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Isabella, Queen of Spain

 
             
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Isabella of Castile, who helped unify Spain via a dynastic marriage with Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469, was a master of propaganda to secure her rule. Although Isabella was a strong personality, she had a difficult path to power.  She had a disputed succession--her predecessor was a half brother called Henry the Impotent who had no children, and Isabella claimed the throne of Castile expressly against the Sallic Law  which prohibited women on the throne.  A rival group of aristocrats also preferred Isabella's niece Dona Juana as heir, a preference that  also had the support of the rival King of Portugal.

In fact, this debate over the succession to Castile was fought out in a war from 1474-1479, which involved an invasion of Castile by Portuguese troops in collaboration with Castilian aristocrats and urban elites supporting Isabella’s rivals.

Although Isabella ultimately prevailed and solidified her claims to the throne of Castile via her marriage to Ferdinand, she well realized she needed to gain allegiance of all Castilians by overcoming their resistance to female rule.

As the only female ruler in fifteenth-century Europe, Isabella needed a compensating device for her gender.  As did Elizabeth I of England in the next century did with her "Virgin Queen campaign," Isabella emphasized aspects of her femininity to make her role in politics more palatable to her subjects. First, she used the "dutiful wife" tactic, and displayed in public her affection for her husband, thus creating a legend of a love match between she and Ferdinand.


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