Ferdinand II of Aragon

Ferdinand I of Aragon (1452-1516) was King of the Spanish province of Aragon (1479-1516) and several Italian provinces. His marriage to Isabella of Castille united their two kingdoms into a single Spain. Ferdinand authorized Christopher Columbus's exploratory mission across the Atlantic, which opened the New World to Spanish colonization.

His daughter Catherine married King Henry VIII of England, and his granddaughter was Mary Tudor. He had four other children with Isabella, most of whom were also wed to sovereigns, thereby extending the power of Spain in Europe. Upon Isabella's death, Ferdinand remarried, but the only child died hours after birth. Ferdinand also fathered another six children with various mistresses.

Ferdinand II in Ruled Britannia
In 1598, Lope de Vega wrote El Mejor Mozo de España as a tribute to Ferdinand.

Ferdinand II in "Report of the Special Committee on the Quality of Life"
Fernando II and Queen Isabella ruled a Spain that had developed a system of government agencies. In 1491, they requested a study by the Special Committee on the Quality of Life as to the desirability of granting Cristobal Colon the ships and men needed to attempt a circumnavigation of the world via the Oceanic Sea rather than around Africa. The report turned in on November 30, 1491, the third such one prepared, concluded that such an attempt would not be in Spain's best interest.