Tag: Muslims

Book Review: “Isabella: The Warrior Queen” by Kirstin Downey

On By hmalagisiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

In an age when most women of power did not have much power outside their own countries, one stood higher than most. She was not even supposed to become queen, but fate had a bigger mission for the young woman: rescue Christianity from dying out. As a ruler, this seems like a monumental task to complete especially when their enemies were the Ottoman Empire and the Turks at the height of the power. There was one woman who was up to the challenge while fighting to reclaim Spain for the Christians, exploring the new world, and dealing with her family drama. Isabella of Castile is either viewed as a saintly queen or a horrible woman ruler, but what do the archives tell us about her reign? Kirstin Downey tells the story of this revolutionary queen in her biography, “Isabella: The Warrior Queen.”

I knew a little bit about Queen Isabella of Castile from my research into her daughters Catherine of Aragon and Joanna. I learned about the stories of Christopher Columbus mostly through school. Finally, when it comes to the Inquisition and the Reconquista, it was mostly from movies and television shows. In other words, I did not know much about the reign of Queen Isabella and the history of Spain during this period, so I was excited to start learning through this biography.

Isabella of Castile may have been the daughter of King Juan II and his second wife Isabella of Portugal, but she had two brothers, Alfonso and her half-brother Enrique IV. As the son of King Juan’s first wife Maria of Aragon, Enrique IV became King of Castile after the death of King Juan. Enrique IV helped raise Isabella and Alfonso, but his court was filled with trials, tribulations, and battles. While Enrique IV did marry twice to Blanche II of Navarre and Joan of Portugal, he only had one child, a girl named Juanna le Beltraneja, but a woman could not rule, so the crown was supposed to pass to Alfonso. However, Alfonso died unexpectedly, which left Isabella and Juanna to fight for the throne after Enrique died. Isabella was a prize on the marriage market, but she decided to take her fate into her own hands instead of being a pawn in the game of international politics; she married a man of her choice, the future King Ferdinand II of Aragon.

However, this is not the only time that Isabella took matters into her own hands. When King Enrique IV of Castile died in December 1474, Isabella decided to crown herself Queen of Castile. Although she was married to Ferdinand, she ruled Castile on her own. Ferdinand was not a faithful husband as he was known to have dalliances on the side, but Isabella and Ferdinand did have children who would marry and influence European countries. Isabella was not a wallflower queen as she channeled the spirit of Joan of Arc, especially when it came to battles against the Ottoman Empire under the command of Mehmed II the Conqueror, the fall of Granada in 1492, and ended a struggle between Christians and Muslims in Spain. Isabella also created some questionably dark moments in European history including the Reconquista of Spain, the Inquisition, and the voyages of Christopher Columbus. While we often remember these events as something done by Ferdinand and Isabella, it should be noted that most of these were done according to Isabella’s will. It was not until the death of Isabella that one gets a sense of the type of ruler Ferdinand truly was as he fought against Philip the Handsome and Joanna of Aragon, Ferdinand’s daughter, for the right to rule Castile.

I found this book extremely accessible and informative. Downey was able to be balanced and fair when it came to the more controversial topics about Isabella’s reign. I have a new appreciation for Isabella’s life, her reign, and the history of Spain in general. If you want a fantastic biography about Isabella of Castile that is well-balanced and well-researched, I highly recommend you read, “Isabella: The Warrior Queen” by Kirstin Downey.

Book Review: “Life in Medieval Europe: Fact and Fiction” by Daniele Cybulskie

On By hmalagisiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

43972589Have you ever read a book, either historical fiction or nonfiction, about medieval Europe and wondered if what the author was writing about was true? What about historical movies or dramas? You know that they probably have the facts about the important people and events correct, or at least you hope, but you wonder about the small details. What did they eat? How did they keep themselves clean and healthy? How did religion and the criminal justice system work in medieval Europe? What was medieval warfare like? These questions and more are explored in Daniele Cybulskie’s enchanting book, “Life in Medieval Europe: Fact and Fiction”.

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books for sending me a copy of this book. I have spoken with Daniele Cybulskie on social media in the past about quite a few medieval topics, including when she spoke at the Tudor Summit, so when I heard about this book, I wanted to read it.

Cybulskie’s book is divided into chapters that explore numerous topics about average medieval life. As a reader, one would think that this book would begin with the birth and childhood of those who lived during this time. However, Cybulskie chooses to begin with how medieval people kept themselves and their cities clean. It may seem a bit strange compared to other books about medieval life, but the way she structures this book works in Cybulskie’s favor. Although this book is informative, it feels like you are having a casual conversation with the author about these topics.

By dividing the chapters into topic-based chapters, Cybulskie can explore numerous questions that fit into each topic. From cleanliness to religious life, warfare to pastimes, love to death, she can give her readers an experience that covers the thousand years of history that make up the medieval time period. Along the way, she includes little boxes that contain fun little factoids to provide even more trivia.

What is great about Cybulskie is that as a medievalist, she understands that there was a lot of diversity in the medieval world. It was not just fit European Christians. There were also Jews, Muslims, people with disabilities, rich and poor, and those who generally did not fit well into society. By including every type of person who lived in the medieval world, we can get a better understanding of how vast and colorful it truly was. Cybulskie also includes a simplistic overview of events like the Black Death and the crusades to show the dramatic and damaging effects that they had on medieval society as a whole.

To say that this book was fun to read would be an understatement. Cybulskie’s knowledge radiates in every page of this short book. I honestly did not want to stop reading this book, I wanted to learn more. It was educational and entertaining all at the same time. Simply a wonderful resource for novice medievalists and writers of historical fiction and nonfiction alike. If you want to learn the truth about different aspects of medieval life, I highly suggest you include, “Life in Medieval Europe: Fact and Fiction” by Daniele Cybulskie, to your book collection.