World Events in 1470 - In Spain
In the South, a nation was in the process of being born: Spain did not yet exist at that time. On the one hand, there was Castile, on the other, Aragon, and everyone in the middle made out as best they could. In October 1469, Ferdinand, the Infante of Aragon, son of Juan II, king of Aragon, married Isabella, the Infanta of Castile, daughter of Juan II of Castile. This marriage would result in the union of Castile and Aragon and, thus, the concept of Spain. It is interesting to note that this power, which would be formidable during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries and nearly until the present day, was born at the precise moment that Botticelli was painting our famous Fortitude. For the time being, this is nothing more than two young people brought together. It will take some time before they become true king and queen. In December 1474, Isabella, the first to come to power, succeeded her brother, Henry IV, and became the queen of Castile and was known as Isabella I the Catholic. Five years later, the Infante Ferdinand succeeded his father, John II of Aragon and thus became the king of Aragon and Sicily and was known as Ferdinand II the Catholic. It should be noted that their epithets had been bestowed on them by the pope, Alexander VI Borgia, the least papal of all the popes. Let us not forget that Alexander VI was just the slightest bit Spanish, and it was the least he could do for the royal couple in order to protect his vineyards in Estramadura.
We thus have a country which is more or less status quo, France, a country still adrift, England and a power in the process of coming to life, Spain, a country as yet unnoticed but which was truly coming to life.
