Saturday Review - Isabella: The Warrior Queen by Kirstin Downey

 

Title: Isabella: The Warrior Queen

Author:  Kirstin Downey

Narrator: Kimberly Farr

Release Date: October 28^th 2014

Format: Audiobook

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

 

Synopsis: An engrossing and revolutionary biography of Isabella of Castile, the controversial Queen of Spain who sponsored Christopher Columbus's journey to the New World, established the Spanish Inquisition, and became one of the most influential female rulers in history

Born at a time when Christianity was dying out and the Ottoman Empire was aggressively expanding, Isabella was inspired in her youth by tales of Joan of Arc, a devout young woman who unified her people and led them to victory against foreign invaders. In 1474, when most women were almost powerless, twenty-three-year-old Isabella defied a hostile brother and mercurial husband to seize control of Castile and León. Her subsequent feats were legendary. She ended a twenty-four-generation struggle between Muslims and Christians, forcing Moorish invaders back over the Mediterranean Sea. She laid the foundation for a unified Spain. She sponsored Columbus's trip to the Indies and negotiated Spanish control over much of the New World with the help of Rodrigo Borgia, the infamous Pope Alexander VI. She also annihilated all who stood against her by establishing a bloody religious Inquisition that would darken Spain's reputation for centuries. Whether saintly or satanic, no female leader has done more to shape our modern world, where millions of people in two hemispheres speak Spanish and practice Catholicism. Yet history has all but forgotten Isabella's influence, due to hundreds of years of misreporting that often attributed her accomplishments to Ferdinand, the bold and philandering husband she adored. Using new scholarship, Downey's luminous biography tells the story of this brilliant, fervent, forgotten woman, the faith that propelled her through life, and the land of ancient conflicts and intrigue she brought under her command.

 

My Review: This audiobook was recommended by a true crime YouTuber that I like to watch and I am glad that I was able to listen to it.

 

This audiobook tells the story of Queen Isabella, Catharine of Aragon’s mother. It tells of her struggles in life and how she became a warrior of a queen. Isabella snuck away and married someone she wanted to marry and not someone she was forced to marry for political reasons even though she knew there would be backlash which shows just how strong minded she was.

 

The story tells of how Isabella was able to unite Spain and England and help Christopher Columbus's expeditions.

 

I love this period of time so I was quite happy to sit and listen to the story while I was playing video games and walking to and from various places and while in the car.

 

Currently Reading: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V E Schwab
Read in 2022: 23/40