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"The remarkable life of the queen who transformed Spain into a global power and sponsored Columbus's voyage that would open the New World. In 1474, when Castile was the largest, strongest, and most populous kingdom in Hispania (present-day Spain and Portugal), a twenty-three-year-old woman named Isabella ascended the throne. At a time when successful queens regnant were few and far between, Isabella faced not only the considerable challenge of being a young, female ruler in an overwhelmingly male-dominated world, but also of reforming a major European kingdom riddled with crime, debt, corruption, and religious factionism. Her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon united two kingdoms, a royal partnership in which Isabella more than held her own. Their pivotal reign was long and transformative, uniting Spain and setting the stage for its golden era of global dominance. Acclaimed historian Giles Tremlett chronicles the life of Isabella of Castile as she led her country out of the murky Middle Ages and harnessed the newest ideas and tools of the early Renaissance to turn her ill-disciplined, quarrelsome nation into a sharper, early modern state with a powerful, clear-minded, and ambitious monarch at its center. With authority and insight he relates the story of this legendary, if controversial, first initiate in a small club of great European queens that includes Elizabeth I of England, Russia's Catherine the Great, and Britain's Queen Victoria."--Jacket 1474. Castile was the largest, strongest, and most populous kingdom in Hispania-- and Isabella ascended the throne, a female ruler in a male-dominated world. Her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon not only united their kingdoms, but began a royal partnership in which Isabella more than held her own. Tremlett chronicles Isabella's colorful life as she led her country out of the Middle Ages and harvested the ideas and tools of the Renaissance to turn her nation into a sharper, early modern state Introduction: Europe's first great queen -- No man ever held such power -- The impotent -- The Queen's daughter -- Two kings, two brothers -- Bulls -- Choosing Ferdinand -- Marrying Ferdinand -- Rebel princess -- The Borgias -- Queen -- and King! -- Clouds of war -- Under attack -- Though I am just a woman -- The turning point -- Degrading the grandees -- Rough justice -- Adiós Beltraneja -- The Inquisition : populism and purity -- Crusade -- They smote us town by town -- God save King Boabdil! -- The Tudors -- Granada falls -- Handover -- Expulsion of the Jews -- The vale of tears -- The race to Asia -- Partying women -- A hellish night -- A new world -- Indians, parrots, and hammocks -- Dividing up the world -- A new continent -- Borgia weddings -- All the thrones of Europe -- Though we are clerics ... we are still flesh and blood -- Juana's fleet -- Twice married, but a virgin when she died -- The third knife-thrust of pain -- The dirty Tiber -- We Germans call them rats -- The end of Islam? -- The Sultan of Egypt -- Like a wild lioness -- The final judgement -- Afterword: A beam of glory -- Appendix: Monetary values and coinage
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