Descendants of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon

Madonna of the Catholic Monarchs showing Ferdinand, Isabella and their children
Family tree of Spanish kings (Habsburg)

On October 19, 1469, Ferdinand II of Aragon married Isabella I of Castile. They were among the most powerful monarchs in all of early modern age Europe and their marriage produced many children, five of whom survived to adulthood. They arranged strategic political marriages for all of these children to powerful monarchs and well-connected women. In time, many of their grandchildren became emperors and kings of various countries, and their first and second generation of descendants caused the genealogical lines of Isabella I and Ferdinand II to spread throughout Europe.

The most famous living descendants of Isabella I and Ferdinand II are probably the current European monarchs. First of all, the Kings of Spain are descended from their union, with their current major dynastic heir being King Felipe VI of Spain, who reigns in their native territories. However, it is also the case that all the other monarchs currently reigning in Europe – King Albert II of Belgium, Grand-Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Queen Elizabeth II of the U.K., Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Harald V of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands – descend from Isabella I and Ferdinand II. This is also true of the Sovereign Princes of Europe: Albert II, Prince of Monaco and Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein.

Albert II of Belgium and Grand-Duke Henri of Luxembourg are, given the frequent intermarriage between Catholic dynasties, both descended from the medieval monarchs through multiple lines. The non-Catholic dynasties also share several lines of descent – the following are but a few examples. Elizabeth II of the U.K. descends from the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family and that line descends from Isabella I and Ferdinand II beginning with the 1636 marriage of Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg (1619–1680) to Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha (1601–1675) (Elisabeth Sophie being a descendant through Isabella and Ferdinand's daughter Joanna of Castile). Margrethe II of Denmark, Harald V of Norway, and Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden also trace their mutual descent from Isabella I and Ferdinand II through that same line as Elizabeth II of the U.K. In addition, Margrethe II, Harald V, and Carl XVI Gustaf also trace their descent from the Iberian couple through Josephine of Leuchtenberg, Queen-consort to King Oscar I of Sweden. Josephine, like Queen Beatrix discussed in the following sentence, is descended from the Landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt and that family is also descended from the Iberian couple. Beatrix of the Netherlands is descended from Isabella I and Ferdinand II through her great-great-great grandmother Wilhelmine of Prussia, wife of the first king of the Netherlands, William I. Queen Wilhelmine descends from the Landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt and the Landgraves are descendants by virtue of the aforementioned 1636 marriage of Princess Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg and Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha (Elisabeth Sophie and Ernest I's daughter, Elisabeth Dorothea, married Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt).

The Landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt connection also provides the descent of Albert II, Prince of Monaco from Isabella I and Ferdinand II. Prince Albert's great-great-great grandmother, Princess Marie of Baden, was in turn the granddaughter of Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein is descended from Isabella I and Ferdinand II through his grandmother, Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria; Elisabeth Amalie descends from the Iberian couple via the Spanish and Hesse-Darmstadt houses, as well as through the formerly-reigning Catholic imperial or royal houses of Austria-Hungary, Portugal, and Bavaria (these formerly-reigning houses all descend from Isabella I and Ferdinand II).

Children

ImageNameBirthDeathNotes
Isabella2 October 147023 August 1498Married 1. Afonso, Prince of Portugal, no issue. 2. Manuel I of Portugal, had issue.
John30 June 14784 October 1497Married Margaret of Austria, no surviving issue.
Joanna6 November 147912 April 1555Married Philip I of Castile, had issue.
Maria29 June 14827 March 1517Married elder sister's widower, Manuel I of Portugal, had issue.
Catherine16 December 14857 January 1536Married 1. Arthur, Prince of Wales, no issue. 2. Henry VIII of England, had issue.[1]

