Queen of Shadows
She should have stayed in the shadows—but Leonor de Guzmán yearned for the sun
Castile in the 1330s is a place of constant turmoil. King Alfonso must contend with the incursions from the Muslim Marinids eager to reclaim Al-Andalus while struggling with repeated rebellions against his firm rule.
When Alfonso needs respite, he finds it in the arms of his Leonor—the most beautiful woman in the realm. But while he may love Leonor over all others, his lawful wife, Maria of Portugal, is tired of being constantly displaced by the fair Leonor.
Leonor loves her man. She gives him healthy sons, a place to be himself. But she is only a mistress, even if Alfonso treats her like a queen. Leonor’s enemies watch and hate.
Flying too close to the sun comes at a high price. How much will Leonor’s love cost her?
Based on the true story of Alfonso XI and his complicated relationships to wife and life-long mistress.
Praise for Queen of Shadows:
"Belfrage demonstrates a keen awareness of how power operates—not only through laws and titles, but through relationships, perceptions, and the fragile balance between influence and legitimacy. Her prose is measured and evocative, allowing the emotional weight of events to unfold naturally without diminishing their impact. The historical setting is rendered with careful attention to detail, creating a world that feels both authentic and immediate."
~ Yarde Book Promotions, 5* Editorial Review
Meet Leonor de Guzmán
by Anna Belfrage
Back in 2016, I wrote a post about Alfonso XI and his lady love, Leonor de Guzmán. The consequences of this liaison were to be painful for the people of Castile, resulting in over a decade of civil war, but when Alfonso first met Leonor he was around seventeen, she a year or so older. Neither of them were probably thinking beyond a flare of attraction; after all, Alfonso was a king required to marry dynastically, and Leonor might be gorgeous, witty, high-born and rich, but he needed more in a wife. Which is why he married Maria of Portugal.
But Alfonso just couldn’t forget Leonor. He needed her, loved her. And so Leonor became the beloved mistress while Maria became the spurned wife.
The post I wrote stayed with me. Here was a very juicy story, and I wanted to tell it. There are benefits to writing about a love triangle set in the 14th century—primarily that there are a LOT of holes I can fill as I please. The consequences of Alfonso’s life-long love affair would be felt for several decades after his death, not truly resolved until John of Gaunt’s daughter, Catalina, married the future Enrique III. Catalina was Alfonso XI’s great-granddaughter, Enrique III his great-grandson through Leonor, and so the sundered bloodlines were finally joined together again.
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| Leonor de Guzmán |
Right: back to Leonor de Guzmán. What we have to remember when discussing this lady is that Castilian women often were as forceful as any man. Over the centuries, Castilian women had defended their homes, ordered the family’s finances, brought up their sons and daughters, all this while their men were off re-conquering Iberian land, piece by piece, from the moors. Leonor came with an impeccable pedigree. She was related to that great Castilian hero Alonzo Pérez de Guzmán, bastard son to a Castilian grandee who was raised with his legitimate siblings and went on to be one of Castile’s most famous commanders in the constant war against the infidel (okay, so he also spent some time in Morocco, serving said infidels and making a minor fortune while doing so). On her mother’s side, she was a Ponce de León, one of the oldest noble families in Castile. So why, one wonders, didn’t Alfonso marry her?
Ah, well: first of all, Leonor was a widow. A very, very young and comely widow, but still. Secondly, marrying her would have led to significant unrest among Alfonso’s other nobles who would not like it that one family—or two—were singled out for royal favours. Thirdly, he needed an alliance with Portugal to hold back the increasing threats from the Marinids, eager to oust the Christians from the land they had recently reconquered from the moors.
In retrospect, the political marriage with Maria of Portugal did not bring all the benefits Alfonso had hoped for. The young couple were first cousins on both sides but had no real affinity for each other and Alfonso was already very much in love with Leonor.
One gets the impression that he and Leonor had not been intimate prior to his wedding, or even during the first months of his marriage, but soon enough he was finding comfort with her, while abandoning poor Maria. Let’s just say, it did not lead to a loving relationship between Alfonso and his father-in-law, the king of Portugal, who actively fomented rebellions in Castile in response to his daughter’s plight.
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| Libro_de_la_Coronación_de_los_Reyes_de_Castilla--2_(cropped). Public domain. |
A royal mistress of such noble birth as Leonor was not viewed askance in Castile. Most nobles had an adulterous fling or two, often with high-born ladies. The honour of the ladies was not much tarnished (especially if the nobleman was of higher status) and the children of such unions were recognised and cared for. Noble bastards might not inherit land or titles, but their families saw to it that they were educated and generally taken care of.
What, however, made the Leonor-Alfonso story different was that he showed his preference for Leonor openly. Where Leonor went everywhere with him (well, unless hindered due to her many pregnancies), Maria was relegated, sent to stay in convents while Leonor stayed at the royal alcazars with Alfonso. It is Leonor, not Maria, that is depicted standing beside Alfonso on the western front of the cathedral of León. It was Leonor, not Maria who grew richer and richer due to Alfonso’s generosity towards her and their many offspring. Soon enough, Leonor was one of the wealthiest and most powerful feudal lords in Castile. Meanwhile, Maria’s resentment and bitterness coalesced into hatred towards Leonor—and Alfonso.
But Maria had one major, major ace up her sleeve: she was the mother of the legitimate heir. And so, while Leonor and Alfonso loved and lived, Maria waited. And waited. How it all ends? I suggest you read Queen of Shadows to find out!
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Anna Belfrage
“This is what all historical fiction should be like. Superb.”
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