Essay
Imperial Rivalries
When Christopher Columbus made his plans to sail westward across the Atlantic, he first set off across Europe to find sponsors. His brother Bartholomew went to the court of the English King Henry VII (who turned him down,...
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Glossary Term – Person
Ferdinand and Isabella
The King of Aragon and Queen of Castile and León, Ferdinand (1452–1516) and Isabella (1541–1504) married in 1469. Their marriage united the three provinces and formed the basis for both a unified Reconquista effort in Spain, which was completed successfully in 1492, and a unified Spanish nation. Their desire to compete with Portugal in Atlantic exploration and trading led to their sponsorship of Christopher Columbus’s voyages, which opened the New World to exploitation and colonization.