Catalina: Warrior Princess

'The Constant Princess' by Philippa Gregory

After the disappointment of something new in fiction, I decided to go for something old.  This led me to one of my reading staples, historical fiction, in the form of Philippa Gregory's 'The Constant Princess'.

'The Constant Princess' is the story of Catalina, Infanta of Spain and Princess of Wales, the youngest daughter of Renaissance power couple Isabella and Ferdinand.  Born while her parents are on campaign against the Moors, she lives and breathes war, religious ideology and a sense of destiny from childhood, until victory brings peace and the luxury of the Alhambra Palace.  But at the age of 13 she leaves her parent's exotic court for England to marry Arthur, Prince of Wales, sealing an alliance between the newly united Spain and the freshly conquered country of Henry VII.  But from the moment she arrives, Catalina finds herself at odds with the brusque king and the alien culture.  She eventually finds solace and purpose in her marriage, but everything changes when an unexpected death leads Catalina to make a promise that will echo through history...