Corrections? The New World that was explored as a result of that decision was, with papal confirmation, annexed to the crown of Castile, in accordance with existing practice in regard to such previous Atlantic discoveries as the Canary Islands. In 1491 she and Ferdinand set up a forward headquarters at Santa Fe, close to their ultimate objective, and there they stayed until Granada fell on January 2, 1492. I can tell we'll never be alone. In 1958, the Roman Catholic church began the process to canonize Isabella. Life of Isabella I of Castile, also known as Isabella the Catholic. In 1974, she was recognized with the title "Servant of God" by the Vatican, a step in the process of canonization. Ferdinand by this time had become King of Aragon, and the two ruled both realms with equal authority, unifying Spain. As between the Portuguese and Aragonese candidates, she herself, no doubt assisted in her decision by her small group of councillors, came down in favour of Ferdinand of Aragon. By the traditions of the time, when Columbus was the first European to encounter lands in the New World, these lands were given to Castile. At Henry's death in 1474, a war of succession ensued, with Alfonso V of Portugal, prospective husband of Isabella's rival Juana, supporting Juana's claims. Fine Art Images / Heritage Images / Getty Images. When her father died in 1454, Isabella’s half-brother, Henry IV, became the new king of Castile. Naturally, many of the outstanding literary works of her reign, such as Antonio de Nebrija’s Gramática Castellana (1492; “Castilian Grammar”), were dedicated to her. Isabella I was not originally heir to the throne. Isabella I overcame a Portuguese invasion to become the Queen of Castile. Omissions? The queen and her advisers hardly needed Columbus to remind them of the opportunity now offered for the spreading of Christianity. Although Isabella and Henry were to some extent reconciled, the long-threatened war of succession broke out at once when the king died in 1474. Most of her reign was spent on military campaigns whereby Isabella was an active participant and incorporated her role as wife and mother into her role as military leader. Isabel … The Netherlands nobility were delighted to see this enormous accretion of power to their ruler and looked forward to the advantages that…. She sponsored Columbus's journey all through out his expedition to the 'New World'. If the overall impression is inevitably piecemeal, it is also clear that Isabella gave to her successors an exceptional document. After she reached the age of 30, she acquired proficiency in Latin. The queen of Castile died on November 24th, 1504. Of all Europe's queens, argues Giles Tremlett, surely none had a greater impact. While she and Ferdinand began to reorganize the court, Alfonso V of Portugal crossed the border and declared Joan the rightful heir. A policy of reforming the Spanish churches had begun early in the 15th century, but the movement gathered momentum only under Isabella and Talavera. Among their first acts were various reforms to reduce the power of the nobility and increase the power of the crown. Queen Isabella I of Castile is the warrior queen that united Spain with her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon and drove the Moors and the "heretics" out of Spain for good. In 1492, the Muslim Kingdom of Granada fell to Isabella and Ferdinand, thus completing the Reconquista. Isabella was born in Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Ávila, to John II of Castile and his second wife, Isabella of Portugal, on 22 April 1451. Isabella I ( Spanish: Isabel I, Old Spanish: Ysabel I; Madrigal de las Altas Torres, 22 April 1451– Medina del Campo, 26 November 1504) was Queen of Castille. Reign. These orders had been exploited for too long by the nobility and were the subject of intense rivalry among those who sought to be elected master of one or other of them. In 1974, centuries after her death, Isabella of Castile and her … Childhood. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Isabella-I-queen-of-Spain. Three days after Henry's death, she was crowned Queen of Castile at Segovia. With her blue eyes, her fair or chestnut hair, and her jewels and magnificent dresses, she must have made a striking figure. "Biography of Isabella I, Queen of Spain." https://www.thoughtco.com/queen-isabella-i-of-spain-biography-3525250 (accessed April 4, 2021). The king encouraged this group by going back on the accord of 1468 on the grounds that Isabella had shown disobedience to the crown in marrying Ferdinand without the royal consent. The last decade of her reign took place against a background of family sorrows brought about by the deaths of her only son and heir, Juan (1497); of her daughter Isabella, queen of Portugal, in childbirth (1498); and of her grandchild Miguel (1500), who might have brought about a personal union between Spain and Portugal. The Inquisition was aimed mostly at Jews and Muslims who had overtly converted to Christianity but were thought to be practicing their faiths secretly. 