The brother of Isabella wanted Isabella to marry Pedro Giron, a scoundrel, so he could get men for fighting. She was scared because she didn't want to marry this guy. Everybody was getting ready for the wedding, and he kept on bragging, but then he died of stomach pains before he could reach the castle.
The princess Isabella was relieved of having to marry that guy, but not for long, because then she had to marry the king of Portugal so that could unite kingdoms. She didn't like him either, so she lent a letter to Ferdinand, the prince of Aragon, because he was just about her age, and she asked him whether he would marry her instead. He decided to, but he didn't want anyone to know who he was, so he dressed up and pretended to be a merchant's servant. She got up at night and stole a horse from her brother's stable and rode out to where he was. They talked for hours and decided to get married right away.
After they got married her brother was furious over what they had done, but when he died, Ferdinand became king of Spain. The first thing he decided to do was take back the lands the Muslims had left. One was called Granada, and the king lived in a palace called the Alhambra. When the king won, -- that is, Ferdinand-- the king look back at his lost city and sighed. His mother was angry and said, "Don't weep like a woman over what you couldn't defend like a man!"
They made it a Christian kingdom only, and it was illegal to practice any other religion. They sent the Jews away, and many Jews died on the journey out of Spain. Even though they were good rulers, they were remembered for that unfair act of theirs.
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