The New Monarchies: Spain & England

Overview of New Monarchies

• Between 1450 and 1600, New Monarchs began constructing centralized states.

• They increasingly took on powers traditionally held by the nobility, such as tax collection and maintaining armies.

• New Monarchs also exercised control over religion, claiming authority to determine the religion of their subjects.

• Significance: Represent an important transition from the decentralized feudal institutions of Medieval Europe to the absolutist nation-states prevalent in Europe in the seventeenth century.

• The centralization of authority facilitated European colonial ventures during the Age of Exploration and contributed to the later development of national identity.

Spain: The Catholic Monarchs

• Unification: Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castille, uniting the two largest Christian kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, laying the foundation for modern Spain.

• Reconquista: In 1492, they completed the Reconquista by conquering Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Spain.

• Religious Uniformity: As "The Catholic Monarchs," they mandated that all subjects profess and practice the Catholic faith.

  • Expelled Jews and Muslims who refused to convert to Christianity.

  • Established the Spanish Inquisition: designed to monitor recent converts (conversos and moriscos) to ensure they did not secretly practice their former faiths.

• Spanish Empire: Ferdinand and Isabella financed Christopher Columbus’s voyages, leading to the establishment of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.

  • Conquests in the Americas generated new wealth, elevating Spain to a major power in Europe during the sixteenth century.

England: The Tudor Dynasty

• Henry VII (first Tudor monarch):

  • In 1485, Henry Tudor won the Battle of Bosworth Field, ending the Wars of the Roses (a disastrous series of civil wars between the rival noble houses of York and Lancaster).

  • Initiated reforms to strengthen the English monarchy as a New Monarch.

  • Prohibited noble families from retaining private armies, reducing the risk of further civil wars.

  • Established an efficient system of centralized tax collection, building up the royal treasury.

  • Established the Star Chamber: a court of justice to centralize administration of justice where nobles could not use influence to manipulate outcomes. (Known for stars painted on its ceiling; initially popular, later associated with secrecy and corruption).

  • Began building a navy.

• Henry VIII (continued New Monarchy):

  • Left the Catholic Church and, with Parliamentary support, proclaimed himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England (Anglican Church).

  • Sold Church lands to bring new wealth to the monarchy.

• Mary I: Briefly restored England to Catholicism.

• Elizabeth I: Firmly established England as a Protestant nation.

  • Elizabethan Religious Settlement: Required all subjects to take communion in the Church of England, which retained some Catholic features.

  • In 1588, Elizabeth’s navy defeated the Spanish Armada, establishing England as a significant naval power.

The Rise of the Commercial Elite

• The increase in global trade created wealth for monarchs and an emerging commercial elite (merchants) during the early modern period.

• The growing wealth and political influence of this professional class further undermined the power of the traditional nobility.

• In regions without centralized monarchies (e.g., Italy and the Netherlands), commercial elites were directly involved in governing.

Key Terms

• Conversos: Spanish Jews who converted to Christianity to escape persecution.

• Moriscos: Muslims who converted to Christianity to escape persecution.

• Spanish Inquisition: Established by Ferdinand and Isabella to identify and punish heretics (Christians with beliefs contrary to Catholic teaching) and to monitor conversos and moriscos suspected of insincere conversions.

• Star Chamber: An independent court of justice set up by Henry VII of England for high-profile defendants, aiming to prevent nobles from using influence to escape justice. Known for its star-painted ceiling; later became associated with secrecy and corruption.

Comparison of Spanish and English New Monarchs

• Similarities:

  • Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, along with Henry VIII and Elizabeth I of England, asserted control over the religious life of their subjects.

  • Both insisted on religious uniformity within their kingdoms.

• Differences:

  • Spain: Monarchs used their power to defend and strengthen the existing Catholic religion.

  • England: Monarchs cut ties with the Catholic Church to establish a more independent religious authority.