In the autumn of 1469, a journey began that would change the course of Spanish history. The young Prince Ferdinand, heir to the Crown of Aragon and King of Sicily, set out secretly for Castile to marry infanta Isabella of Castile. Their union promised to reshape the political future of the Iberian Peninsula, but it also carried considerable risk.
Isabella’s half-brother, Henry IV of Castile, opposed the marriage and might have tried to prevent it if Ferdinand had entered the kingdom openly. To avoid interception by the king’s supporters, Ferdinand and a very small group of trusted companions crossed into Castile quietly and traveled along secondary roads. To protect his identity, the prince adopted the appearance of a humble servant or muleteer rather than a royal nobleman.
One of the most frequently repeated anecdotes of the journey concerns the modest animal he rode. Instead of a fine horse suitable for a prince, Ferdinand traveled on a mule, a far less conspicuous mount for a man of ordinary status. According to tradition, when one of his companions complained that such an animal was unworthy of the heir to Aragon, Ferdinand replied that it was better to ride poorly than to be recognized too soon.
Another story tells that at a roadside inn the disguised prince behaved exactly as a servant would. To maintain the deception, he is said to have helped attend to the table, serving food as if he were merely an attendant to his companions. The other guests in the inn, unaware of his true identity, treated him as an ordinary young servant.
After several days traveling discreetly across the countryside, Ferdinand finally approached Valladolid, where Isabella was waiting. According to tradition, he arrived at night. When he presented himself at the residence where Isabella was staying, his simple clothing and modest appearance caused some confusion. It is said that someone present doubted that the humble “servant” before them could truly be the Prince of Aragon and King of Sicily.
Once Ferdinand arrived secretly in Valladolid and the two met, the marriage was quickly agreed upon, showing that the encounter was successful and harmonious. Within a few days of meeting, on 19 October 1469, the couple were married at the Vivero Palace. The ceremony was relatively modest but politically explosive.
Because Ferdinand and Isabella were second cousins, Church law required a papal dispensation to marry. Henry IV of Castile put pressure on Rome and the papal legates to prevent the bull from being dispensed. Faced with the difficulty of obtaining the dispensation in time, Isabella’s supporters used the famous forged bull attributed to Pius II in order to celebrate the wedding. Once the couple became powerful, they requested and received a real papal dispensation from Pope Sixtus IV, which legalized the marriage retroactively.
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