Isabella I of Castile and León: A Voyage to Where?

About Me

I was born on April 22, 1451 in Madrigal de las Alas Torres, Ávila. I was named after my mother, Isabella of Portugal who was married to John II of Castile, my father. When I was only three years old, my father died leaving the kingdom to my half brother Henry IV who made my life miserable. My mother and brother Alfonso had to move to Arévalo and though living was difficult there, my desire to learn about Castilian politics kept me from going insane. After many complications considering the true successor of the throne, I was named Queen of Castile and León on January 20, 1479. My marriage to Ferdinand II of Aragon not only expanded our power, but also our territory. Together, we unfied Spain permanently and have our kingdom was based on Catholicism. Therefore, our monarch turned into a Catholic Monarch. There were many disagreements and chaos that happened to my kingdom because of my desire of a Catholic centered Spain. I had six children, four daughters and two sons. Isabella, John, Joanna, Maria, Catherine, and Peter but he died young. Each on of them married into another territory which only benefited us by expanding it. Catherine was the first wife of King Henry VIII of England, Joanna’s son Charles V became Holy Roman Emperor as well as King of Spain. My husband, Ferdinand, and I agreed on everything together. We ruled together equally without any unbalanced decisions. I am widely known as the queen who financed Columbus and his voyage in search of a westward route to India. Spain could be known as the country that started the mass of explorations around the world. I was ambitious as a queen though not power hungry. Like I stated before, Ferdinand and I ruled equally which meant that if there was a fault in one of our decisions, the other would help to found what to do so that we could improve or finalize that final decision. Maybe for that reason, our country became stronger and more stable than it had before. I was also very curious even as a young child. I always wanted to learn about new things, even when Henry tried to keep me away from his political problems that he was having when he ruled, I always ended up knowing because of my curiosity. Sometimes I could also be daring of trying new things. When Henry would not approve of my marriage with Ferdinand, I ran away to him so that we could even though I knew what the consequences would have been. Another time was when I had to banish all the Jews and Muslims from Spain because of the contradictory religion. My work of stabilizing Spain also brought great benefits to not only the country, but to future generations as well. For example, Charles V, Joanna’s son, ruled with great authority and power because of such a strong foundation to start from. I would say that I wasn’t a bad queen but I also wasn’t a great queen either, every person has their faults here and there but I am just glad that I had my dear husband Ferdinand to rely on.

When Columbus first told me that he was going to find a route westward to India, I thought the idea was absurd. Columbus went through a series of explanations to describe how the voyage would be a success but Ferdinand and I had many doubts. After about one to two years, my curiosity led me to fund Columbus for mere interest to see if there might actually be a new route or possible a new world. We provided him three ships by the name of Niña, Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Columbus signed a contract stating that if he were to find anything, such as gold, Ferdinand and I would receive 10% of all his profits. "I will assume the undertaking for my own crown of Castile , and am ready to pawn my jewels to defray the expenses of it, if the funds in the treasury should be found inadequate." After that, he and his crew were off in search for a new route on August 3rd. I was shocked to receive a letter declaring that he has find land and possible had landed in India. Columbus promised to bring back gold, which he did, but he also brought natives and received an honorary welcome. After Columbus, more and more explorers sought new land to bring riches and gain fame. Confusion erupted as Portugal believed that South America belonged to them, which is preposterous. However, Ferdinand and I agreed to sign the Treaty of Tordesillas which meant that eastern lands belonged to Portugal and western lands belonged to Spain, us.

1 comment:

Joseph ListerDecember 3, 2010 at 7:25 PM
Observing what you have seen, I now know that there were many interestingly peculiar ideas shown to you at your time. For example, Columbus proposed the idea to sail around the world to find another route to the spice islands. Also, I am surprised that you approve of their idea of sailing across the ocean along with three ships and their own capable crews. Now, for me, I say that it's absurd to sail around the world, since no one really knows what's out there. I have heard news that circulated indicating that the world is flat, so if they were right, Columbus will just fall of the world and perish with the rest of his crew mates. Yet he has, amazingly, found land! Seeing that that may be true, I'll take you for your word. I'm truly interested in what happens from here on out.

Sincerely,
Guillaume Dufay