Ferdinand II of Aragon married Isabella of Castile, completed the Reconquista, expelled the Jews and Muslims from Spain, and financed Columbus. In doing so he created the first truly global empire and established the template for European colonialism that would shape the next five centuries.

This episode traces Ferdinand from his contested inheritance through the unification of Spain, the fall of Granada, and the cold political calculations that made Spain the dominant power in Europe.

• His marriage to Isabella of Castile unified Spain and created a European superpower
• He completed the centuries-long Reconquista by conquering Granada in 1492
• He financed Columbus’s voyage that same year, launching Spain’s global empire
• Machiavelli used Ferdinand as a primary model for The Prince