OCR Specification focus:
‘Control of the nobility and towns; law and order; finances’
The consolidation of power by Isabella and Ferdinand relied on reducing noble independence, asserting royal justice, and centralising administration to stabilise Castile and Aragon.
The Problem of the Nobility
The nobility in Spain were extremely powerful in 1469, often more influential than the Crown itself in certain regions. Their estates, private armies, and privileges posed a serious threat to royal authority.
Weakness of Royal Authority before 1479
Nobles frequently acted as quasi-independent rulers.
Civil war in Castile (1460s–70s) highlighted their capacity to destabilise the monarchy.
Towns and church lands were exploited by aristocratic families who imposed taxes and laws.
Measures to Control the Nobility
Isabella and Ferdinand employed a mixture of coercion, reward, and institutional reform to curb aristocratic excesses:
Reduction of private armies: Nobles were banned from maintaining large retinues, diminishing their military independence.
Royal patronage: Favoured nobles were drawn into service at court, exchanging loyalty for privileges.
Confiscation and redistribution of lands: Estates of rebels or disloyal nobles were seized and granted to more dependable supporters.
Integration into administration: Nobility were incorporated into councils, ensuring their power was harnessed under royal oversight.
Nobility: The hereditary social elite, owning large estates and holding titles, whose military and political influence often rivalled the monarchs in medieval Spain.
The monarchs thus transformed the nobility from autonomous power-brokers into participants in a more centralised royal system.
The Role of the Towns
Towns represented both opportunity and risk for the monarchy. They were hubs of wealth, trade, and taxation, but also had traditions of autonomy.
Importance of the Towns
Castile contained over 300 towns with representation in the Cortes, giving them political voice.
Economic centres like Seville and Toledo were essential for tax revenues.
Local oligarchies often dominated municipal government, limiting royal control.
Measures to Control the Towns
Isabella and Ferdinand imposed tighter supervision over municipal life:
Appointment of corregidores (royal officials) to oversee town councils and ensure loyalty.
Enforcement of royal justice, reducing arbitrary local practices.
Development of hermandades (brotherhoods), urban militias sanctioned by the Crown to police crime and unrest.
Corregidor: A royal official placed in towns to oversee municipal government, implement royal decrees, and ensure law and order on behalf of the monarchs.
These measures ensured that towns became instruments of royal authority rather than centres of opposition.
Law and Order
The monarchs presented themselves as defenders of justice and used legal reform to cement control.
Problems before Reform
Rampant banditry and noble violence undermined safety on roads.
Nobles imposed their own justice, bypassing royal courts.
Weak enforcement mechanisms meant royal decrees were often ignored.
Royal Reforms
Santa Hermandad (Holy Brotherhood): Established in 1476 as a nationwide police force, funded by towns, tasked with suppressing disorder, punishing bandits, and upholding royal law.
Expansion of royal justice system: Higher courts such as the Royal Council of Castile became the final authority in disputes.
Severe punishments and public executions reinforced the message of royal authority.
Santa Hermandad: A royal-sponsored militia, initially local, expanded nationally by Isabella and Ferdinand to enforce law and order and curb violence in the countryside.
Law and order reforms not only stabilised society but also reinforced the idea of monarchy as guarantor of peace.
Finances and Control
Financial strength underpinned the monarchs’ ability to enforce authority. Castile, in particular, became the economic base of royal power.
Sources of Royal Revenue
Alcabala: A sales tax, forming the backbone of royal income.
Revenues from customs duties, especially in ports like Seville.
Exploitation of church wealth through papal concessions (e.g., the Cruzada tax).
Control over the Mesta, the powerful sheep farmers’ guild, which provided valuable income.
Financial Reforms
Reorganisation of the treasury to reduce corruption and leakage of funds.
Appointment of trusted officials, often from lower nobility or legal backgrounds, to oversee accounts.
Efforts to standardise taxation across towns to diminish noble interference.
Alcabala: A traditional sales tax of around 10% levied on commercial transactions in Castile, representing the largest single source of royal revenue.
Financial stability allowed Isabella and Ferdinand to sustain military campaigns, maintain law enforcement, and reinforce the central administration.
The Broader Impact
By 1516, Isabella and Ferdinand had transformed Spain’s internal governance. The once overmighty nobility were subordinated, towns were harnessed to royal power, law and order restored, and finances strengthened. These reforms laid the groundwork for the so-called ‘New Monarchy’, in which central authority, administrative efficiency, and the symbolic power of justice underpinned royal strength.
FAQ
The monarchs encouraged marriages that tied noble families more closely to the Crown, ensuring loyalty. By approving or disapproving unions, they could prevent dangerous alliances between overmighty nobles.
This reduced the risk of aristocratic factions emerging to challenge royal power, while also binding leading families into a system of patronage dependent on the monarchs’ favour.
Town militias were separate from the Santa Hermandad but could be mobilised in emergencies.
They acted as local defence forces against raids or noble uprisings.
Their existence reflected the autonomy of towns, but Isabella and Ferdinand increasingly coordinated them with royal initiatives.
By blending local defence traditions with central authority, the monarchs further integrated towns into their control structure.
Corregidores often came from outside the town, undermining the power of local elites.
They curtailed oligarchic control by enforcing royal decrees.
Tensions arose because corregidores challenged traditional privileges and autonomy that towns had enjoyed for centuries.
This controversy highlights how royal centralisation frequently clashed with established local traditions.
Stable revenues allowed the monarchs to fund institutions that upheld order.
The Santa Hermandad relied on town contributions and royal backing, requiring consistent income.
Courts and corregidores also depended on salaries paid from central finances.
Without reliable taxation, such as the alcabala, the enforcement of royal justice would have been impossible to sustain effectively.
In major cities like Seville or Toledo, royal officials had to negotiate with entrenched elites. Smaller towns, however, were more easily reshaped.
In smaller towns, corregidores had greater scope to impose royal policies with less resistance.
Larger cities often bargained for concessions, reflecting their wealth and political weight.
This distinction shows that royal authority was not applied uniformly across Spain, but adapted to local contexts.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks)
Name one measure introduced by Isabella and Ferdinand to control the nobility, and one measure to strengthen their authority over towns.
Mark Scheme for Question 1
1 mark for identifying a valid measure to control the nobility (e.g., banning of private armies, confiscation of rebel estates, integration of nobles into councils).
1 mark for identifying a valid measure to strengthen authority over towns (e.g., appointment of corregidores, creation of hermandades, enforcement of royal justice).
Question 2 (6 marks)
Explain how the Santa Hermandad and the Chancillerías helped Isabella and Ferdinand to maintain law and order in their kingdoms.
Mark Scheme for Question 2
1–2 marks: General comments about law and order with limited or no specific reference to the Santa Hermandad or the Chancillerías. Answers may be descriptive with little focus on their significance.
3–4 marks: Some explanation of how the Santa Hermandad operated as a policing force, and how the Chancillerías provided centralised justice. Some understanding of their role in reinforcing crown authority.
5–6 marks: Clear and detailed explanation of both institutions, with developed points on their effectiveness. For example, describing how the Santa Hermandad suppressed banditry and noble violence, and how the Chancillerías centralised appeals, reducing local or noble judicial independence. Strong linkage to the monarchs’ aim of consolidating royal power.
