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trol of Castile. His recognition of the crucial
importance of that kingdom was emphasized
by his conciliatory gestures, such as the
transfer of N
AVARRE
(conquered in 1512) to
Castilian control. Even to the last, however,
Ferdinand's personal love of power led him
to manipulate the question of succession.
His marriage to the French king's niece, Ger-
maine de Foix, shortly after his first wife's
death, and his expectation of having a new
family revealed his addiction to political
gamesmanship. Unfortunately for his plans,
Germaine gave him no surviving children.
His death early in 1516 put an end to his
schemes and left the way open for his and
Isabella's grandson C
HARLES
I to inherit the
whole of Ferdinand's dominions.
More than any other Renaissance states-
man Ferdinand V embodies the political
skills and amoral cunning of Machiavelli's
Prince. His perennial intrigues, his readi-
ness to continue diplomacy by means of
war, and his mixture of egotism and realism
make him one of the most sinister, yet fas-
cinating rulers of the era. Above all he was
the founder of modern Spain and Spain's
empire, the greatest that the world had ever
seen. As his descendant P
HILIP
II said, “We
owe it all to him.”
ized the first half of the century and initi-
ated programs of economic development.
He also began the reevaluation of Spain's
seaborne empire as a source of prosperity
rather than mere prestige. While not a man
of great intellectual gifts, Ferdinand chose
well among potential advisers, preferring
men with modern ideas and practical abili-
ties to those who merely boasted aristo-
cratic pedigrees. He also became a patron of
the arts, encouraging a cultural revival in
Spain. In this latter concern he had the
strong collaboration of his consort, the Por-
tuguese-born Queen Bárbara, who was
particularly interested in music and brought
many notable musicians and performers to
the royal court.
Unfortunately for the success (and even
the duration) of his reign, both Ferdinand
and Bárbara were of a sickly constitution
and a melancholy temperament so that
their great affection for one another, instead
of having a positive effect, reinforced a
mutual tendency to hypochondria. When
his wife died the king fell into a mood of
profound gloom that soon degenerated into
madness and ended in death within a year
of the queen's passing. As the couple had
no children, the succession went to Ferdi-
nand's half brother, the king of Naples, who
became C
HARLES
III and pursued many of
the initiatives that dated from the abortive
reign of Ferdinand VI.
Ferdinand VI (Fernando VI)
(1713-1759)
king of Spain
Son of P
HILIP
V, he succeeded to the throne
upon his father's death in 1746. His reign
was notable for the beginning of the “Bour-
bon Reforms,” which had been anticipated
for nearly half a century but never effec-
tively pursued by his predecessor. Ferdi-
nand discontinued the preoccupation with
European high politics that had character-
Ferdinand VII (Fernando VII)
(1784-1833)
king of Spain
The ninth but eldest surviving son of
C
HARLES
IV, Ferdinand became the focal
point of opposition to the pro-French policy
of his father and the opportunistic chief
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