Isabel - Episode Guide

Isabel and her brother Alfonso live happily in Arévalo with their mother Isabel de Portugal, widow of King Juan II of Castile. Together with them, his tutor, and almost father, Don Gonzalo Chacón and his companion, and best friend throughout his life, Beatriz de Bobadilla.

However, one bad day they are taken by force to the court of Segovia by order of his brother, King Henry IV, on the occasion of the pregnancy of his wife, Mrs. Juana de Avis. A pregnancy especially yearned after years without getting offspring, which has stoked the rumors about the impotence of the king.

Upon arriving in Segovia, Isabel and Alfonso remain under the care of the queen, who despises and fears them at the same time because they constitute a threat to the future of the daughter she is waiting for. The hostile environment of the court, the dissolute life of the courtiers and the continuous political intrigues make them mature quickly. Isabel soon understands that they have become mere pawns for the interests of the powerful, and in this game both her brother and she are in danger.

The conspiracy led by Pacheco y Carrillo reaches its fullness with the Rebellion of the Nobles, where King Enrique is accused of kidnapping Isabel and Alfonso, of leaving power in the hands of Beltrán de la Cueva and not stopping Moors and Jews . Furthermore, they formally accuse the king of not being the father of his daughter Juana.

Despite the advice of his faithful (Diego Mendoza, Beltrán de la Cueva, Archbishop Fonseca), King Enrique decides to negotiate instead of using force. However, he will soon see that accepting to negotiate would lead him to be a king without command, in the hands of the ambitions of the nobles. And, above all, Pacheco, who asks for the expulsion of Beltrán from the Cave of the Court and that Alfonso leave Segovia and pass into his custody, far from King Enrique.

The civil war causes chaos and anarchy in an already revolted Castile. The rebel army, led by Carrillo and Pedro Girón as armed arms of Pacheco, take the initiative in the fight.

Isabel suffers for her brother Alfonso and for his desire to become what he never was: a soldier. Just knowing that Gonzalo de Córdoba is with Alfonso gives him some peace of mind.

Meanwhile, in the Court follows the course of life, despite the war. And Beatriz de Bobadilla is engaged in a wedding, without her consent to Don Andrés Cabrera, mayordomo of Palacio.

Soon Isabel will know that she will suffer the same fate. Because Enrique IV, king little friend of the wars, tries to arrive at a pact to avoid a greater shedding of blood

After the death of his brother Girón, Pacheco abandons the enriched side and returns with the nobiliary League attracted by Carrillo, who does not hesitate to offer one of his main ambitions: the Order of Santiago. The war intensifies and the two rival armies are summoned in a crucial battle: that of Olmedo.

Isabel and Juana pray in Segovia in the same room watching the men go to war, but one for her husband and one for her brother, rivals on the battlefield. In the case of Isabel, the fear is great, knowing that Alfonso, grown by the flattery and lies of Pacheco, is prepared to enter into battle.

The battle of Olmedo, equalized, will be decided unexpectedly by the abandonment of it by King Henry, impressed by the carnage.This flight gives the victory to the side of Alfonso, turning him into a hero, believing all that he really fought and not Gonzalo.

After the death of her brother Alfonso, Isabel is deeply distressed and morally sunk. Her life has turned into a succession of losses. In his environment, Carrillo is clear that the war must continue and that Isabel must succeed as queen on the side previously headed by Alfonso. Chacón, is not it so much? And Pacheco continues playing between two waters.

Even so, Isabel assumes at first the relief and signature as queen in the letters that notify towns and cities of the death of her brother.But Isabel needs to see her mother, to inform her of what happened in person. And it goes to Arévalo along with Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba. There, sad to see his mother worsen by the news, longing for other times, find refuge in the friendship of Gonzalo.

The days go by and negotiations in Guisando do not come to fruition. As Chacón and Cárdenas feared, Enrique's good words do not become facts. Pacheco helps to delay negotiations until the exhaustion of those present and the papal legate, Veneris, arbitrator of them.

Meanwhile, the Mendoza have made public their defense of the rights of the daughter of the king, rights for which they swore solemnly.

Contrary to the negotiations with Isabel and fed up with the king's swings, they even threaten to denounce their dealings with Rome. Isabel and his people, surprised that the Mendoza do not support, as is tradition in them, the king, decide to find out what happens and discover the pregnancy of the queen with a lover, which increases the doubts of Enrique's fatherhood.

Isabel, frightened and sunk by the threats received, does not decide who to marry: the Duke of Guyena or Fernando de Aragón. Both are of the same age. And the Frenchman guarantees that he will avoid further tensions with his brother the king, who holds him responsible, should he refuse, for a new war.

