Isabella I, of Castile, also known as Isabella the Catholic 1451-1504
Queen of Spain

The daughter of King John II of Castile and Leon, she succeeded her brother, Henry IV of Castile (1474). In 1469 she had married Ferdinand, the Catholic, of Aragon, and when he succeeded to the Crown of Aragon (1479), they became joint sovereigns (as Isabella I and Ferdinand V of Aragon and Castile). Together they strengthened royal administration, curbed the privileges of the nobility and military orders, and introduced corregidors to govern the towns. Also during their reign the reconquest of Granada was completed (1482-92). Pious and orthodox in belief, Isabella backed the Inquisition (introduced 1478) and was the main force behind the expulsion of the Jews (1492). She and Ferdinand sponsored the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World (1492). She was succeeded by her daughter Juana the Mad.

Bibliography: Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Ferdinand and Isabella (1975)