Isabella I: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Isabel la Católica • Isabella the Catholic
Born	April 22, 1451 • Spain
Died	November 26, 1504 (aged 53) • Spain
Notable Family Members	spouse Ferdinand II • father John II • daughter Catherine of Aragon • daughter Joan
Role In	Reconquista

Photos and Videos

Christopher Columbus

Christophe Colomb a la cour d'Isabelle I

Christopher Columbus

Painting of King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I of Spain seated on a throne as a group kneels before them, with a prelate holding a cross in warning during the expulsion of Jews in 1492.

Gilt and polychrome relief by Alonso de Mena showing Ferdinand II on the left and Isabella on the right, both with hands raised in prayer, framed by ornate gold trim.

Enjoy a dramatization of Christopher Columbus petitioning Spain's king and queen for three ships

See All Videos and Images →

Gilt and polychrome relief by Alonso de Mena showing Ferdinand II on the left and Isabella on the right, both with hands raised in prayer, framed by ornate gold trim.

Ferdinand II

king of Spain

Portrait of Philip II, King of Spain, shown in ornate armor with one hand resting on a helmet, painted in the manner of Sir Anthony More against a dark background.

Philip II

king of Spain and Portugal

Charles III

Charles III

king of Spain

Diego Velázquez: painting of Philip III

Philip III

king of Spain and Portugal

default image

Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, duke de Lerma

Spanish statesman

Painting by Jakob Seisenegger showing Emperor Charles V in ornate Renaissance attire standing beside a large hunting dog, with a green curtain in the background.

Charles V

Holy Roman emperor

Hernán Cortés

Hernán Cortés

Spanish conquistador

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd duke de Alba, oil painting by Sir Antony More, 1549; in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels.

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3 duque de Alba

Spanish soldier and statesman

Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros

Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros

Spanish cardinal

default image

Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimental, count-duke de Olivares

prime minister of Spain

default image

Manuel de Godoy

prime minister of Spain

default image

Zenón de Somodevilla y Bengoechea marquis de la Ensenada

prime minister of Spain

default image

Jerónimo de Zurita y Castro

Spanish historian

default image

Luis Méndez de Haro

minister of Spain

default image

Charles VI

Holy Roman emperor

default image

Isabella Farnese

queen of Spain

default image

Sir William Monson

English naval officer

default image

Roderick

king of Visigoths

Engraving of Miguel de Cervantes, shown with a mustache and beard, wearing a ruffled collar and cloak, based on works by Gregorio Ferro and Fernando Selma.

Miguel de Cervantes

Spanish writer

Francisco Franco in military uniform and cap, looking slightly to the side in an undated black and white portrait.

Francisco Franco

ruler of Spain

Temple ruins of columns and statures at Karnak, Egypt (Egyptian architecture; Egyptian archaelogy; Egyptian history)

History Buff Quiz

Cleopatra hieroglyphic carving the Ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Wall of the Temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt.

Women in Power Quiz

Buzz Aldrin. Apollo 11. Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin, photographed July 20, 1969, during the first manned mission to the Moon's surface. Reflected in Aldrin's faceplate is the Lunar Module and astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took the picture.

Exploration and Discovery

Buzz Aldrin. Apollo 11. Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin, photographed July 20, 1969, during the first manned mission to the Moon's surface. Reflected in Aldrin's faceplate is the Lunar Module and astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took the picture.

Exploration and Discovery