36 talking about this. Isabella I of Castile. Thus, she's known in history as Juana la Beltraneja. She was brought to court when she was 13 in order to be under the king’s eye. Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504) was one of the most significant figures in world history. She was born in the town of Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Castilla, Spain. Isabella's half-brother became Henry IV, king of Castile, when their father, John II, died in 1454 when Isabella was 3. Queen Isabella I of Castile was born in 1474 and she died in 1505. She also completed the Reconquista but infamously expelled Jews and Muslims and empowered the Spanish Inquisition. Richard Cavendish | Published in History Today Volume 54 Issue 11 November 2004. When Henry died Isabella was in Segovia, which was secured for her claim. 1489-05-01 Christopher Columbus proposes his plan to search for a western route to India in an audience with Spanish monarch, Isabella I. She married Ferdinand II of Aragon, bringing the kingdoms together into what became Spain under the rule of her grandson Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. Can’t Pray for This Kind of Service. Good sense and statesmanship were equally reflected in Isabella’s will and codicil. Castile, an arid land of sheepherders, great landowning churchmen, and crusading knights, and Aragon, with its Catalan miners and its strong ties to Mediterranean Europe, made uneasy partners; but a series of…, …her and recognized his sister Isabella as heir to the throne in the Pact of Los Toros de Guisando in 1468. She was brought to court when she was 13 and at the age of 17 was already recognized as Henry’s heir. With prudence she comments on the basis of her political program—the unity of the states of the Iberian Peninsula, the maintenance of control over the Strait of Gibraltar, and a policy of expansion into Muslim North Africa, of just rule for the Indians of the New World, and of reform in the church at home. In a series of separate marches, Ferdinand and Isabella went on to subjugate renegade and rebellious towns, fortress… Emeritus Fellow of Merton College, Oxford; former Lecturer in Modern History, University of Oxford. The terms on which the expedition was to set out to discover a new route to the Indies were drawn up on April 17, 1492. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Isabel de Trastámara, better known as Isabel the Catholic or Isabella I of Castile (April 22, 1451 – November 26, 1504). After her marriage, Isabella appointed Galindo as tutor to her children. They were supported by Afonso V of Portugal, who hastened to invade Castile and there betrothed himself to Joan. 1847, España pintoresca y artística, Proclamación de Isabel la Católica en Segovia, Francisco de Paula Van Halen.jpg 2,708 × 2,006; 981 KB You are inclined to be passionate, you assert your willpower, you move forward, and come hell or high water, you achieve your dreams and your goals. Isabella I was the Queen of Castile and after her husband Ferdinand II became the King of Aragon, Isabella became the Queen consort of Aragon. In the end, however, the conquest (which began in 1482) proved difficult and drawn out, and it strained the finances of Castile. As heiress of Castile, the question of Isabella’s future marriage became a matter of increasing diplomatic activity at home and abroad. She is a former faculty member of the Humanist Institute. She was the daughter of John II of Castile and Isabella of Portugal. Yet, however meritorious the expulsion may have seemed at the time in order to achieve greater religious and political unity, judged by its economic consequences alone, the loss of this valuable element in Spanish society was a serious mistake. Isabella was born in Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Ávila, to John II of Castile and Isabella of Portugal on 22 April 1451. Isabella I of Castile biography. Henry seems to have wanted his half sister to marry Afonso V, king of Portugal. Print depicting Christopher Columbus bidding farewell to Queen Isabella I on his departure for the New World, August 3, 1492. But I want to stay. Jone Johnson Lewis is a women's history writer who has been involved with the women's movement since the late 1960s. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). She also sought candidates of high standards; judged by her choices of men such as Talavera and Cisneros, Isabella was remarkably effective in achieving her objective. Though her early years were spent quietly with her mother, she was soon drawn into Castilian politics. Born on April 22, 1451, she was the second child of King John II of Castile. Ferdinand beat the invaders back at the Battle of Toro in 1476, and the challenge to the crown of Castile was rejected. