Table Of ContentThe Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses
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US $18.95
By Shirin Yim Bridges | Illustrated by Albert Nguyen
The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses
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Shirin Yim Bridges’ first picture book, Also available in the Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses: rid
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Ruby’s Wish, was named one of the Best e
s AGES 9-13
Children’s Books of 2002 by Publishers /
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Weekly, and won the Ezra Jack Keats gu Isabella of Castile
y
award for 2003. It is on several state e In a twist on the classic fairy tale, a
n
reading lists and has been translated
princess in 15th century Spain refused
into six languages. The Umbrella Queen,
Shirin’s second book, was named one to wait to be rescued by a prince but
of the Best Children’s Books of 2008 by
instead chose one for herself. Even
TIME/CNN and the Bank Street College of
Education. Both books are about girls who then, she would not marry him until The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses
manage to do what few think possible.
I they’d reached an agreement that
Now, The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real s
a
Princesses brings Shirin’s lyrical storytelling b was revolutionary for her time. The
e
to some of the most inspiring tales in Isabella of Castile
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history — about girls who really did a partnership she made was a happy and
o
manage to do what few thought possible.
f successful one. Her name was Isabella,
C
Albert Nguyen grew up in Minnesota
a
and without her, both Spain and America
before moving to San Francisco. He s
t
i
received his MFA from the Academy of le would not exist as we know them.
Art in 2006. In addition to being fond of
drawing, painting, comics, and cartoons,
Richly illustrated and narrated with
Albert has a special affection for chubby
animals. This is his first children’s book. touches of irreverent humor, this book
Lyndsey Jones, who assisted in the brings to life the story of a real and
writing of this book, is an aspiring author
remarkable princess who insisted on
living in Illinois with her husband and
two young children.
the equal partnership captured in the
US $18.95
motto: “To stand as high, as high to
stand, Isabella and Ferdinand.”
By Shirin Yim Bridges | Illustrated by Albert Nguyen
www.goosebottombooks.com
Jacket illustrations © 2010 Goosebottom Books LLC
© 2010 Goosebottom Books LLC
All rights reserved
Series editor Shirin Yim Bridges
Consulting editor Amy Novesky
Assistant writer Lyndsey Jones
For Tiegan and Alena, the original Thinking Girl
Copy editor Jennifer Fry
Book design Jay Mladjenovic
and the real Fairy-Monkey Princess.
Typeset mainly in Jane Austen and Volkswagen TS
Illustrations rendered in pen and watercolor ~ Shirin Yim Bridges ~
Some photographs used under Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike license
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
For my family and friends.
Manufactured in Singapore
~ Albert Nguyen ~
Library of Congress PCN 2010903714
First Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Goosebottom Books LLC
710 Portofino Lane, Foster City CA 94404
www.goosebottombooks.com
Isabella of Castile
The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses
Hatshepsut of Egypt
Artemisia of Caria
Sorghaghtani of Mongolia
Qutlugh Terkan Khatun of Kirman
Isabella of Castile
Nur Jahan of India
By Shirin Yim Bridges | Illustrated by Albert Nguyen
Isabella of Castile
Have you ever noticed how in fairy tales, most princesses wait around to be rescued
by a prince? Then they get swept away to a “happily ever after.” They ride off into the
She was called what?!
sunset, and into a charmed life of fabulous palaces, beautiful clothes, and servants
The Spanish princess and prince in this book were
attending to their every need.
named Isabel and Fernando. In English, there is
Castile cas•teel
a long tradition of referring to them by their Italian Well, for Isabella of Castile, being a princess was very different. As a little girl, Isabella
Segovia seh•go•vee•ah
names, Isabella and Ferdinand. If you want to search lost her father and watched her mother lose her mind. She was exiled to a remote
Tanto tahn•toe
for more information about them online or in libraries,
castle. Her childhood was sad and lonely. As she grew up, her country was divided
you’ll find more using their Italian names, so those Monta mon•tah
by war. Despite all this, Isabella did find a “happily ever after.” Or, to be more
are the names used in this book. Grenada gren•ah•dah
accurate: she made one for herself.
