Twenty-three-year-old Isabella first discovered that she was queen of the kingdom of Castile while residing in the turreted heights of the Alcázar of Segovia. Allegedly taken to the town square under a beautiful brocade canopy, she took her seat on the throne and the people cheered triumphantly. This occasion marked the start of a 30-year reign, which would see Granada recaptured from its Arabic rulers, Columbus’s voyage to the New World and the launch of the Spanish Inquisition.

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Born in a small village in central Spain in 1451, one could hardly tell that the young Isabella would be destined for greatness. Though she was originally second in line to the throne after her older half-brother Henry, she was soon relegated to third with the birth of another brother.

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