana as a wife so obsessed with her husband that his affairs and early death drove her to madness. But Fox shows that there was much more to each woman, and that, to a great extent, the restrictions of gender and the machinations of the men around them caused their downfalls. She details Katherine???s role as an ambassador concerned with the interests of both Spain and England, as well as her diplomacy and finesse in dealing with Henry. Fox does an admirable job of presenting fairly the events with which most readers will be familiar: her penurious widowhood following the death of Prince Arthur; the dispensation to marry Henry; the many miscarriages, stillbirths, and infant deaths; her displacement by Anne Boleyn. In the case of Juana, Fox???s research demonstrates that existing letters and reports from those permitted to see her following her confinement for madness demonstrate that she behaved sanely and graciously. Fox contends that her husband and father schemed to keep her from exercising sovereignty over Castile, Ferdinand in particular unwilling to give up what he had jointly ruled with Isabella after she died and left the crown to Juana, her eldest daughter.

Through no fault of the author???s, the space devoted to the sisters is not balanced 50/50, simply because there is less documentation of Juana???s life. Near the end, Fox poses a fascinating question: What would have happened if the sisters??? roles had been reversed???if Katherine, so good at diplomacy, had been Queen of Castile, and if Juana, who produced six children (two emperors and four queens) had been Henry???s wife?

Enjoyed!

What did you love best about Sister Queens?

This book presented a different perspective on Juana, and offered new information. Would recommend to any history buffs.

Snore

I love the story. However, the narrator seems so bored by what she is reading and so disinterested that it keeps putting me to sleep. She uses the same inflection on the same parts of her sentences rhythmically, and doesn't seem to be noticing what she's reading. When she finally changes her tone of voice long enough to have seemed to recognize what she just read, it is like a welcome breeze but then the wind stops blowing and the air becomes stifling again. I couldn't make it past chapter 3. I'm going to read this one in print.

Immense Satisfaction.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. This book highlights the unfilled dreams and expectations of two princesses, the daughters of Isabella and Ferdinand. Those interested in Tudor and Castilian history and intrigue will not be disappointed. Also very nicely narrated. I highly recommend this book.

Non-Fiction that never got dry

I recently finished the historical fiction novels The Queen’s Vow & The Last Queen by, C.W. Gortner and went into this one because these women all fascinated me. What I liked about this one was it gave a look at Katherine’s life between marrying Arthur & Henry. I also liked the fact that like Gortner’s fiction Fox also asserts that Juana wasn’t crazy (well not completely...the whole dragging her dead husband around was a little well, wacko) but that it was the men around her that wanted to rule in her stead and made it appear that way and used anything they could to make it so.

As I said in my review of Last Queen I believe that what both of these authors assert, that she was not as crazy as they made the world believe and if she did end up going crazy who can blame her they took away everything she loved, her kingdom, her children and locked her away where she wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone, I guess I just ended up feeling so bad for her.

With Katherine we hear so much about the end of her marriage with Henry it was so very fascinating to hear what happened between the time of Arthurs death and that marriage I guess in my mind I thought it had happened rather quickly but I see now I was mistaken, she still had to jump through many hoops and so much political finagling.

There is more in this book about Katherine than Juana however that is only because there is much more documentation still around about Katherine. But the author does give a good view of Juana and her life. I found these women so fascinating. However their lives in the end kind of mirrored each other both cast out and their child taken away.

As non-fiction this book never got dry it kept my interest even when it got to the part of Tudor history I’ve heard hundreds of times but was nice to hear it from Katherine’s side.

Audio production: Rosalyn Landor’s narrations adds voice to this fascinating history and she does a great job I love her deep British, slightly haughty accent, it plays just perfect for these royals. Landor’s narrations are always great and never cookie cutter will always choose to get a book on audio if I see she narrates it!

4 Stars