Grandchildren

ImageNameBirthDeathNotes
no imageMiguel da Paz, Prince of Asturias23 August 149819 July 1500Died young.
Eleanor of Austria15 November 149825 February 1558 Married 1. Manuel I of Portugal, had issue, 2. Francis I of France but no issue.
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor24 February 150021 September 1558Married Isabella of Portugal and had issue.
Isabella of Austria18 July 150119 January 1526 Married Christian II of Denmark, had issue.
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor10 March 150325 July 1564Married Anna of Bohemia and Hungary and had issue.
Mary of Austria15 September 150518 October 1558 Married Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia, but had no issue.
Catherine of Habsburg14 January 150712 February 1578 Married John III of Portugal and had issue.
John III of Portugal7 June 150211 June 1557Married Catherine of Habsburg and had issue.
Isabella of Portugal23 October 15031 May 1539Married Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and had issue.
Infanta Beatriz, Duchess of Savoy31 December 15048 January 1538Married Charles III, Duke of Savoy and had issue.
Infante Luís, Duke of Beja3 March 150627 November 1555 Died unmarried, but had illegitimate issue.
Infante Fernando, Duke of Guarda and Trancoso5 June 15077 November 1534Married Guiomar Coutinho and had issue.
Cardinal-Infante Afonso of Portugal23 April 150921 April 1540Became Cardinal of Portugal, unmarried and no issue.
Henry of Portugal31 January 151231 January 1580Became Cardinal of Portugal, unmarried and no issue.
Infante Edward, 4th Duke of Guimarães7 October 151520 September 1540Married Isabel of Braganza and had issue.
Mary I of England18 February 151617 November 1558Married Philip II of Spain, no issue[1]

Great-grandchildren

ImageNameBirthDeathNotes
Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu 15211577Unmarried and had no issue
Philip II of SpainMay 21, 1527September 13, 1598 Married 1. Maria of Portugal and had issue
Married 2. Mary I of England, but had no issue
Married 3. Elisabeth of Valois and had issue
Married 4. Anna of Austria and had issue
Maria of SpainJune 21, 1528February 26, 1603Married Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, had issue.
Joanna of HabsburgJune 24, 1535September 7, 1573 She married João Manuel, Prince of Portugal, had issue.
Maximilian II, Holy Roman EmperorJuly 31, 1527October 12, 1576Married Maria of Spain, had issue.
Charles II, Archduke of AustriaJune 3, 1540July 10, 1590Married Maria Anna of Bavaria (his niece, a great-great-grandchild of Isabella and Ferdinand), had issue.
no imageInfante Edward, 5th Duke of GuimarãesMarch 1541November 28, 1576Died unmarried with no issue
Johanna of AustriaJanuary 24, 1547April 10, 1578 Married Francesco I de' Medici, had issue.
Catherine of AustriaSeptember 15, 1533February 28, 1572 Married Sigismund II Augustus, had no issue.
Eleonora of AustriaNovember 2, 1534August 5, 1594Married William I, Duke of Mantua, had issue.
Dorothea of Denmark15201580Married Frederick II, Elector Palatine, had no issue
Christina of Denmark15221590

Married 1 Francesco II Sforza, had no issue
Married 2 Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, had issue.

Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal October 15, 1527 August 12, 1545married Philip II of Spain, had issue.
João Manuel, Prince of Portugal June 3, 1527January 2, 1554 married Joan of Spain, had issue.
Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy15281580Married Margaret of France Had issue
Infanta Maria of Guimarães15381577Married Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, had issue
Infanta Catarina, Duchess of Braganza 15401614Married John, 6th Duke of Braganza, had issue
Elisabeth of AustriaJuly 9, 1526June 15, 1545married Sigismund II Augustus, king of Poland, had no issue
Anna of AustriaJuly 7, 1528 October 16, 1590Married Albert V, Duke of Bavaria, had issue
Barbara of AustriaMay 30, 1539 September 19, 1572Married Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, had no issue

References

  1. 1 2 The Tudors - Catherine of Aragon Timeline in: historyonthenet.com.
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