Government

Question 1

When was the Council of Indies officially established?

Answer 1

1524

Question 2

When and by whom was the Council of State introduced?

Answer 2

1526 by Gattinara

Question 3

Who were the governors of the Netherlands?

Answer 3

Margaret of Austria and then Mary of Hungary.

Question 4

What was the longest time Charles remained in Spain?

Answer 4

1522 to 1529

Question 5

When was a Council of War established?

Answer 5

1522

Question 6

How many members where on the Royal Council?

Answer 6

12

Question 7

When was a Council of Finance established? Who was in charge

Answer 7

1523 - cobos

Question 8

When was a Council for Italy set up? What did this highlight?

Answer 8

1555 - underlined that policy Mediterranean was now no longer imperial but rather foreign

Question 9

By the 1550s how many members were in Charles’ court and what was this costing him?

Answer 9

750, around 200 000 ducats per year

Question 10

How many times did the Castilian cortes meet under Charles?

Answer 10

15 (every 3 years or so after 1522)

Question 11

How many times did the general cortes of Aragon meet? What about the three individual cortes? Why?

Answer 11

The general cortes met 6 times however the individual cortes’ of Valencia, Catalonia and Aragon rarely met - perhaps because Charles realised his power was limited with the Aragonese and it was best not to challenge their influence.

Question 12

Where and when was Germaine de Foix made viceroy?

Answer 12

Valencia in 1523

Question 13

Why were secretaries so important?

Answer 13

They acted as a medium between the council and the king; also managed incoming communication and decided whether it should go to the relevant council or to directly to the king. Councils would scarcely have functioned without secretaries.

Question 14

Who was the most influential secretary and when was he appointed?

Answer 14

Francisco Los Cobos was appointed in 1516.

Question 15

When was Los Cobos promoted to Council of State?

Answer 15

1529

Question 16

What were the two types of council? Which was more significant and what were the main differences?

Answer 16

• administrative: concerned with logistics and administration; some dealt with particular administrative areas others with geographical areas; examples include the royal council of castile and the council of aragon
• advisory: meant to provide counsel for Charles on matters but in reality they had little political influence and were probably created to provide social distinction for its members; examples include council of war and council of state
• the former was of more significance however the importance of the council as a whole lessened.

Question 17

When did Gattinara die? What happened to his post?

Answer 17

1530, after which the post if chancellor collapsed and Charles worked primarily through his secretaries Granvelle and Cobos

Question 18

What did the Venetian ambassador write with regards to Cobos and Granvelle? When?

Answer 18

‘Cobos and Granvelle transact all the business for all his states’ - 1546

Question 19

Which grandees expressed distaste at the appointment of Flemish advisors?

Answer 19

Admiral Enrique and Constable Velasco

Question 20

What were Cobos and Granvelle respectively in charge of?

Answer 20

Granvelle - foreign affairs and northern europe
Cobos - domestic affairs

Question 21

Name a key advisor.

Answer 21

Gonzalo Perez, Juan Vazquez de Molina

Question 22

What positions were available to the nobility under Charles that were previously closed?

Answer 22

municipal offices e.g. mayor, chief of police and militia,

Question 23

Who controlled towns? Were they loyal?

Answer 23

Hidalgos - had risen to prominence after the revolts so had every reason to be loyal to maintain their positions and the status quo

Question 24

How effective was the conciliar system?

Answer 24

• no attempts were made to unite the individual councils and Charles tended to ignore their advice in favour of his secretaries
• there was also no permanent base for imperial councils as they tended to follow Charles reducing efficiency
• it could not act to the same speed as his secretaries
• overall, although somewhat efficient, the conciliar system lacked importance and therefore was far less effective than Charles’ secretaries

Question 25

What did Charles demand from the cortes in 1523?

Answer 25

He refused to discuss other matters until he was granted taxes.

Question 26

Why did the cortes have limited power under Charles?

Answer 26

• only 18 towns could send (2) representatives
• these towns didn’t represent all areas of the kingdom
• nobles and clergy weren’t usually called

Question 27

When and why did Charles’ fail to acquire funds for his campaign against the Turks?

Answer 27

1527 - called a general cortes in the hopes of gaining a special grant from clergy and nobles but they feared this would result in a loss of their exemption from taxation so he gained nothing save for a few private donations from clergy

Question 28

When was Philip appointed regent?

Answer 28

1543

Question 29

How did the government under Charles evolve from under F&I?

Answer 29

• more imperial councils and the council of war and state
• personal presence continued
• rise in the importance of secretaries and individuals within the council and general governance (i.e. regents)
• not much changed however the few changes that did occur improved the efficiency of the government although influence lay mainly in the hands of a few individuals