Queen's dirty underwear

Isabelline — despite the romantic name, this unpleasant yellowish-gray shade of white is more likely associated with dirty laundry.

According to the earliest legend, this color name comes from Spanish queen. The first legend says that the Spanish queen Isabella of Castile promised her husband, Ferdinand of Aragon, that she would not change her underwear until he completely conquered Grenada. The siege began in April 1491 and ended only in January 1492. It’s scary even to imagine what color and aroma the linen has acquired over these eight months.

It is not so important — Isabella made such an absurd promise or not, because this story played into her hands. She gained a reputation as a loyal, modest queen who was ready to suffer for believing in husband’s victory. If hygiene standards had not changed over the years, the legend about origin of this color would not have such a scandalous basis. In Spain of XV-XVII centuries were rather skeptical about personal hygiene and daily water procedures. Therefore, there was nothing shameful that someone walks in the same underwear for several months, even if you are a monarch. Isabella herself had a huge influence on Europe of the 15th century, and even the dirtiest rumors could not ruin her reputation.

In addition, there is still a similar story of the Isabelline color origin, which happened later, at the beginning of the XVII century, with another Isabella Clara Eugenia, who had not changed her underwear for three years.The color of Isabella was quite fashionable among European nobles for several centuries, but today it is mainly used to denote the suit of horses, dogs and pigeons.

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