If she has a healthy boy, she's completely safe! Henry may have a mistress, or two, or even three. But he will never leave Eleanor's side. So, I hope she plays it smarts, and just smiles to herself whenever she hears words of mistresses. Because they might be mistresses. But she's the Queen!
There and Back Again: The English Journeys of Catherine of Aragon
- Thread starter Awkwardvulture
- Start date
Henry has no mistresses that we are aware of at the moment, so he and Eleanor are fairly happy.... Thank you so very much!
Yeah, as long as Henry's wife gives him a healthy son, and doesn't do anything unforgivable they'll stay on as Queen... As for mistresses, well we'll have to see how Eleanor reacts...
Thank you for your insights!
Last edited:
Yes hopefully things go well for her.. Things haven't really changed much in regards to France and Scotland but I'll see what i can do... Thank you!!!
Chapter 63, January 1514
Hertford Castle, Kingdom of England, January 1514
Peeking through the window, she could see snow steadily falling upon the ground. Giovanna was thankfully indoors, where it was warm and dry, and she sunk into her chair contently as she watched the children. Catherine sat in the corner, playing the clavichord, her fingers slowly drifting over the keys, and a wry smile painted on her face. The lilted tone of the music seemed to suit the mood well, as Joanna and Charles were also happy. Joanna was nuzzled up against her sister, intently watching her play the instrument, her dark brown eyes wide with wonder. Charles meanwhile was enjoying himself in a rather more active way, playing with a couple of newly acquired toys. These were small wooden horses, gifts from his half-brother Henry, and he played with them in a way that would no doubt make the young man proud, for he lightly bounced them across the floor as if they were racing. Giovanna herself had felt better than she had in the past few weeks, for the night sweats that had made her sleep uncomfortable had become less frequent. It was, of course, a sign of other things. She had stopped bleeding, and for far different reasons than she had before, though she tried not to let this bother her too much. It could be seen as a sign of age, yes, but she was not even in her fortieth year, and Giovanna had heard that other women of her age had also occasionally experienced this as well. Despite these assurances, she could not help but feel old, and even somewhat lonely. True, she was happy to have her peace and family, but she still felt like something was missing from her life. Giovanna pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind, at least for the time being, and smiled as she watched the children continue to enjoy themselves.
Giovanna truly has a good life in England, she gets two children of her own to watch grow up plus stepchildren who at least greatly respect her, if not love her.
Yes, they were known as Giovanna the Elder and Giovanna the Younger respectively IIRC.
Also, great update, @Awkwardvulture! Nice to see Giovanna and the royal children doing so well.
Just a little confused by the language naming conventions here. Are they both referred to as Giovanna in the timeline?
I believe they are both referred to as Giovanna at some point, but I'm hard-pressed to find an instance where Giovanna the Elder is referred to as something other than "Queen Giovanna's mother"...
And re: the naming conventions: Giovanna is the Italian equivalent of Joanna, so really Giovanna the Elder, Giovanna the Younger, and Princess Joanna of England have the same name, but only Giovanna the Younger is regularly referred to as Giovanna; Joanna is, well, Joanna, and Giovanna the Elder is just Giovanna the Younger's mother.
Yes she certainly does have a good life in England, even if there were some initial hurdles... Henry, Margaret and Mary certainly respect her, and young Catherine loves her dearly as the only mother she's ever known. Thank you so much!
Last edited:
No worries, I can see why it's confusing! Technically speaking Giovanna and her mother have the same name, but instead I refer to her mother as Joanna to kind of cut down on some confusion, though often times she's simply referred to Giovanna's mother or the Dowager Queen of Naples to avoid confusing her with her namesake granddaughter.. Thank you very much!
Thank you so very much for your praise!
Yeah I haven't really called her mother Giovanna, it's almost always her mother or Joanna, and now that she has a granddaughter with the same name I found other ways of distinguishing then, or simply not have her mother make an entrance in certain chapters..
