Isabella I of Castile

Alana
Writing EO6/ Cultural Studies SO2
17/02/20
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“No woman in history has exceeded her achievements,” was stated by Nugh Thomas,

a famous historian in Rivers of Gold: The rise of the Spanish Empire (3). The queen of Spain,

Isabella I of Castile, was, and still is, one of the most influential figures in the history of

Europe. Not only was she the figure that supported Columbus through his first voyage, but

she also completed the Reconquista. Isabella devoted her life to uniting Spain; moreover,

during her reign she promoted catholic religion. Isabella the I of Castile attained many

accomplishments throughout the course of her life, and was largely influential to her

kingdom; as well as, Spain and other civilizations, she has truly left a foot print on global

history and will forever be remembered.

Isabella the I of Castile, ruled the kingdom of Castile, and later, all of Spain. She was

Born in April 22, 1451, in Madrigal de Las Altas Torres, Spain, Isabella was the second child

of John II of Castile and Isabella of Portugal. She had two brothers, Henry IV, and Alfonso.

Usually, the second child and the only woman in the family does not take the throne,

however, Isabella was fortunate to gain power. Isabella was not the only individual from her

family to gain power. Her father and both brothers who all ruled Castile “for the previous

seventy years, were not famed for their use of power. They had let others rule for them,”

(Tremlett 1). Isabella, on the other hand, was recognized for her power. Isabella lived and

ruled during the late middle ages and early Renaissance period in Spain.

The influence of Isabella on Spain is still felt today. During her reign, Spain received

many new resources from all over the world which was due partly because of Isabella’s

decisions. She was queen; therefore, the countries choices were made by her. A king or a

queen were at the top of the social structure in Spain. Right below where the nobles. They

provided funding, supplies, and military service to the king while providing work, land and

protection to the peasants which were the next in the hierarchy. Peasants mainly served as

agricultural farmers with land owned by the king. For that reason, Isabella was probably seen
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as selfish by the peasants since, none of the land they worked for was theirs, it all went to

Isabella and the people who took part in her reign.

Before Isabella’s reign, Henry IV, rose to power. This happened three years after her

birth, when their father died. After gaining the throne, Henry sent Isabella, Alfonso, and their

mother away from court, to a town in Arevalo. Throughout her stay, she was given fine

education in the fields of rhetoric (the art of speaking and writing persuasively and

effectively), painting, and philosophy. During Henry’s reign, he struggled as a king, and was

not able to provide an heir. Therefore, his first childless marriage with Blache II of Navarre,

ended in divorce. His inability to have a child and heir grew into a political issue. He had no

one to continue his reign. However, in 1455, Henry remarried to Joan of Portugal. To his

advantage, in 1462, he had a daughter, Joanna. Although, he now had a possible heir to the

throne, he also acquired a lot of issues. “Soon after Joanna’s birth, rumors about her real

parents began to spread. Some believed that Henry wasn’t her biological father, some thought

it was Joan,” (Palos 7). These rumors weakened both Joanna’s legitimacy and Henry’s power.

These rumors were the motivators of Henry requesting Isabella and Alfonso to return

to Segovia for control over possible rivals to the throne. Their mother was to remain in

Arevalo. When they arrived, Isabella was thirteen and straight away, she was drawn into

Castilian politics. She hated living in the court and considered Henry’s wife cruel and

abusive, yet she had no choice. The following days, Henry officially named Joanna his heir to

the throne of Castile but, a powerful group of nobles, who were below the king on the social

structure, used the past rumors to protest Henry’s move. They backed Alfonso over Joanna,

and because Isabella had no other choice, she sided with her brother. Henry agreed to this

adjustment, as long as Joanna was betrothed to Alfonso, therefore, both shared the crown.

Nevertheless, Henry later attempted to back out and civil war erupted.
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The civil war resulted in Alfonso getting crowned. Unfortunately, in 1468, three years

after his reign, he died. The reason for his death is unknown, but it is likely to have been an

illness since he was only fourteen. Isabella was left as his heir. During the year, Henry signed

an agreement which stated that Isabella was a legitimate successor and would be queen after

Henry’s death.

In the course of her waiting, Isabella needed to find herself a husband. Henry and his

backers wanted her to marry King Afonso V of Portugal in order to unite the two kingdoms.

Marriage in the 15th century was a political tool and marriage with King Afonso V would

unite the two kingdoms. Instead of marrying Afonso, Isabella wanted to marry Ferdinand, son

of John II of Aragon. By 1469, Isabella was sure that Ferdinand was the husband she wanted.

She decided on that before they even met. She kept it a secret for some time but, had to make

it public in order to come to an agreement with Aragon, according to Canon Law, people

required papal authorization to get married. Isabella and Ferdinand were second cousins

which led to Pope Paul II refusing their wish as he was scared it would lead to power

struggles like in the past.

Despite the rejection of Pope, Isabella and Ferdinand still got married in October

1469. According to Joan-Lluis Palos, “The queen that received the title of “Catholic Queen”,

in fact married against the church law,” (18). In the year of 1470, she already had her first

daughter Isabella. She stayed with Ferdinand even though, Henry was furious.

Consequently, the two kingdoms of Castile and Aragon united, beginning a

cooperative reign that would result in the unification of the whole Spain. This is the first

achievement of Isabella. When she was born, Spain was divided into several, small

kingdoms. Her father ruled Castile, also known as the land of castles, which was surrounded

by other kingdoms such as Aragon, Portugal, and Navarre. As stated by Joan-Lluis Palos,

“the territories would frequently argue over each other's succession, which made Isabella
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claim that she would change this,” (5) After all, she did accomplish her goal with her

husband.

