Ferdinand II of Aragon

From Turtledove

Ferdinand II of Aragon
Historical Figure
Timeline:	OTL
Nationality:	Spain
Religion:	Catholicism
Date of Birth:	1452
Date of Death:	1516
Cause of Death:	Natural causes
Occupation:	Monarch of Aragon
Spouse:	Isabella of Castille (married 1469-1504); Germaine of Foix (married 1505-1516)
Children:	Twelve in total
Relatives:	Mary Tudor (granddaughter)
Timeline:	"Report of the Special Committee on the Quality of Life"
Timeline:	Ruled Britannia (referenced)

Ferdinand I of Aragon (1452-1516) was King of the Spanish province of Aragon (1479-1516) and several Italian provinces. His marriage to Isabella of Castille united their two kingdoms into a single Spain. Ferdinand authorized Christopher Columbus's exploratory mission across the Atlantic, which opened the New World to Spanish colonization.

His daughter Catherine married King Henry VIII of England, and his granddaughter was Mary Tudor. He had four other children with Isabella, most of whom were also wed to sovereigns, thereby extending the power of Spain in Europe. Upon Isabella's death, Ferdinand remarried, but the only child died hours after birth. Ferdinand also fathered another six children with various mistresses.

[edit] Ferdinand II in "Report of the Special Committee on the Quality of Life"

Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella ruled a Spain that had developed a system of government agencies. In 1492, they requested a study by the Special Committee on the Quality of Life as to the desirability of granting Christopher Columbus the ships and men needed to attempt a circumnavigation of the world via the Oceanic Sea rather than around Africa. The report concluded that such an attempt would not be in Spain's best interest.

[edit] Ferdinand II in Ruled Britannia

In 1598, Lope de Vega wrote El Mejor Mozo de España as a tribute to Ferdinand.

Office
Preceded by None; a number of rulers of small independent kingdoms	King of Spain (with Isabella of Castille) 1479-1516	Succeeded by Charles I