HISTORICAL DICTIONARY A–Z - Spain and Portugal: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present - page 186

Christopher Columbus addressing Ferdinand V and Isabella I at court (Library of Congress)

Having achieved the stabilization of
Castile and the enhancement of his power
that the effective unification of Spain
brought, Ferdinand devoted the latter part
of his reign to European politics, display-
ing both a readiness to make war and a
skill in diplomacy that brought Spain to
the forefront of the new state system.
The I TALIAN W ARS (1494-1559), despite a
seemingly endless process of shifting alli-
ances, truces, and changing leaders, rep-
resent Ferdinand's consistent recognition
that the struggle for mastery in Europe
would be settled by the ultimate triumph
of either Spain or France. Throughout
his reign he used dynastic marriages as a
means of linking his family with the Aus-

trian Habsburgs, the English Tudors, and
lesser royal houses. He progressively tight-
ened his grip on the Italian states, post-
poned any confrontation with the Turks,
and displayed an amazing dexterity in the
use or abuse of treaties. Ferdinand clearly
adhered to the principle that among rul-
ers there were no permanent friends or
permanent enemies, merely permanent
interests.
After Isabella's death in 1504 Ferdinand
thwarted an attempt by his son-in-law, Philip
of Habsburg (P HILIP I of Castile) to control
the larger of the two Spanish kingdoms.
After Philip's death in 1506 Ferdinand used
the mental instability of his daughter,
J OANNA , to maintain his own de facto con-