Editing Monarchy of Spain (section)

===Marital union of the Catholic Monarchs===
{{Main|Catholic Monarchs}}
{{See also|Composite monarchy|Dynastic union|Personal union}}
In the 15th century, the marriage between [[Isabella I of Castile]] and [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]], both members of the [[House of Trastámara]], known as the [[Catholic Monarchs]], united two important kingdoms of the [[Iberian Peninsula]]. Each kingdom retained its basic structure. The last [[pretender]] of the crown of the [[Byzantine Empire]], [[Andreas Palaiologos]], who styled himself as "Emperor of Constantinople", bestowed his imperial title to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in his last testament,<ref>19. P.K. Enepekides, `Das Wiener Testament des Andreas Palaiologos vom 7 April 1502', Akten des XI Internationalen Byzantinisten Kongresses, München 1958, ed. F. Dölger and H.G. Beck (Munich, 1960) 138–43, esp. 138.</ref> dated 7 April 1502,<ref>Norwich, John Julius, ''Byzantium – The Decline and Fall'', p. 446.</ref> although the Spanish monarchs have never used the title. In 1492 the Catholic Monarchs conquered the [[Kingdom of Granada]] in southern Spain, the last Muslim territory in the Iberian peninsula. The unification of Spain is marked from this date, though the Spanish kingdoms continued past that date. 

The territories of the [[Spanish Empire]] overseas were dependencies of the Crown of Castile, and Castile had an outsized influence there.<ref>James Lockhart and Stuart Schwartz, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=jzoBzwABlZEC&dq=Early%20Latin%20America.%20New%20York%3A%20Cambridge%20University%20Press%201983&pg=PA19 Early Latin America] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405045158/https://books.google.com/books?id=jzoBzwABlZEC&dq=Early%20Latin%20America.%20New%20York:%20Cambridge%20University%20Press%201983&pg=PA19 |date=5 April 2023 }}''. New York: Cambridge University Press 1983, p. 19.</ref> Following the Spanish explorations and settlement in the Caribbean, the [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire]] and the [[Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire]], the crown established high courts ("Audiencias") and [[viceroyalties]] in important regions ([[Real Audiencia of Mexico|Mexico]], 1535; [[Real Audiencia of Panama|Panama]], 1538, which was later replaced by [[Real Audiencia of Lima|Lima]], 1542). The viceroy (vice-king) and the Audiencias were the effective administrators of royal policy.