Consequently, the two kingdoms of Castile and Aragon united, beginning a

cooperative reign that would result in the unification of the whole Spain. This is the first

achievement of Isabella. When she was born, Spain was divided into several, small

kingdoms. Her father ruled Castile, also known as the land of castles, which was surrounded

by other kingdoms such as Aragon, Portugal, and Navarre. As stated by Joan-Lluis Palos,

“the territories would frequently argue over each other's succession, which made Isabella

claim that she would change this,”(5) After all, she did accomplish her goal with her husband.

Another achievement Isabella had with the united forces with Ferdinand II, was

routing the last Muslim stronghold in western Europe and completing the Reconquista. The

Reconquista was a series of wars and battles between the Christian Kingdoms and the

Muslim Moors for control over the Iberian Peninsula. Spain had been home to three dominant

religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The co-existence of these groups suddenly ended

in 1492, when Isabella and Ferdinand collapsed the last Muslim stronghold in Granada and

expelled Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, which is how they completed the Reconquista.

Many Muslims and Jews were forcibly converted. An inquisition was set up in Andalusia, a

historical region in Spain. This represented the highest point of a movement against non-

Christians and doubtful converts which showed up frequently in the late middle ages in

Castile. The result was to remove Jews who refused to convert.

In addition, another moment that happened in 1492, was the visit from Columbus.

This was the year when Columbus discovered that the world was larger than Europeans had

believed in the past. He visited Isabella to enlist support for the voyage that was to result in

European settlement in America. Isabella and her counselors decided to approve the voyage

and gave limited financial support for Columbus to secure. Later, she received the famous
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letter from Columbus Columbus’s Letter on the First Voyage (1493) here he recounted his

journey, gave impressions of the land and the people, and confirmed that he took possession

of a large town in the name of Spain. The main reason for the letter was to receive additional

credit for his discoveries, even though Isabella had already given him financial support,

Columbus considered his discoveries to be bigger than everyone thought they would be.

Launching the age of exploration was one of her achievements that influenced civilizations

other than her own.

One of the reasons Isabella had many great accomplishments might be because for her

love of education. As stated by J.R.L Highfield, a historian, “after turning thirty, Isabella

acquired proficiency in Latin. At court, she also encouraged notable scholars, such as Pietro

Martire D’anghiera. She later set him up as the head of a new palace school for the sons of

nobility. In addition, she was the patron of many Spanish and Flemish artists, and part of her

collection still survived. Isabella was also intensely religious and orthodox in her beliefs,”

(11) As mentioned earlier, Isabella and Ferdinand were granted the title of “Catholic Kings”

which shows how she was seen in her society. She was a tough, determined woman who was

well respected, which led to many achievements and being remembered after her death.

Isabella died at the age of 52, after 35 years of marriage (1504). The reason for her

death was natural causes. She was suffering from a fever two months before her death.

Overall, “The last decade of her reign took place against a background of family sorrows,”

(Highfield 12) since, her only son and heir Joan, her daughter Isabella who was the queen of

Portugal, and her only grandchild Miguel, all died. Ferdinand suffered from his loss of

Isabella and claimed that she was “the best and most excellent wife a king ever had,”(Palos

28). This quote shows how much he cared and loved her. He joined her in her tomb eleven

years later.
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Even after her death, in the modern world, Isabella I of Castile, is still remembered.

She was highly influential. She has left a legacy for Spain and other civilizations from her

own. Without Isabella, Spain would not have been united and gotten all the resources they

received from Columbus. This affected other civilizations as well. Considering Columbus’s

voyage was the root of exploration, he opened up new lands for European imperial powers to

conquer, introduced new food such as, corn, potatoes, and tobacco, and transferred people

like the Indians, who Isabella then released, and new animals. Therefore, if Isabella had not

approved his voyage and refused to support it, everything mentioned earlier would not have

happen. However, just like every other king and queen, Isabella made adjustments and

decisions which were considered unfair and criticizing in the modern world. One example

would be removing Jews and Muslims who refused to convert to Christianity. In modern day,

people are entitled to have their own opinion and beliefs so, Isabella’s act would not be

respected today.

Isabella is one of the most prominent women in history. Influencing her own country

and beyond it, gaining power despite her family, and being well respected in many ways, has

interested many people around the world. Throughout her life, she was seen differently by

many people. However, this did not stop her from succeeding and ruling. Isabella did not

follow the rules and accomplishing a lot throughout her reign. People all over the world are

inspired and look up to her.

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Works Cited

Columbus, Christopher. Columbus’s Letter on The First Voyage. Barcelona: Libro de

Cristobal Colon, 1493. Print.

Highfield, J.R.L. “Isabella I, Queen of Spain.” Britannica. November 22. 2019. Gloria Lotha.

Web. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Isabella-I-queen-of-Spain .Accessed 03

February. 2020.

History.com Editors. “Christopher Columbus”. History. September 3. 2019. N.p.

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus. Accessed 04

February. 2020.

Kilroy-Ewbank, Lauren. “Introduction to the Renaissance in Spain.” Khan Academy. N.p.

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/renaissance-in-

spain/a/introduction-to-the-renaissance-in-spain. Accessed 03 February. 2020.

Palos, Joan-Lluis. “Isabella I of Castile” National Geographic. March 28. 2019. N.p.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/magazine/2019/03-04/queen-isabellas-

rise-to-spanish-throne/. Accessed 04 February. 2020.

Tremlett, Giles. “Europe’s First Great Queen.” Isabella of Castile: Europe's First Great

Queen. London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2017. Print.

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