Chapter 64, February 1514
Alcázar of Seville, Kingdom of Castile, February 1514
The Regent of Castile sat on the daybed, fidgeting her intertwined fingers. It was nerves, not something she did very often, but this was over something important. The Sforza couple, or more specifically, Bona was in the midst of bringing their first child into the world. It had been an hour now and it seemed like there was some difficulty with the birth so far, and if Bona died, it would be a rather tragic complication. If such a happening occurred, Catalina would need to find a new wife for the young man, preferably one that could solidify his allegiance to her family. Her half-sister Blanca was an immediate thought, but Catalina’s father had indicated that he’d hoped to betroth her to the Prince of Viana, so she was out as an option. Catalina had felt some disgust in the pit of her stomach at thinking of this, imagining the death of another woman and what she could do to ensure that it would be her family that would benefit, yet she knew she had to take all possibilities into account. This meant either she, or Juana would have to marry Sforza, and though they were a good deal older than him, she had little doubt that he would accept if pressed to do so. Still, she did not want to have to marry again, at least not right now, there was too much work to be done in her late mother’s kingdom. This was in God’s hands, not hers, so all Catalina could do was pray that Bona would not be called from this world, and herself from her seat of power.
…
As it turns out Duchess Bona brought forth two babes, and in what could only be called a miracle, the mother and her twins were both alive and well. They were a daughter and a son: Isabella and Massimiliano. Bona was sleeping, exhausted by her efforts, while the twins, raven-haired Isabella and fair Massimiliano were carried away to the nursery where they now slept soundly. Catalina for her part was elsewhere, in her antechamber, discussing certain matters with the Duke of Milan, for even if he only held the title in name only, he was a useful ally to cultivate. She filled a glass goblet,”Wine, milord?”
Francesco nodded, and Catalina smiled as she handed it over to him, beauty was just one of one many weapons in her arsenal and could cut her enemies as deep as any sword. She took a small sip of her own wine before speaking again,”You have my congratulations on your recent good fortune Duke Francesco, clearly you, and the House of Sforza have the lord’s favor.”
He looked to her and smirked, clearly think of things that had nothing to with God,”We have done well lately, and perhaps it is thanks to our most generous host.”
“Yes, which is why there is something I require of you.” Catalina murmured
Francesco arched a bushy brow, intrigued,”What is it that you need of me?”
She blushed at this or rather gave the impression that she did,”A favor Duke Francesco. The marriage of your son to a daughter of my nephew Charles, once one is born of course.”
“What of my autonomy once I rule Milan properly? How do I know that your family won’t use mine for your own gain?”
Catalina laughed, lying more than a little in her explanation,”Because I have no desire to do so. If I wanted to use you and your family for my gain, I would send you to the French in exchange for them conceding Navarre, but I did not. No, I have your best interests in mind you see, and you would do well to accept, an Archduchess for a daughter-in-law is nothing to sniff at.”
The Duke of Milan chuckled,”It would seem that you have convinced me Infanta.” He paused, his eyes meeting hers,”Is there anything else that you wish me to do for you?”
She shook her head and stood up gesturing to the door,”Sadly there is not, the night is late and to talk until the wee hours would be improper, your wife no doubt will be expecting you. Your company has been a pleasure and I am happy to see that we are in agreeance regarding your son’s marriage.”
Francesco then bowed a little, giving his goodbyes and perhaps not leaving quite as satisfied as he had hoped, yet Catalina was very happy with the results of their little meeting, having gotten what she truly wanted.
Last edited:
And so the plotting intensifies...
Catalina is the perfect Crusader Kings character-high diplomacy, intrigue, and stewardship...(or maybe I just play too much video games)
Great update! Also, she's right, Francesco, an Archduchess is nothing to sniff at(even if she may be significantly younger...)
Catalina is the perfect Crusader Kings character-high diplomacy, intrigue, and stewardship...(or maybe I just play too much video games)
Great update! Also, she's right, Francesco, an Archduchess is nothing to sniff at(even if she may be significantly younger...)
So the sforzas will live on for at least another generation - excellent! I hope isabella and massimiliano grow up well, as i suspect they will if their parents remain at catalina's court for any significant amount of time.
Oh yes she would be,I play that game too, and I can imagine they'd be that, along with higher than average martial skills, and all the traits.. Of course considering that her father is a master manipulator and her mother was both loved and feared it makes some sense as well... This was all a day's good work for Catalina, having used her cunning to secure Milan as a loyal, subservient ally.. Thank you so very much!And so the plotting intensifies...
Catalina is the perfect Crusader Kings character-high diplomacy, intrigue, and stewardship...(or maybe I just play too much video games)
Great update! Also, she's right, Francesco, an Archduchess is nothing to sniff at(even if she may be significantly younger...)
She's quite good at it, and we'll see if she has to use said skills again soon.. Thank you so much!