Isabel and Ferdinand: Renaissance Power Couple

Not Just the Tudors

History Hit

History

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From the establishment of a formidable double monarchy to the complex dynamics of the Spanish Inquisition, Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon were quite the Renaissance team.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Giles Tremlett to discuss the complex dynamics of this unite couple. They explore the triumphs and tragedies that marked their reign, their relentless pursuit of religious unity, and the personal losses that shaped their legacy. Witness the dawn of Spain’s golden era and the inception of a global empire.

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Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb.
0:02.6	If you'd like not just the Tudors ad-free to get early access and bonus episodes, sign up to History Hit.
0:10.5	With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries,
0:16.0	including my own recent two-part series, A World Torn Apart, The Dissolution of the Monastries, and enjoy a new release every week.
0:25.2	Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe.
0:32.2	1350, three years on from the siege of Calais, the Black Death has wreaked havoc in Europe.
0:39.0	The Castilians are moving against England.
0:41.7	The Essex Dogs have scattered, but the battle isn't over yet.
0:46.5	Lion Hearts, the greatest fighters, have everything to lose.
0:50.9	The unmissable conclusion to the Essex Dogs trilogy from Sunday Times bestseller Dan Jones.
0:57.2	Lion Hearts.
0:58.4	Out now in hardback, e-book and audio.
1:06.6	Hello, I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb, and welcome to Not Just the Tudors from History Hit,
1:12.4	the podcast in which we explore everything from Anne Boleyn to the Aztecs,
1:16.9	from Holbein to the Huguenose, from Shakespeare to Samarise,
1:21.5	relieved by regular doses of murder, espionage and witchcraft.
1:25.7	Not in other words, just the Tudors,
1:27.9	but most definitely also the Tudors.
1:39.2	In late 15th century Spain,
1:42.0	Isabel of Castile and Fernando of Aragon established a formidable double monarchy.
1:48.7	Uniting the two Spanish kingdoms in themselves and by their marriage, they ran Castile and Aragon as co-rulers,
1:56.4	like joint CEOs. Their itinerant court was often on the move from one battlefield to the next,
	...

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