Chess and Medieval Spain
Queen Isabel of Castilla was an important woman. She:
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united Castile and Aragon to form modern Spain,
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conquered the sole remaining Muslim state in the Peninsular,
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introduced the Inquisition to her realm,
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evicted the Jews from her domains,
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sent successful armies into Italy, and
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discovered the Americas.
So it should be no surprise that she also inspired the powerful Queen in the modern game of chess. Somebody has even written a book about it ...
Before the Isabel came along each side in chess had a plodding Councilor instead. If you're interested in how chess looked before Isabel came along, check out ...
