The Fiery Iberians: January – June 1492
Monarch Statistics:
Spain:
Isabella and Fernando
Diplomacy: Strong
Economy: Strong
Military: Strong
Introduction
Fernando and Isabella, rulers of one of the most powerful nations in Europe, had already done many great deeds that would be remembered and respected by 1492. In 1469, the marriage of the royal cousins, Fernando of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, had eventually brought stability to and united both kingdoms. However it was really only in 1479, after the king of Aragon died, that the two kingdoms could truly be linked.
Military Actions
Now, in 1492, the great leaders were faced with another challenge. Hordes of Moslem rebels from Granada in Sierra Nevada under Imam Mohammed bin Ahmad had been ravaging the countryside for months. Now, after the rebels had already captured the city of Granada, they marched on to Toledo, where a forty thousand man imperial army awaited them.
On January 5, 1492, Fernando and Isabella consulted with their top advisors and thought of an ambition plan for expansion that involved leaving the rebels be. On that day the Imperial Army under a mysterious man by the name of el Gran Capitan marched north to the borders of Navarre. On this day, recruitment begins in the city of Murcia, so that Fernando and Isabella have at least a few troops to fight the rebels with.
The Rebels arrived in Toledo on February 5 and were surprised and overjoyed to find that the Imperial Army had fled from them. They praised Allah and feasted greatly for a day and then begin the brutal siege of Toledo, the only gold-producing province in Iberia.
On February 17, 1492, before Navarre can join any alliances, they are sent a Declaration of War by Fernando and Isabella, who claim that Navarre is rightfully a part of Spain. On March 30th, eleven thousand Navarre men under their king, Jean d’Albret, march into Gerona and begin a siege of the city. One month later, on April 30, thirty-eight thousand Spanish men under el Gran Capitan, march into the defenseless Navarre capital of San Sebastian and begin to the siege the city of the Basques.
Diplomatic Actions
What drove Spain to declaring war on Navarre and leaving the rebels to ravage the south? Insults. The Navarre ambassador to Spain had delivered a particularly nasty letter from King Jean d’Albret, who believed that he could crush Spain while they were occupied with rebels in the south. As a result, the declaration of February 5 was signed by Fernando and Isabella and the war was begun.
The Moslems rebels had driven the fiercely Catholic Isabella and Fernando into a state where they despised all Moslems. In March 1492, a declaration was signed that said they would eject all Moslems and Jews from Spain. This declaration and its results would later become known as the Spanish Inquisition.
Economic and Imperialistic Actions
An ambitious young man named Cristobel Colon had begged Fernando and Isabella to finance his journey to find, what he thought would be, a quick way to the distant lands of India. They refused vehemently but Colon’s stance was not changed. On January 5, he blatantly told Isabella that he would take a ship and find her new land to colonize. Before the queen could refuse the young upstart had run out of the door and on January 7, he took a ship called the Santa Marinela and sailed due North-West with his crew of ninety-four men. No one expected him to make it.
Fernando and Isabella have kept Spain’s economy in good shape during their rule and continue to make progress with various bailiff and tax collector promotions all over their realm. The King and Queen hope that Cristobal Colon can find more riches for his nation and bring it into a new golden age.
Major Internal Events
With the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition of Moslems and Jews, hundreds of Jews piled into churches for conversion so that they would not be discriminated against or killed. The Churches and Chapels of Madrid and Spain had never been so filled of new converts and Catholics all over the nation praised Fernando and Isabella for their successes.
The Moslems however, were more stubborn, and believed that their twenty thousand man rebel army would bring them independence and prosperity. Most Moslems continued there quiet lives as farmers and tailors in southern Spain and hoped that they would be protected by the Ejército Islámico (Islamic Army).
After the war was declared against Navarre more Moslems began supporting the Islamic rebels and believing that they could defeat their Spanish oppressors. Stability fell in Spain during this time as the war dragged on…
The Siege of San Sebastian by Diego Fernandez (1456-1527)
