Isabella I. of Castile, Queen of Castile and León, with her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon.

Isabella I. of Castile, Queen of Castile and León, with her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon.

In the fifteenth century, Castile was the largest kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. And the marriage of Queen Isabella I of Castille and King Ferdinand II of Aragon signified the union of two crowns as well as the power expansion of Castille. Isabella, as a woman in power, was significantly respected and critical to the Spanish Conquest later. In King Ferdinand’s Marriage Concessions in the 1469, for example, he consistently emphasized his recognition of Isabella’s power and his willingness to follow and respect her decisions. In one concession, he wrote that “I will not relinquish or give away any city, town, or fortress of these kingdoms … or anything else belonging to the royal Crown without the consent and will of Her Highness the princes” (Cowans, 8). Another concession like “All the privileges, letters, and other documents that shall be written, drawn up, or sent, by her or by me, must be signed jointly by both of us” also points out the importance of mutual agreement. Even though such marriage of state may seem to undermine women’s rights to marry freely, at the same time, it also brought Isabella to tremendous political benefit and power. The union of Isabella and Ferdinand created a mighty power in the Iberian Peninsula. By implementing the Inquisition, they reestablished the uniformity in Catholic faith in their reign. They were also able to establish colonialization in America and built up their global power by sponsoring Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the New World in 1492 which brought immense influence in Europe.

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Unknown. Isabella I. of Castile, Queen of Castile and León, with Her Husband Ferdinand II of Aragon. 15th century. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/IsabellaofCastile05.jpg.

15th century

Changlan Wang

Public Domain