Joanna the Mad
After the death of her mother in 1504, Joanna became Queen of Castile (and later Aragon in 1516) in a reign that lasted half a century. But two years before she ascended the throne, she was consumed by her feelings of jealousy regarding her dashing husband, Philip of Burgundy, which triggered a mental imbalance. It got so bad after her husband's death in 1506 that she refused to let Philip's dead embalmed body rest in peace. Her father returned to take over the regency and Joanna lived in solitary confinement in a windowless room in a convent, which couldn't have helped her mental condition. Today, historians believe Joanna might have had a range of mental problems, including clinical depression and schizophrenia, but she legally remained Queen of Castile and Aragon until her death in 1555.
Favorite Quotations
• "Over my husband's dead body."
• "I don't get even, I get mad."
• "Why act so cold to me, Philip?"
Likes and Interests
Windows, sanity, sunlight, windows, sanity, sunlight, windows.
Recent Status Updates
• "Joanna is mad. No, seriously, I have a mental condition."
• "Joanna is awaiting modern psychiatric treatment."
• "Joanna is mad as hell and not going to take it anymore."