Isabel of Castile and the making of the Spanish nation, 1451-1504Plunket, Ierne L. (Ierne Lifford)
History
Isabel of Castile and the making of the Spanish nation, 1451-1504
Plunket, Ierne L. (Ierne Lifford)
Isabella I, Queen of Spain, 1451-1504; Spain -- History -- Ferdinand and Isabella, 1479-1516
One of the crowd, speaking for the rest, begged that Andres de Cabrera
might no longer have command of the Alcazar.
“That which you wish, I wish also,” answered the Queen.
She then bade them go up at once to the towers and walls and drive out
all who were in possession, whether of Cabrera’s following or the actual
rebels who had since occupied the place.
“I will entrust it,” she added, “to one of my servants, who will guard
both his loyalty to me and your honour.”
Her words put an end to the rebellion for, both Cabrera’s adherents and
the insurgent leaders being suppressed, the city remained quiet, and
Isabel was able to enquire into the true facts of the case. This
resulted in the punishment and dismissal of various minor officials, but
the Marquis of Moya, whose conduct was cleared, was restored to his
responsible post.
When Ferdinand returned from Biscay, the sovereigns, after a short time
together, were separated once more; he remaining in the north to watch
over the affairs of Aragon and France, while she went south to
Estremadura and Andalusia. The civil war was practically at an end. Here
and there some strongly fortified place still floated the Portuguese
standard; or the nobles, like wild horses bridled for the first time and
unable to believe themselves mastered, chafed in secret conspiracies or
flamed into spasmodic rebellion. The history of their suppression is
connected rather with the work of reconstruction than of actual warfare.
For the moment this one change, effected by the sovereigns’ methods,
challenges our attention,—that the great cities of the south, lately the
scenes of chronic feuds and rebellions, were turning again to be the
centres of civilization and justice for their neighbourhoods.
[Illustration:
SEGOVIA, THE ALCAZAR
FROM A PHOTOGRAPH BY LACOSTE, MADRID
]
It was in Seville, whose streets had often run red in the faction fights
of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia and the Marquis of Cadiz, that Isabel made
her headquarters; and here on the 30th of June, 1478, the long-hoped-for
heir to the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon was born. John, Prince of
Asturias, opened his eyes on a world of fairer prospects than the
dangers and doubts that had hung about his sister’s cradle. Not only
within their own territories but elsewhere in Europe the sovereigns had
begun to make their power felt, and as their influence grew that of
Alfonso of Portugal diminished.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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