Thread by @Arby_K

When history repeats - A King Consort whose father had seized his wife's Kingdom ignoring his son, seizes his wife's Kingdom ignoring his daughter.

Story in the evening ...

https://twitter.com/Arby_K/status/1380347521961091072

Fernando de Aragón was born in 1452 to King Juan of Navarre and Juana Enriquez. Juan had become King of Navarre on the death of his first wife, Queen Blanca, in 1441, preventing his elder son, Carlos, from becoming King. In 1451, Carlos rebelled, and failed. 1/10

In 1458, Juan inherited Aragon & Sicily from his brother, Alfonso. King Alfonso had no legitimate children, though illegitimate Ferrante succeeded Alfonso in Naples. Carlos died in 1461, triggering a civil war in Catalonia. But with French support, Juan emerged victorious. 2/10

In 1468, Fernando was made King of Sicily. A marriage with Princess Isabella of Castile followed the next year. Juan ensured Fernando was prepared for Kingship unlike Carlos, and it wasn't long before Fernando would be tested in battle. 3/10

Isabella had to fight for her claim of Castile against her niece, Juana. The Portuguese King came to the aid of unmarried Juana and proposed to marry her. But after the Battle of Toro, Isabella was able to establish herself as Queen, though she lost out in the Atlantic. 4/10

With King Juan's death in 1479, Fernando and Isabella had united most of the Iberian peninsula, apart from Portugal, Granada and Navarre. The couple pushed for greater role for their religion in their domains, establishing Inquisition and expelling Jews. 5/10

Since the conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom in 711 by the Umayyads, the Church in Rome had supported the reconquest of the peninsula. Granada was the last non Christian Kingdom in Iberia. With Fernando and Isabella supporting the Church, the Church funded them. 6/10

Granada was conquered by 1491 and with the riches earned they financed an expedition by Cristoforo Colombo, that led to the discovery of the Caribbean islands and later the Americas. Fernando also took part in wars in Italy as France tried to seize Milan and Naples. 7/10

In 1503, Naples was divided between France and Aragon, but the next year Aragon expelled France from Naples. The same year, Queen Isabella died. But instead of handing over Castile to their daughter, Juana, Fernando continued to rule as regent, declaring Juana insane. 8/10

After King Juan died in 1479, his daughter Leonor became Queen of Navarre. But by 1483, the crown had passed on to her granddaughter, Catalina, married to French lord, Jean d'Albret. Catalina also ruled Foix, Bearn and Bigorre in France. 9/10

In 1512, with France busy in Italy, Fernando conquered Upper Navarre, the part of Navarre south of the Pyrenees. When King Fernando died in 1516, he left a group of Kingdoms that would become Spain. But it was his grandson, Karl, who would be its first King. 10/10