For my summer reading assignment I choose the biography Isabella: The Warrior Queen by Kirstin Downey. I chose this book because to me it showed what women really are capable of. Throughout history, and even today, often times women are seen background figures. However, Isabella defied everyone and took it upon herself to transform her country. The things Isabella managed to accomplish captivated me. That is exactly why I decided to take AP World History. I have always been interested in what goes on in the world around us. I find it incredible that one person or one event can change history. A change in history that can still be seen today, so many years later. I decided to take AP World History so I can further understand global history and
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Isabella was born in 1451-a time where Castile was cracking under internal and external conflicts. In Isabella’s life she did what few women have ever done. She staged a coup that announced her as the ruler of Castile at a time when women were believed to be incapable of doing anything. During her 30 year reign Isabella brought peace and success to Castile, something rulers before her failed to do. She also brought peace between Portugal and Castile, brought order to her chaotic country, placed an Inquisition, secured the Iberian Peninsula by successfully taking over the land of Granada, started the exploration of the New World, and ended generations of bloody conflict between Muslims and Christians. Isabella set the stage for Spain to become a global superpower and left an imprint in European history as one of the most brilliant and capable rulers of all …show more content…
Kirstin Downey states in the ‘Afterword’ chapter of her book that she mainly used primary accounts of events that occurred. I found that she “looked first to what had been said from the beginning by people who were there and saw things occur themselves” over “later interpretations of events by people who were not there.” Through the bibliography it is obvious that lots of research happened to get this book as accurate as possible. Many of the sources come from the Library of Congress, the Judaica Collection at Harvard’s Houghton Library, or from libraries around Eastern Europe. Comparing the facts from the book and other sources about Queen Isabella also show the accuracy of this biography. Downey’s background has lots of influence over how and why Isabella: The Warrior Queen was written. Downey grew up in the Panama Canal Zone and in Panama, Isabella’s legacy sparked her interest in Spanish history. She attended the University of Salamanca and while living in Spain the idea of Isabella: The Warrior Queen began growing. Downey writes on her website that she “was curious about Queen Isabella...wanted to better understand her...which is what I have attempted to do.” This curiosity kept the idea of her book in her mind even as she pursued a career in journalism. Her heritage also had an impact on how she wrote about the discovery of the New World. With a mother whose family came to the New
Isabella was born in 1451-a time where Castile was cracking under internal and external conflicts. In Isabella’s life she did what few women have ever done. She staged a coup that announced her as the ruler of Castile at a time when women were believed to be incapable of doing anything. During her 30 year reign Isabella brought peace and success to Castile, something rulers before her failed to do. She also brought peace between Portugal and Castile, brought order to her chaotic country, placed an Inquisition, secured the Iberian Peninsula by successfully taking over the land of Granada, started the exploration of the New World, and ended generations of bloody conflict between Muslims and Christians. Isabella set the stage for Spain to become a global superpower and left an imprint in European history as one of the most brilliant and capable rulers of all …show more content…
Kirstin Downey states in the ‘Afterword’ chapter of her book that she mainly used primary accounts of events that occurred. I found that she “looked first to what had been said from the beginning by people who were there and saw things occur themselves” over “later interpretations of events by people who were not there.” Through the bibliography it is obvious that lots of research happened to get this book as accurate as possible. Many of the sources come from the Library of Congress, the Judaica Collection at Harvard’s Houghton Library, or from libraries around Eastern Europe. Comparing the facts from the book and other sources about Queen Isabella also show the accuracy of this biography. Downey’s background has lots of influence over how and why Isabella: The Warrior Queen was written. Downey grew up in the Panama Canal Zone and in Panama, Isabella’s legacy sparked her interest in Spanish history. She attended the University of Salamanca and while living in Spain the idea of Isabella: The Warrior Queen began growing. Downey writes on her website that she “was curious about Queen Isabella...wanted to better understand her...which is what I have attempted to do.” This curiosity kept the idea of her book in her mind even as she pursued a career in journalism. Her heritage also had an impact on how she wrote about the discovery of the New World. With a mother whose family came to the New