Her reign is notable for a number of important events, including the completion of the reconquista, the establishment of the spanish inquisition, and christopher columbuss 1492 voyage, which the monarch supported and financed. In 1474, when most women were almost powerless, twentythreeyearold isabella defied a hostile brother and a mercurial husband to seize. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Kirstin downey drawing on new scholarship, the pulitzer prizewinning author of the woman behind the new deal presents a biography of isabella of castile, the controversial queen of spain who sponsored christopher. She transformed herself from a pawn in the power politics of fifteenth century europe into one of the players with a brilliant combination of political savvy, military aggression and just plain bluffing. The book brings the reader into the life and realm. The warrior queen by kirstin downey book or download in pdf and epub hi, my fellowship readers. Kirstin downey portrays queen isabella i as not just the wife of ferdinand ii but a power herself. Isabella was notable in her lifetime for her diplomatic skills, intelligence. Nov 12, 2019 isabella i was a queen of castile and leon who lived between the middle of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th centuries. Queen isabella, or ysabel as she was in her day, was off the radar of this particular history buff for years. The warrior queen 9780385534116 by downey, kirstin and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. This has to be the best of this kind of book that ive ever read. Kirstin downey an engrossing and revolutionary biography of isabella of castile, the controversial queen of.
An engrossing and revolutionary biography of isabella of castile, the controversial queen of spain who sponsored christopher columbuss journey to the new world, established the spanish inquisition, and became one of the most influential female rulers in history born at a time when christianity was dying out and the ottoman empire was aggressively expanding, isabella was inspired in her youth by t. There were two biographies of isabella of castile on my book shelf and ive now completed. Another biography of isabella, isabella, the warrior queen by kirsten downey, was published by anchor books of penguin random house in 2014. Kirstin downey is the author of the woman behind the new deal, which was a finalist for the 2009los angeles times book prize. The warrior queen follows kirstin downeys 2009 the woman. Isabella of france 1295 22 august 58, sometimes described as the shewolf of france french. Isabella had decided to end the controversy over the succession by having herself crowned queen instead.
Queen isabella s life unfolded at the pivotal moment when the old world was astonished by the discovery of the new, and this graceful and insightful biography reveals her crucial role in making it happen. Author appearances kirstin downey will appear at the following locations to discuss her new book, isabella the warrior queen. Isabella was a reigning queen at a time when reigning queens were rare. The warrior queen rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far. The warrior queen by kirstin downey in chm, doc, rtf download ebook. Kirstin downey an engrossing and revolutionary biography of isabella of castile, the controversial queen of spain who sponsored christopher columbuss. The warrior queen follows kirstin downeys 2009 the woman behind the new deal. Her reign is notable for a number of important events, including the completion of the reconquista, the establishment of the spanish inquisition, and christopher columbus 1492 voyage, which the monarch supported and financed. An engrossing and revolutionary biography of isabella of castile, the con. Dec 11, 2015 author kirstin downey spoke about her revolutionary biography of isabella of castile, the controversial queen of spain who sponsored christopher columbus voyages, established the spanish.
The warrior queen, by kirstin downey is not only an excellent bio of queen isabella, but is a splendid overview of european and ottoman history in the second half of the 15th century. Talese otherwise, downeys isabella is pious, a loyal and forgiving wife, and a devoted and loving mother. No woman had ruled the combined kingdoms of castile and leon, the largest single realm on the iberian peninsula, in more than two hundred years. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. Isabella of castile has not been wellreceived in writings of history. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read isabella. An engrossing and revolutionary biography of isabella of castile, the controversial queen of spain who sponsored christopher columbuss journey to the new. An engrossing and revolutionary biography of isabella of castile, the controversial queen of spain who sponsored christopher columbuss journey to the new world, established the spanish inquisition, and became one of the most influential female rulers in historyborn at a time when christianity was dying out and the ottoman empire was aggressively expanding, isabella was inspired in her youth. Queen isabella had to find ways to make peace among the squabbling nobles living in the christiancontrolled portion of andalusia, which had been wracked for years with civil unrest because of king enriques lax administration of lands that were distant from his home in segovia. It had the right mix of anecdote, empirical evidence, and relevant episodes of the rulers life. Isabella the warrior queen by kirstin downey home facebook. The warrior queen turned out to be a treasure trove of fascinating information and stories.
Toler regular contributor isabella of spain 14511504 is best known to american school childrenand consequently to american adultsas the woman who funded christopher columbuss first voyage across the atlantic. She explained this to her soninlaw, king manuel, in a letter of november 21, 1502. The story of ferdinand and isabella is a royal romantic story. She was one of the writers of the new york timesbestselling report of the financial crisis inquiry commission. Book overview an engrossing and revolutionary biography of isabella of castile, the controversial queen of spain who sponsored christopher columbuss journey to the new world, established the spanish inquisition, and became one of the most influential female rulers in history. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of philip iv of france and joan i of navarre. Kristin downey completely satisfied this thirst in isabella the warrior queen, a portrait of one of the greatest women who ever lived. Isabella was eighteen years old, while ferdinand was 17 years old at the time of their marriage. The warrior queen 9780307742162 by downey, kirstin and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. This exhaustivelyresearched work is written like a thriller, though a biography, is that it is hard to put down. The warrior queen kirstin downey makes medieval history read like a modern day thriller. The warrior queen the warrior queen by kirstin downey by queen isabella’s life unfolded at the pivotal moment when the old world was astonished by the, simple way to read online isabella.
She was one of the writers of the new york times bestselling report of the financial crisis inquiry commission, and was previously a staff writer at the washington post, where she. Oct 28, 2014 thoughtful and comprehensive biography of isabella the warrior queen of spain. Author kirstin downey spoke about her revolutionary biography of isabella of castile, the controversial queen of spain who sponsored christopher columbus voyages, established the spanish. Isabella, the heir to the castle crown and ferdinand, the heir to the aragon crown got married to each other on october 19, 1469, which finally led to the unification of what we now know as spain. The twentythreeyearold woman was essentially orchestrating a coup. An engrossing and revolutionary biography of isabella of castile, the controversial queen of spain who sponsored christopher columbuss journey to the new world, established the spanish inquisition, and became one of the most. An engrossing and revolutionary biography of isabella of castile, the controversial queen of spain who sponsored christopher columbuss journey to the new world, established the spanish inquisition, and became one of the most influential female rulers in history. It is really a great buy for those interested in biographies of leaders and royalty. Born into the second and less important family of the castilian king, downey explores the hard scrabble life of the princess and her younger brother left in a back water castle in a lawless and unsettled land.
She had good days and bad, and she couldnt predict when they would occur. Between 1502 and 1504, there was no masking isabellas decline in health, and it was limiting what she could accomplish. The life and legacy of frances perkins social security, unemployment insurance, and the. Deirdre bair, national book awardwinning author of samuel beckett. Queen isabellas life unfolded at the pivotal moment when the old world was astonished by the discovery of the new, and this graceful and insightful biography reveals her crucial role in making it happen. Europes first great queen, by giles tremlett, won the elizabeth longford prize for historical biography in 2018.
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