Isabella I of Castile

Isabella I (1451-1504) was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband, Ferdinand II of Aragon, laid the foundation for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

She and her husband sponsored the voyage of Christopher Columbus, as well as the Spanish Inquisition. She bore Ferdinand five children, including Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII of England.

Isabella in "Report of the Special Committee on the Quality of Life"
Isabella and her husband were approached by Christopher Columbus to provide funding for an excursion to China by sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. The king and queen commissioned the Special Committee on the Quality of Life to look into the desirability and ramifications of of granting Columbus the ships and men needed to attempt his goal. The Committee concluded that such a trip would not be in Spain's best interest.

Isabella in Ruled Britannia
Isabella supported the proposed exploratory journey of Christopher Columbus which led to the discovery of the New World in 1492. She was mother of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of England's King Henry VIII, and grandmother of Mary I.

King Philip II's daughter, Queen Isabella of England, was named for Isabella of Castille. In 1598, Spanish soldier and playwright Lope de Vega published El Mejor Mozo de España in honor of Isabella and her husband. Isabella was played by Catalina Ibanez.