Isabel the Queen: Life and Times

by Peggy K. Liss

Book Overview

Isabel of Castile was one of the most influential monarchs ever known, the central figure in some of the most potent and far-reaching events in world history. She supported the Spanish Inquisition (which tortured and punished or had executed thousands of baptized Christians accused of practicing Judaism). She waged a successful war against Muslim Granada. And bent upon overseas expansion (she was after all the grand-niece of Prince Henry the Navigator),...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195073568
• ISBN13: 9780195073560
• Release Date: October 1992
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 424 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Peggy Liss and Ysabel Trastámara

The biography is thorough, comprehensive, and current in its interpretation. Liss demonstrates the Spanish queen's mastery of power politics, political theatre, her economic savvy, and her passionate vision. Delightful throughout its long text, the book incorporates the ideological and cultural motivations behind the woman's ambition to revive ancient Castilian traditions and expand the Spanish kingdoms into a new Christian empire. Some scholars are critical of this motivational emphasis, calling it romanticism on Liss's part. It is more a clever capture of the spirit of the times. Sadly, there is no formal bibliography, though prolific footnotes steer serious students to sources in English and Spanish. There are too many editing errors, and some citations are simply incorrect, but overall,the book is a fine overview of one of history's greatest women.