Here, also, are some of the more unusual words Conquistador con•kwis•tah•door
in this book, with a rough-and-easy guide to Verdugado vur•doo•gah•doe Isabella didn’t wait to be found by a prince, she chose one. But before she
pronunciation. You can hear many of the words Farthingale far•thing•gale married him, she made a deal that was completely revolutionary for her
pronounced on the website www.howjsay.com.
Kirtle ker•tel time. And, this remarkable princess, one of the most important in all of
(Try it, it’s neat.) world history, has had an effect on your life. If it weren’t for Isabella,
Spain would not be the country it is today, and America would not
exist as we know it!
Where she lived
Her st ory
Navarre
When Isabella was born, Spain was not
Isabella was born in 1451. When she was just three years old,
one country as we think of it today, but was
Aragon her father died, and her older half-brother, Henry, became
divided into several kingdoms — Castile,
King of Castile. Henry immediately sent Isabella’s family
Aragon, Navarre, and Grenada. For hundreds
Castile away to a remote castle. Until Henry had a child, Isabella’s
of years, these kingdoms were independent
of each other, and often at war. One major brother, Alfonso, and Isabella herself were first and second
cause of their fighting was religion. Castile, in line for the throne. Henry did not want them at court where
Aragon, and Navarre were all Christian
disgruntled nobles could use them in plots against him. So,
kingdoms. Grenada was ruled by Muslims Grenada
for most of her childhood, Isabella lived in the small town of
from North Africa, called the Moors.
Arevalo. There, Isabella’s mother withdrew into silence. Rumors
flew that the exiled queen had gone mad. Still a child,
Isabella sought comfort in books. It was a lonely existence.
But, things changed when Isabella turned 13. Henry was a
When she lived weak and unpopular king. And even though Alfonso was no
longer first in line for the throne (by now Henry had a daughter),
This timeline shows when the other princesses in The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses once lived.
many people put their hopes in the prince. Soon the country
was torn by civil war between those who supported Henry
1500BC 500BC 1200AD 1300AD 1400AD 1600AD and those who wanted to replace him with Alfonso. No end
was in sight, and then Alfonso unexpectedly died. The people
t a a n e a
atshepsut of Egyp Artemisia of Cari ghtani of Mongoli ugh Terkan Khatu Isabella of Castil Nur Jahan of Indi tthuoe rngir ertaodb Ct otah Isest aitlhebr.e oTlnlhaee. Sfqohure ihe cet ortseueeldlnf , ahbgauevte rs fhcrooemn st einthttuleee ddfa frtoahrwe b aweyia ncrg ah snotalpemi nged
H ha utl was now second only to the King.
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Even as heir to the throne of Castile, a princess’ role was to be a
What she wore
pawn in the marriage game. Their husbands were chosen for them
by their families for purely political reasons, and once married, even
During Isabella’s reign, an over-gown called
if they inherited the throne, they were expected to be completely the verdugado with a bell-shaped hoop skirt
obedient to their husbands. Henry presented Isabella with many and long hanging sleeves became popular.
Chemise
This fashion spread across Europe and was
possible suitors, but against accepted behavior, she refused them all.
known as the farthingale. Elizabeth I of England
She wanted to marry Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Aragon. Isabella
was still wearing farthingales 100 years later.
knew that this marriage would unite the Kingdoms of Castile and
Under the verdugado, Isabella would have
Aragon into a unified Spain that would be a strong European power.
worn a richly decorated under-gown, called
(It’s not very romantic, but in those days, marriages were much like a “kirtle,” which often showed through at the
business contracts.) neck, sleeves, and skirt. And under the kirtle,
Verdugado
she wore a linen chemise, which fitted close to
Henry would not allow the marriage. He was afraid that it would make
her body. On her head, Isabella often wore a
Isabella too powerful. He soon learned that when Isabella made up
jeweled crown or a small cap.
her mind, there wasn’t much anyone could do to change it. Isabella
disobeyed her brother and negotiated a marriage with Ferdinand. The
Ferdinand of Aragon, King two met for the first time in secret, only days before their wedding. In
of Castile, of Aragon, and
the middle of the night, Ferdinand slipped into Isabella’s palace by
eventually of a reunited
a back gate. He found the princess waiting for him, 18 years old and
Spain. This portrait was
Kirtle
golden-haired, in a great room lit by torches. They spoke for hours.
probably painted shortly
after his death. Their attraction was instant, mutual, and passionate — and would last
throughout the years. They had met to make a political alliance, but
Isabella and Ferdinand had fallen in love.
