the beginning of the XIV century. Christian kingdoms of the Muslims won most of the Iberian Peninsula, Reconquista and stalled for a while. States that were formed due to Reconquista, cared resolving internal problems. Kingdom of Aragon major efforts directed at controlling the western Mediterranean. It captured the Balearic Islands, Sicily and Sardinia, and later Neapolitan kingdom. In the Kingdom of Castile all energy was directed at fighting against opponents in faith - Muslims and Jews. Kingdom of Portugal managed to space exploration and the Atlantic coast of Africa.
In 1474 a successor to the throne of Aragon Ferdinand took the marriage of Queen Isabella of Castile. 1479, when Ferdinand came to the throne of Aragon is the date the union of two kingdoms into a unified Spain . Still, the real process of unification of Castile and Aragon stretched long. Both parts of the country substantially differed. Ferdinand and Isabella actively took to the formation of a single state with a strong central government. Different in character, they were united in their religious fanaticism and desire for absolute power. All that prevented that, subject to destruction: the heterodox, the local freedom, communal rights, privileges of nobles and others. Monarchs actively supported the holy inquisition. After the consolidation of power and filling the treasury Ferdinand and Isabella came to solving the last task Reconquista - the conquest of Granada - possession of Muslims in the far south of the Iberian Peninsula.
After a brief war January 2, 1492 on the watch-tower courtyard hranadskyh emirs Spanish flag was raised . Terms of surrender were the Arab emirate's population favorable. They kept their land and faith. But from the moment of conquest all promises were violated. At Granada rampage lands Inquisition, began the forcible baptism. In 1502 the royal couple issued a decree according to which every Jew or Moor should have or be baptized or to leave Spain. This decree initiated a massive exodus from Spain, Muslims and Jews, which led to the decline of trade, handicrafts, agriculture, znelyudnennya many terrains.
price of unification of Spain have hundreds of thousands of exiles and economic decline of many neighborhoods. These negative consequences at the time were not noticeable, they emerged a little later, because when Columbus discovered America, from which rushed to Spain as much gold and silver, the economic decline that anyone, especially not shvylyuvav .
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