Famous Renaissance Figures
By Room 108
Isabella 1 of Castile
By Mehnaz and Syeda
Isabella 1 of Castile
Personal Life
Queen Isabella I of Castile was born in 1474 and she died in 1505. She lived life as a mother, queen, wife, and Catholic. She had also sponsored Christopher Columbus’s expedition. Isabella, at the age of 6 got engaged to Ferdinand II of Aragon, who was the son of John II of Navarre, but there were many difficulties and her brother Henry the IV tried to get her engaged to other men, but Isabella and Ferdinand finally got married in 1469. Isabella ascended to the throne in 1474. Many contemporaries have said that Isabella is a very powerful, honest, prudent, and devout woman. Ferdinand had also mentioned about Isabella in his testament, he declared that "she was exemplary in all acts of virtue and of fear of God." Isabella’s religious spirit influenced her, the most in life. Isabella was hostile towards the Muslims in Spain but she still developed a taste for Moorish style and décor. Isabella was also against the expulsion of the Jews. She preferred justice to money, which made her a superior queen.
A visual of Isabella 1 of Castile's wealth and attitude
Achievements
Isabella 1 of Castile accomplished many things in her lifetime. A greatly known achievement was her fund towards Christopher Columbus’s exploration. This was one of her greatest works. Her funding towards his exploration resulted in Spain’s oversea empire, as well as Spanish domination of Europe in the following century. The explorations brought back wealth to the Spanish crown, and pulled Castile out of severe debt. Isabella even showed compassion for the First Nations that Columbus encountered, and she refused to receive them as slaves. That said, she asked that they would be sent back home and be educated into Catholics. This wasn’t positive for the First Nations, but Isabella, being a very religious woman, thought it was a benefit. In addition to that, she strongly opposed slavery. Her fund in exploration was a major accomplishment, because it brought back life to her kingdom, and fixed many situations that took place.
Isabella of Castile had many other accomplishments. Many people liked her because she promoted women’s rights. Isabella also brought crime to its lowest rate in years. This highly religious queen had a big impact geography as well. Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon united Castile and Aragon together to create Spain. Being Queen of Spain, her objective was to convert all people to Catholicism in Christian Spain. This inquisition was mainly directed towards Muslims and Jews. Non-Christians had to convert to Christianity in order to remain in Spain. This action was more negative than positive. However, she also accomplished positive things at her time. She learned Latin as an adult, and was a patron of scholars and artists, establishing educational institutions and building a large collection of art works. The many things she achieved happened when she reached the throne and became Queen Isabella of Castile in 1474.
The inquisition of the Jews and Muslims.
This is a picture of Christopher Columbus's expedition, in which Isabella 1 of Castile funded in, along with many other explorations that fixed many situations in her kingdom during the time.
A picture representing Isabella 1 of Castile's knowledge, especially on literature and art.
Worldview Map
Here is a map showcasing Isabella 1 of Casile's world view
Worldview
Time: Time is viewed naturally, and is spent dealing with political issues that must be solved with my support, for I am Queen 1 of Castile; I am practically busy every day. Life and time should not be wasted, because it is all the time you have to banish your sins and gain God’s respect.
Geography: If Aragon and Castile are joined together to from Spain, all of the Moors will get out of the country which isn’t theirs and the kingdom of Castile was more powerful because of it's larger size and population. Plus, Castile was located right beside Aragon, allowing the formation of Spain to be easier.
Society: Members of the society who won’t convert to Catholicism will be expelled from the country; Christians are respected more.
Beliefs: God is the answer to all our life’s questions. It is good to be Christian and fear God.
Economy: I am royal and wealthy. Spain has gotten into debt, but I got us recovered. It is my privilege to provide the poor with education religious education.
Values: I value anyone who is Christian or decides to follow Christian faith. I value Christian faith.
Knowledge: I learned Latin as an adult to help myself become a patron of scholars and artists.
Sources
-Amadó, R; (1910) ‘’Isabella I’’. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. NewAdvent.org Online
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08177a.htm
-Bard, R; (2004-2013) “Queen Isabella of Castile” MedievalQueens.com. Online
http://www.medievalqueens.com/queen-isabella-of-castile.htm
-Filiziani, M; (1998-2008) “Isabel 1.” Isabel 1. Online
http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/isabel.html
-Heritage Curriculum Homeschool; (2007-2012) “Isabel of Castile” Heritage History. Online
http://www.heritagehistory.com/www/heritage.php?Dir=characters&FileName=isabel1s.php
-Jokinen, A; (1996-2010) “Queen Isabella of Castile and Leon.” In Luminarium Encyclopedia. Luminarium.org. Online
Interview
We sat down with THE one and only, Queen Isabella 1 of Castile, in this exclusive interview. We learned alot from her great answers. You'd be surprised at what she had to say.
Queen Isabella 1 of Castile and her husband, King Ferdinand of Aragon
Extension on Knowledge
Queen Isabella’s knowledge contributed most to the renaissance way of thinking. Her knowledge was influenced by the humanist ideas spread during the renaissance. During this time, she learned Latin as an adult. She’d done so because many books, poetry, and other forms of literature were filled with Latin, and she wanted to explore this special language. Latin was a very important language to learn at the time, and learning it would increase knowledge and access to books and the Bible. Being a very religious person, this knowledge was definitely useful for interpreting the Bible. She also learned Latin so that she could become a patron of scholars and artists. At this artistic time, it proved that Isabella 1 of Castile was spreading these unique pieces of work and recent findings. She had funded many scholars and artists, meaning she introduced new types of learning and art (such as perspective). Queen Isabella 1 of Castile’s knowledge contributed greatly to the renaissance and was influenced from the ideas introduced during the time of re-birth, creating a new era for the many areas that needed enlightenment.