Descendants of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon

Isabella I of Castile

Ferdinand II of Aragon

On October 19, 1469, Ferdinand II of Aragon married Isabella I of Castile. They were the most powerful monarchs in all of 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. Obviously, the Kings of Spain are descended from their union, with their current major dynastic heir being King Juan Carlos I of Spain, who reigns in their native territory. 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 Queen Beatrix 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	August 15, 1498	Married 1. Afonso, Prince of Portugal, no issue. 2. Manuel I of Portugal and had issue
	John	30 June 1478	4 October 1497	Married Margaret of Austria, but had no surviving issue.
	Joanna	6 November 1479	12 April 1555	Married Philip I of Castile and had issue.
	Maria	29 June 1482	March 7, 1517	Married elder sister's widower, Manuel I of Portugal and had issue
	Catherine	16 December 1485	January 7, 1536	Married 1. Arthur, Prince of Wales, no issue. 2. Henry VIII of England, had issue.

Grandchildren

Image	Name	Birth	Death	Notes
no image	Miguel da Paz, Prince of Asturias	1498	1500	Died young
	Eleanor of Austria	November 15, 1498	February 25, 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	18 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	June 7, 1502	11 June 1557	Married Catherine of Habsburg and had issue.
	Isabella of Portugal	23 October 1503	May 1, 1539	Married Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and had issue.
no image	Infanta Beatriz, Duchess of Savoy	31 December 1504	January 8, 1538	Married Charles III, Duke of Savoy and had issue.
	Infante Luís, Duke of Beja	March 3, 1506	November 27, 1555	Died unmarried, but had illegitimate issue.
	Infante Fernando, Duke of Guarda and Trancoso	1507	1534	Married Guiomar Coutinho and had issue
no image	Cardinal-Infante Afonso of Portugal	1509	1540	Became cardinal of Portugal, unmarried and no issue
	Henry of Portugal	31 January 1512	January 1, 1580	Died unmarried with no issue
	Infante Edward, 4th Duke of Guimarães	October 7, 1515	September 20, 1540	Married Isabel of Braganza and had issue
	Mary I of England	18 February 1516	November 17, 1558	Became Queen of England, married Philip II of Spain, but had no issue

Great-grandchildren

Image	Name	Birth	Death	Notes
	Infanta Maria, Lady 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	21 June 1528	February 26, 1603	Married Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, had issue.
	Joanna of Habsburg	24 June 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	10 April 1578	Married Francesco I de' Medici, had issue.
	Catherine of Austria	15 September 1533	28 February 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 Married 2 Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, had 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
no image	Infanta Catarina, Duchess of Braganza	1540	1580	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	7 July 1528	October 16, 1590	Married Albert V, Duke of Bavaria, had issue
	Barbara of Austria	30 May 1539	19 September 1572	Married Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, had no issue