History 2403E Lecture 14: Lecture #14 - 16th C. Spain
2 May 2018
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Department
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Professor
January 16, 2018
16th C. Spain
- Theme: the development of strong, centralized gov’t
- See the way that the gov’ts emerged in various territories and how they were different
from one another and what pathways do they follow to get there.
- Spain during the 16thC. – The Age of Spain
o Emerges out of humble beginnings in the 15th and becomes the world power of
western Europe from 1600-1900
o By 1700, has a decline
- Iberian peninsula 1450 – no Spain
o A number of kingdoms that were segregated into regional and political units
o Portugal – 1.5 million people
▪ Focused oversees, our explorers
o Kingdom of Castille
▪ Largest and richest kingdom of the area
▪ Powerful nobles focused on the south
o Kingdom of Granada
▪ Last holdout of Muslim power in western Europe
▪ Nobles of castile want to reconquer this territory
o Kingdom of Aragon
▪ Most fragmented of the kingdoms – makes up 3 smaller kingdoms
• Catalonia, Valencia and Aragon
▪ Agriculturally based, less people and less money
o All had separate agendas – were deeply divided
- October 1469 – marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille
o Future king of Aragon and future queen of Castille
o 1474 – Isabella becomes queen
o 1479 – Ferdinand becomes king
▪ the crown is united together of these kingdoms since the 8th C.
• were never intended to become monarchs
- regional autonomy – Ferdinand dealt with Aragon through the leaders of the 3
principalities
- Ferdinand and Isabella forced to govern through the Cortes
o a body of people, drawn from different ranks and cases of people in Spanish
society – came together periodically to advise the crown on how to govern
▪ similar to the English Parliament and the French Estates General or the
Dutch State General or the German richtog straus
▪ a representative body – check and balance on royal power
o a successful arranged marriage
o wanted to secure control over Aragon and Castille – govern in real and
meaningful way
o want to increase the power of centralized gov’t in Spain
Ferdinand and Aragon face 4 basic struggles in their efforts to increase control over the
centralised state
1. Deal with the nobles
find more resources at oneclass.com
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a. Reduce the power of the nobles – marginalise them so that you can act
independently
2. Reduce the power and influence on the church
a. Has the best land and don’t pay taxes
b. Our they going to follow your commands or the pope
i. Need to cement authority in your home
3. Make power felt in real and pragmatic ways in the kingdom that you govern
a. Many citizens loyalties were to local lords because you paid taxes to the lord,
used their oven for bread, mill for flour, went to them for justice – who
mattered is local lord (KINGS NEED TO CHANGE THIS)
b. Kings trying to send their laws, taxmen into the lands
4. Get money
a. Taxes = revenue
b. Revenue = armies
c. Armies = power
d. If you want to increase you power, you need money – the one thing monarchs
don’t have
- The problem that Ferdinand and Isabella face are the same problems that every king faces
o Need to keep track of these changes in these 4 issues
- Nobles soon realised that uniting the two crowns strengthen the power of the crimes
o Would cause a reduction in their own power
o Erupts in a civil war
▪ Most those from Castille
- Isabella and Ferdinand are successful – but realise they need to restrict the power of the
nobles
o 1. Limit the power, size and influence of the royal council
▪ No longer want to be a first among equals
▪ Shrink it: push all but the strong-powerful Spanish royal families out of
the council
▪ Excludes everyone that they can from the royal council
o 2. Overhaul the administration/bureaucracy of the Castilian State
▪ Hired Hidalgos
• People from the lowest levels of the Spanish nobilities – lesser
aristocrats
▪ Build a new bureaucracy and staff hidalgos
• By merit and ability, not by bloodline
• Hidalgos are ultimately loyal to Ferdinand and Isabella for their
future
o Personal fortunes are directly tied to your success –
ventured interest in protecting and advancing the monarch
• Great nobles are fearful of the hidalgos
o A threat from below (lower social hierarchy)
o High nobles cannot focus their attention on Ferdinand and
Isabella
- Nobles still are very important but ferdidand and Isabella minimalsed and marginalised
their power
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
- Powerful clergy members were as wealthy and independent as the great nobles
o Diminish the influence of Rome
o Access the wealth that the church possessed
- Destruction of Granada in 1492
o The requonquista is completed
o Pope gives Ferdinand and Isabella the right to appoint all of the senior clergy in
the new captured territory
- Charles V – appointing all of the senior clergy in all of Spain
o Controls the Spanish church
o Why does the reformation not spread in certain areas? (pull a henry)
▪ Because for many, Protestantism didn’t offer them something that they
didn’t already have
o No appeal for monarchs because the princes already possessed that power (cuis
religio, eiu regio)
- Benefits of requonquista
o Ferdinand and Isabella 1492 – grenada falls
▪ But all the powerful nobles came home and were bored – need to keep
them distracted
o The Spanish as a whole sees themselves as a crusading society – the defenders of
the catholic church
o War against Muslims end and they look for new targets – begin to expel all jews
from their territory – 150,000 expelled
- The Conversos/Moriscos
o Conversos – families that converted from Catholicism from Judaism
o Moriscos – families that converted to Catholicism from Islam
o Fear that their conversions were not genuine
- Pope gives privilege for the Inquisition (1478)
o By 1483, the Spanish inquisition is run as a branch of the Spanish gov’t
o Run by the state
o Persecution fostered religious unity, the defenders of the Catholic faith
▪ The growing strength of the central gov’t
o Wherever there is religious unity and stability, there is strong centralised gov’t
o Religious plurality and division – centralised gov’t is weak and ineffective
▪ Invariably there is civil war
o Spain dominates because they have a stable kingdom
- Ferdinand and Isabella needs a larger presence in cities and towns
o Hires Corregidores – not all hidalgos were corregidores but all corregidores were
hidalgos
▪ Justices of the peace
▪ Represented the king’s law
▪ King send them into cities and towns
▪ Going to cost money and that means taxes
o Increased administrative control meant they could more extensively and
effectively collect money
- Alcabala – the Spanish sale tax
o Revenue for the crown
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Theme: the development of strong, centralized gov"t. See the way that the gov"ts emerged in various territories and how they were different from one another and what pathways do they follow to get there. The age of spain: emerges out of humble beginnings in the 15th and becomes the world power of western europe from 1600-1900, by 1700, has a decline. The problem that ferdinand and isabella face are the same problems that every king faces: need to keep track of these changes in these 4 issues. Nobles soon realised that uniting the two crowns strengthen the power of the crimes: would cause a reduction in their own power, erupts in a civil war, most those from castille. Isabella and ferdinand are successful but realise they need to restrict the power of the nobles: 1. Nobles still are very important but ferdidand and isabella minimalsed and marginalised their power.
