accessions to their thrones of isabella and ferdinand Flashcards
what were they key features of the marriage agreement between ferdinand and isabella 1469?
. Ferdinand was to respect the customs of the realm
. all appointments and acts were to be in accord with there queens wishes
. he was to reside in the realm and pursue the reconquest of land from the moors
. all public decisions were to bear the signature of both partners
what was the significance of the marriage for the prospect of ‘unity’ between the crowns or Aragon and Castile?
the union of the two crowns was purely dynastic, it was more a union of two royal houses than a union of two people - although the two kingdoms would be ruled by the same monarchs there would be little to no change on their status or the way that they were governed.
castile and the land of aragon were different land with different people, different histories living in different stages of historical development.
why was isabella’s character a key factor in her succession to the throne
isabella was henry IV’s half sister - in September 1468 she was recognised by him as his heir and crowned queen in segovia on 13th of december 1474.
as a queen isabella understood the needs of the nobles drawing them in with power and positions; she was highly competent and intellectual along with physically resilient.
why was the backing of the castillian grandees a key factor in her succession to the throne
even before she was queen isabella had built up a powerful block of grandees. she did this by promising royal patronage to her followers (e.g. Fadrique Enríquez was promised and awarded the position of admiral of castile)
she promised to grant all acts of ‘hidalgos’ (grants of nobility) and also the right to collect ‘mercedes’ (financial grants) would be enforced.
she also promised to investigate the claims that only a small amount o tax that was collected ever reached the nobles
give an example of grandees that supported isabella
the archbishop of toledo, duke of medina sedonia
what was the military role of ferdinand?
Ferdinands main role was to lead the queens forces during the war of succession (1474-79) his resources and energy helped isabella fight and put down the anarchy. in 1477 he captured several of the marquis of villena’s fortresses however most grandees were far to powerful.
he took control of rural brotherhoods and turned them into a national militia. he also directed military operations against rebellious towns and also nobles.
what support from the towns did isabella have?
in 1474 the position of towns was less favourable to isabella - most of the north and the south along with portions of the east and central regions were in open revolt against the crown. isiabellas way of dealing with this was to found out what most appealed to each town to try and win them over. if towns did not cooperate then force was implied. once control was gained then a corregidor was sent to stop over mighty nobles from taking control.
the formation of the hermandad
the hermandad was a brotherhood. many cities already had their own hermandad so the queen decided to bring them all together into a santa hermandad in 1476. it was meant to be a temporary measure to deal with emergency, it was agreed that it would be disbanded after the crisis was over. in 1477 when joana subsided isabella employed all of her power into keeping it running for 3 more years- she used it to curb the potential challenge of nobility
how far was isabella seen at the time as restoring peace peace and order by the 1480s?
castilian chronicles proclaimed her as the saviour of the kingdom.
- she was adored by her subjects
- she united several provinces of spain
- she was at peace with france
- she provided stability
in what condition was the town of aragon when it was inherited by ferdinand?
it was rocked by civil war; barcelona’s commercial and trading supremacy passed to valencia; crown finances were ruined; civil unrest- peasants did not have freedom, nobles fought over land, barcelona was in massive debt.
