Queen Castile: The Spanish: Queen Isabella Of Castile

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Khokhar 1
Umber Khokhar
Carolyn Crumpler
8:20 World History
10 March 2014

Queen Isabella of Castile

Queen Isabella ruled Spain in the Medieval Era. After the death of her brother, Henry IV, Isabella was named Queen of Castile. When she came to power in the 1460s, a civil war had begun. Isabella married one of the most well-known royals, Ferdinand, who was the Prince of Aragon. Her marriage put Spain on its way to a national unity by uniting the regions of Castile and Aragon. By sponsoring a voyage to the new world, Isabella helped Spain out of extensive debt. After Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the new world, Spain’s economy and agriculture prospered greatly. Isabella had also launched the Spanish Inquisition, or Reconquista, which created laws against Muslims and Jews. Despite the fact that she was an absolute monarch, many people looked up to her and Ferdinand for reducing Spain’s debt following the civil war (Isabella I). Throughout her reign, Queen Isabella of Castile contributed to Spain’s unification and dominance in Europe. Her contributions to Christopher Columbus’ voyage, her support for the spread of Christianity, and her political alliances led to Spain being unified.
Queen Isabella was very significant in her role as Christopher Columbus’ sponsor to the New World. The voyage, in 1492, was originally a way to find a faster trade route to India. Columbus had a prominent desire to find this trade route. He had proposed his idea to an Italian government, but after being rejected, he tried again with Isabella and Ferdinand. Spain wanted
Khokhar 2

easy accessibility to the East, because many riches and spices could be found there. Although Isabella wanted a faster way to get to the East, she also had a secret motive t...

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...ed to the Inquisition.
In 1492, Granada surrendered and became a Christian conquered land. The Inquisition was completed. During the Inquisition, new centers of spiritual power in Western Europe were created, which increased the unification of Catholic expression of Faith.
Key political alliances were essential in Spain’s unification. Queen Isabella was married to Ferdinand of Aragon which helped to gain armies and land from Aragon. Although Isabella mainly married Ferdinand for power, because male rulers had more power, being married to him gave Isabella someone to help her rule. Isabella was favored by many people before she became Queen. When she was named heir after the death of her brother, many people were glad. Being favored by many of her dissidents helped Isabella to gain alliances. Isabella also established many alliances through her children’s marriages.

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