Description
Book SynopsisQueen Isabel of Castile is perhaps best known for her patronage of Christopher Columbus and for the religious zeal that led to the Spanish Inquisition, the waging of holy war, and the expulsion of Jews and Muslims across the Iberian peninsula. In this sweeping biography, newly revised and annotated to coincide with the five-hundredth anniversary of Isabel''s death, Peggy K. Liss draws upon a rich array of sources to untangle the facts, legends, and fiercely held opinions about this influential queen and her decisive role in the tumultuous politics of early modern Spain.
Isabel the Queen reveals a monarch who was a woman of ruthless determination and strong religious beliefs, a devoted wife and mother, and a formidable leader. As Liss shows, Isabel''s piety and political ambition motivated her throughout her life, from her earliest struggles to claim her crown to her secret marriage to King Fernando of Aragón, a union that brought success in civil war, consolidated
Trade Review
"Provides a wealth of detail documenting Isabel's love for Fernando, her devotion to her children, her ruthless ambition, and her canny statecraft." * Publishers Weekly *
"Magnificently researched. . . . A valuable reference book for the period and region." * Library Journal *
"An admirable portrait of an astute ruler whose passionate sense of mission did a great deal to shape the western world as we know it." * Sixteenth Century Journal *
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface to the Revised Edition
The Royal Relationships of Isabel of Castile
Maps
Prologue: An Embassy to Egypt: 1502
PART I. PRINCESS
1. Walls and Gates: Castile, 1451
2. The Wrong King: 1461-1467
3. The Right Marriage: 1467-1469
4. To the Crown: 1469-1474
5. A Royal Heritage: Perception and Reality
PART II. LA REINA
6. Contests: 1475
7. Resolutions: 1475-1477
8. To the Sea: 1477-1478
9. Signs and Revelations: 1478
10. Inquisition: 1478-1485
11. Readying: 1478-1481
12. The Queen's War I: 1482-1485
13. The Queen's War II: 1486-1492
PART III. TOWARD EMPIRE
14. The View from Granada: The Grand Design,1492
15. The Expulsion of the Jews: 1492
16. Christopher Columbus and the Queen: To 1492
17. Isabel and the Indies: 1492-1504
18. The Catholic Kings: 1492-1499
19. The Queen and Her Daughter: 1499-1504
Epilogue: "A Queen Has Disappeared ..."
Notes
Index
