government and administration under a new monarchy. Flashcards
what was the personal rule of the monarchs like
neither sought to alter the traditional practises of governing. each monarch only riled with the others consent.
they both spent a lot of time in transit travelling across the region - every town in castile received at least one visit from the crown. where ever possible they tried to travel together- showed they were close- emphasises royal authority.
the admiral of castile said in 1522 ‘they knew everybody, always giving honours to those who merited them’
the was a great importance of personal monarchy.
what were ‘pragmatics’ and what did they mean for the crown?
they were royal decrees.both monarchs signed royal decrees, both could administer justice in castile, jointly when together and separately when apart.
during his 37 year reign how long did ferdinand actually spend in aragon?
4 years in Catalonia, less than 3 in aragon and only 6 months in valencia.
what were the 4 main functions of the castilian cortes?
to vote money to the crown
to confirm royal legislation
to offer advice when asked
to express its own grievances
what was the castilian cortes?
the castilian cortes was a representative assembly of 17 castilian towns, as there were only 17 not all the towns were represented.
it would be suggested that it was not part of the government.
it met 16 times in total from 1498-1596 when political and financial crisis faced the crown and support f the people was needed.
the castilain cortes was vital in voting in subsidy taxes- these increased significantly after 1498.
what was the cortes of aragon?
when the cortes met it behaved more independently. they agreed that their personal grievances should be discussed before any finance was discussed. (fueros - compilation of laws)
what was ferdinand’s way of dealing with towns?
in aragon the king tries to strengthen his control by suggesting that municipal offices should be selected. such electoral procedures were intended to be more democratic.
what were the municipalities
during the 15th century of spain towns of castile became political and economically weak and eventually lost their independence to the monarchy. these changes were a result of internal evolution. big towns delegated authority to to magistrates and municipal officers. in the late 15th centaur office in he cities was in the hands of the patrician elite who were gentry.these resisted fiercely any attempt form the higher aristocracy ti extend their influence. struggle for office often brought with it conflict. the crown realised the importance of controlling the bigger towns and began ti claim the right to appoint regidors. due to this bigger towns began to have political rather than communal government. the elder system remained in many towns but often in adjust ti the newer twin council.
how did isabella deal with towns?
part of her success in the war of succession was du to the promise to improve local governments and to protect locals from oppressive nobles.
when councils were not administered in her subjects best intrests she intervened
in 1491 she intervened and suspended Trujillo municipal laws and ordered future councils to be appointed by lot.
isabella could also influence parish elections. she could nominate jurodos
all major offices were majorly controlled by the crown by 1474
why had corridors previously been appointed by the crown and how did this change with isabella?
to supervise various aspects of towns political, social and economic life.
- isabella continued this process in the 1470w however it was not well received. - a petition signed in 1476 voiced the concerns of the people stating that they should only be appointed with the towns consent.
what impact did corridors bring?
in many regions corregidors had limited impact. they had no authority to interfere with the role of the hermandad the inquisition, military orders, the church or in rural areas.
the number of crowns with corridors increased from 49 to 64 by 1516
complaints against royal officials began to grow in the 1490s. many corregidors stayed longer than the two years but also many failed to prevent noble intimidation
most of the problems were identifies in a ‘progmatica’ of 1500 that orders no corregidor should serve a town
- conditions worsened after the queen died.
what wa the santa hermandad?
‘the most feared agent of royal justice’ it was established by isabella as a permanent force in 1476 and subsequently expanded throughout Castile.they provided local justice in the countryside. the minority of offenders were guilty of capital offence and many were just guilty f theft.
rural hermandads were very unpopular. towns objected to high taxation for their upkeep.
nobles resented its lack of partiality and were soon calling for its abolition - queen agrees in early 1490s
what was the role and effectiveness of the santa hermandad.
they provided links between the towns and the crown. this aided the ability of the crown to try and resist enrichment into towns from over mighty nobles.
how was justice distributed?
both of the monarchs distributed justice personally - in the early ears the queen attended public hearings every friday - twice a week the royal council acted as the supreme court and wherever the queen went it followed. until a permanent court id a appeal with a presidency and 8 judges responsible for justice was set up in the north in 1489 as well as the south and granada
ata local level magistrates still dispensed the law in villages however the crown could send a corregidor to sit as magistrates increasing the crowns influence over the dispense of justice.
what were the royal councils used for?
the monarchs used the real councils to rule their kingdoms. isabella appointed her most trusted archbishops and grandees to traditional offices
diego hurtado de mendoza, the archbishop of seville and cardinal of spain was the most influential.
royal councils met everyday joined by 7 letrados (studied law for 10 or more years) the voted that from 1493 all councillors had to be letrados in a deliberate attempt t reduce the influence of influence id grandees n councils.
