Ferdinand and Isabella: Power Couple Extraordinaire
Ferdinand and Isabella were one of the most famous power couples in European history. They had an incredibly modern relationship in many ways, with Isabella on an equal par with her husband. They enjoyed a profound love and mutual respect in their relationship, tirelessly working together to achieve their aims.
In Ferdinand and Isabella’s estimation, their crowning achievement wasn’t expanding their empire to include the New World, or uniting the various dominions that would become modern Spain. They believed their greatest accomplishment was driving out all Muslims from their country.
Ferdinand, the son of King John I of Aragon, married Isabella, the daughter of King John II of Castile, on the morning of October 18, 1469. At this time many areas of the Iberian peninsula had been ruled by Muslims for over 700 years. Spurred on by their fanatical religious beliefs, Ferdinand and Isabella were determined to unite their land under exclusively Christian leadership and waged a long, bloody campaign to oust the Moors. In January 1492, they finally achieved their goal and conquered the last Muslim stronghold.
It was during Ferdinand and Isabella’s watch that the dreaded Inquisition commenced. It became the accepted method for testing the orthodoxy of Jews or Muslims who’d converted to Christianity rather than…
