From 14 September 1504, Queen Isabella I of Castile officially withdrew from government affairs, and she no longer signed state papers.
She had been greatly affected by the tragedies that had befallen her family in the past few years. The deaths of John and the stillbirth of his daughter, the death of her elder daughter Isabella and the subsequent death of Isabella’s son, Miguel, had been devastating.
Her health had been declining as well, and she was no longer able to travel longer distances. She spent Easter and June 1504 in a convent at Mejorada de Olmedo but spent most of the time at Medina del Campo. She spent much time in bed, and both she and Ferdinand fell ill with a fever in July. But while Ferdinand shook it off, Isabella had barely recovered when she was hit with another fever. The first signs of dropsy were also beginning to show.
At the end of September, Ferdinand secretly wrote to his daughter Joanna, Isabella’s heir, and her husband, Philip. He wrote, “Keep secret what I am about to tell you. No living person apart from the princess and the prince should know. I have not wanted to write about the illness and indisposition of the serene Queen, my very dear and much-loved wife, before because I thought that our Lord would give her health… but given what has happened and her current state, I am very fearful… our Lord might take her.”1
On 12 October 1504, she signed her final document – her will. The end was near.
Be the first to comment