October 18 - Marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon

This Day in History: 18 October 2020

 

18 October 1469

 

551 years ago, today, Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castile, thus beginning a co-operative reign that would unite all the dominions of Spain, elevating the nation to a dominant world power. Together, they incorporated many Spanish dominions into their kingdom and, in 1478, introduced the Spanish Inquisition, the powerful and brutal homogenisation of the Spanish society. In 1492, the reconquest of Granada from the Moors was completed, and the crown ordered all Spanish Jews to convert to Christianity, with the Spanish Muslims being handed a similar order four years later.

 

Before the two were married, Isabella had heard that Ferdinand was handsome, and he had been informed of her beauty. However, Isabella's half-brother, King Enrique IV of Castile, forbade the two from meeting. They instead met in secret, with Ferdinand disguised as a merchant, and their small talk, that lasted for two hours, led to their wedding. Afterwards, the King of Portugal, who had a claim to the Spanish throne, declared war against Isabella, but Ferdinand helped Isabella defeat her opponents by demoralising them, while Isabella rode out to negotiate with rebels in a local revolt. Their marriage and subsequent events secured their place in history and religion as 'the Catholic monarchs'.

 

Want to find out more about the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella? Click here for more information, or here for a video with more about the Spanish Reconquista.