Joan of Navarre

Joan of Navarre was a daughter of Charles II of Navarre who became duchess of Brittany through marriage to John IV and later queen consort of England as the second wife of Henry IV. As a widowed duchess she had acted as regent in Brittany for her young son.

After Henry IV’s death Joan remained in England, but in 1419 her stepson Henry V had her arrested and her property seized after accusations of witchcraft and conspiracy. The charges were never fully tested in court, and she was released and restored to favour during the reign of Henry VI.

Anne O’Brien’s The Queen’s Choice makes Joan of Navarre the protagonist of a political marriage that repeatedly forces her to choose between different families and kingdoms. The novel follows her from regency in Brittany into marriage with Henry IV, where she must leave children behind while negotiating the insecure Lancastrian court. After Henry’s death, her imprisonment under Henry V on accusations of witchcraft turns queenship into a struggle over property, motherhood and survival rather than ceremonial status.