Reyes Católicos means, literally translated: "
Catholic King and Queen":
Ferdinand V of Castile and
Isabella I of Aragon.
The title was endowed by then's Pope. The title of the French king[?] was Rex Christianissimus[?] ("Most Christian King").
Their joint motto was Tanto monta[?], monta tanto ("It amounts so, so it amounts"). It was created by Antonio de Nebrija[?]. It was either:
- an allusion to the Gordian knot[?]: Tanto monta, monta tanto, cortar como desatar ("..., cutting as untying")
- explaining the equal footing for both monarchs: Tanto monta, monta tanto, Isabel como Fernando ("..., Isabella as Ferdinand")
Their symbol was el yugo y las flechas[?], a yoke and a fasces of arrows. The yoke is another allusion to the Gordian knot. Y and F are the initials to Ysabel (old spelling) and Fernando. This symbol was later used by the Spanish version of the fascist party Falange[?], claiming the glory and the ideals of the Reyes Católicos.
See also Monarchia Hispanica[?] and Defensor fidei.
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