CCSS2 Unit 9 (2nd half) The Early Modern Period in Spain

Part 5: The Early Modern Period in Spain p.178

5.1 Politics

-Government by a common policy began with the Catholic Monarchs (Isabel of Castilla and Fernando of Aragón).

-However, Castilla and Aragón were still independent kingdoms with their own cortes, laws, languages and coins (it was only a dynastic union).

THE REIGN OF THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS

Domestic Policy

1.They subjected the nobility and clergy to royal authority and controlled the municipalities, increasing the role of the Corregidor (representatives of the monarchs in the city councils).

2. They created the Santa Hermandad to keep order in rural areas.

3. They transformed the Royal Council of Castilla and established the Council of Aragón (government legal/administration bodies) --> they created the Chancillerías or courts of justice.

4. They created a permanent army, allowing them to conquer Granada (1492). They got the Canary Islands (1496) and part of the Kingdom of Navarra (1515). 

5. They expelled the Jews (1492) and extended the Inquisition to Castilla (it already existed in Aragón).

Foreign Policy

1.They set up alliances with other European Kingdoms (the Hapsburg HRE, England + Portugal) through marriage alliances, marrying their sons and daughters to the princes and princesses of those kingdoms. Ex: Juana the Mad (daughter of the Catholic Monarchs) and Philip the fair (Hapsburg).

2. They conquered land in the North of Africa: Melilla, Oran (Algeria), and Tripoli (Libya).

3. After fighting a war against France, they recovered Naples (which belonged to the Trastámara family – Isabel and Fernando were members), helping Aragon’s expansion throughout the Mediterranean.

4. They supported geographical expeditions in the Atlantic, leading to the rediscovery of America by Europeans.

In the 16^th century Spain was ruled by the Hapsburg dynasty monarchs: Carlos I (son of Philip the Fair and Joan the Mad) and Felipe II.

Carlos I:

-was born in Ghent (Belgium) in 1500

-was proclaimed King of Spain in 1516

-was elected emperor of the HRE in 1519 (with the name Carlos V)

-in 1556 he renounced the imperial crown and part of the Hapsburg territories, which went to his brother (Fernando).

-His son, Felipe II, inherited Spain and all its possessions.

Domestic Policy:

1. Carlos I governed many kingdoms (he inherited the Crowns of Castilla and Aragón, Navarra, the Canary Islands, some cities in N.Africa, land in the Americas, Rousillon, Siciliy, Sardinia and Naples).

2. He ended the Germania Revolt (1519-23): a rebellion against the nobility by the armed brotherhoods created by guilds in Valencia and Mallorca. (Brotherhoods = association of several municipalities created to keep order and defend people from the abuses of feudal lords.)

The revolt was an anti-monarchist, anti-feudal autonomist movement inspired by the Italian republics.

3. He repressed the rebellion of the comuneros (1520-21): a conflict in some cities of Castilla provoked by members of the bourgeoisie, who were against the king’s foreign advisers and his rise in taxes.  The Comuneros were defeated by the royal army in the Battle of Villalar (Valladolid) and their leaders were executed.

Foreign Policy

1. From the Hapsburgs, her inherited the Netherlands, the Frank County and some territories in central Europe (green).

2. He defeated France in a war for control of the Italian territories

3. He fought against the Ottoman Turkd, who were trying to control N. Africa and the Mediterranean.

4. He fought againt the German princes of the HRE (who rejected his authority and supported Protestantism). He defeated them at the Battle of Mühlberg (Germany, 1547).  He was forced to sign the Peace of Augsburg, giving the German princes the right to choose their religion and impose it on their subjects.

FELIPE II (1556-1598)

 -inherited:

 - territory in the peninsula from Carlos I (his dad) – also other areas of Europe, N. Africa and the Americas

-in 1580 he became King of Portugal because their king died without an heir. – so he also got all the Portuguese territories in S. America (Brazil), Africa and Asia.

Domestic Policy

-He established the capital of his kingdom in Madrid.

