The Great Peninsular Kingdoms 13th-15th Centuries Flashcards
1-The reconquista 13th-14th centuries
-1212 Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa was crucial to continue with the Reconquista. Only Granada remained as a Muslim kingdom.
Castile, Aragón
1.1- Castile
- They conquered Guadiana and Guadalquivir valleys with Ferdinand III and Alfonso X
- They conquered Baja extremadura, Huelva, Cadiz and
- From 14th century: Reconquista stopped. The following years a border was created with the last Muslim kingdom: Granada
1.2-Aragón
- France tried to conquer the Rousillon
- Balearic islands were conquered.
- Valencia and Alicante were conquered
- Murcia->Aragon and Castile signed the Treaty of Almizra-> Murcia became part of Castile
3-The Crown of Castile
-1230 Leon+Castile united into the crown of Castile
Goverment of the kingdom, livestock farming economy, stratified society, Function of Cortes
3.1-Government pf the kingdom
-3 institutions: King/Cortes/Municipalities
King: Full of powers->2 most important: collect taxes, raise armies
Cortes: A representation of the kingdom composed by nobles, clergy and bourgeoisie. Main function: Approve new taxes
Municipalities:A group of people that governed a city or town. These people are called “regidores”. King also selected “corregidores” to ensure that in the municipalities were acting to his decisions.
3.2-Livestock farming economy
- Agriculture was important: grapevines, cereals and olive trees.
- Merino sheep farming was a crucial activity. Sheep were owned by nobility and the king protected their interests with the Mesta in 1237.
3.3-Stratified society
-14thC: 4million inhabitants divided into privileged and non privileged Jews and Muslims were minorities.
3.4-Function of Cortes
- Cortes were meetings attended by nobility, clergy and bourgeoisie(representing cities)
- They had no fixed location
- Cortes approved taxes but first they presented some complaints to the king. If the king approved them, they would raise taxes, if not, some problems appeared
5-The crown of Aragon
-It was composed by 4 territories( Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia and Murcia) which had their own laws and institutions
One crown several kingdoms, Commercial dynamism, growth of bourgeoisie, Mediterranean expansion
5.1-One crown, several kingdoms
-According to these differences, the king governed not imposing, but negotiating with the Cortes->PACTISMO
Institutions:
- Royal court- king+advisors
- Viceroy- king’s representative in each kingdom
- Cortes-one in each kingdom to approve taxes
- Generalidad-Permanent commission of Cortes that governed the kingdom
5.2-Commercial dynamism
-Agriculture and livestock farming where important: Wheat, grapevines and olives. BUT the bourgeoisie was very dynamic and worked as artisans and traders. They produced clothes to export and made huge profits.
5.3-Growth of Bourgeoisie
- The privileged groups(nobility and clergy) were in confrontation with the bourgeoisie, which demmanded more power.
- In Barcelona, the bourgeoisie could take part in the government of the city hall.
5.4- Mediterranean Expansion
- The bourgeoisie of the Crown of Aragon helped the king to conquer the Mediterranean area because they wanted to obtain new trade routes.
- New territories: Sicily, Athens and Neopatria, Sardinia, Naples
6-Kingdom of Navarra
-France, Castile and Aragón tried to influence in Navarra during the Middle Age.
Several dynasties, one Fuero- Districts and social groups-Dual economy-The Agramonteses and Beaumonteses
6.1-Several dynasties, one Fuero
- 1234 King Sancho VII died without a heir. His nephew Theobold of Champagne became the new king. He was French
- The new king had to agree the Fuero General to be the king. The document contained the rights and duties of Navarre people.
- This agreement was also agreed in the meeting of Cortes in 1253
- More dynasties from France governed Navarre. Capetian +Éverux and Charles II of Éverux was considered the best kingInstitutions
- King:Governed the kingdom. His power was limited by Cortes and Fuero
- Royal council: advisors that helped the king to govern
- Cortes:Approved the taxes and made
- Cort:Supreme Tribunal of Justice
- Camara de Comptos: collected taxes and minted coin.
6.2-Districts and social groups
- Navarre had 150000 inhabitants and was divided into 6 Meridades or districts: Pamplona, Estella, Olite, Tudela, Sanguesa and Ultrapuertos (in France)
- The nobility was very powerful and rich (ricoshombres) and Jews and Mudëjars were important in cities
6.3-Dual economy
-Livestock and vegetable farming were important in the South. The Camino de Santiago stimulated the trade and artisanship.
6.4-The Agramonteses and The Beaumonteses
- In the 1441 the queen Blanche died. According to the Fuero, her son Charles must’ve been the king. BUT his father John II of Aragon disagreed and the war started.
- The civil war lasted from 1441 to 1456
- In 1479 John II died and the throne was for his daughter Eleanor, who also died soon. So, Catherina de Foir became the queen and had a French origin.
- In 1512 Ferdinand the Catholic conquered Navarre and united it to Castile
Agramonteses
- Nobles from the Pyrenees
- Defend the livestock farming
- They supported John
Beaumonteses
- Powerful farming nobles from the South
- They supported Charles
7-Civil wars in Castile and Aragon
Conflicts in the Crown of Aragon-
7.1-Conflicts in the Crown of Aragon
- In 1410 the king Martin “The Humane” died without a heir. So, te nobility of Aragon decided to choose Ferdinand of Antequera as king by signing an agreement, the Compromise of Caspe in 1412.
- In this century, nobles made a lot of feudal abuses to peasants, who had to pay more money. Because of that they made some revolts.
- In cities as Barcelona, artisans and traders formed a group called “Busca” against the nobility and rich bourgeoisie called “Siga”
- So, when John II confronted the nobility a civil war started
- King John II won and limited the privileges of nobility
7.2-Conflicts in The Crown of Castile
-In 14th Century, nobles demanded more privilefes and they supported a new dynasty, The Trastamara, to the throne. Also favourites governed in Castile. They were nobles in whom the king trusted.
1st/2nd Civil war
1st Civil War
- King Peter I wanted to promote the wool industry against the nobility
- The King’s step brother, Henry of Trastamara promised to nobles more power if they helped him to be the king against Peter
- So, a war started and the nobles achieved the victory->Henry II became the king and nobles were granted with more privileges
