Queen Isabella I of Castille and Spain

April 22, 1451 is the birthday of Queen Isabella I of Castille and Spain.   An early “power couple”, Isabella and her husband, Ferdinand II, a local royal guy from neighboring Aragon, began the modern political state of Spain.  A working mom with five children, Isabella inherited a kingdom beset with problems of crushing debt (sound familiar?) and social disorder, and devoted herself to improving her country.  A staunch Catholic, she was not a champion of diversity, and harshly expelled the Moors and Jews.  Isabella financed Christopher Columbus’ voyages to the Americas, changing the modern world forever.