A detailed and all-inclusive biography of Spain's most famous queen. Based upon original sources-including her own voluminous writings-this work provides a full background of her parents, birth, youth, and marriage to Prince Ferdinand. Then the story moves on to the three great events which Isabella oversaw-and which shaped her destiny and that of western Europe: the Reconquista of Spain from the Moors, the dramatic expulsion of the Jews, and the launching of the voyages of Christopher Columbus and the opening of the New World. Finally, the details of her decline and death are provided, giving a very human ending to an almost unbelievable story. This new edition has been completely reset, and contains a number of new illustrations and appendices.