Rise of House of Trastámara

The House of Trastamara was a dynasty of Castilian origin that came to power when Henry of Trastamara, an illegitimate son of Alfonso XI, defeated and killed his half-brother Peter the Cruel and became Henry II of Castile. The dynasty later also gained the Crown of Aragon, when a committee of nobles chose Ferdinand of Antequera as king in the Compromise of Caspe. The marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, the Catholic Monarchs, joined the two crowns in the late fifteenth century, laying the foundations of a united Spain. Under them, Granada was conquered, Columbus was sent west, and the Inquisition was established. The Trastamaras ended in the male line, and power passed to the Habsburgs through their grandson Charles.

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