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Ruling Sexuality: The Political Legitimacy of Isabel of Castile*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Elizabeth A. Lehfeldt
Elizabeth A. Lehfeldt*
Affiliation:
Cleveland State University
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Abstract

This article examines the gendered construction of power during the reign of Isabel of Castile (1474-1504). The construction of her political legitimacy was based on her manipulation of her gender and sexuality intended to contrast with the perceived shortcomings of her brother, Enrique IV. Enrique's critics had impugned his sexuality and attacked his inability to deliver Spain into a golden age. By aligning Isabel with sexually chaste models and emphasizing her ability to redeem Spain both because of and despite her gender, Isabel's partisans crafted an image that allowed her to transcend the misogynist tropes that attacked female rule.

Type
Studies
Information
Renaissance Quarterly , Volume 53 , Issue 1 , Spring 2000 , pp. 31 - 56
Copyright
Copyright © Renaissance Society of America 2000

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