Queen Isabella of Castilla Deed of Marriage and Testaments Facsimile Edition

This manuscript gathers some of the most consequential documentary texts of late medieval Spain, recording the marriage settlement and testamentary acts of Queen Isabella I of Castile. Preserved in the Archivo General de Simancas, it belongs to the administrative heart of the Catholic Monarchy, where royal authority was articulated not through image, but through the binding force of the written word.

The Political Origins of Isabella’s Testament

Drafted between 1469 and 1504, these documents frame Isabella’s reign from its political inception—her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon—to its carefully orchestrated conclusion. The texts reflect a sovereign acutely aware of succession, legitimacy, and dynastic continuity. Here, personal will and statecraft converge: the queen’s testament becomes an instrument of governance, shaping the future of Castile and, by extension, early modern Spain.

Material Culture of Late Medieval Governance

Written on paper rather than parchment, the manuscript embodies the pragmatic turn of late fifteenth-century royal administration. Its documentary script, executed by Gaspar de Crido, privileges clarity, legal precision, and reproducibility. The page layout is functional and restrained, underscoring the text’s juridical purpose rather than visual display.

Testamentary Language and Legal Authority in Castile

The content—formal deeds and testaments—reveals Isabella’s voice mediated through notarial convention. Formulaic language, invocations, and carefully calibrated clauses testify to a culture in which law, faith, and monarchy were inseparable. The testament not only distributes possessions but articulates moral responsibility, piety, and royal duty.

The Written Legacy of Spanish Monarchy

Devoid of illumination, this manuscript asserts authority through script and seal, standing as a monument to governance by documentation. It offers a rare, unembellished encounter with the mechanisms of power, reminding us that the foundations of empire were often laid not in gold and pigment, but in ink, paper, and irrevocable words.