Isabella I of Castile

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | 700+ words | Copyright

Isabella I of Castile (1451–1504), Queen. The daughter of the king of Castile and León, in 1469 she married Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Aragon. On the death of her half-brother in 1474, she succesfully challenged the claims of his daughter to the throne. Once established, she and her husband initiated a series of reforms which strengthened the royal power and they recovered Granada and Lower Navarre. She laid the basis for overseas expansion by annexing the Canary Islands and funding Columbus' explorations. She and Ferdinand, who were named the ‘Catholic Kings’ by Alexander VI, insisted on religious unity in their kingdoms at home and abroad. They established the Spanish Inquisition and organized the evangelization of the American Indians.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Isabella I of Castile." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Isabella I of Castile." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-IsabellaIofCastile.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Isabella I of Castile." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-IsabellaIofCastile.html

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