NAPLES, October 2018
Ferdinand II of Aragon – CoronatoFerdinand is today best known for his role in inaugurating the discovery of the New World, since he and Isabella sponsored the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. That year he also fought the final war with Granada which expunged the last Islamic state on Iberian soil, thus bringing to a close the centuries-long Reconquista. Ferdinand II (Aragonese: Ferrando II d’AragÃģn, Spanish: Fernando II de AragÃģn, Catalan: Ferran el CatÃēlic) (10 March 1452 â 23 January 1516), called the Catholic, was King of Sicily from 1468 and King of Aragon from 1479 until his death. As a consequence of his marriage to Isabella I, he was King of Castile as Ferdinand V from 1474 until her death in 1504. He was recognised as regent of Castile for his daughter and heir, Joanna, from 1508 until his own death. In 1504, after a war with France, he became King of Naples as Ferdinand III, reuniting Naples with Sicily permanently and for the first time since 1458. In 1512, he became King of Navarre by conquest. (Wikipedia) Ferdinando I dâAragona (1458-1494), Coronato, Napoli, AR, (g 3,91, mm 26). + FERDINANDVS:D:G:Râ SICIL:IERâ , striped cross, below C, Rv. :CORONATVS:QA:LEGITME:CERT:, bust of king r., wearing crown; at l. C. MIR 68/12; Pannuti-Riccio 15m. B# 1673; C&C #1270. The large cross is of the type typically represented on the sails of the Columbus flagship the Santa Maria.