Queen+Isabella

=__Queen Isabella__  =  toc

==Queen Isabella  ==  Queen Isabella was the queen of Spain and ruled with her husband Ferdinand. They made some good decisions and some bad decisions. She started the Spanish Inquisition which was a bad choice. She gave Christopher Columbus his three ships which was a good choice and this was how the Spanish Golden Age was started. Queen Isabella ruled in the 1480's.

 ==<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">Early Life  ==

<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);"> Isabella was born to John II, King of Castile and Isabella of Portugal. She was born on April 22, 1451 in Madrigal de las Altas Torres. Her two brothers were Henry and Alfonso. When Isabella was three her father died. When she was 17 years old, her brother Alfonso died. He was thought to have died by poison because someone did not want him to become king. The nobles went to Isabella and asked her to become queen. They did not want Henry to become king because they did not think he was smart enough or that he would be a good ruler. Isabella refused and said she would not become queen while her brother was alive. Henry became king but said that Isabella was heir to the throne. King Henry wanted Isabella to marry Don Carlos, Prince of Viana, but Isabella wanted to marry Ferdinand. Then Don Carlos died so King Henry tried to arrange other marriages for Isabella. Isabella still wanted to marry Ferdinand. While King Henry was away, Isabella arranged to get married to Ferdinand. She sent out nobles to find him and when they found him he came back and married her. They got married in 1469 in the palace of Juan de Vivero. King Henry got mad and made his daughter, Joan of Aragon, heir to the throne. When he died no one knew who was supposed to be the next Queen. Then Castile and Aragon went to war with Portugal. It ended in 1479. They made a peace treaty and in the treaty Joan gives Isabella the throne. ==<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">Queen Isabella's Ruling  ==

===<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">Family  === <span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);"> Isabella and Ferdinand had 5 children. Their childrens names were Isabella, John, Joan, Maria, and Catherine. Isabella made sure that her girls were well educated (which was very unusual for that time period). She also taught them how to sew. They sewed most of their father's clothing. One of her sons died in 1497. Isabella (her daughter) became Queen of Portugal. She died in child birth in 1498. Then Catherine got married to King Henry VIII. They soon got divorced because Catherine could not produce a male. Joan was going to get the throne but she became crazy.

===<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">Spanish Inquisition  === <span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);"> Both Isabella and Ferdinand were strong Catholics. They thought that they should ban everyone who was not Catholic or have them switch to Catholic. This was how the Spanish Inquisition got started in 1478. The Spanish Inquisition lasted till 1808. This was not a very good time in Spain. If you were not a Catholic, you were thought to be against the church. If they did not become Catho <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">lics then some of the consequences were torture and death. Then the Chief Inquisitor, Torquemada, convinced Isabella that the Jewish people posed a threat to the Church. Even if they had converted to Catholics. Isabella then ordered that all Jewish people must leave by July 1st or be put to death. Some of the Jewish people stayed secretly. Some of the Jewish people went to Portugal or North Africa to settle. Some of them went and helped out a sea captain who was looking for sailors to find a western route to India. This captain was Christopher Columbus.

===<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">Christopher Columbus  === <span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);"> C <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">olumbus had been asking for money to sponsor his ships for quite a while. Isabella turned him down because she still had to get Granada the part of Spain she did not rule. Then she got Granada under her control on January 1st, 1492. When that problem was solved they listened to Columbus. Columbus said that he wanted to find a western route to India across the unknown waters. Isabella said it would not be too much money. Also, the rewards might be grand. The royal Treasury said that the cost would be about the same cost as entertaining a visiting noble for a week. On August 3, 1492 he set sail. Isabella had given him 3 ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. She also gave him a crew of 87 men. Christopher Columbus did not land in India but he did get a lot of gold, silver, and spices for Spain. Columbus returned to Spain in 1493 with treasures and some Native Americans. Isabella made a law that no one could hurt the Native Americans. This was the rise of the "Golden Age" for Spain.

===<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">The Golden Age  === <span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">Spain began to rise during the Golden Age. They were getting treasures from discoverers. Their manufacturers of clothes, glass, steel weapons, and leather goods became very good. They would not have been such a great country without Isabella. She treated people fairly and with respect ( except the Jewish people). This let Spain be a peaceful country. She had a very powerful army and navy which made Spain a very powerful country. Isabella was a co-ruler with her husband but she was really the better ruler. Ferdinand was the king of Aragon which allowed Isabella to unite Spain. Spain would not have been this powerful with out the skill and guidance of Isabella. ==<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Later in Life  == ==<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">  ==

==<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">  == <span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(55, 158, 241);"> Queen Isabella died on November 26, 1504. She died in Medina del Campo. She asked in her will that her successors protect and treat the people in America the same as in Spain. Ferdinand continued to rule for 12 more years after Isabella. He died in Madrigalego on January 23, 1516. Their grandson took the throne. He was the son of Joan, Ferdinand's daughter.

<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(53, 155, 233);">References
<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Garraty, John A. The Story of America. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1994

<span style="color: rgb(36, 164, 235); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span class="wiki_link_ext">Lewis, Johnson J. "Isabella 1 of Spain". <span class="wiki_link_ext">About.com. <span class="wiki_link_ext">08 October 2008 http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/medrenqueens/p/p_isabella_i.htm

"Queen Isabella 1". ctspanish.com. http://www.ctspanish.com/legends/isabella1.htm