Part 84

Explore the tumultuous early life of Isabella I of Castile, her struggles for succession, and her eventual marriage to Ferdinand, shaping the future of Spain and exploration.

This section details the early life and struggles of Isabella I of Castile, focusing on her claim to the throne and her eventual marriage to Ferdinand II of Aragon. It covers her childhood, the political machinations surrounding her father King Henry IV's reign, and the various suitors proposed for her hand.

Isabella's early life was marked by displacement and political intrigue. After her father, Henry IV, took the throne in 1454, she and her family lived in destitution. Her education improved when she was allowed back to the court in Segovia, but she was forbidden to leave without Henry's permission. This restriction was ostensibly to protect her from political turmoil but also served to limit her contact with rebellious noblemen.

The nobility supported Isabella's younger brother, Alfonso, who instigated the Second Battle of Olmedo in 1467. As a compromise, Alfonso was named Prince of Asturias, but he soon died, likely from the plague. Alfonso named Isabella his successor, and the title passed to her. Isabella negotiated a peace with Henry, who officially named her heir, but she could not marry without his consent, though he could not force her to marry against her will.

Henry attempted to arrange marriages for Isabella with various European royals, including Ferdinand (son of John II of Aragon, to whom she was betrothed since childhood), Charles IV of Navarre, Edward IV of England, and Alfonso V of Portugal. She refused many of these proposals, including Pedro Giron, who died on his way to meet her. Isabella secretly negotiated with John II of Aragon to secure a marriage to his son Ferdinand.

A significant obstacle to Isabella and Ferdinand's marriage was their status as second cousins, requiring a Papal Bull. Despite initial reluctance from the Pope, Rodrigo Borgia (later Pope Alexander VI) helped secure a probable forgery of a Papal Bull from Pius II, which Isabella accepted. Isabella escaped Henry's control by pretending to visit her brother's tomb and met Ferdinand, disguised as a merchant, in Valladolid on October 19, 1469, where they were married.

Henry's attempts to annul the marriage were thwarted by Pope Sixtus IV, who granted the couple a real Papal Bull. After Henry's death in 1474, a succession war began. Portugal supported Joanna, Henry's daughter, while Isabella had the support of Aragon and later France. The war concluded after four years when Pope Sixtus IV annulled Joanna's marriage to Alfonso V of Portugal, forcing Joanna to renounce her claims and solidifying Isabella's position as Queen of Castile on January 20, 1479.

Isabella's reign focused on consolidating power and continuing the Reconquista. The year 1492 was particularly momentous, marking the end of the Reconquista, the patronage of Christopher Columbus, and the intensification of the Inquisition. The Reconquista, a centuries-long war to regain control of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule, saw Isabella and Ferdinand lead a determined campaign against the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold, beginning in 1482. Isabella actively rallied her soldiers and established a stronghold outside Granada.