Hispanic Monarchy (political entity)

The Hispanic Monarchy, also called the Catholic Monarchy, was the composite political entity that united the Spanish and Portuguese crowns and their overseas possessions from 1479 to 1716. It comprised the Crown of Castile, the Crown of Aragon, Portugal (1580‑1640), and various Italian, German and American territories under a single monarch. The monarchy operated through a polysynodial council system that coordinated the diverse legal and administrative traditions of its realms.