Note 78 — Chapter III

Ferdinand, it is related, fearing that the sudden news of Juan’s death would kill Isabel with grief, caused her to be told that it was her husband, Ferdinand himself, that had died, so that when he presented himself before her, the—as he supposed—lesser grief of her son’s death should be mitigated by learning that her husband was alive. The experiment does not appear to have been very successful, as Isabel was profoundly affected when she heard the truth. (Florez, ‘Reinas Catolicos’).