Tag: Ottoman Empire

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: “Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent, and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe” by John Julius Norwich

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The 16th century is known to be a century full of powerful women rulers; Mary I, Elizabeth I, Catherine de Medici, and Mary Queen of Scots, just to name a few. However, these rulers were towards the end of the 16th century. For the first half of the 16th century, Europe and the Middle East rulers were predominantly male. Four men truly dominated this period, each with their objectives and desire for glory; Henry VIII of England, Francis I of France, Charles V the Holy Roman Emperor, and Suleiman the Magnificent the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. In his book, “Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent, and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe,” John Julius Norwich hopes to shed some light on the relationships of these men and how they shaped the political landscape of Europe.

This book caught my eye when I was used book shopping one day. The cover was beautiful and then when I saw what the book was about, I knew I wanted to read it. The stories of Henry VIII and Francis I are tales that I know pretty well and I know some facts about Charles V, but when it comes to Suleiman the Magnificent, I know very little about his life.

Essentially this book is four biographies of the princes Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, and Suleiman the Magnificent. While Norwich could have broken this book into four parts, focusing on each prince individually, he chose to incorporate their stories into one cohesive book, starting with the birth of Francis I and ending with the death of Suleiman. Each man ruled his kingdom in different ways. Francis was the more Renaissance prince who encouraged education and was a patron of the arts. Henry VIII was the second son who was not destined to rule, but when his eldest brother died, Henry was declared King of England and began to rule with an iron fist. Charles V was full of ambition and was industrial which allowed him to become the Holy Roman Emperor. Finally, Suleiman the Magnificent was the outlier of the group as he was the only Muslim leader who brought forth the golden age of the Ottoman Empire.

Norwich was able to keep a balanced approach to this book, never truly favoring one prince over another. I found his narrative easy to follow and pretty well-researched, even though I think what he had to say about the women in the lives of the four princes was a bit dated compared to modern research. I must say that I did enjoy reading about Charles V and Suleiman the Magnificent whereas I found the points about Henry VIII and Francis I a bit of a review. I think if you want a solid book that explores a different aspect of the 16th century, I would recommend you read, “Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent, and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe” by John Julius Norwich.