That is why he asks Cárdenas to travel to Zaragoza and Paris, get to know both suitors thoroughly and inform him with hairs and signs of how they are. And then, will she decide?

Cárdenas fulfills the order of Isabel¿ but, as Chacón y Carrillo, his bet is clear: Fernando de Aragón. The bet of Juan II, king of Aragon, is also clear: Aragon, at war with France, needs support. Your financial situation is complicated? And this wedding can be a good option for the future, by uniting the interests of your kingdom with those of Castilla.

Isabel waits in Valladolid for Fernando ... The problem now is how Fernando will get there.Cárdenas goes to Aragon to inform him of everything ... and Fernando assumes what he has to take risks and travel to Castilla.

Knowing that Pacheco has spies in Aragon, Fernando organizes a stratagem: to make believe that he is going to fight Catalonia ... For then, disguised as a servant of one of the soldiers who accompany him, travel incognito to Valladolid.

A trip that will be full of dangers, because Pacheco (especially embittered by the deception of Aragon and decide that Fernando marries Isabel and not his daughter) takes the issue especially seriously. And decides to populate soldiers every point where Fernando could cross Castilla. This forces Fernando and his soldiers to travel through safe and hard to reach places

Isabel is shocked. The fact of knowing Fernando has increased the nervousness more. She can not define her emotions, but she is obviously attracted to him. Fernando realizes his nervousness and tries to win her talking ... But his impetus as a man accustomed to knowing a thousand and one women contrasts so much with Isabel's candidness, in these matters, ends up spoiling his good intentions.

In addition, he captures that Gonzalo is especially aware of Isabel. And establishes a relationship with him. There he will realize that he is very similar to him: a soldier with nobility and discipline. With ideals Loyal to a cause until death.

The wedding is coming. Clara, the wife of Chacón, appears in Valladolid by express order of Isabel's mother to support her in such a special moment. Know that your daughter needs someone to act as a mother? She, sick, can not go and delegates to her other "mother", who nursed her as a child: Clara, who will help Isabel in such special moments.

The wedding of Isabel and Fernando has been a success: many nobles support them, the people acclaim them and see in them the birth of a new Castile, but there are still many pitfalls. And time is against them, because they do not have a bull and that will make them unpopular.

Start a married life not easy. The fight with Enrique continues while Aragón continues to ruin. Isabel and Fernando are left without money and without support, how are they going to get to sit on the throne?

And winter comes. And the forecasts of Pacheco are met one by one. Without money, almost without food, Isabel and her family live moments of tension. Fernando begins to have friction with Carrillo that Chacón tries to avoid with difficulty. Hunger takes its toll on the people who go from hailing Isabel to try to assault her residence in search of food. The fervor of when her wedding has disappeared.

Jealousy is installed in the relationship between Fernando and Isabel. Can you forgive him for being the father of two bastards?Besides, Carrillo and his anxieties for power make Aragón very nervous, what is the plot of the Bishop of Toledo?

After fleeing Valladolid, Isabel and Fernando take refuge in Medina de Ríoseco. The humility of their rooms reveals that what were once dreams are about to become nightmares.

Pacheco, supported by Enrique, decides to give the final blow attacking the cities related to Isabel and regions such as Asturias and Vasconia, inconveniencing their nobles and eliminating their privileges for the benefit of feudal lords related to Pacheco. Those who supported Isabel are persecuted and dispossessed of their property and titles if they do not renounce it.

July 26, 1471: Pope Paul II dies in Rome. A few days later, Pope Sixtus IV is elected. It is time to unblock the situation of the bull of Isabel and Fernando. John II of Aragon sends his faithful Pierres Peralta to speak with the new Pope.

The influence of Aragon in Italian territories is of prime interest to Sixtus. Also, the provision of funds and the idea of an anti-Turkish crusade. Peralta brings economic congratulations (barely removed from the depleted arcas Aragonese: it is a bet to all or nothing face the future) to Sixto and tells him that he will always have Aragon in everything ... in exchange for the papal bull of marriage of his son Fernando with Isabel.

Sixto accepts: it's time to change. For this, he asks for advice from a cardinal he knows well as being Valencian (and belonging to the Kingdom of Aragon). Rodrigo de Borja. And he sends it to Castilla y Aragón to know the problems firsthand.

Cabrera manages to convince the king of the need for an encounter with Isabel for the good of Castile. The management of Pacheco has led the kingdom to an ungovernable situation in many cities, overwhelmed by the power of men chosen by Pacheco.

Oblivious to all this, Isabel prepares to visit her brother Enrique. Many things have happened (and few good ones) since the last time they saw each other, but she is hopeful in the step she is going to take. Carrillo does not think the same, angry still for not having been elected cardinal.

