[November 26] Isabel I, queen of Castile & León

Soubriquet: "The Catholic"
Parents: Juan II, king of Castile & León, and Isabella of Portugal
Date of Birth: 22 April 1451
House: Trastamara
Spouse(s): Ferdinand II, king of Aragón, son of Juan II, king of Aragón, and Juana Enriquez
Predecessor: Henry IV

Reign: 1474 – 1504
Brief: The first undisputed female ruler of the largest kingdom in Spain, Isabella ruled during a time of change. During her youth, she fought to establish her right to rule, which was only confirmed when her half-brother, Alfonso, died suddenly. She was jostled between various betrothals and proposed marriages for many years before finally settling with Ferdinand, the heir to Aragón. Isabella became queen in 1474 and almost immediately went to war with Portugal, which claimed a daughter of King Henry IV was the true heir to Castile. The war continued for many years, and Isabella took direct control over her government, traveling throughout Castile to suppress rebellions and revolts. At home, Isabella reformed the criminal code, rebuilt the finances of her realm, and pushed strongly for administrative reform within the government. In 1492, Castile dissolved the Emirate of Granada once and for all, ending the Muslim presence in Spain. Later that year, she personally financed an expedition by Christopher Columbus to seek a route to the East via the Atlantic Ocean. He returned the next year and she secured from the pope exclusive privilege to the New World for Spain with the exception of Brasil. For her participation in the crusades and for evangelizing abroad, Isabella and Ferdinand received the moniker "Catholic Monarch" from the pope, a title unique to Spain. Isabella finally retired in 1504 and died later that year, leaving the government in the hands of her daughter, Juana, and her son-in-law, Felipe I of Austria.

Date of Death: 26 November 1504
Successor: Juana

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Siricius, pope of Rome (399)

[March 23] Pedro, king of Castile

Surname: "The Cruel"

Parents:  Alfonso XI, king of Castile, and Maria of Portugal

Date of Birth: 30 August 1334

House: Burgundy

Predecessor: Alfonso XI

Spouse: Blanche, daughter of Peter I, duke of Bourbon, and Isabella of Valois, then Juana of Castro

Reign: 1350 – 1369

Summary: Pedro did not grow up cruel. He was a happy child who loved both work and play. He was a patron of the arts, including drama, poetry, and music. Still, he came to power at the age of sixteen and was controlled by his mother for the first two years of his reign. Pedro was betrothed to Joan, the daughter of King Edward III of England, but the princess died of the black death while on her way to the Castilian court.


The intrigues of Pedro stem primarily from his mother who was domineering and dangerous. Pedro eloped with his lover, María de Padilla, in 1353. Yet only months later, his mother forced him to marry Blanche of Bourbon, whom he deserted immediately. Pedro was forced to renounce his first marriage but produced four children with her. Both María and Blanche died in 1361 and Pedro relied on mistresses from that point forward. Throughout the late 1350s to mid-1360s, Pedro was engaged in the "War of the Two Peters" with Aragón. Castile was allied with England while Aragón was allied with France in this extension of the Hundred Years' War. All turned ill for Castile in the end. In 1366, civil war broke out within Castile and Pedro was deposed by his illegitimate brother, Enrique of Trastámara. Pedro did not fight but fled to the south of Spain. He finally settled in Portugal with his uncle, Pedro I, until he moved into Galicia. There he committed the atrocities for which he is famous; namely murdered in the archbishop of Santiago and the local dean. All the while, Enrique spread anti-Pedro propaganda across Castile, labeling him a Jewish-sympathizer and forcing the conversion of hundreds of Jews. Late in 1366, Edward the Black Prince of England helped restore Pedro to the throne. Edward almost turned on his ally but was forced to return to England due to ill health before he could act. Enrique returned in 1368 and gained the recognition of the Castilian cortes. Pedro finally confronted his brother in battle in March 1369. Pedro was tricked into leaving the safety of Montiel tower and was repeatedly stabbed in the face with a knife by Enrique. The king's body was left unburied for three days and was viciously abused. Two of Pedro's daughters by María, Constance and Isabella, married sons of King Edward III of England and the cause of Pedro was continued by his son-in-law, John of Gaunt, until the latter's death in 1399.

Date of Death: 23 March 1369

Successor: Enrique II

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Eudes I, duke of Burgundy (1103)
• Julius III, pope of Rome (1555)
• Gelawdewos, emperor of Ethiopia (1559)