Government and Administration under Isabella and Ferdinand (2)

Question 1

In the past, how had nobles caused disturbances?

Answer 1

Involvement in private wars

Question 2

What measures were taken to try and gain control back from the nobles?

Answer 2

• troublesome nobles were arrested (castles burned, property taken)
• Crown tried to reclaim rights and land it had lost

Question 3

What happened at the Cortes of Toledo in 1480?

Answer 3

• Crown regained all royal lands lost 1464+

- nobles kept the royal lands they had lost before 1464

Question 4

What did the Crown say the nobles could and could not do?

Answer 4

• couldn’t make private war
• couldn’t build castles
• nobles collecting the alcabala could continue

Question 5

Why did Isabella and Ferdinand have to make allowances for the nobles?

Answer 5

To gain their support in the War of Succession

Question 6

List some of the things Isabella did to secure the support of the nobles

Answer 6

• encouraged titled nobles to spend time at court
• gave opportunities to fight in foreign wars
• support = rewards
• new titles

Question 7

What other thing did Isabella do to avoid disputes within noble families that could lead to private war?

Answer 7

Encouraged the use of mayorazgo, meaning that land and property would be passed down through the family generations and not split

Question 8

What made military orders powerful?

Answer 8

• owned large estates

- received a lot of wealth

Question 9

How did Isabella get her wish to have the military orders controlled by the Crown?

Answer 9

Ferdinand became grand master of each of the orders (this meant that the Crown increased its income)

Question 10

What was the main council of the conciliar system?

Answer 10

The Royal Council of Castile

Question 11

What were the five chambers of the Royal Council of Castile?

Answer 11

• foreign policy
• justice
• Hermandades
• finance
• nobles and letrados

Question 12

Why was law and order still difficult in Castile?

Answer 12

The nobles and the Church still had local rights and powers

Question 13

Further permanent courts were later established, what were the two main ones?

Answer 13

• Granada

- Santiago de Compostela

Question 14

From the courts of Granada and Santiago de Compostela where did appeals go?

Answer 14

To the Royal Council of Castile

Question 15

What two types of cases were tried by courts?

Answer 15

Criminal and civil

Question 16

What was done as an attempt to ensure similar laws operated throughout Castile?

Answer 16

• collections of late medieval law codes and pragmatics of the monarchs were published