Taming of nobility

Question 1

what were the 3 ways in which the nobility were tamed?

Answer 1

• reforms to councils
• santa hermandad
• military orders

Question 2

what were the 3 ways in which the nobility were not tamed?

Answer 2

• 1480 cortes of Toledo
• 1504 turning point
• aragon

Question 3

when was a new royal council established?

Answer 3

cortes of toledo 1480

Question 4

who were nobles replaced by in councils?

Answer 4

letrados

Question 5

from which year did all council members have to be letrados?

Answer 5

1493

Question 6

who were letrados and why were they better than nobles?

Answer 6

• 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

Question 7

what happened to noble power in councils in 1493?

Answer 7

nobles no longer allowed to vote within councils

Question 8

why was it important that nobles no longer had a say within councils?

Answer 8

• council evolved into single most important organ of govt in Castile
• required to meet daily and all councils travelled with queen

Question 9

when was the concept of Santa hermandad revived?

Answer 9

cortes of madrigal 1476

Question 10

why was the hermandad required to control nobles?

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

what were the punishments used by the hermandad? what was their effect?

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

what is Hunt’s quote about nobles power and the Santa hermandad?

Answer 12

the hermandad “ended many opportunities for noble brigandage”

Question 13

why did the hermandad tame the nobles?

Answer 13

they could no longer roam free in the countryside and order was restored

Question 14

by what year had ferdinand took control of all 3 Castilian military orders?

Answer 14

1500

Question 15

what were the name of the 3 Castilian military orders?

Answer 15

Santiago, alcantara, calatrava

Question 16

what was the annual income of the military orders’ lands?

Answer 16

estimated at 145,000 ducats

Question 17

how much did the orders provide for Granada war?

Answer 17

• order of Santiago provided over 1,750 cavalry

- 1/6 of cavalry used in campaign was provided by the orders

Question 18

how many vassals did the military orders have common over?

Answer 18

1 million

Question 19

why was taking control of military taming the nobles?

Answer 19

• they were potentially a serious threat to the crown

- so taking control of them, significantly reduced the power of the nobles who controlled them

Question 20

why was the cortes of Toledo an important parliament?

Answer 20

it was 1yr after civil war and succession crisis had finished

Question 21

what did Nobles remain exempt from at the cortes of Toledo?

Answer 21

except from paying servicios and allowed to collect Alcabala

Question 22

why did remaining exempt from tax make nobles strong?

Answer 22

able to use their money in other ways to increase their power e.g. retainers

Question 23

what was the act of resumption?

Answer 23

confirmed noble ownership of any land they had stoled from the crown pre 1464, but all royal lands after 1464 were returned

Question 24

how much did the nobles and crown each get from the act of resumption?

Answer 24

• nobles allowed to keep 33m maravedis of land

- crown gained 30m maravedis of land

Question 25

why was cortes of Toledo 1480 in some ways taming the nobles?

Answer 25

• 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

Question 26

why didn’t Isabella take back more land in the act of resumption?

Answer 26

• would have set a bad precedent for the rest of the reign

- could have sparked a noble revolution

Question 27

why was 1504 a turning point?

Answer 27

Isabella died and nobles started increasing their power again

Question 28

give examples of nobles grabbing lands in towns?

Answer 28

• marquis de Maya took large parts of Segovia

- merdindades were grabbed by nobles

Question 29

why did Ferdinand turn a blind eye to the behaviour of the nobles?

Answer 29

from 1494, he was fighting the French in Naples and needed noble money and support to continue the war

Question 30

what did ferdinand order judges to do ?

Answer 30

favour nobles and ignore land grabbing

Question 31

did Ferdinand have control of aragonese nobles?

Answer 31

he had little control. Nobels dominated cortes and politics

Question 32

how was the hermandad project less successful in Aragon?

Answer 32

• strong opposition form nobles
• didn’t even try to introduce it in Catalonia
• didn’t last long in Aragon

Question 33

did Ferdinand take control of aragonese military orders?

Answer 33

no

Question 34

what were the names of the two aragonese military orders?

Answer 34

st John and montesa

Question 35

what were the nobles like in Aragon?

Answer 35

• dominant in Cortes
• high profiles in town councils
• had a firm grip on countryside