Fernando de Aragón, Isabel de Castilla y la temprana percepción del peligro turco (1472-1480)

Abstract

Even before acceding to the Castilian throne, both Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile had specific information, provided by the embassy of cardinal Borja in 1472-1473, on the Turkish threat to their domains, to the Mediterranean area and Christendom as a whole, at a time when the papal bull on the Anti-Ottoman crusade was published. After this, they closely followed the information sent by the ambassadors to Rome, and by the nuncios to their Kingdoms. For this reason, when the siege of Rhodes and the capture of Otranto in 1480 became known, Ferdinand and Isabella decided to help the Knights Hospitaller and the Kingdom of Naples.