Isabella of Castille

Isabella of Castille

Isabella

Isabella of Castille – April 22,1451 – November 26,1504

She lived in Castille Spain.

Why was she famous?

The reign of Queen Isabella of Castile was a very important period of time in Spanish history. With her husband Ferdinand, King of Argon, they were able to unite the Kingdoms of Spain under one crown, drive the moors from the Iberian Peninsula , and supported the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Isabella portrayed a key role in the major developments of Spain during this time while her husband focused on the military.

Ferdinand and Isabella

Ferdinand and Isabella’s Unity

A marriage with Ferdinand would best advance the political and national concerns of Castile. It would unite the two kingdoms and make one nation of their peoples, who were the same race, spoke the same language and had similar customs, religions and laws. United, their strength would equal that of any European power, while, separated, they would remain inferior. Though her brother, Henry IV, the current king did not consent to the engagement, Isabella did so with bravery for otherwise her county.

Castille and Argon

The union of Queen Isabella of Castille and King Ferdinand of Argon.

Isabella Helped With Columbus’s Voyage in 1492

She Cared About Education

On top of everything else, Isabella also cared about education. She hired several well educated men to teach at the palace schools she set up. Once they were proven successful, she had many young men attend those schools. Even more so, she helped young women to have same education rights as men and allowed them to attend also.

Isabella’s Tragedy

Isabella was a mother of four children, one son and three daughters. Her eldest daughter Isabella, married the King of Portugal, but died in 1498. The second daughter, Katherine, married an English prince, the son of Henry VII.; he lived only a few months after the wedding, and the King to keep her rich dowery in England married her to his second son afterward Henry VIII. of England. She is known in history as Katherine of Aragon, the mother of the English Queen who by her gained the name of Bloody Mary. The only son of Ferdinand and Isabella, Prince John, was a boy of great promise. After making his parents proud by his accomplishments, he died which all of Spain, especially Isabella grieved. Isabella’s last daughter Jane was the heiress to the throne and married the King of Austria. She later gained the name Jane The Foolish for her mental disability. Isabella caught a horrible fever and the weight of her children’s death cause her to die on 26th of November in 1504.

Credits

http://www.medievalqueens.com/queen-isabella-of-castile.htmhttp://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/

eagle/congress/bucklin.html