Born: c.1369
Died: 1437
This piece is reflective of the first girlboss of the month Joan of Navarre. Here is the history of her and analysis and reflection on her legacy.
The kingdom or what should be known as the Queendom of Navarre was situated in modern day Spain. The queens that came from Navarre are arguably the strongest women during late medieval and early modern society. Though this shall be discussed in a later post.
Joan of Navarre is a queen often neglected from the historical narratives even inside both court and queenship studies. She’s often a queen that is lost in the historical narrative. Her legacy and image is essential to fully understand the succeeding queen consorts and ultimately regnants such as Lady (Queen) Jane Grey, Mary I and Elizabeth I.
She was married to Jean (John) IV of Brittany at the age of 17. This was before marrying the King of England, Henry IV in 1403. For a short period she was queen regnant in Brittany due to the death of Jean. She proved herself as a strong candidate until due to the political turmoil caused by the Hundred Years’ War she was married to Henry IV. This was in hopes that she would help create a better relationship between the two kingdoms. This means like other queens that came before and after Joan, she was seen as a pawn for peace. This highlights how women were often chess pieces and not included in rulership. Though the ‘queendom’ that Joan is from disputes this fact. She is often relegated to the footnotes of history or previously neglected by a multitude of scholars. She was only married to Henry IV for 10 years. Though in this time she made a name for herself. This was also aided by the power that she held when she was queen in Brittany.
This suggests that it is only because of Woodacre and her colleagues that has led to the changes that have ensured that Joan of Navarre has been rewritten into history.
Joan of Navarre was queen consort during the most turbulent years for women queens, this was in the Hundred Years’ War. In times of turbulence there is the growth in the belief around witchcraft. This correlation needs there to be a scapegoat which in times of unrest becomes this idea of the supernatural. In 1419 after the death of her late husband she was charged with necromancy by her stepson. This highlights the fear that Henry V held towards his stepmother.
Her ability to look after Dower lands and keep accounts were important to ensuring that she could maintain a degree of independence. This is prominent through the use of Southampton as a key port in her revenue. Although not an anomaly of this period for a queen but indicates the way that she did not want to be viewed in the contemporaries mind as an individual who was reliant on the power of her husband. Rather she wanted and knew she needed a degree of independence this was especially after her marriage to Jean IV of Brittany.
The fact that she was imprisoned by her own stepson is an interesting point as a queen is expected to be maternal in nature. Though Joan was seen as a threat to the reign of Henry V. This is remarkable as she was a strong contender to the throne and should have been able to take over from Henry IV. This was despite the fact that there was the growing tension between England and France that continued. She became invisible and lost in history yet the women behind the hundred years war are important in shaping the results of the Hundred Years War. They are equally if not so more important than the men. Joan and other women are relegated and many people believe that when scholars talk about her they mean Joan of Arc. No scholars don't, Joan of Navarre dealt with rumours and imprisonment due to the accusation of witchcraft.
Further being maternal and providing a future heir was important which Henry V makes out the fact that Joan was an almost evil stepmother. Often when she has been discussed in older sources it is often in a negative light portrayed with this ‘evil stepmother’ trope. This has led people to infer her as such, though the amount of turmoil that was around her security. This could have explained the manner of her behaviour. If Henry IV had displayed similar behaviour he would have been praised in history for protecting his image. In contrast Joan is criticised for not portraying more feminine attitudes towards this. Joan has to get more credit than what she does. Woodacre through her 2023 biography of Joan of Navarre has been vital to ensure the reassessment. Woodacre’s work is the first full length biography on Joan of Navarre. Woodacre’s passion has ensured that Joan no longer hidden in the shadows of history. However, there is a long way to go. This has allowed there to be active discussion within queenship around her and how her ability to utilise finances ensured her own power. This removal of her reliance on men made sure that she could maintain power even though she was not queen regnant.
When people think of late medieval queens it tends to be Eleanor of Aquitaine or the queen consorts of the Wars of the Roses. Many do not realise that without Joan of Navarre the queen consorts of the Wars of the Roses would have been unable to obtain as much power. Joan led the way in the ability to change the consensus. Joan of Navarre due to being a force to be reckoned with and should be reinstated within the mainstream historical narrative. Therefore, the ability to have a conversation around Joan of Navarre is important for future students and scholars of late medieval studies.
Secondary Source:
English Heritage. Joan of Navarre Queen of England. Accessed 27/04/2024 https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/pevensey-castle/history/joan-of-navarre/
Woodacre, Elena. 2023. ‘infanta, duchess, queen, witch: Joan of Navarre.’ Routledge.
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