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larly the Italian Wars, for the wealth of the
“Indies” was yet to be proven to him.
Isabella, however, was fascinated by the
prospect of whole new realms being laid at
her feet through the successive voyages of
Columbus and his followers. She reserved
these new discoveries as an exclusively Cas-
tilian preserve, excluding Aragon from
them. Her greatest enthusiasm was aroused
not by regal pride but by the opportunities
that these new lands presented for extend-
ing her religion to untold multitudes of
“pagans.” She gave a significant role in
planning the acquisition and management
of new territories to her clerical advisers
and in her last testament shows a mixture
of pride, humility, and joy at being able to
spread the gospel of Christ to hitherto
unknown lands. She also asks her succes-
sors, to be sure, that her “Indians” are well
and justly treated, receiving no harm in
their person or property.
While Isabella and Ferdinand were the
parents of five children (whose marriages
were factors in dynastic diplomacy), their
partnership had more of the pragmatic than
the romantic about it, despite popular leg-
end. Unlike her essentially amoral consort,
Isabella was a woman of obsessive princi-
ples and unswerving commitments. Intelli-
gent but not an intellectual, she was less of
a Renaissance personality than was Ferdi-
nand. Her prime concerns were the renewal
of Castile after generations of destructive
warfare and the triumph of the Christian
faith. Her title “the Catholic,” although
shared with her husband, was a far more
appropriate recognition by the pope of what
she had done for the faith in completing the
R
ECONQUISTA
. During the 12 years follow-
ing Isabella's death in 1504 Ferdinand was
able to draw more freely upon the resources
of Castile. While she was alive, she had
remained a jealous guardian of the rights
of Castile and her own role as sovereign.
In Spain Isabella remains a revered figure,
one who commands affection in a way
that Ferdinand never could. In Spanish
America she is still remembered as the true
initiator of the transatlantic empire with a
language and culture that have survived
more than five centuries. Although her
religious zeal reflected the intolerance of
her time, the ardor of her faith has made
her among Catholics an iconic figure for
whom the honor of sainthood would be
almost superfluous.
Isabella II
(1830-1904)
queen of Spain
Born to King F
ERDINAND
VII and his fourth
wife, Maria Christina of B
OURBON
, princess
of the Two Sicilies, Isabella represented, in
effect, her father's last chance to leave a
direct heir. Having lost all the sons of his
previous marriages, he now proclaimed
that his daughter should be his successor, a
provision that was consistent with earlier
Spanish custom but inconsistent with the
Salic law introduced by the French Bour-
bons, under which only males could rule.
Although this royal decree was approved
by the Spanish legislature, conservatives
insisted that so fundamental a law could
not be altered and argued that the rightful
succession must pass to the king's brother
Carlos. When Ferdinand died in 1833 the
three-year-old Isabella II was hailed as
queen by those who supported a “liberal”
direction for Spain. Conservatives (includ-
ing most churchmen and many groups in
the northern provinces) recognized Carlos
as the rightful sovereign. The dispute rapidly
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