A History of Modern Europe - From the Renaissance to the Present

172 Ch. 5 • Rise of the Atlantic Economy: Spain and England

people, five-sixths of the population of Spain as a whole. Aragon, lying in
northern Spain, had prospered during the Middle Ages because of its flour­
ishing Mediterranean trade. It became a federation of dominions, includ­
ing Catalonia and Valencia, greatly influenced by Mediterranean peoples
and cultures (see Map 5.1). In contrast, Portugal was a relatively poor
Atlantic state of mariners lying on the western edge of Iberia, despite its
precocious development of trade routes along the West African coast and
as far as the Indian Ocean and beyond. It had a population of about 1
million people (roughly equivalent to that of Aragon). Following the
death of the Portuguese king without a male heir, Philip II of Spain
claimed the Portuguese throne by virtue of being the only son of Isabella
of Portugal, daughter of King Manuel I. Portugal was merged into the
Spanish kingdom in 1580. (Portugal did not regain its independence
until 1640.)

Centralization and the Spanish Monarchy

In 1469, Isabella of Castile (1451-1504) married Ferdinand (1452-1516),

heir to the throne of Aragon. Castilian policies were successfully imple­

mented to create a relatively centralized monarchy. The Castilian dialect

gradually emerged as the language of Spain, giving some truth to the old

saying that “a language is a dialect with an army.” In 1492, Spanish armies

captured Granada, which was the last part of the Iberian Peninsula con­

trolled by the Moors.

(Left) King Ferdinand II of Aragon was devoted to the Catholic Church.

(Right) Isabella, Queen of Castile.