Isabella was married to her cousin Ferdinand on October 19, 1469. She was crowned the Queen of Castile when Henry IV died in 1474. Ferdinand became the King of Aragón in 1479. They only wanted Christians to live in Spain, which they now controlled most of, and became known as the Catholic Monarchs.

They worked with Pope Sixtus the fourth in 1483 to get an organization called the Inquisition started again, with the intentions of bringing the people of Spain together with one religion.

In 1492, they captured the Kingdom of Granada and made all of the Jews and Moors, or African Muslims, convert to Christianity or move away from Spain. This is also the year they sponsored Christopher Columbus.

Because of Ferdinand’s advanced military and political skills, and Isabella gaining the support of many nobles, they ended up conquering all of the land south of the Pyrenees Mountains, except for Portugal.

They had five children, and all of them married young nobles of other kingdoms in Europe. When they died, they were buried together in the Royal Chapel at Granada Cathedral.

When Ferdinand and Isabella were married, they brought the two most powerful kingdoms in Spain together. Later, they conquered even more territory and influenced Europe greatly. They are also known for sponsoring Christopher Columbus on the journey that was meant to find a new way to get to Asia. Instead, he found a new continent, or the “New World.” Since Ferdinand and Isabella supplied him with money and goods for his trip, Columbus claimed all of the new land’s wealth and land for Spain.

1. What would this person’s “Senior Quote” be in their high school yearbook?
   1. “Christians rule, all others drool.”

                                                               i.      Ferdinand and Isabella thought Christians were the best type of people in the world. They ended up forcing everyone in Spain to convert to Christianity. If people didn’t, they were expected to leave Spain or be killed. They also tried to drive other types of people, such as Jews, Moors, etc., out of the country.

2. What “Senior Superlative” would this person be voted?
   1. “Most Likely to Get Married”

                                                               i.      I think that a lot of people would have known these two were planning on getting married because they were both heirs to huge kingdoms. By marrying, they united much of Spain. Even though they were cousins, it was a very smart decision to get married because they ended up bringing together most of Spain under their control.

Bibliography

"Ferdinand and Isabella." Reviewed by William D. Phillips, Jr.. The New Book of Knowledge®. 2009. Grolier Online. 25 Feb. 2009 <http://nbk.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=a2010040-h>.

 Glick, Thomas F. "Ferdinand II (Aragón)." Encyclopedia Americana. 2009. Grolier Online. 20 Mar. 2009 <http://ea.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0154130-00>.

 "King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castille

http://fcit.usf.edu/FLORIDA/photos/historic/soto/soto1/soto130.htm

Still frame from "Hernando DeSoto in America." Original video provided courtesy of the DeSoto National Memorial.

 “Resurgent Nations in the New Europe” Map

Richard A. Griggs, University of Cape Town, S.Af.

©1998, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

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Jordan B.