Descendants of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon
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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
| Image | Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Isabella | 2 October 1470 | 23 August 1498 | Married 1. Afonso, Prince of Portugal, no issue. 2. Manuel I of Portugal, had issue. |
 | John | 30 June 1478 | 4 October 1497 | Married Margaret of Austria, no surviving issue. |
 | Joanna | 6 November 1479 | 12 April 1555 | Married Philip I of Castile, had issue. |
 | Maria | 29 June 1482 | 7 March 1517 | Married elder sister's widower, Manuel I of Portugal, had issue. |
 | Catherine | 16 December 1485 | 7 January 1536 | Married 1. Arthur, Prince of Wales, no issue. 2. Henry VIII of England, had issue.[1] |
Grandchildren
| Image | Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no image | Miguel da Paz, Prince of Asturias | 23 August 1498 | 19 July 1500 | Died young. |
 | Eleanor of Austria | 15 November 1498 | 25 February 1558 | Married 1. Manuel I of Portugal, had issue, 2. Francis I of France but no issue. |
 | Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor | 24 February 1500 | 21 September 1558 | Married Isabella of Portugal and had issue. |
 | Isabella of Austria | 18 July 1501 | 19 January 1526 | Married Christian II of Denmark, had issue. |
 | Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor | 10 March 1503 | 25 July 1564 | Married Anna of Bohemia and Hungary and had issue. |
 | Mary of Austria | 15 September 1505 | 18 October 1558 | Married Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia, but had no issue. |
 | Catherine of Habsburg | 14 January 1507 | 12 February 1578 | Married John III of Portugal and had issue. |
 | John III of Portugal | 7 June 1502 | 11 June 1557 | Married Catherine of Habsburg and had issue. |
 | Isabella of Portugal | 23 October 1503 | 1 May 1539 | Married Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and had issue. |
 | Infanta Beatriz, Duchess of Savoy | 31 December 1504 | 8 January 1538 | Married Charles III, Duke of Savoy and had issue. |
 | Infante Luís, Duke of Beja | 3 March 1506 | 27 November 1555 | Died unmarried, but had illegitimate issue. |
 | Infante Fernando, Duke of Guarda and Trancoso | 5 June 1507 | 7 November 1534 | Married Guiomar Coutinho and had issue. |
 | Cardinal-Infante Afonso of Portugal | 23 April 1509 | 21 April 1540 | Became Cardinal of Portugal, unmarried and no issue. |
 | Henry of Portugal | 31 January 1512 | 31 January 1580 | Became Cardinal of Portugal, unmarried and no issue. |
 | Infante Edward, 4th Duke of Guimarães | 7 October 1515 | 20 September 1540 | Married Isabel of Braganza and had issue. |
 | Mary I of England | 18 February 1516 | 17 November 1558 | Married Philip II of Spain, no issue[1] |
Great-grandchildren
| Image | Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu | 1521 | 1577 | Unmarried and had no issue |
 | Philip II of Spain | May 21, 1527 | September 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 Spain | June 21, 1528 | February 26, 1603 | Married Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, had issue. |
 | Joanna of Habsburg | June 24, 1535 | September 7, 1573 | She married João Manuel, Prince of Portugal, had issue. |
 | Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor | July 31, 1527 | October 12, 1576 | Married Maria of Spain, had issue. |
 | Charles II, Archduke of Austria | June 3, 1540 | July 10, 1590 | Married Maria Anna of Bavaria (his niece, a great-great-grandchild of Isabella and Ferdinand), had issue. |
| no image | Infante Edward, 5th Duke of Guimarães | March 1541 | November 28, 1576 | Died unmarried with no issue |
 | Johanna of Austria | January 24, 1547 | April 10, 1578 | Married Francesco I de' Medici, had issue. |
 | Catherine of Austria | September 15, 1533 | February 28, 1572 | Married Sigismund II Augustus, had no issue. |
 | Eleonora of Austria | November 2, 1534 | August 5, 1594 | Married William I, Duke of Mantua, had issue. |
 | Dorothea of Denmark | 1520 | 1580 | Married Frederick II, Elector Palatine, had no issue |
 | Christina of Denmark | 1522 | 1590 |
Married 1 Francesco II Sforza, had no issue |
 | Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal | October 15, 1527 | August 12, 1545 | married Philip II of Spain, had issue. |
 | João Manuel, Prince of Portugal | June 3, 1527 | January 2, 1554 | married Joan of Spain, had issue. |
 | Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy | 1528 | 1580 | Married Margaret of France Had issue |
 | Infanta Maria of Guimarães | 1538 | 1577 | Married Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, had issue |
 | Infanta Catarina, Duchess of Braganza | 1540 | 1614 | Married John, 6th Duke of Braganza, had issue |
 | Elisabeth of Austria | July 9, 1526 | June 15, 1545 | married Sigismund II Augustus, king of Poland, had no issue |
 | Anna of Austria | July 7, 1528 | October 16, 1590 | Married Albert V, Duke of Bavaria, had issue |
 | Barbara of Austria | May 30, 1539 | September 19, 1572 | Married Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, had no issue |