Isabella: The Warrior Queen

Posted on 04 September 2018 by Kirstin Downey

An engrossing and revolutionary biography of Isabella of Castile, the controversial Queen of Spain who sponsored Christopher Columbus s journey to the New World, established the Spanish Inquisition, and became one of the most influential female rulers in historyBorn at a time when Christianity was dying out and the Ottoman Empire was aggressively expanding, Isabella was inspired in her youth by tales of Joan of Arc, a devout young woman who unified her people and led them to victory against foreign invaders In 1474, when most women were almost powerless, twenty three year old Isabella defied a hostile brother and mercurial husband to seize control of Castile and Le n.Her subsequent feats were legendary She ended a twenty four generation struggle between Muslims and Christians, forcing Moorish invaders back over the Mediterranean Sea She laid the foundation for a unified Spain She sponsored Columbus s trip to the Indies and negotiated Spanish control over much of the New World with the help of Rodrigo Borgia, the infamous Pope Alexander VI She also annihilated all who stood against her by establishing a bloody religious Inquisition that would darken Spain s reputation for centuries.Whether saintly or satanic, no female leader has done to shape our modern world, where millions of people in two hemispheres speak Spanish and practice Catholicism Yet history has all but forgotten Isabella s influence, due to hundreds of years of misreporting that often attributed her accomplishments to Ferdinand, the bold and philandering husband she adored.Using new scholarship, Downey s luminous biography tells the story of this brilliant, fervent, forgotten woman, the faith that propelled her through life, and the land of ancient conflicts and intrigue she brought under her command. Free Read [ Isabella: The Warrior Queen ] author [ Kirstin Downey ] – kino-fada.fr This massive undertaking by Kristin Downey gives context to the fifty three years of Queen Isabella s life and shares origin stories of people or events we may have heard bits of in our lives but never knew where to find the references Monty Python The Monty Python skit of the soldier who first loses a leg, then an arm, then another arm you know it was based on the struggles of Portuguese soldier, Duarte de Almeida, to keep the Portuguese flag flying in the Battle of Toro against Ferdinand and This massive undertaking by Kristin Downey gives context to the fifty three years of Queen Isabella s life and shares origin stories of people or events we may have heard bits of in our lives but never knew where to find the references Monty Python The Monty Python skit of the soldier who first loses a leg, then an arm, then another arm you know it was based on the struggles of Portuguese soldier, Duarte de Almeida, to keep the Portuguese flag flying in the Battle of Toro against Ferdinand and Isabella, who were thought to be illegally seizing the throne in Castile It was difficult to recount later exactly what happened because the Portuguese and Castilian accounts differedthe Castilians seized the battle flag, the royal standard of Portugal, des...Since I knew Queen Isabella was the financier of Columbus, a force behind the Spanish Inquisition, and the mother of Katherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, I thought I would find this book about her interesting, but that was an underestimation because Isabella The Warrior Queen turned out to be a treasure trove of fascinating information and stories About Columbus the book hasdetail than I expected, also covering early European interactions with various groups of Native Since I knew Queen Isabella was the financier of Columbus, a force behind the Spanish Inquisition, and the mother of Katherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, I thought I would find this book about her interesting, but that was an underestimation because Isabella The Warrior Queen turned out to be a treasure trove of fascinating information and stories About Columbus the book hasdetail than I expected, also covering early European interactions with various groups of Native Americans About the Inquisition the book gives religious context and history that were unfamiliar to me, and after reading about Catherine of Aragon s early life I have a greater understanding of and appreciation for her as a woman of strength and principle Also woven into the narrative is information about the lives and historical impacts of Isabella s other children, the balance of power in Isabella s relationship with her husband Ferdinand according ...The book s a comedy of errors and stereotypes.In the first chapter, I could see what seemed to be some definite Christianist bias and bad type revisionist history Downey lumps nearly 800 years of Muslim rule in Spain, under several different dynasties, some Arab, some Berber as Muslim rule in general isn t what it has been cracked up to be, as in hint, hint, Muslim Spain...This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers To view it, click here view spoiler Bettie s Books hide spoilerMy acquaintance with Spanish history is incidental, mostly from Spain being mentioned in biographies and histories of other counties or Europe in general Author Kirsten Downey helped me to put all the fragments for this short period that I ve gleaned together Now I understand Catherine of Aragon s long wait for her second marriage, how Jauna came to be considered mad , the actual relationship of the Spanish monarchs to their Borgia pope and muchYou see the Inquisition and expulsion My ...Received from firstreads.This was probably the most enjoyable biography history book that I ve read in quite a while From the first page it was very even, no stretches of boring, where you wait to get back to something interesting Suitable for someone with a particular interest in this area, also for the reader with a casual interest I would have given it five stars, but I felt there was a tendency to gloss over and justify the Spanish Inquisition, even going so far as to kind of imply that Received from firstreads.This was probably the most enjoyable biography history book that I ve read in quite a while From the first page it was very even, no stretches of boring, where you wait to get back to something interesting Suitable for som...Finished book Wow wonderful rich detail about Isabel, the life and times she mastered Isabel is a fascinating character On the one hand she was a very powerful ruler in a turbulent kingdom and constantly at war during her reign Yet in a time where women controlled little she controlled her Kingdom and her husband somewhat worked for her She made real decisions for her Kingdom and managed to keep her equally yoked husband This is indeed a delicate and intricate dance At the same time she Finished book Wow wonderful rich detail about Isabel, the life and times she mastered Isabel is a fascinating character On the one hand she was a very powerful ruler in a turbulent kingdom a...People, generally, seem to either love or hate this book, but my take isn t firmly in either camp I think that their opinion of the book is wrapped up in their opinion of Isabella herself Was she evil incarnate or sincerely pious and devout I m still not sure which is most descriptive, but her life was definitely fascinating I became interested in Queen Isabella after reading The Constant Princess Philippa Gregory showed Isabella as an intense, formidable woman through the eyes of her People, generally, seem to either love or hate this book, but my take isn t ...This book is a nonfiction biography of one of Europe s most influential queens This felt well researched I liked the way the author infused so much history into this book Some of this was quite fascinating I ve read two other books about one of her daughter s and she was always lamenting the fact that her parents weren t keeping in touch I think in some ways the daughter felt married off then abandoned, having served her purpose as a princess But now after reading this book, I get that her This book is a nonfiction biography of one of Europe s most influential queens This felt well researched I like...This was an amazing and fascinating look at a greatly influential woman in history Not only does Kirstin Downey dig into the life of the warrior queen of Spain, she also provides insight into her relationships with other important figures in history, such as Christophe...

English
04 September 2018

Kirstin Downey