Even so, Isabella insisted on an agreement before
the marriage (similar to the modern “pre-nup”). This
agreement made it very clear that she would keep
© Shakko/Creative Commons
her authority when she became Queen, and that
Castile would be treated as more important than
Aragon. Ferdinand promised to live in Castile and
raise his children there, sign everything jointly, and
share all titles.
In 1474, Henry died and Isabella was declared
Queen of Castile in a ceremony that was literally
fit for a king. To the blast of trumpets, she entered
the church of San Miguel in Segovia to pray. Then,
taking up a Castilian flag hanging from a lance, she
You can still see Isabella’s crown
placed it into the hands of the priest, signaling that
and Ferdinand’s sword in the Royal
she was offering herself and her kingdom to God.
Chapel at Granada.
She left the church in a grand procession, riding
on a horse under a canopy of state carried by the
greatest nobles walking beside her. Preceding her
was a single horseman, his right arm raised. In his
hand was a naked sword, held by the point with
the hilt up so that it looked like a cross. This was the
symbol of royal authority — of the power to dispense
punishment and justice. Until that moment, it was a
symbol that had been reserved only for kings.
There was only one thing missing from Isabella’s
What followed was a stormy time for Isabella and
victorious day: Ferdinand. Isabella’s coronation had
Ferdinand. Although at first the couple were just
occurred without his knowledge or presence. In her
happy to be in love and united, the reality was that
mind, she had inherited the throne, and it was only
they had very different ideas about who would
natural and right to immediately confirm the fact.
rule Castile. Isabella saw Castile as her inheritance
She saw herself as the new sovereign, the dispenser
alone. Ferdinand’s power would come from her,
of punishment and justice, worthy of being preceded
because she was willing to share her power with
by the sword.
him. Ferdinand, who came from a country where
When Ferdinand learned of Isabella’s coronation,
women were not legally allowed to rule, assumed
he was surprised that she had not waited for him.
that he would rule Castile despite formalities like
But he was most upset when he heard about the
sharing titles, quite simply because he was the
naked sword. What queen, he asked his counselors,
man. (In those days, most of the world would have
had ever been preceded by the sword? Was it not
agreed with him.) Several times he was so offended
the exclusive right of kings?! His Aragonese nobles,
by the reality of sharing power that he threatened to
who (like Ferdinand!) might not have taken Isabella’s
return to Aragon.
pre-nup seriously enough, had no option but to
This gloomy portrait is said to have been
agree that Isabella had broken all tradition by painted in 1469 to celebrate Isabella and
taking this sign of kingship for herself. Ferdinand’s wedding. Isabella is shown with
surprisingly dark hair. Ferdinand’s expression
is a little easier to explain. As you know, he
had plenty to sulk about that year!
© Imperialista/Creative Commons
Eventually, Isabella and Ferdinand came to an agreement.
Instead of worrying about whose name would appear first,
they would use one seal. They created a new joint coat of
arms. They minted new coins with both of their portraits.
And they came up with a new motto: “Tanto monta, monta
tanto, Isabel como Fernando” — “To stand as high, as high
to stand, Isabella and Ferdinand.” It was a revolutionary
moment in history: the first formally equal joint rule. And by
Isabella and Ferdinand’s thrones, with
1479, when Ferdinand inherited the throne of Aragon, he
their motto “tanto monta” above.
had come to like this partnership with his wife enough to
voluntarily make Isabella joint ruler of Aragon, too. (Here’s
a clue as to how revolutionary this equality really was:
almost 100 years later, Isabella’s granddaughter, Mary I
of England, was still expected to give up her authority to
her husband. This expectation that the man would rule
even though the woman had inherited the throne was
so strong that Mary’s half-sister, Elizabeth I, refused to
marry at all so that she could rule herself and England!)
“Home” for Isabella and Ferdinand:
A document bearing their joint
the castle of Segovia.
seal and both signatures.
