Not to be confused with Isabelle. |
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- "The moves in this chess match are played very slowly. I imagine that by now, my intended husband is on his way to me. And I imagine that by now, my furious brother may also be on his way."
- —Isabel[8]
Isabel of Castilla (April 22, 1451 – November 26, 1504) was the Queen of Castilla and León, and the Queen consort of Aragon through marriage. She was the younger half-sister of King Enrique and the older sister of Alfonso. After Alfonso's death, Isabel became Enrique's heir apparent. She went on to marry Fernando II in 1469 and inherited her brother's throne in 1474.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Isabel was born on April 22, 1451[3][5] in Madrigal.[4] Her parents were King Juan of Castilla and Isabel of Portugal. Her younger brother Alfonso was born two years later in 1453. Their older half-brother, Enrique, became king following their father's death in 1454. Isabel and Alfonso lived with their mother in Arévalo for some time, before Enrique moved the children to Madrid and then Segovia.
1466 – 1469[]
By early 1466, Isabel had been living in Segovia for a year with her sister-in-law, Juana, and her daughter, also named Juana. Alfonso had left sometime prior and became the head of a rebel group, whom wished for him to be king instead of Enrique. Soon, Enrique began scheming to have Isabel marry King Afonso of Portugal, Queen Juana's brother. However, he instead arranged for her to marry Pedro Girón. Isabel had no desire to wed him, but had to go along with it since all of the grandes agreed to it. He suddenly died just before their wedding was to take place to her relief. Isabel then returned to Segovia, where she remained under Enrique's control well into 1467.
In June 1467, Isabel's protector, Archbishop Carrillo, arrived in Segovia with an army. She traveled with him to Arévalo, where she met her younger brother and mother. Isabel was distressed to find her mother's mental health greatly deteriorated. In April of the following year, she became godmother to the newborn son of her good friend, Beatríz de Bobadilla. Shortly later, Isabel decided to no longer remain neutral and accompany Alfonso to Ávila to gather troops. Unfortunately, Alfonso fell ill and died in July 1468, before reaching their destination. Isabel later learned of the death of her dear friend and lady-in-waiting, Catalina Valera, possibly of the same illness as Alfonso.
Following Alfonso's death, Archbishop Carrillo wished for Isabel to take up Alfonso's cause and become queen. She instead proposed a treaty with Enrique, which made her his heir. Enrique soon went against many of the conditions of the treaty, including yet another attempt to have her marry King Afonso. Isabel sought the Archbishop's help and he soon began secretly arranging her betrothal to Prince Fernando of Aragon, whom she approved of. Once everything was settled, Isabel escaped Ocaña, where Enrique was having her held. She then joined her mother in Ávila, where Alfonso's remains on the anniversary of his death. Isabel subsequently headed to Valladolid. There she married Fernando in late 1469.
Later life[]
Isabel's and Fernando's first few years of marriage were difficult. The young couple were "short of money" and Fernando was often away to fight battles for his father and attend to duties for Aragon. Isabel gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Isabel, on October 2, 1470. After Enrique's death in 1474, Isabel seized the throne on the advice of Archbishop Carrillo and became Queen of Castilla and León. Fernando became King consort. Isabel had four more children, Juan in 1478, Juana in 1479, María in 1482, and Catalina in 1485.
In 1492, Isabel and Fernando supported the voyage of Christopher Columbus. Isabel passed away on November 26, 1504 at age fifty-three. Her husband was buried next to her after his death in 1516. Their tombs are located at the Royal Chapel of Granada.
Physical appearance[]
She described her friend, Beatríz de Bobadilla, as having a similar appearance to herself and that they could "be taken for sisters." Their hair was "reddish gold" and the color of their eyes was "between green and blue." Additionally, they were both "slim-waisted" and "fair-skinned."[2]
Personality and traits[]
Isabel was shown to be extremely faithful to her religion, which was Catholicism. She prayed to God for guidance in all matters. Her beliefs led her to question conversos and Jews, as well as the Moors whom were of Muslim descent. As an adult, Isabel persecuted these groups during the Reconquista and Spanish Inquisition. She, along with her husband, believed that they were doing "God's will."
Despite being intelligent, Isabel never had a formal education. She was instead placed under the care of Queen Juana, who only taught her how to dance. Her interests were astronomy, drawing, and playing the cittern. She began practicing drawing under the influence of her friend, Catalina.
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) María (1482-1517) | ♝Manoel (1469-1521) | (1) Isabel (1470-1498) | Catalina Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536) | ♜Henry VIII (1491-1547) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
♞Charles V (1500-1558) | Isabel (1503-1539) | ♝Juan III (1502-1557) | ♝Enrique (1512-1580) | Miguel (1498-1500) | ♜Mary I (1516-1558) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
María (b. 1528) | Juana (1535-1573) | ♟♝Philip II (1527-1598) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- 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 - Notes:
- Enrique was first married to Blanca of Navarre
- Juan was married to Margaret of Austria.
- Juana and Philip had five other children: Leonor, Isabel, ♞Ferdinand I, Maria, and Catalina.
- María 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.
- Mary I and Philip II were married.
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 "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 both feature her daughter, Catherine of Aragon, as a supporting character.
- She is also briefly mentioned in Henry VIII's Wives when Beatrice learns about Catherine.
Appearances[]
- In chronological order:
- Isabel: Jewel of Castilla
- "Isabel: Jewel of Castilla" (film)
- 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 Note)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 My Tudor Queen, Alison Prince, pages 9-10
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Carolyn Meyer, page 14
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Carolyn Meyer, page 42
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Carolyn Meyer, page 153
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Carolyn Meyer, The Castilian-Aragonese Family Tree, pages 181-183
- ↑ Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Carolyn Meyer, Epilogue, pages 169-172
- ↑ Also spelled Castile or Castille in English.
- ↑ Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Carolyn Meyer, page 161
See also[]
The Royal Diaries characters | ||||||
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External links[]
- Isabella I at Britannica
- Isabella of Castile at the New World Encyclopedia
- Isabel at ThoughtCo
Isabel on Wikipedia