Isabella of Castile

Question 1

1. When was Isabella born? (1)

Answer 1

1451

Question 2

2. Who were Isabella’s parents?

Answer 2

John II of Castile; Isabella of Portugal

Question 3

3. What happened when Isabella’s father died?

Answer 3

• There was a period of instability in Castile (1)

- The throne passed between her brothers (1) Henry and Alfonso (2)

Question 4

4. When did Isabella become Queen? (1)

Answer 4

• 11th December 1474

Question 5

5. When did Isabella marry Ferdinand of Aragon? (1)

Answer 5

1469

Question 6

6. What were some of the consequences of the marriage between Isabella and Ferdinand? (3)

Answer 6

• It united two powerful areas – Castile and Aragon (1)
• They bore seven children (two of whom did not survive) (1)
• One was Catherine of Aragon (1)

Question 7

7. When was Catherine of Aragon born? (1)

Answer 7

• 16th December, 1485

Question 8

8. List some of Isabella’s foreign policy (6)

Answer 8

• Catherine of Aragon married Prince Arthur (1) and then Henry VIII (1)
• Prince John married the Archduchess of Austria (1)
• Princess Joanna married Philip the Handsome (1)
• Princess Maria married Manuel of Portugal (1)
• She funded Christopher Columbus’ exploration of the New World. (1)

Question 9

9. When did Isabella fund Christopher Columbus’ journey? (1)

Answer 9

• 1492

Question 10

10. What was the consequence of Columbus’ journey? (3)

Answer 10

• He made landfall in the Caribbean. (1)
• It laid the foundations of the Spanish Empire. (1)
• Spain exploited its conquered territories and became rich. (1)

Question 11

11. How did Isabella reform domestic policy? (7)

Answer 11

• She revived the La Santana Hermandad, (the Holy Brotherhood), who acted as a local police force (1)
• Accountable to the Queen, the Hermandad had a 100% success rate in its arrests. (1)
• She oversaw the appointment of judges (1)
• the judicial system grew more efficient due to regular checks and officials being held to account. (1)
• She took control of currency production and restored the value of the Castilian coin (1)
• She increased the size of the treasury (1)
• She eradicated the dominance of the nobility in the royal council (1)

Question 12

12. Who was in the royal council under Isabella? (2)

Answer 12

• nine lawyers (1) and only three nobles (3)

Question 13

13. How did Isabella stay connected with the people of her queendom? (2)

Answer 13

• She recognised the importance of personal contact with her subjects (1), there was ample opportunity for people to air their grievances in her presence. (1)

Question 14

14. How religious was Isabella? (4)

Answer 14

• Strict Catholic (1)
• She promised she would uphold the Catholic Church that was the cornerstone of her world. (1)
• She believed that she had been appointed by God and God alone. (1)
• She thought religious unity would stabilise her rule (1)

Question 15

15. What was the Spanish inquisition? (1)

Answer 15

• an investigation into the religious state of her kingdom

Question 16

16. When was the Spanish Inquisition launched? (1)

Answer 16

• By royal decree, in January 1480

Question 17

17. What was the goal of the Spanish Inquisition (3)

Answer 17

• To ensure a Catholic hegemony (domination) in Spain. (1)
• To convert all Muslims and Jews to Catholicism. (1)
• Any heretics, those who did not practise Catholicism or refused to convert, were punished. (1)

Question 18

18. What was the Reconquista? (1)

Answer 18

• the conquering of centuries old Muslim territories in Spain

Question 19

19. Where was the last Muslim stronghold in Spain and when was it defeated? (2)

Answer 19

• Granada (1), January 1492 (1)

Question 20

20. For how long had Jews been living in the territory we know as Spain? (1)

Answer 20

• 1,500 years.

Question 21

21. What was the name of people who were forced to convert to Catholicism? (1)

Answer 21

• conversos.

Question 22

22. What alarmed Isabella during the Inquisition? (2)

Answer 22

• the threat of false converts (1), who practised Catholicism in public, but continued to practise Judaism in private. (1)

Question 23

23. How were Jews and Muslims punished for heresy? (2)

Answer 23

• Initially they could be arrested. (1)

- they could then be tortured in brutal, violent and traumatic ways. (1)

Question 24

24. Who was the Grand Inquisitor and what was his role? (2)

Answer 24

• Torquemada (1)

- He carried out the inquisition. (1)

Question 25

25. What did Isabella do at the request of Torquemada? (2)

Answer 25

• She issued an edict (1), giving Spanish Jews the choice of forced conversion, or exile. (1)

Question 26

26. When was this edict issued? (1)

Answer 26

• 31st March, 1492

Question 27

27. How many Jews were expelled from Spain? (1)

Answer 27

• 160,000

Question 28

28. Who was in charge of the suppression of Muslims? (1)

Answer 28

• Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros

Question 29

29. Why was the Spanish Inquisition popular in Spain? (2)

Answer 29

• Long harbouring resentment of Muslims and Jews in the region. (1)
• it united a region ripped apart by civil war (1)

Question 30

30. What did the Pope think about the Inquisition? (2)

Answer 30

• It had been given initial blessing by the Pope (1), though the papacy later condemned its violence. (1)

Question 31

31. What were Isabella’s reign dates?

Answer 31

• Queen of Castile (1474–1504)

- Queen of Aragon (1479–1504)