Name
Class
Date
Biography
New Empires in the Americas
Queen Isabella I
1451–1504
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WHY SHE MADE HISTORY Isabella I,
queen of Castile, was a powerful ruler.
Through her marriage to Ferdinand she
helped to create the nation of Spain. Her support for Christopher Columbus’s voyage in
1492 changed the lives of people around the
world.
As you read the biography below, think about
how Isabella’s determination helped her unite
Spain and open the Americas to settlement.
Isabella was the daughter of the king of Castile,
a Spanish kingdom. No one expected the young
princess Isabella to become queen. When her father
died, her older half-brother Henry became king. At
the age of 18, Isabella married Ferdinand. He was
the heir to the throne of Aragon, a Spanish kingdom that was much smaller than Castile. The newlyweds met only a few days before their wedding.
The marriage proved to be a good match. Isabella
and Ferdinand loved one another and worked well
together as rulers.
In 1474 Isabella’s brother Henry died. Isabella
claimed the throne of Castile. Some Castilians
opposed her, and a civil war broke out. Ferdinand
helped Isabella by winning a major battle. After
five years of fighting, a peace treaty was signed. All
Castilians now recognized Isabella as their queen.
Isabella was a very devout woman. She and
Ferdinand were known as the “Catholic Monarchs.”
In 1482 they began a war against Granada in southern Spain. At that time Muslim rulers controlled
Granada. Isabella visited Ferdinand as he commanded their army. The visits were dangerous,
VOCABULARY
heir one who inherits
devout expressing devotion to religion
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6
New Empires in the Americas
Name
Class
Date
Biography
Queen Isabella I, continued
and more than once she was almost wounded or
killed. The war ended in 1492, when Granada’s rulers surrendered. That same year Isabella ordered all
Jews living in Spain to leave the country. She later
required Muslims to accept Christianity or leave the
country.
One of Isabella’s greatest accomplishments was
sponsoring Christopher Columbus’s voyage of discovery. Isabella was willing to support Columbus’s
plan, while other European monarchs had rejected
him. She was interested in voyages of exploration in
order to strengthen the new country of Spain and
to convert natives to Christianity. In fact, she was a
great supporter of the American Indians. She even
created the Secretariate of Indian Affairs to help
protect the natives.
Isabella impressed people who met her as a
strong ruler. One Spaniard wrote, “nature has made
no other woman like her.” He was right. By the time
of her death in 1504, Isabella had helped change the
course of world history.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. Analyze How did Isabella’s religious beliefs influence her decisions?
2. Evaluate What do you think was Isabella’s greatest accomplishment? Why?
ACTIVITY
3. Imagine that you are a reporter living in Castile. Conduct an interview with
Isabella in which you ask her about her achievements as queen. Write your interview on a separate piece of paper.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
7
New Empires in the Americas