Kingdom of Castile

The Kingdom of Castile was born in the course of the eleventh century and was unified with the Kingdom of León in 1230, under the dynasty of the Counts of Castile. In subsequent years, the dynasty acquired most of Andalusia, removing it from the Arabs. In 1479, with the ascent to the throne of Isabella I (1451-1504), who was married for ten years with King Ferdinand II of Aragon (1452-1516), the domains of the kingdom were extended further: on the one hand, after the discovery/conquest of America, on the other hand, thanks to the so-called Reconquista which ended with the fall of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada in 1492. This same year saw the beginning of repression/expulsion of ethnic and religious groups other than Christians: the Jews were expelled in 1492, and the subjects of Muslim faith were first converted to the Christian faith by force – the so-called Moriscos – and then finally expelled between 1609 and 1614. Though the marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand had determined the dynastic union of their respective kingdoms, they remained separated and retained their own laws and institutions, even when, under Charles V (1500-1558), they shared the same ruler. With Philip II of Habsburg (1527-1598), the son of Emperor Charles V, Madrid was chosen capital of the kingdom of Castile and Spain. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, with the succession to the throne of Philip V of Bourbon (1683-1746), the laws and institutions of Castile were extended to the rest of the Iberian Peninsula.