Essay on Spanish Social and Political Structure

Rationale: Anyone who has studied history of the Americas’ knows that it was founded by Christopher Columbus in 1492 however, he could not have explored the whole continent by himself. Who are the other Spanish explores and what are they famous for?

In Imperial Spain, J.H. Elliot examines the history of early modern Spain from the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, to the reformation of the Spanish government by the first member of the Bourbon dynasty. According to the author, at the start of the 15th century, Spain was internally weak, hopelessly divided and isolated from the continent by the Pyrenees. Yet, by 1492, Spanish society experienced a tremendous transformation which allowed Isabella and Ferdinand to unify the country, secure the largest transoceanic empire the world has ever known, and for a

Some Historians consider Isabella’s decision to pass the crown to the Hapsburgs rather than Aragon as evidence of Isabella’s disunity. Lockyer claims; “she showed how little she appreciated the concept of Spanish unity” . This theory is supported by Historian Lotherington and Kamen, the latter who comments “the achievement of a united Spain was never an objective of the Catholic Kings” However this is too simplistic a view; because Isabella knew that the Castilian nobles would not accommodate for an Aragonese king, and the crown must rest upon the spouse of Aragon and Castile if unification was to be a realistic goal. Elliot suggests this when he speaks of a “Spanish inheritance” when referring to the Burgundian inheritance and Rady explains “Ferdinand held such influence in Castile this kingdom also might have been wrenched away from the new heir (Charles)” . Likewise J.Jones identifies “national unification” as a key policy of the Catholic Kings.

Before the accession of Ferdinand and Isabella, Spain was fragmented into four different kingdoms; Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Granada. They married in 1469 before either was on the throne but by the death of King Henry IV, Isabella took the crown for Castile this in turn meant that the two kingdoms became untied both Ferdinand and Isabella ruled in unison, this is uncommon as it was supposed to one monarch, however the way they ruled together made them very successful. Their motto being "Tanto monta, monta tanto" (They amount to the same). One of their main goals was to enact administrative reforms. Firstly the Santa Hermandad (Holy Brotherhood) were set up in 1476 and took the role of police and judicial enactors. They also made a strict

There were two big rivals, France and England, had been more powerful. Spain got treasure by mining gold and silver. Spain moved

The Spanish Crown soon saw this lack of influence and control as a problem and sought for a more involved role in their colonies and began to exert a more direct influence. They established of the Council of the Indies in 1524 and the two Viceroyalties of New Spain and Peru soon after (Burkholder

Medieval Spain started with the arrival of the Visigoths in the late 5th century to the end of the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella in the 16th century. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval countries and kingdoms including Galicia, Leon, Castile, Aragon, Navarre, Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia, and Granada. These countries all contributed to what has been known as the Spanish language as well as the country itself.

Both Spain and France wanted the wealth of the new land sending explorers to stake their claim, knowing that other countries were in pursuit of staking claims to the new land as well.

-America’s territories locked Spain into a heavily regulated commercial system along with introducing distortions into local and regional economies

In the year of 1492, the Queen and King of Spain developed thoughts of strengthening their power and

Political power acts as a foundation for society through persuasion. This influential ability controls the thoughts and actions of society as a whole, and who is in control heavily determines how successful their influences will be. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were the political rulers of Spain during the late 15th century, and remained in control up until the early 16th century. They craved unity for their country, and would do anything they could to achieve their desired conformity. Spain was to be united under one flag, one form of ruler, and one religion; those who did not oblige, became targets. For more than three hundred years, the Spanish Inquisition hovered over Spain, inciting fear and inflicting brutality upon those

She appointed the main inquisitor, Thomas of Torquemada. Thomas was the one who had Isabella vow that she would purify Spain. Besides her vow, she already wanted “one country, one ruler, one faith.” (Slade, 1996)

Ferdinand and Isabella knew that in order to bolster Spain they needed new sources of funding themselves. They turned to the pope and he gave them rights to build the Catholic Church in areas where the Moors had been driven from. He also published decrees giving them control over the funds in the Americas. The Church became a crucial utensil in developing royal absolutism. The New World also proved to be a great source of revenue for Spain (“Ferdinand V”).

The Flow of cloth, grain, oil, wine, gold and silver greatly enriched Spain. This provided economic stability and caused a rise in Spain. In contrast, the Dutch and the English commenced trade with the Spanish colonies, which cut into profit made by Spain. In addition, Spanish colonies made industries in the Americas, which further lessened their need to buy from Spain. Spanish trade with the colonies fell 60 percent. This traumatized Spain’s revenues made from the New World and ended the period of Greatness. On top of it all Spain’s royal spending continued to exceed despite the fact that they were losing money so this eventually led to Bankruptcy. In all, Faith was completely lost in the Spanish which severely disabled their advancements.

Rulers of European countries during the 17th century had almost unlimited autonomy over their respective countries. They were the head of government in all respects, and all decisions were eventually made by them. However, along with this autonomy came responsibility in the form of the people. If the decisions of these rulers did not improve the country, the possibility existed that their power would be either curbed or taken away by the people. As ruler of England in the early 17th century, Charles Stuart believed strongly in absolute power and a king’s divine right to rule. He believed that a king was given his power by God and therefore had no reason to answer to the people. The Parliament in England at the time