" The medieval structure was unprepossessing, not looking at all like a home to monarchs. The site underscored to me how humble Isabella’s beginnings had been, and how unlikely her meteoric rise to power. It seemed almost unbelievable that a young woman from this background at a time when women seldom wielded power, would pave the way to world dominion for her grandchildren. "

― Kirstin Downey , Isabella: The Warrior Queen