King John III Trastámara (the Symphony That Never Ends)

The 1469 marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile set their two kingdoms on the path to unity. When they conquered Granada in 1492 ~ the same year Columbus sailed ~ Spain became a reality for the first time, one of the most powerful realms in Europe. In Homeline, the death of their only son John threw the Spanish inheritance to their daughter Joanna and her Hapsburg husband and son. By the time Ferdinand died, Joanna's husband Philip was dead, she herself was insane, and her son Charles inherited the Spanish crowns ~ and the imperial title from his father. For the first half of the 16th century, Charles V was the most powerful monarch in Europe.
In Shikaku-Mon, however, John did not die and the Trastámara dynasty continued in Spain. The effects of this change in European politics were innumerable. Charles V, still Holy Roman Emperor, lacked the resources to fight France, Turkey, and the Protestants effectively. Charles and John forced the Pope to call the Council of Verona, which reformed the abuses of the Church somewhat earlier than Trent in Homeline would. France gained influence but squandered its power in civil strife. In the 17th century, the improved position of the German Protestants and the French crown produced decisive changes in European history.
Closer to home, the kings of neighboring Portugal, fearing the influence of Spain under a monarch more focused than Charles V, resisted popular calls for the establishment of an Inquisition. Eventually, Sebastian I reluctantly gave up his wild dreams of crusade, which in Homeline led to his death in Morocco and the temporary takeover of Portugal by Spain. As prince and king, Sebastian instead sublimated his energies into support for missionary activity, especially in the Far East.
Category:Humans
Category:Europe
Category:Spain
Category:The Symphony That Never Ends