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Meanwhile, in 1480 the Inquisition had been set up in Andalusia. "Biography of Isabella I, Queen of Spain." Isabella I of Spain (April 22, 1451–November 26, 1504) was the queen of Castile and León in her own right and, through marriage, became the queen of Aragon. She married Ferdinand II of Aragon, bringing the kingdoms together into what became Spain under the rule of her grandson Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. Her tutors included Beatriz Galindo, a professor at the University at Salamanca in philosophy, rhetoric, and medicine. At her birth on April 22, 1451, Isabella was second in the line of succession to her father, King John II of Castile, following her older half-brother Henry. Here with you in this room. Isabella was raised by her mother until 1457, when the two children were brought to court by Henry to keep them from being used by opposition nobles. That same year, Isabella and Ferdinand issued an edict expelling all Jews in Spain who refused to convert to Christianity. In seeking to control appointments to Castilian sees, Isabella was not simply inspired by national sentiments. Isabella I (22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504) reigned as Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death. She was married to Ferdinand II of Aragon. Her younger brother Alfonso was born two years la… When his second wife, Joan of Portugal, gave birth to daughter Juana in 1462, the opposition nobles claimed that Juana was the daughter of Beltran de la Cueva, duke of Albuquerque. The marriage to Ferdinand resulted in the physical unification of Spain. Coronation. Active in court politics but more cooperative toward Henry than her full brother Alfonso had been, she was made Henry’s heir and took the throne when he died in 1474. The youngest daughter, Catherine of Aragon, became the first wife of Henry VIII of England and mother of Mary I of England. A young Isabella is the main protagonist in " Isabel, Jewel of Castile," a part of the Royal Diaries series by Scholastic. The cardinal of Valentia, Rodrigo Borgia (later Pope Alexander VI), helped Isabel and Ferdinand obtain the necessary papal dispensation, but the couple still had to resort to pretenses and disguises to carry out the ceremony in Valladolid. Yet the unexpected discoveries quickly brought fresh problems to Isabella, not the least of which was the relationship between the newly discovered “Indians” and the crown of Castile. Although Isabella was intensely pious and orthodox in her beliefs and was granted with Ferdinand the title of the “Catholic Kings” by Pope Alexander VI, she could be both imperious and pertinacious in her dealings with the papacy. She lived life as a mother, queen, wife, and Catholic. Isabella married Ferdinand of Aragon, a second cousin, in October 1469 without Henry's approval. The queen was still concerned with these problems when she died in 1504. Instead, her daughter Joan, wife of Philip I and mother of the Holy Roman emperor Charles V, became the heiress of Castile. Her brother, Enrique IV, who was the king of Castile, wanted her to marry her off.She wanted to marry someone from Portugal to make a political ally. When her father, John II, died, her half brother became king of Castile as Henry IV. He had named Isabella his successor. It assures scholars that, in allotting to Isabella the foremost place among their rulers, Spaniards do not misjudge this remarkable woman. She knew she was finished and she resolutely prepared herself for death. Despite the fact that she had a younger brother, Alfonso, and that her early years were spent quietly with her mother at Arévalo, Isabella was soon drawn into Castilian politics. Her father was John of Castile, and her mother Isabella of Portugal. Isabella I of Castile last edited by pikahyper on 12/14/19 03:25PM View full history Origin Isabella was born in 1451 in Ávila, the daughter of John II of Castile and Isabella of Portugal . Isabella was the daughter of John II of Castile and his second wife, Isabella of Portugal. Isabella of Castile (22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504) was a queen of Castile and León.She was the daughter of John II of Castile and his second wife Isabel of Portugal.. Isabella of Castile should never have been queen. Isabella was offered the crown by the nobles but she refused, probably because she didn't believe she could maintain that claim in opposition to Henry. Historians, however, consider it more likely he succumbed to the plague. She was also the patron of Spanish and Flemish artists, and part of her extensive collection of pictures survives. At the time of her birth, she was second in line to throne after her older half-brother Henry. ThoughtCo. Henry withdrew his recognition and named Juana as his heir. