Ferdinand Inherits Aragon

January 20, 1479

On his father Juan II's death, Ferdinand added Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia to the Castilian crown he shared with Isabella. Spain as a single monarchy existed now, though the kingdoms retained separate laws, parliaments, and currencies. The administrative muddle would endure for two and a half centuries. The union was purely dynastic; Aragonese institutions resisted Castilian centralization for two and a half centuries.