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Isabella: The Warrior Queen

von Kirstin Downey

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316982,058 (3.83)20
Drawing on new scholarship, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Woman Behind the New Deal presents a biography of Isabella of Castile, the controversial Queen of Spain who sponsored Christopher Columbus' journey to the New World, established the Spanish Inquisition and became one of the most influential female rulers in history.… (mehr)
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Excellent history of Isabella from childhood to her legacy. Learned a lot about her history, what she did and Columbus. ( )
  BrendaRT20 | Sep 3, 2023 |
Great read! Primary sources, many topics covered. ( )
  Smoscoso | Aug 13, 2022 |
I appreciated that this biography of Isabella of Spain took the time to detail not just Isabella's life, but to profile and delve into the figures who surrounded her and who she interacted with on the international stage. The result is a rich portrait of Isabella's era - a time of extremes and complex motivations and shifting political and religious forces. It also helps to place Isabella's motivations and actions in their wider societal and historical context. I really appreciated this approach and this will likely remain one of my favorite biographies of Isabella. ( )
  wagner.sarah35 | Nov 23, 2017 |
This is a 500+ page biography of Queen Isabella of Spain. Yes, it is a revisionist history that tries to show that Isabella was the decision maker and strength behind Ferdinand. I am not an enthusiast about revisionist history but this book makes a strong justification for a serious reexamination of the role of Isabella. We become well-versed with Elizabeth I and Henry VIII and eagerly watch television series about these historical characters but overlook the possibly more important role of Spain in the 15th century.

The first hand sourced detail is quite impressive. Even for a lengthy biography, much has to be squeezed into the pages.

In our Anglo-centric world view, we have neglected the role of Isabella's Spain. Spain, indeed, was the proclaimed defender of the Catholic faith even if that meant clashing with the Borgia Pope, himself from Spain. The times are well considered and judgments of the author are quite restrained. In her acknowledgements, she eagerly shares her personal perspective. It is one of the most moving parts of the book.

The times of the Isabella initiated Spanish Inquisition and the increasingly controversial discovery of Columbus make for lively reading. Even with these vast historical events, the book is at its best a personal story. As the book acknowledges, Isabella was well-trained to keep her emotions and personal views to herself. The author is careful about expressing Isabella's unexpressed thoughts. The experience of the journalist works well for this type of book.

The book does repeat clues to help identify characters and some have found this annoying. However, if you read small portions or just randomly one chapter, this can serve the modern distracted reader. Basic terms are defined such as dowry. That may have taken this technique a bit too far.

This book justifiably opens a new world for fans of popular history. ( )
  Forthwith | Dec 22, 2015 |
review for audiobook ~ 3 stars story ♫ 2 stars narration. I've always been fascinated with the past, and I love reading about history when it is "humanized." For me, reading about events, dates, clothes is all sort of fascinating, in it's own kind of way. But, I love, love, love reading about people and how they are shaped by what is happening around them. And, this book has that in spades! I've always been drawn to England and Scotland histories so this was new information to me. It was great to make the Spanish connection with the French and English courts. I NEVER knew Catherine (King Henry VIII first wife) was the daughter of Queen Isabella. This book told me so much about Isabella, Ferdinand, their children and grandchildren. It's just mind boggling how much was going on during her reign. I learned so much about world events at the time. Some of the people in this book I loved and my heart went out to them. Others made me hate, hate, hate them... Philip the Handsome, I'm talking to you! Other people I felt sorry for (poor Juana) and some (many) I wanted to protect. I felt like I really got to know this family, and It was wonderful.