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Isabella's will, the only writing that she left, summarizes what she thought were her reign's achievements as well as her wishes for the future. Spanish Jews pleading before King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, while grand inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada argues for their expulsion from Spain, in a painting by Solomon A. Hart. Isabella was well educated. The two sovereigns were certainly united in aiming to end the long process of Reconquista by taking over the kingdom of Granada—the last Muslim stronghold in Spain. Isabella I was born in 1451. ThoughtCo, Nov. 7, 2020, thoughtco.com/queen-isabella-i-of-spain-biography-3525250. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/queen-isabella-i-of-spain-biography-3525250. Three years after her birth her half brother became king as Henry IV. Updates? Also in 1492, Christopher Columbus convinced Isabella to sponsor his first voyage of exploration. In 1487 Ferdinand became grand master of Calatrava, and by 1499 he had acquired the grand masterships of Alcántara and Santiago. Isabella I of Castile was born on April 22, 1451 in the village of Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Spain. The two young monarchs were initially obliged to fight a civil war against Juana, princess of Castile (also known as Juana la Beltraneja), the purported daughter of Henry IV, but were ultimately successful. Queen of Castile, Sicily, and Aragon. She learned Latin as an adult and was widely read, and she educated her daughters as well as her sons. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. She had also sponsored Christopher Columbus’s expedition. He now rejected Isabella’s claim to the throne and preferred that of Joan, for whom he sought the hand of the duc de Guiènne. She was supported by an important group of Castilian nobles, including Cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza, the constable of Castile (a Velasco), and the admiral (an Enríquez), who was related to Ferdinand’s mother. She was married to Ferdinand II of Aragon. This was particularly true when she thought the pope was making bad appointments to Spanish benefices or in any way encroaching on the customary rights of the crown over the Spanish churches. Isabella I of Castile (Spanish: Isabel I; 1451 – 1504) was a Queen of Castile and León, and the wife of King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Isabella I of Castile Introduction . But, undoubtedly, she played a large part in establishing the court as a centre of influence. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Isabella was first betrothed to Ferdinand at the age of 6, but subsequent complex royal machinations scotched that deal as she was offered around to numerous princes until, as an adult and heir presumptive, she got a (wobbly) agreement from her brother, Henry, king of Castile at the time, that she would not be forced to marry against her will. Without first seeking her brother’s consent as she had promised, in 1469 Isabella…, …the succession of Castile after Isabella’s death (1504) to the third, Joan the Mad, and her husband, Philip I (the Handsome) of Castile, ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands. This is a life of a Renaissance queen, mother, and wife. Henry's first marriage ended in divorce and without children. Her mother was Isabella of Portugal, whose father was a son of King John I of Portugal and whose mother was a granddaughter of the same king. Isabella I, byname Isabella the Catholic, Spanish Isabel la Católica, (born April 22, 1451, Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Castile—died November 26, 1504, Medina del Campo, Spain), queen of Castile (1474–1504) and of Aragon (1479–1504), ruling the two kingdoms jointly from 1479 with her husband, Ferdinand II of Aragon (Ferdinand V of Castile). In it she sums up her aspirations and her awareness of how much she and Ferdinand had been unable to do. Henry designated his daughter, Joanna, as his heir, though he was forced by the nobles to revoke this and accepted Alfonso, Isabella’s younger brother, as heir instead. Upon the death of John II of Aragon in the same year, the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon came together in the persons of their rulers. The expulsion in 1492 of those Jews who refused conversion was the logical result of the establishment of the Inquisition. Isabella's life was tragic in her early years. Through her marriage, Isabella joined