Historic Realms: The Crown of Castile Quiz

Answer: León

Castile is represented by the castles and León by the (no surprise!) lions. The kingdoms of Castile and León had been united in the past; however, kings such as Alfonso VII often participated in the royal tradition of splitting up their kingdom amongst their children upon their death. Thus Castile and León were ruled separately and in open competition with one another.

In 1230, King Ferdinand III once again united the two kingdoms, though this time he was successful in keeping the union permanent. The Crown of Castile would become one of the largest empires in the world.

Answer: Canary Islands

The conquest of the Canaries by Castile began in 1402 and is known as the "Conquista Betancuriana". The natives proved quite hostile and didn't accept conquest for over a hundred years. Only three islands were taken in the original campaign, and then later Castile took control of Gran Canaria and Tenerife in 1450.

The Canary Islands are now an autonomous community under the domain of Spain.

Answer: Portugal

One can see the coat of arms of Portugal (with its blue cross) on the gear the horse is wearing in the illustration. Opposite, you can see the castles and lions of Castile. The image was created by Jean de Wavrin, who was a Burgundian soldier and chronicler.

The result of the Battle of Aljubarrota was a clear defeat for Castile, even though they had a superior number of troops. England (a longtime Portuguese ally) helped Portugal secure the future of their throne by sending a group of their famous longbowmen. The House of Avis was established, and Castile's ambition to take Portugal through manipulation was quashed indefinitely.

The image is an illustration of the Battle of Aljubarrota by Jean de Wavrin.

Answer: The Reconquista

Muslims first invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 711, pushing Christians further north and conquering much of the peninsula. About a decade later, Christian forces began to push back, but it wasn't until hundreds of years later that they made much progress.

In 1492, the forces of King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I ended the last remaining Muslim rule in Granada. Muhammad XII only ruled over the city of Granada and other small holdings and didn't have the forces to hold off the Christian soldiers. He surrendered after attempting to find allies in the Mamluks and some North African kingdoms, but the Mamluks were too busy fighting the Ottomans and the North African kingdoms enjoyed their prosperous trade with Castile too much to interfere. The Reconquista was complete.

The painting is "The Capitulation of Granada" by Francisco Pradilla Ortiz.

Answer: Cristoforo Colombo

Born in Genoa, Christopher Columbus ("Cristoforo Colombo" in Italian) was under the commission of The Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, so he would have been given the Castilian flag to fly in the New World. Columbus had attempted to secure funding for his expedition from multiple nations: Portugal, Venice, Genoa, and even England. Even the Castilians were hesitant and it took over two years to convince Ferdinand and Isabella to accept.

Per his terms, Columbus was to be given the title "Admiral of the Ocean" and made governor of the lands he found. The terms of the agreement were overly generous to Colombus' benefit, but the monarchs didn't really believe Columbus would return, so it was a gamble of an investment on the part of the Castilian rulers.

The image is an engraving by H.B. Hall.

Answer: House of Trastámara

The House of Trastámara at different points had domain over Castile, Aragon, Navarra, and even Naples on the Italian Peninsula. They had a grip on the kingdoms in Spain for hundreds of years, ending in the sixteenth century when the Habsburgs began their rule.

The history of the house is a bit convoluted, with many siblings, half-siblings, and cousins fighting for their right to rule. One reason for this convolution has been attributed to the large number of marriages kept within the family line.

Even Isabella I of Castile had to oust her brother from power before she could rule the throne.

The image is from an altar painting by Jaume Serra.

Answer: Latin

Latin had dominated across much of Europe due to the Roman Empire spreading it and the Catholic Church continuing to use it officially. However, Spanish dialects had begun to replace the traditional Latin, even in writing. Castilian became the most widely-spoken dialect as Castile had a great deal of influence in the area and had begun to use it semi-officially.

"Castilian" is now nearly synonymous with "Spanish", though it mostly denotes the dialects spoken in Europe. Latin American Spanish often deviates, though the languages are still very close.

Answer: Treaty of Tordesillas

In an earlier treaty, Portugal and Castile had agreed to other colonial demarcation lines concerning Africa and the East Indies. Once Christopher Columbus discovered new lands, Portugal was set to reap major gains due to the old treaty. Of course, Castile did not believe the old treaty applied to the new lands, so they convinced the Spanish-born pope to make a decree known as the "Inter caetera" that basically voided the earlier agreement and gave Spain special status in the New World in terms of colonization.

However, Castile was stretched pretty thin militarily and knew they could not afford a protracted war with Portugal. The Treaty of Tordesillas provided a diplomatic solution. The line was drawn, and once Castile discovered the extent of South America, they quickly colonized the western, southern, and northern ends of the continent, also making their way up through Central America and Mexico.

Answer: Joanna the Mad

Historians believe that Joanna perhaps suffered from severe clinical depression, or even from schizophrenia. Though she was highly educated, even her mother Isabella I did not believe she would make a proper ruler, allowing Ferdinand II to rule as regent. Eventually, the Aragonese king would assume that role.

Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife, was Joanna's sister. Joanna and Phillip even met with Henry VIII in Phillip's attempt to relieve Ferdinand II of all power over Castile.

The painting is a portrait of Joanna the Mad by Juan de Flandes.

Answer: Comuneros

The Trastámaras and Habsburgs were trying to keep France's influence from growing too large, so they established royal marriages to make their alliances closer. Castilian loyalists were angered by the intrusion of foreigners into the long-ruling Trastámara house.

Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, put down the rebellions in Castile with relative ease, but the revolt is seen as a pivotal event in Spanish history. The Comuneros attempted to get Joanna of Castile (Joanna the Mad) to declare herself the primary ruler of Castile and Aragon, but her son's advisers eventually convinced her that doing so would divide the country and ultimately be bad for Castile. Joanna relented and listened to her son.

The retribution was swift. The Comuneros were quickly put to death, and the thrones of Castile and Aragon permanently merged into Habsburg Spain. The Kingdom of Spain would become a worldwide empire that ruled for centuries.

The painting is "Execution of the Comuneros of Castile" by Antonio Gisbert.