Catholic Kings

The catholic Kings , or even " Kings very catholiques" are a title which accepted collectively Isabelle Ire of Castille and Ferdinand II of Aragon, of the pope Alexandre VI, like compensation to have granted the title of king of Christianity king de France.

They married in secrecy in 1469, giving rise to the union of the crowns of Castille and of Aragon in 1474. They undertook the colonization of the the Canaries.

They carried out during ten years the Guerres of Grenade, which culminated in the crucial Année : the town of Grenade was besieged starting from 1491, until its capitulation the January 2nd 1492. They based on the vega (the plain below Grenade), the town of Santa Fe, which was used initially as camping with their armies.

A legend wants that Isabelle the Catholic financed with her jewels the voyage of Christophe Colomb in India by a new road towards the west, which led it to discover Americas the 12 October 1492.
Actually, the funds came from Louis de Santangel, chancellor of the royal house, Gabriel Sanchez, treasurer of Aragon, and Isaac Abravanel. For the anecdote, the two first were Conversos, the third was the most famous Jew of Spain.

Policy of alliances

The policy of the catholic kings included/understood also alliances because of the marriages of their children.

Alliances were those:

Isabelle, married with Alphonse of Portugal.
Jean, married with Marguerite of Austria and died prematurely in 1497, it is buried in the monastery of saint Thomas, Avila.
Jeanne, it Maria with Philippe of Austria. (Philippe Beautiful)
Maria, married with Handbook of Portugal.
Cataline, which Maria first of all with Arthur Tudor, then after the untimely death of this one, with his/her brother, who will become Henry VIII of England.

Religion

Kings Catholiques proclaimed that Espagnes were to be a ground more catholic than the country mother of the the Vatican, the Italy. The year following Reconquista, they promulgated by the decree of Alhambra the expulsion of the Séfarades having refused to convert, depriving the country of the financial mannas of these populations.

See also: Conversos .

Culture

They were impressed by the inheritance left by the Moors, and asked the Mudéjar S a continuation of the Moorish Art on their own grounds.

Anecdote

In England, a place is called elephant and castle , by deterioration of Infanta of castilla . It was dedicated to Catalina, girl of kings Catholiques and Queen of England, at the time of its marriage with Henry VIII.

Random links: