Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/278

254 254 ITALIAN WARS. PAHT II. Europe at close of the fifteenth century. that the accurate and well-informed historian, who has most copiously illustrated this portion of the national annals, does not even mention, in his in- troductory notice, the name of Isabella, but refers the agency in these events exclusively to her more ambitious consort. * In this he is abundantly justi- fied, both by the prevailing character of the policy pursued, widely differing from that which distin- guished the queen's measures, and by the circum- stance that the foreign conquests, although achieved by the united efforts of both crowns, were under- taken on behalf of Ferdinand's own dominions of Aragon, to which in the end they exclusively apper- tained. The close of the fifteenth century presents, on the whole, the most striking point of view in mod- ern history ; one from which we may contemplate the consummation of an important revolution in the structure of political society, and the first applica- tion of several inventions destined to exercise the widest influence on human civilization. The feudal institutions, or rather the feudal principle, which operated even where the institutions, strictly speak- ing, did not exist, after having wrought its appoint- ed uses, had gradually fallen into decay ; for it had not the power of accommodating itself to the in- creased demands and improved condition of society. However well suited to a barbarous age, it was found that the distribution of power among the members of an independent aristocracy, was unfa- ' Zurita, Historia del Rey Don torn. v. vi., Zaragoza, 1580,) lib. 1. Hernando el Cathulico, (Anales introd.