" Queen Isabel I de Castilla " by Artist Luis de Madrazo (1825–1897)

 

"Portrait of Queen Isabella of Castile" by Luis Madrazo

 1848 Oil on canvas. Prado Museum. 

In world history, the first queen of Spain, Isabella of Castile, left her mark as an influential, far-sighted and tough ruler. She ruled the country in tandem with her husband Ferdinand of Aragon, so this era was called the reign of kings. This time is marked by a number of reforms and innovations of global significance.

First of all, the couple united Spain by making a dynastic marriage. Being a zealous Catholic, Isabella strengthened the Spanish Inquisition in order to strengthen the purity of the Catholic faith, expelling thousands of Gentiles from the country. The ambitious queen blessed Christopher Columbus to circumnavigate the world, and his discovery of the American continent was the beginning of the colonization of new lands and the transformation of Spain into a powerful empire until the middle of the 16th century.

In 1468, when Isabella was 17 years old, her brother proclaimed her heir to the throne of Castile, elevating her to the title of Princess of Asturias. Guardianship of the elder brother of the future queen also meant that she must coordinate her marriage with him. Isabella disobeyed and, rejecting the candidates proposed by Enrique, secretly married Prince Ferdinand of Aragon.


The secret marriage took place on October 19, 1469. Ferdinand's retinue had to travel incognito, disguised as merchants, while Isabella left the palace on the pretext of visiting her sick mother.
Isabella was known for her intelligence, energy, inflexible character, she was distinguished by perseverance, God-fearing and arrogance. She spent her time on campaigns, where, sitting on a horse, she herself often commanded detachments, then in the office, where, together with her secretaries, she read and compiled state papers.
In the appearance of the queen, the greenish-blue eyes, characteristic of the Trastamara dynasty, stood out. The complexion was delicate, the hair was golden, the stature was short, and the physique was not particularly graceful. Nevertheless, it was noted that in her appearance there was an innate nobility and dignity.

Since she spent her childhood away from the court and was not considered as an heiress, her education was rather weak. She was taught to read, write and have good manners. Embroidery remained her favorite pastime and a rest from public affairs. She subsequently had to make up for many gaps in her education herself.


Isabella was even taller than her husband. Ferdinand, being a year younger than his wife, was her complete opposite: jet-black hair, swarthy skin, brown eyes. A recognized handsome man, even before marriage, he acquired 2 illegitimate children, he had 2 more bastards in marriage with Isabella.


In an official union, Ferdinand and Isabella had 10 children. Of these, only 4 daughters and 1 son survived - Juan of Asturias, who also did not live to see the throne and died at the age of 19.


The daughters of Isabella of Castile left their mark on history. All four became queens. Isabella of Asturias and Mary of Aragon were married to the Portuguese king Manuel I (wedowed, he married his wife's younger sister). The younger Catherine of Aragon became the wife of the legendary English King Henry VIII Tudor. And, finally, Juana the Mad, who passed the Castilian throne, was the wife of the Spanish king Philip the Handsome.

Isabella ascended the throne and declared herself Queen of Castile and León on December 14, 1474, after the death of her brother Enrique. The king, before his death, forgave his sister's disobedience and recognized her marriage to Ferdinand. In fact, this union, having united Castile and Aragon, created the Spanish kingdom (complete political unification occurred with the annexation of Navarre in 1512).


Under Isabella, Saint Ermandada appeared - armed detachments for the protection of order, this greatly limited the arbitrariness of the Spanish grandees and Cortes. Royal power, on the contrary, rose more and more, gaining absolute authority.


Over the almost 30-year history of the reign of Queen Isabella, at least 3 major events occurred that influenced the course of world history. The first is the end of the Reconquista, the holy war declared by Christians against the Arab invasion and the planting of the Muslim religion throughout the occupied Iberian Peninsula. Until 1492, only Granada remained under Arab rule. The capture of this city by the troops of Isabella and Ferdinand meant the end of almost 7 centuries of confrontation.


Isabella also ordered the expulsion of all Arabs and Jews from Spain in order to fight for the purity of the Catholic faith. Gentiles should either leave the country or accept Catholicism. Those who, having acquired a new faith, secretly observed the old rites, were burned at the stake by the Inquisition. Subsequently, the unfortunate began to settle in separate quarters, called ghettos.


And, finally, the third initiative of Isabella, which went down in history, is the equipment for the sea expedition of Christopher Columbus, the result of which was the discovery of the New World for European countries in the period from 1492 to 1504.
Over the years, the queen's health has weakened: numerous births and protracted religious fasts have taken their toll. By the age of 50, she had become a gloomy recluse who yearned for her daughters who had been married off to other kingdoms.


The last blow for Isabella was the terrible truth: the woman found out that her beloved daughter Juana - the most beautiful and cheerful - suffers from a mental disorder, like her grandmother.
Nevertheless, the queen made her favorite the heir to the Spanish throne, but indicated in her will that in the event of her daughter's insanity, her father Ferdinand was appointed regent. In November 1504, Isabella died in Medina del Campo due to a long illness. The tomb of the monarch is located in the Royal Chapel in Granada.


In 1515, her husband Ferdinand was buried next to the queen. He survived his wife for 11 years, during which he actually ruled the state and left the crown to his grandson Charles of Habsburg - the son of Juana the Mad and Philip the Handsome.


The biography of such a great woman has attracted writers, directors and artists at all times. The personality of Isabella of Castile was sung by writers. Lawrence Schoonover's novels The Queen's Cross, C. W. Gortner's The Queen's Oath, Victoria Holt's The Queen of Castile and Spain for Kings are dedicated to her biography.


Many famous actresses embodied the image of Queen Isabella in the cinema: Sigourney Weaver in the film "1492: The Conquest of Paradise" (1992), Faye Dunaway in the series "Christopher Columbus" (1985), Rachel Ward in the film "Christopher Columbus: The Conquest of America" ​​(1992) , Florence Eldridge in Christopher Columbus (1949).



Isabella of Castile even appears in the popular Turkish TV series The Magnificent Age. The scriptwriters came up with a storyline according to which the young infanta is kidnapped by corsairs, and the future queen becomes a prisoner of Sultan Suleiman. However, the events described in the series have nothing to do with historical truth.

"Queen Isabel I de Castilla" by Artist Luis de Madrazo  (1825–1897)