Catholic Monarchs

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Madonna of the Catholic Monarchs, painted ca 1490–95; Ferdinand and the infante Juan are at the Madonna's right hand (with the Inquisitor), Isabella at the left

The Catholic Monarchs (Spanish: Reyes Católicos) is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They married in 1469, uniting both crowns and eventually through their descendants creating the Kingdom of Spain. The title Catholic Kings was bestowed on them by the Pope Alexander VI.

Ferdinand and Isabella were noted for being the monarchs of the newly-united Spain at the dawn of the modern era. They also oversaw the final stages of the Reconquista of Iberian territory, from the Moorish caliphates that had been present in modern-day Spain and Portugal for over 700 years, with the conquest of Granada.

Their collective power in Europe was further consolidated by the discovery of the New World of the Western Hemisphere by Christopher Columbus, who was funded by the monarchs, and its subsequent exploration by other Spaniards. The wealth of gold and other resources funded the coffers of the new state that would prove to be the hegemon of Europe for the next two centuries.

Their joint motto was Tanto monta, monta tanto ("It amounts so much, so much it amounts").

It was created by Antonio de Nebrija and was either:

• an allusion to the Gordian Knot: Tanto monta, monta tanto, cortar como desatar ("..., cutting as untying")
• explaining the equal footing for both monarchs in the governance of Castile: Tanto monta, monta tanto, Isabel como Fernando ("..., Isabella as Ferdinand")

The yoke and arrows as a symbol of the Falange predecessor, JONS.

Their symbol was el yugo y las flechas, a yoke and a fasces of arrows. The yoke is another allusion to the Gordian knot. Y and F are the initials of Ysabel (archaic spelling) and Fernando. This symbol was later used by the Spanish fascist party, the Falange, which claimed to represent the inherited glory and the ideals of the Reyes Católicos.

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