La Temeraria

Synopsis of La Temeraria

Isabel San Sebastián returns with the latest installment of her epic tale about the Reconquest of Spain, centered on the Reckless One, the famous Queen Urraca, the first European female sovereign in full right. Twelfth century, Kingdom of Leon. In the throes of the Almoravid offensive, with Christianity cornered, Urraca, daughter of Alfonso VI and legitimate heiress to the throne of Leon, marries Alfonso I of Aragon, fulfilling her dying father's last wish. That "goddamn wedding" sets forth a merciless fight between the sovereign and her husband, the Battler, set on usurping her throne to wield a power that it was rightfully hers. Narrated through the eyes of Muniadona, her closest maid, this novel recreates the hazardous life of the first Spanish and European queen, an abused woman, even raped, but never defeated, forced to stand against her husband, her own son, and all the prejudices of her time to exercise the very role that history had given her, often enough girded with iron. Isabel San Sebastián's latest work is a fast-paced adventure riddled with intrigue and betrayal, affairs, passion, courage, and loyalty. The accurate and amazing portrait of a pioneer woman of extraordinary valor, whom malignant gossip nicknamed the Reckless One.