Ferdinand, the Catholic, also known as Ferdinand V of Castile (from 1474), Ferdinand II of Aragon and Sicily (from 1479), and Ferdinand III of Naples (from 1503) 1452-1516
The first monarch of all Spain

Born at Sos, Aragon, he was the son of John II of Navarre and Aragon, and married (1469) Isabella of Castile, sister of Henry IV of Castile, ruling Castile jointly with her after Henry's death (1474). When his own father died (1479), the crowns of Aragon and Castile were united to form the basis of modern Spain. During their reign Ferdinand and Isabella suppressed local bandits by forming a santa hermandad ('holy brotherhood') of militia police, and also introduced the Inquisition (1478). They completed the reconquest of Granada (1482-92) and expelled the Jews from Spain (1492). He and Isabella sponsored the voyage of Columbus to the New World (1492), giving Spain the resources for foreign expansionism. In 1495 he formed a Holy League to help the pope drive the French from Naples, for which he gained the title of 'the Catholic', and Naples became a Spanish possession (1503). When Isabella died (1504), Ferdinand became regent in Castile for their insane daughter, the Infanta Juana. In 1505 he married Germaine de Foix, a niece of Louis XIII of France. He conquered Oran, North Africa (1509), and also Navarre (1512), thus becoming monarch of all Spain from the Pyrenees to Gibraltar. He was succeeded by his grandson, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.