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.
What first inspired you to write Queen of Shadows and explore this particular period of history?
It all began with Alfonso XI’s grandmother, Maria de Molina. I found her so fascinating, so competent, and as she was obliged to act the regent not only for her son, Fernando IV, but also for her grandson, Alfonso XI, I started reading up about these two gents, and fell straight into a rather lurid narrative involving Alfonso, the beautiful Leonor and a Franciscan monk (who, apparently, married Leonor?) That lurid story led to more research, and once I started reading up on the life-long love affair between Alfonso and Leonor, I was stuck.
Doña Leonor de Guzmán was to become an extremely powerful and rich feudal lord due to her relationship with Alfonso, and she is described as the most beautiful lady of the land—and exceedingly wise. So accepted was the relationship between Alfonso and Leonor that the lady (and her royal lover) are represented standing side by side on the carved decorations of the Cathedral of León, she with a hawk on her arm.
But her position was difficult: she must have been aware of just how dependent she was on royal favour, as were the ten children she bore Alfonso. To what lengths would she go to protect her sons? Well, I had to find out.
Doña Leonor is both powerful and vulnerable—how did you approach writing such a complex character?
I depict Leonor as a strong, independent woman, which she was. Many Castilian women were, in fact, strong and independent—centuries of sending their men off to reconquer lands from the Moors had, effectively, left the women in charge of the day-to-day. So Leonor manages her extensive lands, keeps an eye on how her children are faring with their respective ayos (royal children were fostered by grandees, even if bastard born), discreetly helped family members get choice appointments, acted as the king’s unofficial counsellor—but ensured never to openly meddle with politics or voice an opinion.
In many ways, Leonor is a modern-day CEO, caring for her company, her underlings—but entirely dependent on the board’s approval and goodwill to survive in her role. Given my professional background, I have ample experience of such situations.
The relationship between Leonor and King Alfonso blends love and politics—what drew you most to their dynamic?
The fact that Alfonso is the only medieval king without any known bastards—well, beyond the ten children Leonor gave him. He seems to have been utterly faithful to his Leonor (not so much to his wife, poor Maria of Portugal) which I take as an indication of how strongly he felt for her.
The story is told for the most part through Alma, a lady’s maid within Leonor’s household—what made you choose this perspective, and how does it shape the narrative?
I generally prefer writing in the POV of an invented character, as this allows me to be more descriptive. Alma knows very little about Leonor, even less about Alfonso, but as the years pass, she witnesses how their relationship develops (and sometimes crash-lands). She brings reflection and distance to this complicated and torrid love affair, which hopefully makes it more accessible to the reader. I must admit, though, that I had serious problems with choosing my POV characters in this narrative: originally, I wanted to use only Leonor and Alfonso, but it narrowed the perspective significantly. So when Alma popped up, I went “YES!!!” and she went “Qué?”
The setting of medieval Sevilla feels incredibly immersive—how did you research and bring that world to life?
Well, I can’t quite count the hours I’ve spent walking my way through what remains of old Sevilla. I love the winding alleys, the impressive Alcázar, the lazy blue of the Guadalquivir. I’ve hauled hubby along to walk along the old city walls—or rather, where they would have been, visited countless little churches and patios. and sat in the shade of blossoming orange trees. Obviously, present day Sevilla is very different from the medieval town, but the basic lay-out in the centre, the soaring height of the Giralda – Alma would have recognised all that.
What does your writing process look like—are you more of a planner or do you let the story unfold as you write?
In this case, I have two narratives to manage – I have the story of Leonor, Alfonso and Maria where I have to follow a historical timeline. By definition, this becomes more of a planned endeavour. But Alma and Rodrigo’s story is entirely my own invention, albeit within the constraints imposed by the historical setting, and here the story definitely unfolds as I write.
How do you balance historical accuracy with storytelling to keep the narrative engaging?
In my opinion, there is no conflict between historical accuracy and the storytelling. Now and then, I may change locations or move a specific event timewise, but I always inform the readers about such liberties in my Historical Note. I strive to be as accurate as possible—having said that, we know very little about how people thought and felt back in the 14th century. Which is when it is good to have a vivid imagination 😉
What was the most challenging aspect of writing this novel?
Some of the final chapters were very difficult to write. Also, I struggled with finding a good balance in my depiction of Maria, Alfonso’s spurned wife. She is repeatedly humiliated by him, but I didn’t want her to come across as a victim—this was a proud, high-born woman with quite some agency.
What can readers expect next from you?
Well, seeing as my editor asked me “what happens next?” I suspect there is a sequel in the making. But I am also working on the third instalment in my time travel series The Locket where, inexplicably, we are now in 18th century Russia…
A huge thank you to Anna Belfrage for taking the time to share the story behind Queen of Shadows. Her insights into Leonor de Guzmán, medieval Castile, and the careful balance between historical fact and compelling fiction offer a fascinating glimpse into the research and imagination that brought this remarkable novel to life.
If you enjoy richly researched historical fiction, unforgettable characters, and stories inspired by real people and events, Queen of Shadows is a novel well worth discovering.
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Anna Belfrage
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing.
Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as two equally acclaimed medieval series; The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England, and The Castilian Saga, which is set against the medieval conquest of Wales. She has also published a time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and its sequel, Times of Turmoil, and is now considering just how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding...
All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Readers’ Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.
“A master storyteller”
“This is what all historical fiction should be like. Superb.”
Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com where you will also find her post about Alfonso and Leonor.
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