She was one half of a 15th-century power couple that
united Spain and helped propel the west towards global
dominance. Of all Europe’s queens, argues Giles Tremlett,
surely none had a greater impact than Isabella of Castile
“THIS QUEEN
HAS HAD
NO EQUAL
ON THIS
EARTH FOR
500 YEARS”
dozen days before Christmas
1474, a 23-year-old, green-eyed
woman with light auburn hair
processed in her finest clothes through the
chilly, windswept streets of the Spanish
city of Segovia. A handsomely dressed
gentleman walked before her with the royal
sword held upright by its point. The young
woman was Isabella of Castile – who owed
her eye-colour to an English grandmother,
Catherine of Lancaster. Her dazzling clothes
exuded magnificence, while the sword spoke
of violence and a willingness to use it. The
scene was remarkable for two reasons.
Firstly, this was a usurper’s pre-emptiveA
coup – part of a ceremony in which Isabella
had herself proclaimed queen. Secondly, she
was a woman. “Some of those in the crowd
muttered that they had never seen such a
thing,” one contemporary reported.
Within two decades an awestruck German
would declare that: “This queen of Spain,
called Isabella, has had no equal on this
earth for 500 years.” This was not hyperbole.
Europe had never seen a female monarch
achieve so much, even if merit was shared
with her husband, Ferdinand – who brought
the junior territories of Aragon into a marital
alliance that created modern Spain. Isabella
was Europe’s first truly great queen regnantVol. 9 Issue 10Vol. 9 Issue 10 4949