her kingdom with Ferdinand II’s to create a united Spain. Isabella and Ferdinand planned to unify all of Spain by continuing a long-standing but stalled effort to expel the Moors, Muslims who held parts of Spain. [Verse] I know I should go. Subsequently, she successfully rejected the suggestion that the pope’s nephew should become archbishop of Sevilla. After an exhaustive investigation, the commission appointed by the church determined that she had a "reputation of sanctity" and was inspired by Christian values. Isabella I of Castile, depicted in the painting Virgen de la mosca at The Collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor (Church of Saint Mary the Great) Queen of Castile and León. However, this offered little comfort to the queen because by 1501 Joan had already shown signs of the mental imbalance that would later earn her the title of “the Mad.”. But each kingdom continued to be governed according to its own institutions. When Henry IV died on December 10, 1474, Isabella acted quickly. Isabella unified Spain. After 50 days of anxious prayers and processions, Queen Isabella of Castile called a halt to all further intercession. Her choice of spiritual advisers brought to the fore such different and remarkable men as Hernando de Talavera and Cardinal Cisneros. She sponsored Columbus' voyages to the Americas and was known as "Isabel la Catolica," or Isabella the Catholic, for her role in "purifying" the Roman Catholic faith by expelling Jews from her lands and defeating the Moors. A third suitor, the French duc de Guiènne, was sidestepped, and without Henry’s approval she married Ferdinand in October 1469 in the palace of Juan de Vivero, at Valladolid. Portugal, Aragon, and France each put forward a marriage candidate. We continue this season’s theme of Women Leaders In History And The Men Who Whined About Them with the Isabella's journey from little girl trapped in a ghost castle to teenage war mediator to PR stunt inventor to genocidal dictator! Isabella I, queen of Castile (1474–1504) and of Aragon (1479–1504), ruling the two kingdoms jointly from 1479 with her husband, Ferdinand II of Aragon. Lewis, Jone Johnson. Spain emerged as a united country, but it was long before this personal union would lead to effective political unification. Three years after she was born, her half brother became king of Castile as Henry IV. than the queen of Castile and Aragon. With Michelle Jenner, Ramon Madaula, Rodolfo Sancho, Jordi Díaz. When Columbus brought some enslaved Indigenous people back to Spain, Isabella insisted they be returned and freed, and her will expressed her wish that the "Indians" be treated with justice and fairness. When in 1492 Talavera became archbishop of Granada, his place at the queen’s side was taken by Cisneros, for whom the monarchs secured the crucial position of archbishop of Toledo in 1495. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Daughter of Juan II of Castile and Isabel of Portugal. Although Villena and his supporters hoped to control Isabella, they soon learned that they could not. Isabella was a patron of scholars and artists, establishing educational institutions and building a large collection of artwork. Isabella I of Spain (April 22, 1451–November 26, 1504) was the queen of Castile and León in her own right and, through marriage, became the queen of Aragon. In terms of accomplishments, Isabella I unified Spain through her marriage to Ferdinand II of Aragon, and she financed the expedition of Christopher Columbus, leading to the discovery of the Americas. While she was at Santa Fe another event with which the queen was to become personally associated was in the making, for Columbus visited her there to enlist support for the voyage that was to result in the European settlement of America. Isabella's life from her early youth through the conquest of Granada is novelised in The Queen's Cross: A biographical romance of Queen Isabella of Spain by Lawrence Schoonover , William Sloane Associates, Inc. Although some of the features of the campaign were medieval (such as the order of battle), others were novel. The dispute was settled in 1479 with Isabella recognized as Queen of Castile. By her death on Nov. 26, 1504, Isabella's sons, grandsons, and her older daughter Isabella, queen of Portugal, had already died, leaving as Isabella's only heir "Mad Joan" Juana, who became queen of Castile in 1504 and of Aragon in 1516. Galindo founded hospitals and schools in Spain, including the Hospital of the Holy Cross in Madrid, and probably served as an adviser to Isabella after she became queen. 