Pacheco, on the other hand, moves his son.On the one hand he tries to kidnap Isabel and her daughter. On the other, he travels to Extremadura to ask Juana de Avis to ask for help from his brother the King of Portugal and his armies.

After the coronation of Isabel, the first marital problems broke out. Fernando believes that Isabel exercises functions that he considers proper to a male monarch and feels displaced.

The personal struggle between them muddies the beginning of the reign and his enemies, particularly Archbishop Carrillo, try to take advantage of their differences. The danger lurks. The fabled nobles ally themselves and resort to Portugal to proclaim their niece Juana la Beltraneja queen.

For many, Isabel has usurped the throne and is not legitimized. She is willing to fight until the end. But first she will have to earn her husband's support and it will not be an easy task.

Fernando and Isabel are in luck ... the queen is pregnant! A male would bring a little tranquility to the kingdom, the succession would be guaranteed.

But the war against Portugal and the marital problems of Isabel and Fernando will endanger the Crown ...

Isabel will be more implacable than ever!

Meanwhile, in the court of Portugal, they will dress in mourning ...

Will Fernando and Isabel overcome his betrayal? How will the abortion that has suffered affect the queen's health?

The war intensifies and the future of Castile continues in the air.

There are still two queens for the same throne and the Church and the Jewish money will decide which of the two sits on it

While the last pockets of "Juanista" resistance are falling, Isabel is torn between imposing harsh penalties on the vanquished nobles or agreeing with them.

But Diego Pacheco, one of the main enemy caudillos, refuses to capitulate. On the other hand, Isabel can not conceive a new child and attributes her sterility to divine punishment.The shadows on his succession will be more threatening when an uprising in Segovia endangers the life of Princess Isabel, her sole heiress.

Isabel is surprised to know the cause of the revolt: a plot of corruption orchestrated by his faithful Andrés Cabrera.

Pacified Old Castile, the queen travels to convulsed Seville to impose order and justice.There he must face those responsible for the chaos in the city: the Duke of Medina-Sidonia and the Marquis of Cádiz.

In Seville, Isabel is aware of the problem posed by the false converts and, also there, the Jewish doctor Lorenzo Badoz diagnoses her gynecological malignancy and suggests a small intervention. Beatriz de Osorio, niece of Beatriz de Bobadilla, joins the Court. The young, sweet and kind, becomes Elizabeth's confidant but shows an unusual interest for the king.

Meanwhile, in the Nasrid kingdom of Granada, Emir Muley Hacén falls in love with Isabel de Solís, a Christian captive. For love challenges Castilla. The emir's attitude alarms the jealous Aixa, the wife and mother of the Boabdil heir.

Isabel gives birth to Prince Juan. The kings see their objectives fulfilled: the definitive victory over Portugal and a male heir to the crowns of Castile and Aragon. However, Isabel does not give up until she manages to lock her enemy Juana in a convent. But the consequences of being a mother and queen are manifested in all its harshness in the high price you will have to pay to sign the peace.

Isabel and Fernando differ on the convenience of agreeing with France and implanting the Inquisition, two matters of great importance for the future of the kingdom. Both try to achieve their goals behind the other. When Fernando knows he will feel betrayed. Beatriz de Osorio takes advantage of conjugal disagreements

Infanta Juan has been born. He is a healthy and awake baby. However, the queen's physicist fears the consequences of a new pregnancy and imposes a severe test on the kings. Fernando, for his part, wants to resume the adulterous relationship with Beatriz de Osorio, despite the apparent opposition to it.Later he will discover that Bobadilla's niece conceals dangerous intentions.

In Granada, Muley Hacén intends to turn Nasr, the son he has fathered with Isabel de Solís, into an heir. To do this, he calls the court to his brother, El Zagal, aware of the bitterness accumulated by Aixa and afraid of the reaction that his decision may cause.

Isabel still feels humiliated by Fernando's adventure with Beatriz de Osorio. Resentment and the fear that such an offense will repeat itself will weigh down his commitments as ruler. The council of fray Hernando de Talavera will facilitate the necessary reunion of the monarchs, but they will have to be Isabel and Fernando who solve their disagreements.

Meanwhile, Aixa continues to conspire to make his son Boabdil an emir. But this does not seem possible as long as Muley Hacén and his son Nasr are alive. Aixa will decide to give the final blow in a delicate moment, because the Nasrids plan to attack Zahara and take the Christian village by surprise.

The war against Granada has just begun.Isabel and Fernando need funds to pay for their particular crusade against the infidel and will do whatever it takes to get them. How will the Nazari kingdom react? Will Boabdil stay on the throne?

The first successes in the war against Granada encouraged to carry out attacks of greater magnitude. However, the lack of means advises prudence. Fernando, however, is forced to launch an offensive to please the impatient nobles. Fortunately for Isabel and Fernando, the Muslim side is divided. Despite the lack of troops, a plan by Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba against the side of Boabdil will turn the contest around.

A navigator gets audience with Isabel. He wants Castilla to finance a trip that would open a new route to the Indies. It's Christopher Columbus. The queen is attracted to the idea, but in the middle of a war against the infidel it is difficult to gather the necessary means.

The kings take advantage of the capture of Boabdil to launch him against the side of his father, now captained by El Zagal. Aixa and her son, however, have their own plans: they try to buy time to gather support. In the future, having got rid of their rivals in Granada, they will stop the Christians' feet.

Finally, the war in Granada can be decided if Málaga is subdued. The most important city of the kingdom, with a coveted exit to the sea, will not fall easily.

While the siege continues, a Christian originally from Naples who lives in Malaga offers to betray El Zagal and open the doors of the city to the hosts of Fernando.

Isabel de Solís returns to Isabel's court after her long captivity in Granada. He appears as the victim of the emir and his relationship with him is silent. When meeting Aixa with Isabel, she will have to give many explanations.

With Granada increasingly close to being conquered, despite the resistance of Boabdil, Isabel and Fernando will face a new problem: Prince Juan falls seriously ill. If the child does not overcome the crisis, who would inherit the throne?

In spite of the warning that the conquest of Málaga has brought with blood and fire, Boabdil continues to take time to surrender Granada: he has obtained the support of the Turkish navy and believes he can resist the Castilians. Or at least renegotiate the capitulations.

Unexpectedly, the link agreed between Alfonso of Portugal and Isabel de Aragón and Castilla becomes a marriage for love. The passion among young people has emerged immediately. Only his happiness disturbed the news that Prince Juan, successor of Isabel and Fernando, is seriously ill. If he died, Alfonso and Isabel would inherit the crowns of Castile, Aragon and Portugal.

Granada must surrender. This is what Boabdil has decided, seeing himself isolated and threatened. But he will not deliver the kingdom until the last moment. In his absence, Aixa chooses not to leave stone on stone. It is willing to destroy the Alhambra and immolate itself with its own rather than capitulate.

In the court of Isabel already thinks about the future. The differences of opinion on what should be the fate of the money left over from the war comes to provoke the confrontation between the kings. Isabel is in favor of supporting the expedition of Columbus, but Fernando has not forgotten his promise to recover the counties occupied by the French.

Torquemada believes that politics in occupied Grenada must be more forceful against the defeated infidels. Threatens to accuse the kings before Rome for tolerating heresy. To avoid losing the favor of the pope, Isabel and Fernando consider the expulsion of the Jews

After having conquered Granada and with Columbus returning from Las Indias, the King and Queen arrive in Barcelona, what they do not know is that there the destiny of the kingdom is about to be truncated

The Catholic Kings are worried about the attitude of Columbus. Do you still trust him? While Cisneros begins to fulfill the mission that the queen has commissioned him with much effort

Isabel and Fernando want to strengthen their power in Europe.The goal is to isolate France. Their children will be the perfect instrument to forge important alliances

The encounter between Juana 'La Loca' and Felipe 'El Hermoso' can not be more intense and passionate.The daughter of the Catholic Kings soon forgot her Castilian roots... life in Flanders seems wonderful... for the time being.

Isabel and Fernando suffer one of the worst blows of their lives.The succession is in danger.This hurts the mother and the queen.

After the premature death of Prince Juan, the kings rush to swear as heirs to Isabel and Manuel, although they expect problems with the Cortes de Aragón. The Archduke Philip, who already lurks the throne of Castile and Aragon, begins to profile itself as an enemy instead of the ally they sought and seeks the support of the King of France to make his claims true.

Years after its conquest, Granada remains mostly Muslim. Isabel and Fernando send Cisneros to speed up the conversions. This, against the criterion of Talavera, imposes Christianization by the good and the bad.

Isabel and Fernando return to dressing in mourning. His eldest daughter, his heiress, his hope dies in the birth of Miguel de la Paz.

Miguel de la Paz dies and the queen falls down. Misfortune does not leave the court ... Felipe is the new Prince of Asturias

Juana and Felipe arrive at the court to swear as Princes of Asturias.The tension between Burgundy and Las Españas is maximum

The heirs are already in Las Españas and the Catholic Kings check in person that their daughter has been annulled by the archduke

Juana can not stand being away from Felipe and loses her head to parents who do not know what to do with their heiress

Isabel has less time left each day ... will they be Juana and her demeanor capable of maintaining her legacy?

The queen says goodbye to her family, trying to leave the kingdom in the best possible hands ... Was Joan ready to reign? How will Fernando stop Felipe?