The Good, the Bad and the Unready by Robert Easton Read Free Book Online Page A

Virgin Mary. Unfortunately for his subjects (especially those of the Jewish faith) this zeal was accompanied by a cold and flinty determination to spread his religious beliefs, and in tandem with Isabella he established the notorious Spanish Inquisition to ensure that Catholicism was followed religiously by all.
    The austere Isabella ‘la Catolica’, meanwhile, considered herself a moral role model to her subjects. Appalled at their ‘lack of faith’ and ‘inordinate luxury’, she promoted frugality and devotion. Despite her immense wealth, for instance, she personally mended one of Ferdinand’s tunics seven times, and whenever he was out of town she took great pains to have it known that she slept surrounded by her daughters and ladies-in-waiting.
    The couple’s faith was sorely tested by the misfortunes of their offspring. Of their five children, their son John died in his late teens (his death popularly ascribed to his physical passion for his young wife), their daughter Catalina (Catherine of Aragon) had her marriage annulled by BLUFF KING HAL , and poor Joan, heiress to the throne after the death of her brother, married Philip the FAIR and then went stark raving mad.
      Ferdinand the Catholic see the CATHOLIC KINGS
    Isabella the Catholic see the CATHOLIC KINGS
    Michael the Caulker see NOBLE PROFESSIONS
    Peter the Ceremonious
    Peter IV, king of Aragon, 1319–87
    Peter considered authority to be effective only if seen to be so, and therefore busied himself with pomp, ceremony and self-celebration to prove that he was in charge. He enjoyed making grand gestures, and founded a couple of universities, had the Qur’an and other major works translated into Catalan, and placed the crown upon his own head at his coronation. But he was also a stickler for detail: when, for example, King James III of Majorca came to court to pay homage, Peter made him sit on a small, unimpressive cushion as a reminder of his lowly status.
    Many of his demonstrations of rank and power were shocking in their cruelty, so much so that some nicknamed him ‘Peter el del Puñal’ or ‘Peter of the Dagger’. Once he summoned some Valencian nobles whom he suspected of double-dealing to his court. On their arrival he had one of the palace bells that had summoned them melted down, and the hot lead poured down the unfortunate dignitaries’ throats.
      Alfonso the Chaste
    Alfonso II, king of Asturias, 759–842
    Early in his reign Alfonso made Oviedo the new capital of the kingdom of Asturias. It was from here that he made the first pilgrimage to Compostela, where the supposed tomb of the apostle St James had recently been discovered. As one might expect from a chaste and devout king, Alfonso died without heirs.
    Boleslav the Chaste see Boleslav the BASHFUL
    Le Chevalier de St George see James the WARMING-PAN BABY
    Ptolemy the Chickpea see PTOLEMAIC KINGS
    Louis the Child
    Louis IV, king of the east Franks, 893–911
    Louis was indeed a child – barely six – when he ascended the throne, and he relied upon Liutpold, the margrave of Bavaria, to run the kingdom and keep marauding Magyar horsemen at bay. When Liutpold died in battle in 907, the Magyars ran amok. And when Louis himself, still in his teens, died four years later, the whole of the eastern part of the Frankish Empire sank into desperate lawlessness.
    Saladin the Chivalrous Saracen
    Saladin, Saracen leader, c.1138–93
    Saladin was pitted against Richard the LIONHEART in the Third Crusade and earned his nickname when he allegedly saw Richardwithout a horse and sent him one of his own steeds, saying he would not see such a worthy opponent without a mount. He was not all sweetness and light, however: his hatred of Christians was absolute. ‘Let us purge the air that they breathe,’ he told his troops, ‘until there shall not remain on this earth one unbeliever in God.’
    Saladin the Chivalrous Saracen
    Citizen Equity
    Philip I, duke of Orléans, 1747–93
    In an attempt to recoup