Death of Isabella of Castile on 26th November 1504

In Memoriam: (very brief).
Death of Isabella of Castile on 26th November 1504.

Born on 22nd April 1451, Isabella became Queen regnant of Castile on 11th December 1474, following a protracted succession dispute.

Isabella married her fellow monarch Ferdinand of Aragon on 19th October 1469 when she was eighteen and he was seventeem. Although Isabella and Ferdinand had five children who reached adulthood only three survived Isabella’s death. The inheritance of the throne of Castile by her troubled daughter Joanna led to a succession crisis that was not resolved for many years.

Isabella’s reign saw the Reconquista of Spain, the conversion or exiling of Spanish Jews and Muslims, the emergence of the Inquisition, and the financing of Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World. Isabella was without doubt one of the most powerful Queens in history, even if her reign and legacy are not without controversy.

Isabella is buried in the Royal Chapel (Capilla Real) in Granada, Spain, alongside her husband Ferdinand, her daughter Joanna and Joanna’s husband Philip the Handsome.

(I am still hoping to finish a more in-depth post on Isabella when life eventually – hopefully – settles down).

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