Definition of Catholic Monarchs

The Catholic Monarchs were one of the most important monarchs in the history of Spain, responsible for the economic, territorial and politics of the Spanish State. They were clear representatives of a period in which modern states began to rise above the power of the feudal lords in Western Europe. His government It lasted more than thirty years (from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 16th century) and was undoubtedly one of the most glorious in all of Spanish history.

The historical importance of the Catholic kings (Isabel I of Castile and Fernando II of Aragon) comes from, as the popular saying goes, they were in the right place, in the opportune moment: it was under his command that the process known as Reconquista (a denomination questioned, but which still survives today) was completed, The American continent was discovered, and the territories held by the Castilian crown and the Catalan-Aragonese crown were dynastically united, in addition to expand them.

That is why his figure has been deliberately manipulated by Spanish nationalism, placing special emphasis on the fact that his marriage gave rise to to the union of the territories that would later form Spain, without taking into account that, really, it was only a dynastic union, leaving each territory with its own laws, economy (including currency), domestic and foreign policy, although they would be coordinated in aspects of the latter.

The inquisition was the only institution that it would be common to both kingdoms, that is, under a unified direction, since despite being an ecclesiastical institution, it depended on the crown, and this was unique for all kingdoms.

The two were married in 1469 near Valladolid. She was the daughter of Juan II and stepsister of Enrique IV of Castile, and he was the son of Juan II, King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona.

The first conflict They had to face the War of the Castilian Succession, which faced Isabel on the one hand, and Juana la Beltraneja (daughter of Enrique IV) on the other. This war lasted from 1475 to 1479.

At the beginning of the war, in 1475, both spouses would sign a document that would allow each one enjoy the same power as king consort in the other's territory, as in his own territory. Later, this document would allow Fernando to take over the affairs of Isabel as queen as the latter's health was undermined over the years.

The final balance of the conflict was not only the victory of Isabel, but the recognition of her as Castilian monarch, and the recognition by the courts of Castile of her marriage to Fernando.

Once the throne was guaranteed, the view of the Catholic Monarchs turned to internal consolidation and external expansion.

In foreign matters, before the end of the dynastic conflict in Castile, the Castilians undertook the conquest and colonization of the rest of the Canary Islands, which would culminate, in 1496, a slow process that had begun in 1402.

Without a doubt, one of the two most celebrated foreign policy milestones of the Catholic Monarchs is the conquest of the Kingdom of Granada.

This, the last territory in the Iberian Peninsula that remained in Muslim hands, was conquered in several phases, beginning in 1484 and culminating in the key date of 1492.

The first phase, which began in 1484 and ended in 1487, sought to take advantage of the crisis of dynastic succession in the Nasrid kingdom, and ended with the conquest of the western part of it.

Between 1488 and 1490, the eastern zone fell and, finally, from 1490 to 1492 the conquest of what remained of Granada was carried out.

The year 1492 also marks the beginning of the Columbian adventure, which will lead to the discovery of American lands for the Spanish.

Columbus sought to reach the Indies but from the west instead of the east, although there are theories that point to a prior knowledge on the part of the navigator that he was going to lands that did not appear in the maps.

In 1494 the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed, by means of which Castile and Portugal divided their areas of influence in the new lands discovered overseas.

I am referring to Castilla and not to Spain (the latter, a concept that was not used then to define a country, but rather the territory controlled by the monarchy of the Catholic Monarchs), because the American question was a Castilian enterprise, an endeavor of Isabel in which the Crown of Aragon did not play no paper.

The Catalan-Aragonese area of ​​expansion (and, especially, of the county of Barcelona), was the Mediterranean, in which a part of the Catalan maritime empire of the middle Ages.

Some Catalan and Aragonese characters would be part of the following expeditions to lands Americans, but always on a personal level, and never in official representation of their respective kingdoms.

Between 1494 and 1504, the Castilian troops will fight in Italy, although for domains that will later be administered by the Catalan-Aragonese crown.

The reason for this confrontation was French interests in Italy. Although Charles VIII of France had signed a treaty with Ferdinand II according to which the Crown of Aragon was would keep Gallic interventions on Italian soil neutral, the request for help of Pope Alexander VI (from the family Valenciana de los Borja) decided the intervention by Fernando.

Castilian troops fought in various phases in Italy, achieving outstanding victories and commenting on the later recognized power of Spanish troops on the European continent.

As a result of these conflicts, the Kingdom of Naples was incorporated into the Crown of Aragon.

In 1497 the expansion in North Africa began.

With the "excuse" of continuing the reconquest process, the Castilian troops obtained several strongholds in the north. of the continent, such as Melilla (which currently continues as an autonomous city in the Kingdom of Spain), Oran, Algiers, Tunisia or Tripoli

This campaign must be terminated due to the need for troops in the Italian campaigns, but the strongholds in North Africa will deter any attempt to reconquer Granada by the Muslim kingdoms North Africans.

In 1504, Queen Elizabeth I died, leaving her consort Fernando de her as regent of Castile.

The stage of the Catholic Monarchs comes to an end, but during his regency, Fernando will still expand Castilian territories with the conquest of the southern part of the Pyrenees from the Kingdom of Navarre.

Two very different personalities

According to the chroniclers of the time, Queen Elizabeth was a cultured woman, with a great capacity for command, disciplined and very devout. Although his marriage was motivated by political interests, most historians claim that She was in love with her husband and was pathologically jealous of her continued extramarital affairs. Fernando.

Ferdinand the Catholic has gone down in history as a cunning monarch with great political talent (se states that Machiavelli's "The Prince" was inspired precisely by the political skills of the King of Aragon).

The Catholic Monarchs had five children, but Fernando also had offspring with some of his mistresses. After being widowed he married the French Germana de Foix. She was 18 and 53 and according to some chroniclers Fernando died after having taken an aphrodisiac drink.

Topics in Catholic Kings