Show rp i t ai R r W MN I 1 0 M amz r A F iv t 1 ry af ij W ali f 1 S t 1 i r g r 4 3 71 wt mt I 1 i sa s1 SL V THE I 1 ir 01 7 fa Q ifor gilt ir E e SPANIARDS r 1 A t V 7 A fa arar IK W was tatt atho ot t ai ABier lm tea d a M iain a ing of at era of 6 sew 4 adut AU an ot of I 1 s 0 I 1 4 i isabella of da castile bastile stile bhea hen years of age was probably robab lyl 1 alie theodat them moat dat beautiful accomplished and princess prance in chitin endom her H dr father the king ot of Cas castile Wd died when hen she was an infant qt her mother still lived to be her friend and counselor her only brother henry a weak minded man entirely devoted to his own selfish and gratifications occupied the throne neof of castile Ca atlle the wife of henry was sister ot the ang kl of Por she was a very avery beautiful maimu woman buts but like her husband entire entirely Ir devoid of principle and devoted to pleasure they had but one child a daughter joanna the kig and queen were so unpopular that a po powerful erful party arose in the kingdom in favor of repudiating the claims claim af f joanna and of placing isabella up upon the throne the mother of isabella who appears appear to have been a very judicious and sui stu berkly berely pious woman had educated her hei daughter in the secluded rural town of al arabela Ar avela far removed from the borrup cices tices of the court at this time thure probably was not a more unhappy person in all spain than the princess isabella she had sagacity enough to pe perceive that her person was to be sl sacrificed 4 to any matrimonial alliance which would promote the ambition of tle nobles As it was waa so probable that she would succeed to the throne there were suitors for her hand from nearly all the courts of europe she was first promised to carlos heir to the throne of aragon he was 50 years of age bloated and prematurely infirm from a life of profligacy isabella when she first saw him was so shocked at the thought of marriage with such a wretch that she declared she would die before she would consent to the union fortunately carlos by sudden sickness sank into the grave and thus isabella escaped that woe the nobles then pledged her to the grand master of calatrava a spanish noble of great wealth and power but who was advanced in years revolting in person and infamous in character the anguish of isabella was renewed and it became so intense that she shut herself up in her apartment and wept almost incessantly day and night her prayers were so piteous that god would come to her relief and save her from the dishonor of such euch a marriage by either taking away her life or that of the detested man to whose arms she was doomed thavone that one of her attendant ladles ladies beatrice of bobadilla a high spirited woman provided herself with a dagger and vowed before god that if the grand master of calatrava should dare to appear and claim isabella as his bride she would plunge that dagger into his heart the grand master made the most sumptuous preparations for his wedding and with a very gorgeous retinue of friends and vassals set out from his palace at almagro for madrid to receive ceide his bride at the close of the first days journey he reached the little village of Vill Vil ambia lambla where he passed the night here he was suddenly and violently seized with an attack of quinsy which after a sickness of four days terminated his life it is not to be supposed that isabella shed any tears over his grave and still not the slightest shadow of suspicion rests upon her as having been in any way accessory left sory to his death isabella now withdrew to a convent at avila where she refused the entreaties of many of the nobles to allow herself to be proclaimed queen of castile in opposition to her brother henry at length the nobles who had been waging war against the king came to a compromise with him in which it 11 was agreed that isabella should be recognized recognize I as heir to the brown of castile and should be provided with a suitable revenue to maintain the dignity of her rank it was also agreed that she abe should not be forced into any nuptial alliance and neither should she marry any one without her brothers consent the hand of isabella was now in greater demand than ever before and her modest court was crowded with suitors richard Bl chard duke Gloucester of renowned in the annals of crime brother of henry IV of Eng england lind sought the ambitious allace alliance but fortunately tuna tuua tely in vain vahl the duke of guienns Gu Gui lenne enne ilso also brother of louis XI of stance nce and heir presumptive to the french monarchy was eager