3. THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS IMPORTANT DATES -
1469: -
-
1474: -
-
Marriage of Isabel of Castilla and Fernando of Aragón. Isabel becomes Queen Isabel I of Castilla
1479: - Fernando becomes king Fernando II of Aragón.
-
1492: -
-
1504: -
-
Isabel I of Castilla dies. Her daughter Juana is young so Fernando II of Aragón becomes regent of Castilla.
1506: -
-
Conquest of Granada Discovery of America
Juana of Castilla, named Juana «The Mad» , suffera from mental illness His father rules as regent until his death
1516: -
After Fernando’s death, cardinal Cisneros becomes regent before Juana’s son Carlos V became king of Spain
3. THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS DYNASTIC UNION - Under the reign of Isabel I of Castilla and Fernando II of Aragón, Spain’s kingdoms joined as one of the most powerful monarchies. - Their marriage was not a union of kingdoms, it was a dynastic union: - Both crowns kept their own law, institutions, borders and currency.. - Both monarchs governed their territories together and introduced common policies at an international level.
3. THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS TERRITORIAL EXPANSION IN THE IBERIAN PENINSULA - The Catholic Monarchs hoped to unite all the kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula under their crown: 1. Granada: - The Nasrid kingdom was in the middle of a civil war . - They took advantage by conquering Muslims lands. - King Boabdil surrendered in 1492, this marked the end of the Reconquista. 2. Navarra: - In 1512 king Fernando used his alliance with France as an excuse to invade the kingdom of Navarra and annex it to Castilla. - But e maintained its laws and institutions.
3. Portugal: - The Catholic Monarchs created links with the Portuguese monarchy through royal marriages. - Portugal only became part of the monarchy during the reign of Felipe II.
3. THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS FOREIGN POLICIES - The interests of both crowns were in two ways: 1. Marriage policy - They had the goal of isolating France. - They carried out a marriage policy with their sons and daughters: - Isabel and Maria to Manuel I of Portugal - Juan to Margaret of Habsburg. - Juana to Philip of Austria «The Fair», their heir to the Duchy of Burgundy and the Earldom of Flanders. -- Catalina to king Henry VIII of England. 2. International expansion 1. Atlantic expansion: - The priority of Castilla was to control trade routes and to finish the occupation of the Canary Islands (crucial to exploring the route to the West Indies) 2. Mediterranean expansion: - Aragón was concerned with its Mediterranean interests, especially in Italy - Gonzalo Fernánde de Córdoba, named the Great Captain, defeated the French in Italy. - This help them regain the counties of Roussillon and Cerdagne. 3. North Africa expansion - This expansion reached several coastal areas such as Melilla.