11 December 1474 – 26 November 1504. The monarchs were interested in the reform of the secular clergy and still more in that of the orders of monks, friars, and nuns; Isabella took a particular interest in the reform of the Poor Clares, an order of Franciscan nuns. Isabella of Castile Lyrics. Editor of. Isabella was almost as interested in education as she was in religion. The first four years of Isabella’s reign were thus occupied by a civil war, which ended in defeat for her Castilian opponents and for the Portuguese king (February 24, 1479). Henry was 26 at that time and married but childless. The Four Marriages of King Philip II of Spain, Eleanor of Aquitaine’s Descendants Through Eleanor, Queen of Castile, Catherine of Aragon - Early Life and First Marriage, Catherine of Aragon - Marriage to Henry VIII, Powerful Women Rulers Everyone Should Know, Eleanor of Aquitaine's Children and Grandchildren, Medieval Queens, Empresses, and Women Rulers, Famous Mothers in History: Ancient Through Modern, M.Div., Meadville/Lombard Theological School. The first hearings against the Conversos were held in February 1481 in Castile; it combined with the outbreak of the bubonic plague. Lewis, Jone Johnson. She did not, however, play the role thus designed for her, and the fruit of her wisdom was recognition as his heiress by Henry IV at the agreement known as the Accord of Toros de Guisando (September 19, 1468). Isabella was granted, together with her husband, the title "the Catholic Monarch" by Pope Alexander VI, and was recognized in 1974 as a Servant of God by the Catholic Church. Although the story of her offering to pledge her jewels to help finance the expedition cannot be accepted, and Columbus secured only limited financial support from her, Isabella and her councillors must receive credit for making the decision to approve the momentous voyage. Isabella I of Castile, Fire is dominant in your natal chart and endows you with intuition, energy, courage, self-confidence, and enthusiasm! One of the achievements of Isabella’s last decade was undoubtedly the success with which she and Ferdinand, acting on her initiative, extended their authority over the military orders of Alcántara, Calatrava, and Santiago, thus giving the crown control over their vast property and patronage. Their rule effected the permanent union of Spain and the beginning of an overseas empire in the New World, led by Christopher Columbus under Isabella… English: - Isabella I of Castile (April 22, 1451 in Madrigal de las Altas Torres – November 26, 1504 in Medina del Campo) (also called Isabella the Catholic) was queen of Castile and Leon. Isabella I (Spanish: Isabel, 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504) reigned as Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death. Because she left no memoirs, her will is in many ways the most reliable picture of her. Life Early years. Never mind, okay. At first the opposition to Henry IV gathered around Alfonso, but when the latter died in July 1468, the rebellious magnates naturally turned to Isabella. The prospect of an Aragonese consort led to the development of an anti-Aragonese party that put forward the claims of a rival heiress, Henry’s daughter Joan, known as la Beltraneja by those who believed that her true father was Beltrán de la Cueva, duque de Albuquerque. Her father's father was Henry III of Castile, and his mother was Catherine of Lancaster, the daughter of John of Gaunt (third son of England's Edward III) and John's second wife, the Infanta Constance of Castile. She became third in line when her brother Alfonso was born in 1453. During her reign, the queen oversaw the Reconquista, the formation of the Spanish inquisition, and Spain’s rise as … In her early life she had a hard childhood, when her father died she and her brother were left in the care of their older brother. With the capture of Granada, the main work of the orders had been done, and a process that envisaged their ultimate absorption into the lands of the crown was logical and sensible. Although when she died there was still much to be done, the rulers and Cisneros together had gone far toward achieving their goals. Biography of Isabella I, Queen of Spain. Isabella I was one half of a 15th-century power couple that united Spain and helped. Isabella succeeded her brother as Queen of Castile in 1474. They were seen as heretics who rejected Roman Catholic orthodoxy. Isabella I was a leader and role model for all queens after her. The opposing faction, which put forward the counterclaims of Joan, included the archbishop of Toledo; a former supporter, the master of Calatrava (an influential military order); and the powerful young marqués de Villena. Their rule effected the permanent union of Spain and the beginning of an overseas empire in the New World, led by Christopher Columbus under Isabella’s sponsorship. To Castilian sees, Isabella appointed Galindo as tutor to her children, Rodolfo Sancho, Díaz... 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