the Catholic, Catholic Queen: Isabella the Catholic: " . . . And thus was begun a war between Spain and Portugal which lasted five years, ending with the peace of 1479, when a double alliance was arranged. La Beltraneja, however, abandoned her claims, taking the veil in the monastery of Santa Clara of Coimbra (1480), and with that event the right of Isabella to the throne of Castile became unquestioned. Ferdinand had meanwhile succeeded to the throne of Aragon, and thus the definitive unity of the Spanish nation was accomplished in the two monarchs to whom a Spanish pope, Alexander VI, gave the title of "Catholic" which the Kings of Spain still bear. Isabella displayed her prudence and gentleness — qualities which she possessed in a degree seldom equalled — in the agreement she made with Ferdinand as to the government of their dominions: they were to hold equal authority, a principle expressed in the device or motto, 'Tanto monta, monta tanto — Isabel como Fernando (As much as the one is worth so much is the other — Isabella as Fernando)'. (The Catholic Encyclopedia)
the First Renaissance Queen:
the Law and Order Queen: "Isabella was named the 'Catholic Queen' or the 'Law and Order Queen' by the pope because of her great devotion to religion and politics which won her great popularity. Her motto was, ³One king, one law, one faith. She was an ambitious ruler who promoted education, religion, and the arts. She imposed religious authority, one example would be the Spanish Inquisition." (Famous People of the Middle Ages)
the Mirror of Virtues, the Refuge of Good Things, the Scourge of Evil: "Isabel had been a great queen. With the help of her husband, Fernando, she had established peace at home. She had tamed the nobility. Her ecclesiastical reforms alone should cause her to be remembered for her intelligence. She chose her advisers intelligently. . . Her reputation assisted the unity of the kingdom. . . With the assistance of her husband, she established institutions that lasted. For Isabel, Christianity represented truth itself. Peter Martyr wrote of her as 'the mirror of virtues, refuge of good things, scourge of evil.' adding that 'under the body of a woman she had always manly spirit.'" (Rivers Of Gold: The Rise Of The Spanish Empire, From Columbus To Magellan: 237)
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| Isabel II of Spain the Nymphomaniac Queen |
Isabella d'Este, Marchioness of Mantua
the First Lady of the Renaissance:
the First Lady of the Renaissance:
the First Lady of the World (It. La Prima Donna del Mondo):
the Fair (by Edward II): "Isabella was an enchanting child who would grow into a 'most elegant lady and a very beautiful woman.' . . . Edward II himself gave her the nickname 'Isabeau the Fair'; Walter of Guisborough, echoing Jean le Bel, calls her 'one of the fairest ladies in the world,' 'more beautiful than the rose,' and the beauty of beauties in the kingdom, if not all of Europe.'" (Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England: 23)
Jezebel: "Later, Isabella hired servants to poison Louis, but the plot was again discovered. The servants were executed, and she was forced to pledge her loyalty to the king. Her plots earned her the nickname 'Jezebel.'" (Encyclopedia of Women in the Middle Age: 87)
the Crazy, the Mad: " . . . In 1955, V. H. H. Green called her 'a woman of no real importance or attraction,' which is as inaccurate as it is dismissive, while in 1967, Kenneth Fowler denigrated her as 'a woman of evil character, a notorious schemer' who was infamous 'for her marital in constancy,' although he did concede that this was 'in part excused by her husband's weaknesses.' Elsewhere, Isabella is 'one of the most beautiful but depraved women of her time,' or simply 'Isabella the Mad." (Weir: xix)
the Beautiful Isabella (by Froissart)
the Helen of the Middle Ages: " . . . One called her the Helen of the Middle Ages, chiding her for exploiting her extraordinary beauty to influence and events." (Isabella: Queen Without a Conscience: 458)
the She-Wolf of France (Fr. la Louve de France): "Isabella's reputation was far worse centuries after her death than in her own lifetime, when she doesn't seem as though she was viewed as a notorious adulteress and murderess (except by Geoffrey le Baker). The 'she-wolf' nickname was first given to her in 1757, in a poem by Thomas Gray." (Warner. Edward II: The Unconventional King: 58)
the Virago: . "There is no doubt that the legends about Isabella of France paint a picture of a tragic, tormented, cruel and essentially evil woman. And indeed, her historical reputation is not much more favorable. Since 1327, she has been more vilified than any other English queen. In her own lifetime, the chronicler Geoffrey le Baker called her 'that harridan' or 'the virago,' referring to her as 'Jezebel' and to her episcopal followers as 'priests of Baal.' Other chroniclers, although more discreet, were equally disapproving." (Queen Isabella: xviii)
the Saint.
la Chata: " . . . She became popularly known by the affectionate nickname La Chata – a reference to her snub or "button" nose. . . ." (Wikipedia)
Isabella of Parma.
the Parmesan:
Isabella de' Medici of Tuscany, Duchesa di Bracciano.
the Star of the Medici Court.
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| Isabel de Osorio |
la Dama de Saldañuela:
la Boschetta
the Beautiful Boschetta (It. la Bella Boschetta).
the Fair Maid of Angouleme:"Isabelle of Angouleme and King John were mismatched in age and temperament. Isabelle was about fourteen years old, and John was thirty-three. Everyone acknowledged Isabelle's great beauty. Throughout Europe, she was called the Fair Maid of Angouleme. Later French historians called her Helen of the Middle Ages. However, English chronicles refer to Queen Isabelle of Angouleme as the Jezebel of England." (Lives of England's Reigning and Consort Queens: 106)
the Helen of the Middle Ages (by French historian):
--" . . . No less that three chroniclers extol the beauty of his (Llewelyn ap Gruffydd of Wales) wife, Ellen de Montfort, which is not surprising, for her grandmother, Isabelle d'Angouleme, was one of the great beauties of her age, dubbed by later historians the Helen of the Middle Ages. . . ." (The Reckoning: 591)
--"King John, the most contemptible of men and of monarchs, died in 1216; and within a year Isabella returned to France, where she met Lusignan, her former lover, but now the affianced of her daughter. The old passion revived on both sides; and 'the Helen of the Middle Ages,' who at the age of thirty-four retained her marvellous beauty, became the wife of Lusignan. . . ." (Notes on Duels and Duelling: 235)
the Jezebel of England (by English chroniclers).
the Little Queen (Fr. la Petite Reine): the Little Queen, married Richard II of England, who was thirty, when she was eight years old and became a widow at age thirteen.
Isabelle of Valois.
the Peacemaker:
la Belle van Zuylen:
Isabelle de Hauteville.
Madame la Cardinale:
Madame de Ludres
Marie-Elisabeth de Ludres
Isabelle, Marquise de Ludres 1720
la Belle Chanoinesse de Poussay
la Belle de Ludres
la Belle Isabelle.
Marie-Elisabeth de Ludres
Isabelle, Marquise de Ludres 1720
la Belle Chanoinesse de Poussay
la Belle de Ludres
la Belle Isabelle.
Ismail I Pasha
Ismail the Magnificent.
la Diva Isotta
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