Taming of nobility Flashcards
what were the 3 ways in which the nobility were tamed?
- reforms to councils
- santa hermandad
- military orders
what were the 3 ways in which the nobility were not tamed?
- 1480 cortes of Toledo
- 1504 turning point
- aragon
when was a new royal council established?
cortes of toledo 1480
who were nobles replaced by in councils?
letrados
from which year did all council members have to be letrados?
1493
who were letrados and why were they better than nobles?
- low born men who had studied law for at least 10yrs
- fully loyal to crown as they owed their jobs to Isabella
- not involved in family feuding, improving decision making of councils
what happened to noble power in councils in 1493?
nobles no longer allowed to vote within councils
why was it important that nobles no longer had a say within councils?
- council evolved into single most important organ of govt in Castile
- required to meet daily and all councils travelled with queen
when was the concept of Santa hermandad revived?
cortes of madrigal 1476
why was the hermandad required to control nobles?
- crown had little authority and the big nobles had band of men controlling countryside
- Nobles had been running riot in countryside but introduction of hermandad would reduce this
what were the punishments used by the hermandad? what was their effect?
- steal less than 500 maravedis = lashed or whipped
- steal more than 500 maravedis = mutilation
- more order in countryside and made it a far safer place
what is Hunt’s quote about nobles power and the Santa hermandad?
the hermandad “ended many opportunities for noble brigandage”
why did the hermandad tame the nobles?
they could no longer roam free in the countryside and order was restored
by what year had ferdinand took control of all 3 Castilian military orders?
1500
what were the name of the 3 Castilian military orders?
Santiago, alcantara, calatrava
what was the annual income of the military orders’ lands?
estimated at 145,000 ducats
how much did the orders provide for Granada war?
- order of Santiago provided over 1,750 cavalry
- 1/6 of cavalry used in campaign was provided by the orders
how many vassals did the military orders have common over?
1 million
why was taking control of military taming the nobles?
- they were potentially a serious threat to the crown
- so taking control of them, significantly reduced the power of the nobles who controlled them
why was the cortes of Toledo an important parliament?
it was 1yr after civil war and succession crisis had finished
what did Nobles remain exempt from at the cortes of Toledo?
except from paying servicios and allowed to collect Alcabala
why did remaining exempt from tax make nobles strong?
able to use their money in other ways to increase their power e.g. retainers
what was the act of resumption?
confirmed noble ownership of any land they had stoled from the crown pre 1464, but all royal lands after 1464 were returned
how much did the nobles and crown each get from the act of resumption?
- nobles allowed to keep 33m maravedis of land
- crown gained 30m maravedis of land
why was cortes of Toledo 1480 in some ways taming the nobles?
- Isabella was fair w/nobles and thus ensured a good relationship
- nobles respected the crown and understood that Isabella had made a compromise with them
why didn’t Isabella take back more land in the act of resumption?
- would have set a bad precedent for the rest of the reign
- could have sparked a noble revolution
why was 1504 a turning point?
Isabella died and nobles started increasing their power again
give examples of nobles grabbing lands in towns?
- marquis de Maya took large parts of Segovia
- merdindades were grabbed by nobles
why did Ferdinand turn a blind eye to the behaviour of the nobles?
from 1494, he was fighting the French in Naples and needed noble money and support to continue the war
what did ferdinand order judges to do ?
favour nobles and ignore land grabbing
did Ferdinand have control of aragonese nobles?
he had little control. Nobels dominated cortes and politics
how was the hermandad project less successful in Aragon?
- strong opposition form nobles
- didn’t even try to introduce it in Catalonia
- didn’t last long in Aragon
did Ferdinand take control of aragonese military orders?
no
what were the names of the two aragonese military orders?
st John and montesa
what were the nobles like in Aragon?
- dominant in Cortes
- high profiles in town councils
- had a firm grip on countryside