by marriage rl xv with tirath isabella to unito unite tho the crown of castile with that of france but this al ilmi efram political considerations eions was rejected acted Is isabella abella authere all au these schemes 1 to consult her own I 1 ahik choice odai of a husbands tf lf saiz exceedingly 6 angly ambitious aedma and was any of her no interests by the abue alliance she donn form tae kin icing 9 a 1 I 1 had A P 0 igi isabel ja beav bV be e ap e 36 f hele t K 1 il i 4 s IL a very tery ibid i 6 1 asbe w i ai hii li beix i i for z tyli the ac g iol adt app kila W j fer w dh I 1 i t ebe Iiii J hiek t 71 1 rv 0 1 T S victr 4 h vf ss itam 1 S 1 V i amadeu e illin 6 9 da g el 1 ija s aayers am io U N al I 1 ai F u isih I 1 ill V c fw I 1 rr F 54 1 ff I 1 11 b 14 I 1 I 1 aw I 1 M P r I 1 ix t i t t 4 wi T I 1 cm I 1 de po ra yag apet dsa eala ir ZE U 1 i 4 J t A 4 L I 1 na 1 1 I r M Z W I 1 ME g W g Z t i ge ag g mak E A 24 T 5 10 T 44 icy jr ii 4 la th k 14 1 4 pu r and quite wen well ahe in th recurrent corrent litera literatim tim of the times mut a varr ser serious ibus obstacle now arose in the way y 0 of isabellaa ra plans the ne king fugal one of the mast powerful monarchs I 1 aichs archs of thid days wig anelons to A unite da castile stile and portugal and proposed to for r the band of isabella the kins king und the court zealously advocated his ault isabella peremptorily rejected bi him the kins king her brother was so angry that he threat threatened enid to imprison tho the persistent maiden in the royal fortress at madrid of oka na nar where she then resided rallied for her protection the utmost enthusiasm was inspired in her fier behalf even the boys paraded the streets with banners emblazoned blazoned em with the arms of aragon singing songs contemptuously contrasting the old king of portugal with the youth and chivalry of ferdinand the conflict of intrigue and diplomacy was protracted and bitter at length ho however weyer the marriage articles w with ith ferdinand were signed on the ath 0 of f january 1469 isabella in the meantime removed to madrigal where she was al aldelly delby aided by the counsel and sympathy of her mother the king in his hia indignation arde ordered ed a troop of horses to proceed to madrigal and arrest her the archbishop of cf toledo who was the leader of Isabell isabellos ss friends lenda fr precipitately rallied a regiment ol 01 dragoons and advanced to madrigal with such speed as to frustrate the movement of the kings forces the resolute maiden surrounded by the adonis of her defenders was waa borne birne off in military trl to valladolid Valla olid where her arrival was greeted with unbounded entrust enthusiasm aam by the whole population ferdinand ferdl who had become very ardently her lover was then restal ng at saragossa in aragon about two hundred miles west of valladolid it was now the great object of the kin king to prevent ferdinand from entering castile to marry isabella alro tl king of aragon was so sorely pressed by a war w with his insurgent nobles and the treasury was so exhausted that he could not afford his son an armed escort sufficient to secure his safety ferdinand consequently adopted toe the resolution ro lution to go in disguise as a merchant concealed in a small party of naif half a dozen of professed merchants the young prince commenced hla his adventurous expedition P edition tion ferdinand assumed the dress and position of a servant grooming the mules and serving the rest of the company at the inns on the road to avoid observation they traveled as much as possible by leht r unfortunately tuna tely the inexperienced merchants lost their purse by the way and were reduced to very severa straits isabella however apprised of the movements of her lover dispatched an armed escort to meet him and thus in the darkest hour of his difficulty and his danger ke he was rescued preparations were immediately made for the marriage and the nuptials were solemnized at the palace of one of the nobles of valladolid oil the morning of the of october 1469 ferdinand having left home in disguise and having lost his slender purse by the way had not a rial with which to defray the expenses of the wedding isabella also a fugitive from her brothers court found her purse equally empty these penniless heirs of two of the most powerful kingdoms of europe succeeded in borrowing of their friends enough money to celebrate their nuptials with splendor moderately conforming to their rank and in the presence of several of the highest nobility and about two thousand spec spectators tati rs the lifelong destinies of ferdinand and isabella were united |