Interesting Article About How Spanish Came to Be as We Know It Today

"The unification of the kingdoms of Castile and Leon under the Reyes Católicos (Catholic Monarchs) Ferdinand and Isabel, along with the rise of the Spanish Empire, solidified the place of Spanish among the top three languages spoken in the world." - SpanishDict.com

http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/233200/about-the-spanish-language#.VS1FRNzF-So