The Catholic Monarchs and the Expansion of Spain

In Spain, the Modern Age began with the Catholic Monarchs. They laid the foundations for Spanish hegemony in Europe, which was consolidated during the 16^th century by Charles I and Philip II.

The Dynastic Union of Castilla and Aragon

The marriage of Isabella I of Castilla and Ferdinand II of Aragón in 1469 was the first step toward the union of the Kingdom of Castilla and the states belonging to the Crown of Aragón. The process was completed in 1479. In reality, this was only a dynastic union, which meant that the rule of the two monarchs was the only thing that the respective territories had in common. These maintained their institutions, laws, customs, and currencies.

The Strengthening of the State

The Catholic Monarchs reinforced their royal power and established an authoritarian monarchy in Spain. They controlled all the powers of the state.

• Territorial unification: This began with the annexation of the Nasrid kingdoms of Granada to Castilla (1492), which led to the completion of the conquest of the peninsula. The process was concluded by the annexation of the Kingdom of Navarra (1512). Efforts were also made to prepare a future union with Portugal through marriage ties.
• Religious unity: The Catholic Monarchs created the Tribunal of the Inquisition (1478), an institution that pursued heretics and Judaisers. They forced both the Jews (1492) and Granada's Mudejares (1500) to either submit to baptism or leave the country.
• Establishment of the modern state:
  • They imposed their authority over the nobility, clergy, and municipalities. This enabled them to gain control over the high-ranking nobility. They intervened in the appointment of bishops and controlled the property of the military orders. They reduced the autonomy of the municipalities by appointing chief magistrates in Castilla and holding lotteries for appointments in Aragón. Finally, they hardly ever summoned the Cortes, which was the legislative body that represented the three estates.
  • They reformed the administration. They created Councils made up of jurists, and Chancillerias or Audencias, which were royal courts located in Valladolid and Granada. They established an efficient political economy and increased the royal income. They created the Santa Hermandad (Holy Brotherhood), which maintained social order in rural areas. They also modernized the army by organizing it into regiments called tercios.

The Expansion of Castilla and Aragon

The Catholic Monarchs' foreign policy, which was planned by Ferdinand the Catholic, was focused on three areas: Africa, the Atlantic, and Europe. As a result of this policy:

• Castilla conquered fortresses in North Africa: Melilla in 1495, Oran in 1509, and Algiers and Tripoli in 1510. In competition with Portugal, Spain continued its expansion in the Atlantic region, which resulted in the conquest of the Canary Islands in 1496 and the discovery of America in 1492.
• In Europe, Aragón continued its long-running rivalry with France. This rivalry would lead to the recapture of Roussillon and Cerdanya in southern France and the conquest of Naples, which led to the definite expulsion of the French from southern Italy.