Facts about Isabella Castile
Born: 1451
Died: 1504
Birthplace: Madrigal de las Altas Torras, Spain
Best known as: The queen who sponsored Christopher Columbus
Isabella of Castile Biography
Queen Isabella I, also known as Isabella the Catholic, is famous as the queen who financed Christopher Columbus‘s voyages to the New World. She was the queen of Castille after 1474 and of Aragon after her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon in 1479. The union of their two kingdoms permanently united Spain and brought about a global empire after the successful voyages to the New World. Isabella also presided over the notorious Inquisition, led by her confessor Tomas de Torquemada.
Extra credit
Isabella’s youngest daughter, Catherine of Aragon, was the first wife of Henry VIII of England… Isabella’s daughter Joanna (“the Mad”) was the mother of Charles V, king of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor