Book Review: Isabel the Queen by Peggy K. Liss

Isabel the Queen: Life and Times by Peggy K. Liss

e-Book, 496 pages
University of Pennsylvania Press
December 1, 2004
★★★★☆

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography

Source: Personal purchase for my Masters class

Queen Isabel of Castile is perhaps best known for her patronage of Christopher Columbus and for the religious zeal that led to the Spanish Inquisition, the waging of holy war, and the expulsion of Jews and Muslims across the Iberian peninsula. In this sweeping biography, newly revised and annotated to coincide with the five-hundredth anniversary of Isabel's death, Peggy K. Liss draws upon a rich array of sources to untangle the facts, legends, and fiercely held opinions about this influential queen and her decisive role in the tumultuous politics of early modern Spain.

"Isabel the Queen" reveals a monarch who was a woman of ruthless determination and strong religious beliefs, a devoted wife and mother, and a formidable leader. As Liss shows, Isabel's piety and political ambition motivated her throughout her life, from her earliest struggles to claim her crown to her secret marriage to King Fernando of Aragon, a union that brought success in civil war, consolidated Christian hegemony over the Iberian peninsula, and set the stage for Spain to become a world empire."

My knowledge of Isabel, Queen of Castile, has been limited to what you learn about her involvement in the “discovery” of the Americas and the Inquisition and the fictional interpretation of her life in The Queen’s Vow by C.W. Gortner. I endeavored to read this book as an assignment from class and selected it from the class syllabus, but I was very pleased to find out that this book was referenced as one of Gortner’s sources in his novel.

Isabel the Queen brings the reader into the world of Isabel by introducing the rule and times of her father, Juan, and half-brother, Enrique. The author includes this information as a means of establishing what Isabel had as her professional examples and to show the differences when Isabel became the Queen. I think that this worked well, but I did get a little tired reading statements like, “and it proved a costly mistake whose lessons would not be lost on Isabel” (Kindle loc. 757). The author makes it VERY clear with these kinds of statements to draw the divisions between Isabel and her brother especially.

This book was chock full of information on not just Isabel as a person, but also the world of Spain and Europe around her. It was very dense and not a book that you finish in a short period of time, believe me, it will take you awhile to read it all; this is certainly more of a research book than a fun reading book. However, you will come away from it with a new knowledge and appreciation of the time.

Any discussion of Isabel inevitably wades in the water of controversy with the portrayal of the Columbus expedition as well as the handling of the Spanish Inquisition and persecution of the Jews and Muslims. Liss doesn’t shy away from these controversial subject and does lay out the information, both positive and negative, but she doesn’t take a firm stance in either direction. As the book was originally published around the 500^th anniversary of Columbus’ expedition and then was republished around the 500^th anniversary of the death of Isabel it makes sense that she treads carefully around these subjects in order to take advantage of these dates.

I came away from this book with a much more concrete sense of who Isabel was as a person and as a Queen. I would recommend this book, but just know it might be a little denser than you are looking for.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• The Freelance History Writer Notes and Reviews

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia


**Read an Excerpt**

Also by Peggy Liss:

Atlantic Empires

Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Caught on Tape: Isabella of Castile

This was supposed to go live right around the time I featured C.W. Gortner and his new release, The Queen’s Vow, however I am a little delayed at getting this up and running. Isabella of Castille is one of those polarizing characters in history and one who could make quite the powerful presence on the screen. Since the start of the film industry she has been one of the royals featured on the silver screen. From 1910 in the silent black and white film, Isabelle of Arragon through 2001’s Mad Love, Isabella has been a presence portrayed in different angles. Check out some of the below films for a selection of Isabella films.

Christopher Columbus (1985)

Although this is a tv miniseries and one from the 1980’s, the reviews are staggeringly to the positive. While not trying to cash in on the hype of the 500^th anniversary of the Columbus voyage (as the next two films below did) this miniseries took the type to get it right. The look of this film is beautiful. Faye Dunaway plays Isabella and I have seen her described as the perfect mix of authoritative and subdued. She however doesn’t look the part of what I have come to expect Isabella to look like.

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)

“Poised to benefit from wealth gained after the establishment of trade routes and colonies in far-flung lands, Spain's Queen Isabel (Sigourney Weaver) funds navigator Christopher Columbus's (Gérard Depardieu) historical voyage to the "New World." After traversing the sea with the Santa María, La Niña and La Pinta, Columbus initiates contact between Europeans and indigenous Americans.”

This movie was directed by Ridley Scott and Isabel is played by Sigourney Weaver. With these notable people you would expect great things; however it didn’t do that well in the box office. Again, the focal point of the film is not Isabel, but Columbus and his quest to explore the shorter route to the East by going west. All the video clips I could find didn’t feature Isabel for more than 30 seconds, so I can’t really gauge her ability to evoke Isabel. It is now on my Netflix list, but have any of you seen this movie and if so, what did you think of Weaver’s performance?

Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992)

“Dreaming of finding a new route to the Indies, Christopher Columbus (George Corraface) asks for backing from Queen Isabella (Rachel Ward) and King Ferdinand (Tom Selleck) -- who agree to fund him after subjecting him to a grueling interrogation by the head of the Spanish Inquisition (Marlon Brando). Once Columbus sets sail, he faces sabotage and mutiny as he journeys to discover a new world in this bracing historical saga.”

This film features some big named actors: Tom Selleck as King Ferdinand, Rachel Ward as Queen Isabella, and Marlon Brando as Tomas de Torquemada. Catherine Zeta Jones and Benicio de Toro also have roles in the film as well. This was another film that was released on the 500^th anniversary of Columbus’ expedition, and the market must not have been ready for it as this one didn’t do well either. However, I have known these actors to put on great performances so I’m willing to give this one a chance. Rachel Ward makes a convincing looking Isabella. The character was originally to be played by Isabella Rossilini who I think would have been great.

I am unable to embed the video here, but you can watch the trailer featuring Rachel Ward here.

The Royal Diaries: Isabel – Jewel of Castille (2000)

“Isabel, Jewel of Castilla” dramatizes the turbulent teen years of the future queen of Spain (Lisa Jakub), whose brothers were at war against each other and whose desire to have a say in choosing her marriage partner caused further unrest.”

This episode of the HBO Mini Series is based on the book of the same name from the Royal Diaries series. Aimed at a young adult audience, this episode focuses on a short period of time in the life of Infanta Isabel while her brother Enrique is on the throne. Lisa Jakub who plays Isabel looks like what I would envision Isabel to look like and she plays the feisty, inquisitive young woman who is portrayed in the recently released novel, The Queen’s Vow by C.W. Gortner. If you have the chance to check this out or to share it with you children, I would recommend it. Review is forthcoming at a future date.

I unfortunately don’t have a clip for this one – I had previously watched this on Youtube however the videos have been taken down since then. However, this is available on a DVD collection with the stories of Elizabeth I and Cleopatra.

Juana la Loca (AKA Mad Love) (2001)

“The true story of Juana de Castilla (Pilar Lopez de Ayala), daughter of Queen Isabella of Spain, who married (and fell passionately in love with) Archduke Fernando of Austria. When Juana's mother and older brothers die in 1504, Juana becomes queen, but her discovery of her husband's many lovers leads to erratic behavior. It's the perfect opportunity for her cheating husband to declare Juana insane and himself king.”

The heart of this film is about the life of Isabella’s daughter, Juana, and her relationship with her husband. I highly recommend this film; it was very well acted and an enjoyable representation of Juana’s life. You can read my full review here. However, at the beginning of this film we do get to see some of Queen Isabella – although at first glance you might not know it is her. If you start watching this clip at around the 6 minute mark you will see a woman clad in a white cap and veil – this is Isabella. In the short scene she is in she evokes caring for her daughter as she sets off on her new life. She is portrayed by Susi Sanchez.

Have you seen any of the above films or any others? What did you think?

 

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Guest Post by C.W. Gortner

I am excited today to welcome C.W. Gortner to The Maiden's Court today!  His newest book, The Queen's Vow, released just a couple of days ago and I have to tell you - it's an awesome read.  Check out my review here.  Stay tuned at the end for a giveaway of the book and embroidered purse.  Read on, my friends!

Isabella of Castile: An Embattled Princess 

Guest Post by C. W. Gortner, author of

The Queen's Vow

When most of us think of Isabella of Castile, we tend to see the staid image of her later years—the somber, driven queen characterized by extreme piety. This image is partly true and partly the result of subsequent praise and criticism heaped on her by historians.

It cannot be denied that religion had a defining role in Isabella’s life. Like most of her fellow sovereigns in Europe, she was Catholic and believed Catholicism was the only true faith. And in her later years, as she endured personal tragedy, she turned increasingly for solace in her faith. But she had once been young and vibrant; and while doing intensive research into her tumultuous rise to the throne for my new novel, The Queen’s Vow, to my delight I discovered an Isabella we rarely see— a passionate princess, who overcame significant odds to be queen.

Though it may seem impossible in hindsight, at the time no one believed Isabella was destined for greatness. Her father King Juan died when she was a child; as the daughter of a royal widow, she and her younger brother were sent from court to reside in the stony isolation of Arévalo, a castle set in a rural area that was also impoverished. Isabella was educated, but it was rudimentary, designed to prepare her for marriage. She did not benefit from the breadth of opportunities that other Renaissance princesses would enjoy; indeed, she was not even taught Latin, the language of international diplomacy, and it was a handicap that she so regretted later as queen, she determined to remedy it.

Yet she possessed something innate that could not be taught: intelligence and a keen sense of her own self. These qualities served her in the stead of a broad education, as she discovered when she was thrust into danger while still in her teens, after being summoned to her half brother King Enrique’s licentious court. At court, depravity was a way of life. Enrique’s vivacious queen, Juana of Portugal, was almost certainly adulterous and set on corrupting young Isabella, who posed a threat to her own daughter. Isabella withstood numerous assaults on her honor with admirable stoicism; even when accused of treason, she did not waver in defense of her stance. We tend to forget she was only sixteen when she confronted that maelstrom of intrigue that might have cost her her life. It is undeniable testament to her integrity that she managed to overcome a situation that would have undone a lesser princess.

Isabella truly displayed her strength of character when she became heiress of Castile. Surrounded by opportunists, each seeking an advantage, she stood alone at a treacherous crossroads, where she could have taken a step in any direction but the right one, leading to her downfall. No queen had successfully ruled Castile for long; no one at the time, save perhaps Isabella herself, believed a queen could. She had few trusted friends to turn to for advice, and none had political standing. Without formal training as a future ruler, at eighteen years of age, Isabella might have done any number of things to put herself in jeopardy; instead, she alone devised a solution that displayed astonishing maturity, one that would maintain her prestige and attempt to resolve the civil war that had devastated Castile. Her decision would cost her later, but she never regretted it. For Isabella, the right way was almost always more important than the easy one.

The story of this embattled princess who was unexpectedly propelled to the throne is fraught with peril, intrigue, and twists of fate that no writer could make up; it is a story of resiliency and indomitable pride, of a woman who was determined to rule with greatness and ended up transforming the world. It is also a story that has rarely been told.

I sincerely hope you enjoy The Queen’s Vow.

Thank you for spending this time with me. To find out more about me and my books, please visit me at: www.cwgortner.com

You can follow the rest of the blog tour at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours or on twitter with the following hashtag: #QueensVowVirtualTour

Now for the giveaway.  I have one copy of The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner up for grabs along with a beautiful embroidered purse.  It is open to residents of the USA and Canada.  The last day to enter the giveaway is June 30th.

