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Isabella

the Warrior Queen
Jan 12, 2015
When Europe was beginning its transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, one of the most powerful monarchs was Isabella I of Castile. Though she's typically named second in the pair "Ferdinand and Isabella," she was queen in her own right, unifying Spain in an era of frequent wars, banishing Moors and Jews who refused to convert to Catholicism, and funding Columbus' voyages to the Western Hemisphere. In Isabella, historian Kirstin Downey demonstrates why she was one of the most significant women in history. This detailed, engaging portrait displays "Isabella's fingerprints on Renaissance culture and religion" (Publishers Weekly). History and Current Events January 2015 newsletter.