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- ""I mean that you need protection from Enrique's caballeros," he said. "You understand, do you not, Doña Isabel, that you are next in line for the throne?" But I am too overcome by grief to understand anything but the pain of the loss of my brother."
- —Isabel talks with Archbishop Carrillo[4]
Isabel of Castilla (April 22, 1451 – November 26, 1504) was the queen of Castilla and León and Aragon. She was the sister of Enrique and Alfonso. Isabel married Fernando of Aragon in 1469 and inherited her brother's throne in 1474.
Biography
Early life
Isabel was born on April 22, 1451[2][3] to King Juan of Castilla and Isabel of Portugal. Her younger brother Alfonso was born two years later in 1453. She also had an older half-brother Enrique from her father's first marriage.
After her father's death in 1454, she moved to Arévalo with her mother and brother. Several years later, Enrique, now king of Castilla, forced Isabel and Alfonso to live in Segovia with his wife.
1466 – 1469
Alfonso had left by 1466, while Isabel continued to live in Segovia. That year, her half-brother schemed to have her married twice, both of which she barely avoided. Isabel remained in Segovia until 1467, when she freed by her protector, Archbishop Carrillo. She returned to Arévalo to live with mother.
Despite being reunited with her younger brother, Isabel was determined to stay neutral. Eventually Isabel made a decision to side with Alfonso and joined him on a trip to Ávila to gather troops. However, Alfonso fell ill and died in July 1468, before reaching their destination. Carrillo wanted to overthrow Enrique, but Isabel proposed a treaty instead, which included becoming Enrique's heir.
Enrique broke the rules of the treaty by trying to force Isabel to marry again. In the meantime, Isabel plotted with Carrillo and her allies to betroth herself to Fernando of Aragón. Isabel managed to escape by joining Alfonso's funeral procession. In late 1469, Isabel married Fernando in Valladolid.
Later life
Isabel gave birth to her first child on October 2, 1470, a daughter named Isabel. After Enrique's death in 1474, Isabel seized the throne and became Queen of Castilla and León. Isabel had four more children, including Juan in 1478, Juana in 1479, Maria in 1482, and Catalina in 1485.
In 1492, Isabel and Fernando supported the voyage of Christopher Columbus. Isabel passed away on November 26, 1504. Her husband was buried next to her, after his death in 1516.
Personality and traits
Isabel was extremely faithful to her religion and prayed to God for guidance in all matters. Her beliefs led her to question conversos and Jews, as well as the Moors of Muslim descent. In later years, Isabel believed she was doing God's will during the Reconquista and Spanish Inquisition.
She was intelligent and longed for a proper education, instead of being placed under the care of Queen Juana, who only taught her how to dance. Isabel was also interested in astronomy, drawing, and playing the cittern.
Family tree
| (1) Maria of Aragon (d. 1445) | ♚Juan II of Castilla (1405-1454) | (2) Isabel of Portugal (1428?-1496) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Juana (1439-1475) | ♚Enrique IV* (1425-1474) | ♚Alfonso (1453-1468) | (1) ♚Isabel (1451-1504) | ♛Fernando II (1452-1516) | (2) Germaine of Foix | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Juana La Beltraneja (1461-1530) | Juan" (1478-1497) | ♚♛Juana "the Mad" (1479-1555) | ♚Philip I (1478-1506) | (2) Maria~ (1482-1517) | ♝Manoel (1469-1521) | (1) Isabel (1470-1498) | Catalina Catherine of Aragon^ (1485-1536) | ♜Henry VIII^ (1491-1547) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leonor (1498-1558) | Isabel (1501-1525) | ♞Charles V (1500-1558) | Isabel (1503-1539) | ♝Juan III (1502-1557) | ♝Enrique (1512-1580) | Miguel (1498-1500) | ♜Mary I (1516-1558) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♞Ferdinand I (1503-1564) | Maria (1505-1558) | Catalina (1507-1577) | Maria (b. 1528) | Juana (1535-1573) | ♟♝Philip II (1527-1598) | married | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Key:
♚ - King or Queen of Castilla
♛ - King or Queen of Aragon
♞ - Holy Roman Emperor
♝ - King or Queen of Portugal
♜ - King or Queen of England
♟ - King or Queen of Spain
* - Enrique was first married to Blanca of Navarre.
" - Juan was married to Margaret of Austria.
~ - Maria and Manoel had five other children not shown.
^ - Catherine of Aragon was first married to Arthur, Prince of Wales; Henry VIII married six times and had two more children.
Behind the scenes
Lisa Jakub as Isabel
- Isabel is the heroine of Isabel: Jewel of Castilla from The Royal Diaries.
- Lisa Jakub portrayed the princess in The Royal Diaries: Isabel - Jewel of Castilla. Jakub is best known for her roles in Mrs. Doubtfire and Independence Day.
- Isabel is mentioned in the My Story books, My Tudor Queen and Anne Boleyn and Me, which feature her daughter Catherine of Aragon as a supporting character.
- She is also mentioned in Henry VIII's Wives, while Beatrice was learning about Catherine.
Appearances
- Isabel: Jewel of Castilla
- The Royal Diaries: Isabel - Jewel of Castilla
- My Tudor Queen (Mentioned only)
- Anne Boleyn and Me (Mentioned only)
- Henry VIII's Wives (Mentioned only)
- Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor (Mentioned in the Historical Notes)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 My Tudor Queen, Alison Prince, pages 9-10
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Carolyn Meyer, page 42
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Carolyn Meyer, The Castilian-Aragonese Family Tree, pages 181-183
- ↑ Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Carolyn Meyer, page 114
