Isabel La Catolica, Queen of Castile: Critical Essays

Few historical figures have continued to captivate attention for centuries after their death as has Queen Isabel I of Castile (1451-1504). Yet, for all this attention, the realities of Isabel’s life and works are obscured by myth and the legacy of a persona carefully crafted by Isabel and a cadre of historians in her employ or that of her successors, who together recognized the benefits of an image of benevolence and piety. The present volume seeks to address this issue with a series of original essays designed for English speaking readers, in which are examined the world into which Isabel was born, the public and private facets of her marriage and reign, her intervention in the areas of religion, medicine, the arts, and the reform of political, social and economic institutions and the construction of her image in literary and historical works from the 15th century onward.