At the beginning of this book, I struggled with wanting to continue. There were some things that I had a hard time believing were truth. It made me question how much of this book was valid.... It's nonfiction - Stick to the facts please! There were a few things that I took issue with. I ended up taking some deep breaths and pushed on through, and I'm glad I did.
• Leonardo DE Vinci being "vividly and flamboyantly gay".
• A statement that there isn't much information about Isabella's early life, but then going to on talk about how she was feeling and what she was thinking.
• Talking about molestation against King Juan, King Enrique IV and Alfanso when they were small boys. I don't see that as a fact... but based more on opinion.
• An ocelot owned by King Enrique IV... Is this really true? Or even possible?
• Queen Isabella's "feelings" about the Spanish Inquisition. The author paints her as not having much to do with it, and I don't believe that at all
• Jews-Christians-Muslims: To me, The Muslims and the Spanish were both doing some pretty horrible things. The Spanish had slaves, they conquered other countries and forced them to convert to their religion. They also tortured and killed those who didn't convert "completely." And yep, they kicked people out of their country for being Jewish or Muslim... but it felt like this book, to me, painted the Muslims as being worse. Almost as if was understandable for the Spanish to do it, but not the Muslims.

I also struggled with the way ALL the information was put together. And, let me say it's a lot! I kept a notebook so I could take notes and that helped immensely. But, it really felt like it was one step forward and five steps back. It was challenging for me to keep it all straight in my head.
First I learned about Isabella up to a certain age... Then it jumped back in time to Ferdinand, then again to discuss the Jews, then again the Muslims, and back in time again to learn about the Catholic church. And, it would cycle like this for the entire book. I'd be reading about Queen Isabella having kids and then next chapter it was back in history when she was just a toddler. The whole way through it was back and forth with dates. I get that there is a lot here, and putting it all together must have been a job in itself.... but, it gave my brain a work out for sure.

I did appreciate the ending when the author circled back to explain some of her reasoning behind Queen Isabella's lack of a role in the Spanish Inquisition. Honestly, I was hot the whole way through... questioning the book's validity in expressing that it wasn't really her wishes... and that she didn't really want it to be extreme as it was. I can see, with the author's explanation, how she could have come up with the idea that Isabella didn't have a big part in the Inquisition, but it comes off as not very accurate or justified. The author spends the whole book talking about her being the leader and such s strong woman, but then glosses over the whole Inquisition as if she had no part of it.

I'm also happy that the author came back to discuss the syphilis epidemic more. That it was just the opinion at the time that it came from the America's, but testing has proven that it was found in the remains of the Neapolitan royal family (Isabella of Aragon, born in 1470) earlier. But, it does seems true that is became rampant after the explores came back.
Update:

The author went on to explain in the Afterword why she came to certain conclusions. She wrote this book claiming her own opinions and conclusions as fact and I don't agree that she should have done that... Non-fiction is about stating all facts and ideas and letting the reader come up with their own conclusions. For some reason, this author didn't want to paint Isabella in any kind of bad light what-so-ever. Anything great that happened, the author gave her full credit for and vice-versa. The more I think of this book after writing it... the more my opinion is dropping.
( )
  CrystalW | Dec 15, 2015 |
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To Laura Gregg Roa, who sat on the seawall with me in Coco Solo, Panama, dreaming of sailing ships and distant lands, and the queen who sent the explorer to our shores

1957 — 2009
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In a castle on a steep promontory overlooking the windswept plains of north-central Spain, a slender red-haired princess finalized the plans for a ceremony that was likely to throw her nation—already teetering toward anarchy—into full-fledged civil war.
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A Birth Without Fanfare
Throughout most of Spanish history, and particularly in the Middle Ages, when bloodlines determined who would rule, the birth of a prince or princess in Castile was a cause for national jubilation. The child’s arrival was breathlessly anticipated and often intimately observed by the nation’s highest-ranking families, who competed for the right to attend the delivery. Street festivals were orchestrated; gifts were exchanged, the child’s baptism was a particularly reverent celebration.
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Drawing on new scholarship, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Woman Behind the New Deal presents a biography of Isabella of Castile, the controversial Queen of Spain who sponsored Christopher Columbus' journey to the New World, established the Spanish Inquisition and became one of the most influential female rulers in history.

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