-He strengthened the administration:

            1. He gave more power to the secretaries.

            2. He consolidated the role of the councils.

            3. He created the juntas – meetings where governmental matters were resolved.

-He kept viceroys, who governed in his name.

-He had conflicts with the MORISCOS (Muslims who had converted to Christianity)

            1. He prohibited them from speaking Arabic and practicing their customs.

            2. He was afraid that they would support the Ottoman Turks, who were trying to take control of the Mediterranean. 

            3. In 1568, there was a Morisco Rebellion in the Alpujarras (Granada).

            4. They were defeated by the king’s troops and forced to disperse throughout Castilla.

-He tried to influence the institutions of Aragón

            1. This lead to a revolt in 1589.

            2. It was suppressed by the king’s army.

            3. From then on, the king appointed the Justicia Mayor de Aragón.

Foreign Policy

-He defeated the French and got control of Italy. (Battle of San Quentin)

-He defended the western Mediterranean against the Turks:

            1. He made an alliance against them with the Pope and Venice.

2. They defeated the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto (Greece, 1571).

-He tried to control the Protestants in the Netherlands:

            1. This led to a war between Spain and England.

            2. Felipe II organized the Spanish Armada, which was “invincible”.

            3. It was defeated in 1588 while trying to attack England.

-He intervened in conflicts in France, supporting Catholics against Calvinists (Protestants)

Part 5.2 Economy and Society p.181

ECONOMY:

The Monarchs received income from:

a.taxes

b.gold and silver from the Americas

-BUT the cost of their central administrations and armies kept growing, so they had to ask for loans from European (Flemish, Genoese and German) bankers.

-When the Spanish crown couldn’t pay back its debt, which led to:

1. Several cases of state bankruptcy

2. a rise in taxes and prices

3. a serious crisis in the craftwork sector (caused because it was cheaper to buy products from the rest of Europe than to acquire them in Spain.

4. an increase in imports

SOCIETY:

-was still based on the estates.

Nobility: big economic differences between high (counts, marquises) and low (hidalgos)

Clergy: big differences between high (bishops, archbishops etc.) and low (priests, monks)

Common people: the majority and the taxpayers (craftsmen, peasants, merchants, etc.)

At the beginning of the Early Modern Period, Spanish society underwent some changes:

1.    The Catholic Monarchs carried out reforms within the clergy to improve their education and training.

2.   The Catholic Monarchs increased their authority over the nobility.

3.   There were many conflicts between the nobles and the petite bourgeoisie.

4.   There was an increase in the number of government officials who came from the bourgeoisie. 

Part 5.3 Culture, Architecture and Art p.182

Humanists:

1. Antonio de Nebrija (wrote the first Castilian grammar book)

2. Juan Luis Vives (European university intellectual)

Literary figures:

1. Garcilaso de la Vega

2. Fray Luis de León

3. El Lazarillo de Tormes (anonymous) 

Renaissance Architecture (3 Styles)

1. Plateresque: tons of meticulous, ornate decoration (grotesques, shells, medallions, flowers, etc.) Ex: Univ. of Salamanca.

2. Classicism: simplified and reduced decoration. Ex: Univ. of Alaclá de Henares, Carlos V’s Palace in Granada.

3. Herrerian: austere with almost no decoration. Ex: The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

Renaissance Art

Sculpture

-Religious themes were still the most common, unlike other countries.

-polychrome wood

-Ex: Alonso de Berruguete (The Sacrifice of St. Isaac, St. Geronimo, St. Sebastian)

Juan de Juni (Holy Burial)

Painting

-Mostly religious themes, but also portraits

-El Greco (lived in Toledo most of his life):

portraits: The nobleman with the hand on his chest

religious themes (rich colors, expressive): The baptism of Christ, The Trinity, Burial of the Count of Orgaz)

Part 6: Discovery and Conquest of America p.184

End of the 15^th century: Spain and Portugal discovered and occupied new territories previously unknown to Europeans.

