Queen Isabella

Facts, information and articles about Queen Isabella, a Famous Woman In History

Queen Isabella summary: Queen Isabella was born to John II on April 22nd, 1451. When she was three, her father died, making her half-brother, Henry IV, King. Henry later named Isabella his successor, but withdrew his support when she married Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1469. Henry’s daughter, Juana took the throne after Henry’s death in 1474, but after a war of succession that ended in 1479, Isabella became the Queen of Castile. Her husband, Ferdinand, had already become King of Aragon, and together they ruled both, unifying Spain.

The Spanish Inquisition And Christopher Columbus

Isabella and Ferdinand organized the Spanish Inquisition with the goal of ridding Spain of Jews and Muslims primarily, along with heretics who rejected Catholicism. As a result of the Inquisition, Isabella and Ferdinand were recognized by the Pope for their diligent attempts to purify Catholicism in Spain. By 1492, all Jews who would not convert to Christianity were exiled from Spain, as were the Muslims. This is also the year when Isabella and Ferdinand began funding the voyages of Christopher Columbus, who would give any lands he discovered to Castile.

Isabella was an advocate for education, and she educated both her sons and her daughters, one of whom was Katharine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife. She was a patron of several scholars and of the arts. She had a large collection of art established, and she also established a number of educational institutes. Queen Isabella died on November 26, 1504.