Aragon

Region of northeastern Spain. The kingdom of Aragon was born from the union between Aragon and the county of Catalonia, formerly a fief of the Western Franks. It flourished after 1085, when the pace of the Reconquista quickened. Aragon conquered the Balearic Islands in the early 13th century, and later in the century it developed an international role through King Peter I's involvement in Sicily. The marriage of King Ferdinand of Aragon to Queen Isabella of Castile in 1479 effectively united the kingdoms.