6.1 Geographical Discoveries – factors:

1. Turks in the East Mediterranean (Constantinople) necessitated a new route to Asia.

2. Advances in cartography and navigation, like the caravel.

3. Travellers’ tales (like Marco Polo’s) inspired exploration.

4. Many Europeans saw the discovery of new lands as a way to get rich.

-The Portuguese sailed along the coast of Africa, occupying Madeira, the Azores and Cape Verde. They went as far as the Cape of Good Hope.

-Prince Henry the Navigator had been promoting sea travel since the mid 15th century.

The Portuguese wanted: 1.To figure out what was beyond the Cape of Good Hope

2.To find out if it was possible to reach the East Indies by Sea

3.To explore the African coast

4. In 1488 Bartolomé Diaz rounded the Cape of Good Hope

5. Vasco de Gama reached India in 1498.

Treaty of Alcaçovas (1479): 1.Spain gained control of the Canary Islands

2.Portugal defended its right to explore the African coast

“Under the treaty of Alcacovas Portugal abandoned its claim to the Castillian throne as well as its claim to the Canary Islands. The Spanish recognized the Portuguese primacy in Azores islands as well the North and West African coasts.”

Christopher Columbus

A. Christopher Columbus, a sailor from Genoa, thought he could reach the East by going west.

B. He asked for funding from John II of Portugal, but he was refused.

C. Finally, he convinced the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabella, to invest in his plan. 

-After 6 years of deliberation, they finally agreed: They signed the Capitulations of Santa Fe. This granted Columbus: a.the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea and Viceroy of the lands he might discover and b. one tenth of the riches he foundD.

-He left from Palos Harbor in Huelva and first went to the Canary Islands.

- He reached Guanahani (the Bahamas) on October 12^th and called it San Salvador.

-He made 3 more voyages from Spain to the Americas and died believing he had reached India.

G. Later, Amerigo Vespucci of Italy described the lands as a new continent: “America”

The Treaty of Tordesillas: The Division of the World

A. Sanctioned by the Pope, it divided the New World between Spain and Portugal.

i. The dividing line was 370 leagues west of Cape Verde.

ii. It led to Portugal establishing control over Brazil in 1500.

6.2 Indigenous People p.185

1. The Aztec Empire (cap. = Tenochtitlán, still underneath Mexico City). Polytheistic. Collected tributes from conquered civilizations.

2. The Maya Civilization. (Yucatán Peninsula and Central America). Had writing, astronomy, an agricultural economy and trade w/cocoa bean currency.

3. The Incan Empire (Peru, cap. Cuzco). Agricultural and livestock (llamas, alpacas). Incan Emperor was the son of the Sun. Empire covered w/a network of footpaths.

6.3 The Conquest and Colonization of America

A short and bloody conquest:

-few conquistadores, many weapons

-the element of surprise

-horses

-infighting among the indigenous people

-European diseases

1520: Hernán Cortés conquers the Aztec with the help of other indigenous people who were their subjects.

1533: Francisco Pizarro takes advantage of fighting within the Incan Empire to execute the Emperor, causing the empire to fall.

1527: Spanish conquest of the Mayan lands begins (not completed til 18^th century)

New Institutions to organize the colonization of the Americas:

1. The Casa de Contratación: (1503, Seville) responsible for governing Spanish trade with America.

2. The Consejo de Indias: a body that advised the king on issues in America.

3. The Viceroyalties: extensive areas of land governed by a representative of the king (a viceroy). There were 2: New Spain (cap. Mexico City) and Peru (cap. Lima)

6.4 Consequences of the Discoveries p.186

Politically:

-Spain and Portugal became huge colonial empires

-Frequent abuse by the colonizers caused Spain to eventually pass laws to defend the Native American people.

Economically:

-Gold and silver poured into Europe from the Americas.

-New crops were introduced (corn, potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, cocoa)

-Animals were introduced to America (horses, cows, sheep and pigs), as well as crops (wheat, grapes, coffee and rice).

Socially:

-The indigenous population was decimated by wars, diseases and overwork.

-Many Spaniards emigrated to America and mixed with the indigenous population, creating mestizos.

Culturally:

-humans could truly understand the real dimesions of the world.

-Spanish culture and the Christian religion were brought to America.