Crown of Aragon Expansion & Catholic Kings’ Unification of Spain
The Crown of Aragon’s Mediterranean Expansion
The expansion of the Crown of Aragon in the Mediterranean was due to balanced development. Agricultural surpluses led to abundant capital, establishing a strong currency and fostering business and commercial crafts, alongside social stability.
The monarchy established a territorial economic empire in the Mediterranean based on long-distance trade, an international legal apparatus, and military conquest. Trade focused on eastern Mediterranean routes, with consulates in Alexandria, Cyprus, Beirut, Damascus, and Tyre, as well as the western Mediterranean, competing with the Genoese. The Flanders route was also important.
Consuls defended the interests of merchants of the Crown of Aragon, representing the king and indigenous authorities. They also had judiciary power in the territory. Commercial traders and monarchs drove territorial expansion, using military force to reassert commercial dominance.
Key Conquests
- Mallorca: Conquered by James I.
- Sicily: Conquered by Peter III.
- Sardinia: Conquered during the first half of the 14th century.
- Athens and Neopatria: A vassal state established by mercenaries.
- Naples: Conquered by Alfonso V the Magnanimous.
The Catholic Kings and Dynastic Union
The reign of the Catholic Kings is considered the origin of the modern state in the Hispanic monarchy. The marriage of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 united the two largest kingdoms of the Peninsula, creating a new political entity: the Hispanic monarchy.
The kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia shared only the monarchy, with each kingdom retaining its laws and institutions. The monarchs agreed on the need to complete the territorial unity of the Hispanic kingdoms to consolidate a strong state. Castile annexed Granada (1492) and later Navarra (1512).
The union of Castile and Aragon was personal, not institutional. The institutions of the Crown of Aragon remained largely intact. The term “Spain” referred to the association of all the peoples of the peninsula without a specific political meaning. The Catholic Kings used the title “Kings of Spain,” but recognized the distinct kingdoms within it. Castilians were legally considered foreigners in Aragon and vice versa.
The Conquest of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada
The internal reorganization of the State under the Catholic Monarchs aimed to incorporate all peninsular kingdoms into the Hispanic monarchy. One of their primary objectives was the conquest of the Nazari kingdom of Granada, the last Muslim-dominated territory. The conquest of Granada marked the end of the Reconquista.
The war was difficult due to initial disorder and Muslim resistance. It was framed as a Crusade against the infidels, with Pope Sixtus IV offering special thanks to those who contributed. The war lasted ten years (1482-1492) and required significant military and economic effort from the Crown, the Church, and the nobility. Granada surrendered on January 2, 1492.