Queenship and Cross-Confessional Identity. “None of them were more loved by their peoples”: The Daughters of Isabella I of Castile and the Construction of the Perfect Christian Consort through the Arts

Abstract

This article examines the confessional mechanisms used by two of the princesses of the Trastámara dynasty – María (1482-1517) and Katherine (1485-1536) of Aragon and Castile – to be accepted and validated as the perfect Christian consorts by their subjects. Raised in the heart of a multi-denominational Castile, the religiosity of these women presented its own characteristics that were reflected in the books they read, the devotional actions they carried out or the artistic works they promoted. All of this would be reflected in the actions that they exercised as queen consorts in their new marriage courts. To be accepted and validated in these new courtly spaces, these women developed a devotional identity that showed them as virtuous and pious women.