Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. FERDINAND AND ISABELLA ASCEND THE THRONE. ? CONQUEST OT GRANADA. The greatness of Ximenez, as well as the future destiny of Spain, depended on Ferdinand and Isabella coming to the throne. Two things were absolutely necessary, in order to deliver Spain from the miserable state in which she groaned about the middle of the fifteenth century, and to restore once more that beautiful land to glory and power; viz. sovereigns able to rule, and the union into one kingdom of the Spanish states, which hitherto were so often opposed to each other. Ferdinand and Isabella seemed destined to fulfil these two conditions. But at their birth no one could certainly have anticipated such a blessing, so far distant did the crown seem to be from their heads. The belonged to Ferdinand's elder brother, Carlos, prince of Vianajwho was then in fhfTTnnnm nf ngp apH t.hp. RJrftngf.h nf his man hood But he died urnnarrml; flftrd 1461 to thQ trnn0 Isabella, however, appeared even more unlikely to succeed to the crown of Arra- gon; for, before this could be effected. itwas necessary that death should remove both her brothers, viz., Henry IV. andAlfonso; and also that Ferdinand was born March the 10th, 1452, and Isabella April the 22nd, 1451. The date of Isabella's birth rests on the authority of the learned Spanish historian Clemencin. (See torn. vi. " Memorias de la Eeal Acadeinia de la Historia," Madrid, 1821.) Beltraneja should. Jbe declared byjher father in- capable of sncggding to the throne. Yet even supposing that this almost impossible union of events should be effected, another condition was requisite for the future prosperity of Spain; viz. the union of Arragon and Castile, two powerful states, by the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella. But a thousand obstacl...