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: The Queen’s Vow by C.W. Gortner

The Queen’s Vow by C.W. Gortner

ARC, Hardcover, 400 pages

Ballatine Books

June 12, 2012

★★★★½☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from the publisher for review as part of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

“No one believed she was destined for greatness—until she became one of history’s most powerful and controversial queens. 

Young Isabella is barely a teenager when she is thrust into danger. Suspected of treason and held captive, she treads a perilous path, until, at age seventeen, she finds herself heiress of Castile, the largest kingdom in Spain. Plunged into a deadly conflict to secure her crown, she is determined to wed the one man whom she has vowed to love yet is forbidden to her—Fernando, prince of Aragón. 

As together they unite their two realms under "one crown, one country, one faith," Isabella and Fernando face an impoverished Spain beset by enemies. With the future of her throne at stake, Isabella resists the zealous demands of the inquisitor, Torquemada, even as she is seduced by the dreams of an enigmatic navigator named Columbus. But when a violent, treacherous battle against an ancient adversary erupts, it will test Isabella’s resolve, her courage, and her tenacious belief in her destiny . . . . 

From the glorious palaces of Segovia to the battlefields of Granada and intrigue-laden gardens of Seville, The Queen’s Vow sweeps us into the tumultuous forging of a nation and the complex, fascinating heart of the woman who overcame all odds to become Isabella of Castile.”

I have been a fan of Gortner’s work since I picked up my first read of his, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici. He has a talent of taking maligned or misunderstood women and making them approachable characters whom readers can identify with and attempt to understand their choices. His novel of Isabella of Castile is no different. Isabella is remembered by history as the Spanish queen who re-incited the Inquisition, the mother of Catherine of Aragon and Juana la Loca, and the queen who financed Christopher Columbus’ American expedition. In The Queen’s Vow we are treated to an Isabella who does all of these things, but whom we also see grow up and who struggles with her decisions.

Right from the first pages we meet a young Isabella that we can identify with and grow up with. We feel what it is like to grow up maligned from the court that you belong to and see your livelihood stripped away. We can identify with the heat of a first love. As time goes on we get to know her husband, Fernando of Aragon, and even later her brood – Isabel, Juan, Juana, Maria, and Catalina. I most enjoyed getting to know her family who I didn’t know too much about. In all the novels I have read I have always found Fernando distasteful, however here I found myself enamored by him – despite his flaws. We get to really know her oldest two children the best, Isabel and Juan, whom you don’t read much about.

While we don’t know the thoughts that went through Isabella’s head while making some of her most important decisions as queen, I find Gortner’s take on it fully plausible. Most people have some qualms about major decisions they make and I can absolutely believe that Isabella might have had doubts about some of her most definitive decisions. If nothing else, his choices fit in well with the characters he created. You really feel that Isabella is a real person who has flaws.

While I enjoyed all the aspects of this story of Isabella’s life, I most enjoyed reading about the Reconquista and especially how she wanted to be out at the battlefield. She was truly a strong Queen, regardless of how we may feel about her decisions regarding the Inquisitions. I cannot wait to have the chance to read The Last Queen, about her daughter, Juana, as a continuation of this storyline.

Gorter is an author whose work I know I will always enjoy.

If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

You can also watch the book trailer below.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Ageless Pages Review
• The Redheaded Reader

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by C.W. Gortner:

The Last Queen

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici
[My Review]

The Vatican Princess
[My Review]

Mademoiselle Chanel
[My Review]

Marlene

The Tudor Secret (Spymaster #1)
[My Review]

The Tudor Conspiracy (Spymaster #2)
[My Review]

The Tudor Vendetta (Spymaster #3)
[My Review]

Find C.W. Gortner: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

You can follow the rest of the blog tour at HFVBT or on Twitter with the hashtag #QueensVowVirtualTour.

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court