Isabella of Spain by William Thomas Walsh
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ISABELLA OF SPAIN BY WILLIAM THOMAS WALSH LONDON SHEED & WARD 1 9 3 5 ISABELLA OF SPAIN FIRST PUBLISHED OCTOBER 19 3 1 SECOND IMPRESSION DECEMBER 19 3 1 THIRD IMPRESSION APRIL I9 3 2 CHEAP EDITION SEPTEMBER 19 3 3 FIFTH IMPRESSION JANUARY 19 3 5 BY SHEED & WARD FROM 31 PATERNOSTER ROW LONDON, E.C.4 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY THE STANHOPE PRESS LTD. LOVE LANE, ROCHESTER DEDICATION TO MY FATHER IN GRATEFUL MEMORY CONTENTS PAGE F o r e w o r d .............................................................. 13 1 The birth and childhood of the Infanta I s a b e l — H e r Education—Life at A révalo 23 II Enrique IV sends for the Infanta—Isabel’s life at Court—The W hite Knight 36 I I I I s a b e l a s u b je c t o f matrimonial in t r ig u e s —D o n A l f o n so d e c l a r e d K in g o f C a stile —T h e m e e t in g o f t h e t h r e e K in g s —D o n A l fo n so 5* I V T h e D e a t h o f D o n A lfo n so —I s a b e l r efu se s THE CROWN— T h e m a r r ia g e se t t l e m e n t w it h F e r n a n d o o f A r a g o n sig n e d 72 V The Infanta Isabel’s secret betrothal— H er marriage—The Death of Paul II .. 94 VI The Papal Court in 1471—The Reform ations of Sixtus IV—Cardinal Borgia’s mission to Castile — The death of E n r iq u e IV .. 108 V I I T h e c o r o n a t io n o f t h e I n f a n t a I sa b e l as Q u e e n o f C a st il e —T h e Q u e e n r est o r e s o r d e r a t C o u r t —C a r d in a l M e n d o z a ’s r ise t o p o w e r —B e g in n in g o f w a r w it h P o r t u g a l 133 VIII The Queen’s m ilitary genius—The Church sacrifices her treasures—The B attle of Toro—D efeat of Alfonso V of Portugal 155 IX Restoration o f order in the kingdom— Severity of the new measures—The young Infanta in danger of capture—The RESCUE •• •• •• •• • • 176 9 1 0 CONTENTS X T h e Q u e e n assum es c o n t r o l of t h e O r d e r o f S a n t ia g o —C a r d e n a s a p p o in t e d G r a n d M a st e r —T h e M o o r s r e f u s e t o p a y t r ib u t e •• . • ■■ •• •• 189 X I T h e Q u e e n ’s e n t r y in t o S e v il l e —T h e Q u e e n ’s ju st ic e —B ir t h a n d b a p t ism o f P r in c e J u a n —T h e g a t h e r in g sto r m . 201 XII The Church’s enemies—The Cathari—The origin and grow th o f the Inquisition .. 223 X III Reorganization of the Government—The T r e a t y o f S t . J e a n d e L u z —T h e M o h a m m e d a n ADVANCE THROUGH THE MEDI TERRANEAN— T h e M a ssa c r e Of O t r a n t o . 242 XIV The Jews’ activities in Spain—Their per se c u t io n in E u r o p e —T h e C o n v e r so s— E stablishment o f t h e S p a n is h I n q u isit io n 258 X V T h e J e w is h C o n s p ir a c y —P u n ish m e n t o f THE RINGLEADERS— SPAIN SWEPT BY THE P l a g u e —T h e I n q u isit io n in a c t io n 276 XVI Deaths of Mohammed II and Alfonso V— The Inquisition incurs the Pope’s re proof—W ar w ith Granada 288 X V I I T h e W a r —A l h a m a —L o ja —M a l a g a —T h e DISASTER • . t i •• 300 XVIII Conflict of Moor and Spaniard—Re lations w ith France—Tarragona 319 XIX Censure of th e Spanish Inqtuisition by Pope S ix t u s IV— Its reform by Torquemada 335 XX Reorganization of the Army — The Christians defeated near M oclin—Their victories at Ronda, Cambil and Albahar 362 X X I C o lu m bu s fir st a p p e a r s a t C o u r t —H is p l a n s AND PROPOSALS— THE CRUSADE AGAINST ISLAM 372 X X I I E u r o p e in p e r il —T h e S ie g e o f M a l a g a — S u r r e n d e r —T h e K in g ’s b l u n d e r 386 XXIII The Three Friars—The return to the South—The siege and capitulation of G r a n a d a •• • . •< •» • • 4 0 2 CONTENTS i i XXIV Triumph in Europe—The Sovereigns decide t o f it o u t C o lu m bu s f o r h is e x p e d it io n . 4 2 5 XXV The trial of Benito Garcia—Expulsion of t h e J ew s—R it u a l M u r d e r ................................. 436 XXVI Columbus sails—Peace and reconstruction —F r a n c isc o X i m e n e s ............................................... 4 7 4 XXVII Charles VIII of France—Plot and counter p l o t — A t t e m p t e d assassination of t h e K iIno * • •• •• •• • • 493 XXVIII The return o f Columbus—The ship’s log— T h e invasion of Italy ................................ 5 0 8 X X X I C h a r l e s o u t w it t e d —S p a in bec o m es a f ir st - r a n k p o w e r —R o y a l a l l ia n c e s . 5 2 0 XXX Unrest among Columbus’s crew—His charac ter—M arriage and death of the Prince D on J u a n .............................................................. 537 XXXI The misfortunes of Alexander VI— Savonarola—Columbus returns from his t h i r d v o y a g e in c h a i n s ................................ 55 2 XXXII The division of Naples—Spain dominates I t a l y —R e v o l t in G r a n a d a . 5 7 4 X X X I I I T h e P rincess C a t a l in a m a r r ie s t h e P r in c e o f W a l e s—Q u e e n I s a b e l ’s l a st c a m p a ig n — H e r illn ess a n d d e a t h ................................ 5 8 8 B ibliography .............................................................. 6 0 9 N otes ............................................................................. 613 I n d e x ............................................................ 635 FOREWORD T his book attempts to tell the amazing story of Queen Isabel of Castile as it appeared to her contemporaries, against the blood-spattered background of her own times. It is a tale so dramatic, so fascinating, that it needs no embellishing or piecing out with the wisdom—or folly—of another age. To probe the inner cosmos of men and women long dead by the light of a pseudo-science, to strip away with pitiless irony all noble or generous appearances, to prize open with an air of personal infallibility the very secret hinges of the door to that ultimate sanctuary of the human conscience which is inviolable even to father confessors— that is an office for which I have neither the taste nor the talent; and if I have fallen unawares into any such pitfalls of the devils of megalomania, I beg forgiveness in advance. Under the naïve rhetoric of the fifteenth-century chroniclers there is ample material for what Joseph Conrad called ren dering the vibration of life and Michelet called the resurrec tion of the flesh, without resorting to subjective interpreta tion.