After about 1450, the great nations of Europe began to emerge. For most of their history they had consisted of small warring states, or had been invaded by powerful neighbours. Now things were changing fast.
The connection between France and England was broken at last. Spain and Portugal grew stable enough to found their great seagoing empires. Germany (part of the Holy Roman Empire) had strong leaders from the Habsburg dynasty.
The marriage in 1492 of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain helped to unite the two strong Christian kingdoms of Aragon and Castile. Ferdinand and Isabella also completed the great ‘reconquest’ of Spain from Muslim control, which had begun over 400 years earlier.
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Fact File: Unlike Spain, Italy remained a divided country, split up into several states rules by different powers. In the north were the wealthy city-states, such as Florence, Milan and Urbino. The crest belongs to the Sforza family, who ruled over Milan. |
Picture Credit : Google
