The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 22, July 1918 - April, 1919 Page: 199

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perial aspirations to the eastward before the discovery of America
diverted them to the west." A Mediterranean empire was con-
quered, an immense commerce was built up,-the Balearics, Cor-
sica, Sardinia, Sicily and parts of Italy came under the sway of
Aragon; likewise the Spanish power was extended over portions of
the north coast of Africa. The Catalan Company extended its
commercial interests to Constantinople, and traded extensively in
Asia Minor. The last chapters of this section are devoted to a
description of the institutions of Aragon, as those of Castile are
examined in former chapters. In all, this volume gives an ade-
quate background for a study of the political, religious and racial
characteristics of Spain's Golden Age.
The second volume has a more unified topic to present,-the
reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. The antecedents of the succes-
sion and union of the Catholic Monarchs are succinctly given, and
particularly striking is the depiction of the remarkable personality
and career of John of Aragon, whose diplomatic triumphs resulted
not only in the unification and consolidation of Navarre and Cata-
lonia, but the realization of his ultimate and most important ob-
jective: the union of the two kingdoms. One of the main pro-
blems and accomplishments of the Catholic Monarchs was the ex-
pulsion of the Moors and the "unity of faith and race," realized
by the abandonment of the spirit of tolerance characteristic of the
Spaniard up to this time. The thoughtful student will appreciate
the author's point of view, wherein he "lays less than the usual em-
phasis on the errors of Spain's racial and religious policy
because . . . they were but one of a number of reasons that
went to produce the final result." The reform of administration
was not less important as a part of the programme accomplished
by Ferdinand and Isabella, and the institutions created exercised
a profound influence on those established in America subsequently.
The conquest, colonization and administration of the Canaries did
much to prepare Spain for her activities in America. The oft-
repeated story of the discovery and exploration of the Indies down
to 1500 is treated as an incident to the rise and decline of the
Spanish Empire. Contemporaneous with the movement toward
the Indies was another which had as its objective the conquest,
political and religious, of the North African Coast. Spain at this

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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 22, July 1918 - April, 1919, periodical, 1919; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117156/m1/209/ocr/: accessed March 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.

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