Ohhh, the moment I read the question I thought of Juana too! I hate the “Love-Crazy” myth, and I’d like to know the truth of her story… I found an intereting book by Bethany Aram about Juana, and I hope to read it one day. I heard her explanation of the infamous funeral procession of Philipp ina Spanish documentary, and it was interesting enough to make me Google her book (it is written in English & Spanish). There are other figures I’d love to write about:

Queen Urraca of Leon and Castile (1079-1126): More in need of recognition than maligned. A Queen in her own right, she had to face a lot of challenges. Her husband, King Alfonso of Navarre “The Battler” was violent towards her, it took to Urraca a lot of inner strength to make herself aware of the importance of getting an annullation of this marriage, both for her and for the kingdom. She also had to face the rebellion of Theresa, her illegitimate half-sister, and Countess of Portugal by marriage. This story is intersting, and is set in the Hispanic Middle Ages, where the Christian kingdoms tried to recover the lands lost at the Muslims’ hands.

Aixa: Said to be descendant of the prophet Muhammed, Aixa was the mother of Boabdil, the last Muslim ruler of Granada. She was a powerful and rich woman, who exercised a notorious influence during her husbad’s reign and a greater one when Boabdil was in charge of the Nazari kingdom of Granada. When her husband married his Christian slave Isabel de Solís, Aixa decided to ally herself with the Abencerrages (the opposite party) to make way for his son to reign. A fierce patriot, she wanted to fight the Catholic Kings using women, children and old men, even when the army of Granada was defeated. When they lost, her son Boabdil cried, and legend has it that she said “Thou dost weep like a woman for what thou couldst not defend as a man”. I loved her in TV show “Isabel”, she was portrayed by an excellent actress, Alicia Borrachero.

Empress Theodora: From commoner to Empress, she was an ambitious woman. Some people say she, and not her husband, was the true ruler of Bizancio. She has her own “Black legend”, with rumours about her crimes, her plots and a sordid past as a “p*rn actress”. It would be wonderful to investigate the myths surrounding her and discover if they’re true

Mary and Eleanor of Hapsburg: Again, more in need of recognition than maligned. They were Charles V’s sisters, who became very important during the Emperor’s reign. Eleanor accompanied him to Spain, and became a pawn in the marital market, first married to the old Portuguese King (with whom she had a daughter) and then to Charles’ rival, Francis of France (who is said to have despised Eleanor). Hers was a life full of sorrows, which increased when her only daughter refused to stay with her in her latest years. The other sister, Mary, was the youngest widow of her time when her husband, the King of Hungary, was killed in battle. Instead of marrying, she worked for her family’s interests. She learned of her aunt, the formidable Margaret, how to be a good ruler and diplomat, and when Margaret died, Mary succeeded her as Charles counsellor and ruler of the Netherlands. She had to mediate between her brothers Charles and Ferdinand, specially when Ferdinand felt betrayed when Charled dictated the succession.

Elizabeth Woodville: No matter how much historians try, the myth of the greedy and ruthless Elizabeth who uses her charms to be Queen and alienate the whole court is still living, sometimes unfairly perpetuated by professional historians! She needs more love, recognition and repect, no doubt!

Oh, I forgot, the Goth Kings and Queens of pre-Muslim Spain in general (it was not called Spain, by the way!). A bloody story, full of treason, plots, assasination and coups d’Etat (when you have an ellective monarchy they’re more abundant that in an hereditary one!). There are a lot of interesting figures: Leovigildo, Recaredo, Queen Goswintha… Both maligned and/or forgotten, depends on the characters.