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Spanish TV series: “Isabel”, and the origins of the expression “Tanto monta, monta tanto” Posted by on Dec 6, 2012 in Learning, Spanish Culture

This week we could see the last episode of a TV series that has achieved a great success in “La Primera”, our national TV: “Isabel”. Starring Michelle Jenner and Rodolfo Sancho, it is based on the life of the queen Isabel of Castile, married to Fernando II of Aragon.

As we can imagine, medieval times were not easy: wars to gain the succession to the throne were something common, and our peninsula was a mixing of different kingdoms. Some historians consider that their marriage was the starting point for the unification of what we know as Spain now.

Anyway,  I´m not going to give you a history lesson about our Catholic Monarchs, but to explain one of our sayings which was the monarch´s motto: “Tanto monta, monta tanto (Isabel como Fernando). We can find it in a lot of places,; if you ever go to San Juan de los Reyes monastery in Toledo don´t forget to look at the roof for it.

Although it was originally a reference to the Gordian Knot and a legend regarding Alexander the Great and it´s method to solve problems, (reason why Fernando II chose it as his personal motto), the popular voice included that second part “Isabel como Fernando”, meaning that both monarchs ruled in equality. Nowadays, we use this expression to convey the idea not only that two people have the same power of decision, but also that it doesn´t matter for the results  who decides or what happens first.

And going back to the TV series, it has been announced that there will be a second season, so I´m eager to see Boabdil and Granada in it! I´ll keep you posted if I know when they will be recording in my city…

You can watch “Isabel” here if you want.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtRaRmMy7l0

Esta semana pudimos ver el último capítulo de una serie que ha conseguido un gran éxito en La Primera, nuestra cadena nacional: Isabel. Protagonizada por Michelle Jenner y Rodolfo Sancho, está basada en la vida de la reina Isabel de Castilla, casada con Fernando II de Aragón.

Como podemos imaginar, la época medieval no fue sencilla: las guerras para conseguir la sucesión al trono eran algo común, y nuestra península era una mezcla de diferentes reinos. Algunos historiadores consideran que su matrimonio fue el punto de inicio para la unificación de lo que hoy conocemos como España.

En cualquier caso, no voy a daros una clase de historia acerca de nuestros Reyes Católicos, sino a explicar uno de nuestros dichos populares que fue el lema de este monarca: “Tanto monta, monta tanto (Isabel como Fernando).  Podemos encontrarlo en multitud de lugares; si alguna vez vais al monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes en Toledo, no dejéis de buscarlo por el techo.

Aunque originalmente era una referencia al nudo gordiano y una leyenda sobre Alejandro Magno y su forma de solventar los problemas (razón por la que Fernando II lo tomó como su lema personal), la voz del pueblo incluyó esa segunda parte “Isabel como Fernando”, implicando que ambos monarcas gobernaban en igualdad. Hoy día usamos esta expresión no solo implicando que dos personas tienen el mismo poder de decisión, sino también que no afecta al resultado quién decide, o qué ocurre primero

Y volviendo a la serie de televisión, se ha anunciado que habrá segunda temporada, así que ¡estoy ansiosa de ver a Boabdil y Granada en ella! Os mantendré informados si me entero de cuando estarán grabando en mi ciudad…

Podéis ver “Isabel” aquí si os apetece.

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About the Author: Magda

Hi all! I’m Magda, a Spanish native speaker writing the culture posts in the Transparent Language Spanish blog. I have a Bachelor’s in English Philology and a Master’s in Linguistics and Literature from the University of Granada, in Spain. I have also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, and then worked as an English teacher in several schools and academies for several years. Last year was my first at university level. In addition, I work as a private tutor, teaching English and Spanish as a foreign language to students and adults. In my free time, I’m an avid reader and writer, editing and collaborating in several literary blogs. I have published my first poetry book recently. And last but not least, I love photography!