The Kingdom of Spain arose rather late – by 1479 as a result of merge Castilian and Aragonsky of the kingdom. However political reunification of Spain ended only by the end of the 15th century, and Navarre managed to be annexed by 1512. Merge of a Castilian and Aragonese crown resulted from marriage of the king Aragoniya of Ferdinand II Aragonsky and the queen of Castile and Leon Isabella Kastilskaya.
Queen Isabella I Castilscaya
The very first and most famous queen of Spain for the entire period of existence of this state.
Isabella was an average child in family of Juan II, the king of Castile. In future kings designated her elder brother Enrique IV. But Enrique's inability to make the successor made a succession to the throne question very relevant. The nobility forced Enrique to refuse a throne in favor of his younger brother Alphonso, but the dominating king was discordant with them.
As a result of this opposition Castile was divided into two hostile camps: some were for the acting king Henrique, others – for Alphonso. The sudden death of the last forced Alphonso's supporters to concentrate the views on Isabella. To put an end to Henrique's opposition proclaimed the sister Isabella the heir to the throne.
In 1469 Isabella Kastilskaya, she is Isabella Katolicheskaya, secretly married Ferdinand, prince Aragonsky as Enrique's consent to this marriage did not manage to achieve. According to the marriage contract Ferdinand became prince-konsortom at future queen, that is undertook to live in Castile, to respect its laws and to undertake nothing without the consent of the queen.
In 1474 Enrique dies and Isabel (Isabella) declares herself the queen of Castile and Leon. Ferdinand became king-co-governor, received wide powers, but in government the advantage was got by the queen.
In 1479 Ferdinand became the king of Aragon, Sicily and Valencia, and since 1503 under a name of Ferdinand III – also the king of Naples.
For more than 30-year period of government of Isabella in Spain there were many changes:
- the arbitrariness of the highest nobility (grandees) and the large cities was strongly limited that strengthened the central power;
- the parliament (Cortes) gradually lost the independence and began to submit to the king and the queen completely;
- Ferdinand became the great master of three most influential spiritual and knightly awards of Spain that made these awards entirely dependent on decisions of the king;
- the Castilian church, thanks to support of monarchs, gained big independence and independence of the Pope, but more loyal to Isabelle.
In 1478 Isabella founded inquisition – the church court intended for maintaining purity of belief. From this year, mass prosecutions of Muslims and Jews began, and then – also Protestants. Hundreds of thousands of Jews and Muslims fled from Spain to Portugal, Italy and North Africa. Thousands were burned on fires on charges of heresy.
The state system underwent serious changes. The highest positions passed into the royal order, the clergy is subordinated to royal jurisdiction. Reorganization of public administration led to growth of royal income, a part from which went for support of science and arts.
In 1492 Granada was won from Moors. Same year Christopher Columbus receives funds for an expedition on that side of the ocean and opens the new lands subsequently called America.
Isabella in 1504 died, having appointed the heir to the throne the daughter Juana. After Isabella I Castilscaya's death for Spain the Golden Age began.
Juana I Bezumnaya
Isabella Katolicheskaya's daughter who was born in 1479 in the Spanish city of Toledo. Gained the fame thanks to the sincere disease and also that fact that up to 2013 remained the oldest monarch of Castile and Leon. In the period of romanticism Juana's identity involved many actors as a sample of infinite, but unrequited love, devotion and fidelity.
In 1496 married the archduke of Austria Philip Avstriysky. The spouse surrounded the young wife with caress and care, and Juana madly fell in love with the husband. Soon Philip switched the attention to numerous mistresses and began to avoid to the spouse, and Juana remained alone at the Burgundian yard. Court were hostile to her, and in this atmosphere at Juana frequent flashes of jealousy and a hysterics began.
By 1500 Juana already managed to give birth to the spouse of the boy and the girl, but the successor Portuguese and both Spanish crowns the baby Miguel unexpectedly dies in 1500.
By 1502 Juana becomes the successor of a Castilian crown, but same year also its unstable mental state is found. Therefore, according to the will, Castile on behalf of Juana her father Ferdinand II will operate. In practice her spouse Philip, thus, Gabsburgov who became the first king of Castile from a dynasty became the regent at the queen.
In 1506 Philip got sick with smallpox and died. Juana finally went crazy:
- long remained about the dead;
- in every way opposed to a funeral;
- was depressed, replaced by rage attacks;
- accompanied funeral procession through the whole country, repeatedly opening a coffin once again to admire the husband;
- forbade to approach the dead to women, being jealous of the spouse even after his death;
- avoided people and it was often locked alone.
The board in the kingdom was accepted by her father Ferdinand, and Juana in 1509 was ground in the Tordesilyas lock where she also died in 1555 at the age of 75 years.
Anna Avstriyskaya
The fourth wife of the king of Spain Philip II. As the historic person became famous thanks to novels by Aleksander Dumas Sr. ("Three musketeers"). The first three wives of Philip could not give birth to him to the successor, and the last from them – Elizabeth Frantsuzskaya (Valois) – died at unsuccessful childbirth, having left the monarch at once both without wife, and without heir to the throne.
Anna Avstriyskaya (1549-1580) was an oldest daughter of the emperor of the Sacred Roman Empire and the archduke of Austria Maximilian II. Intended in wives to the prince of Spain Don Carlos, but in connection with his unexpected death in 1568 and remained the unmarried till 1570.
In 1570 Anna arrived in Madrid and soon became Philip II's spouse and the queen of Spain. Gave birth to four sons and the daughter:
- Ferdinand (1571-1578);
- Carlos Lauretius (1573-1575);
- Diego (1575-1582);
- Filippa (1578-1621);
- Maria (1580-1583).
From all children only one – Philip III – lived up to majority and became the king of Spain Philip III.
In 1580 during the trip to Portugal Anna and her spouse Philip seriously get sick with flu and die. At the time of death Anna was only 30 years old.
Queen Laetitia
One of the most known nowadays well queens of the world. Was born in 1972 in family of the journalist Jose Alvares and the nurse Maria Rodriguez. A name at the birth – Laetitia Aurtis Rokasolano. Left the public secondary school of Ramiro de Mezdou, then – the Madrid university with the diploma of the master of journalism. From 1999 to 2000 she was married to Alonso Guerrero Pérez. Divorced.
In 2003 unexpectedly for all the royal palace of Spain announced an engagement of Felipe, Prince of Asturias and Laetitia Rokasolano. Considering the fact that first marriage of Laetitia had exclusively secular character, the Catholic church agreed to repeated marriage.
In 2004 Laetitia and Felipe's solemn wedding took place. In 2005 Laetitia presented the spouse first daughter Leonore, and in 2007 – the second Sofia.
In 2014 the king of Spain Juan Carlos I abdicated, having delegated the royalty to the son Felipe who became Philip IV. Leticia received the queen-konsorta title.