William H Carroll Queen Isabel of Spaint was probably the greatest woman ruler in history not only an outstanding Queen but a devoted wife and mother as well She and her husband Fernando were solemnly granted the title the Catholic sovereigns by the Pope The many evidences of her personal holiness led to the introduction and substantial progress of her cause for canonization Isabel s patronage of Christopher Columbus made possible his discovery of America On the eve of the 500th aniversary of that discovery Dr Warren Carroll presents the first full scholarly biography of Queen Isabel in English in more than sixty years extensively annotated strictly accurate and highly readable Isabel s Catholic faith and all that it meant to her life are central in this biography as they were central to Isabel herself Set against the background of Spain s 770 year crusade to regain the land from the conquering Moors a crusade which Isabel successfully completed Isabel s story