Michael Helson
"New Monarchies" came into power in the 15th and 16th centuries. How were they new, and how did their actions support their name?
Ø France
· Hundred Years' War: left France in sorry state
· allowed centralized government to take power-much like Germany when Nazis came to power
· New because control of purse and church was established under Charles VII, then creating a sound territorial state under Louis XI
Ø England

· Hundred Years War: Pitted House of Lancaster against House of York
· War of the Roses: Lancaster defeated York and set up Tudor dynasty
· Henry VII: established strong monarchical government
· New because he eliminated private wars of nobility by abolishing liver and maintenance
· set up Court of Star Chamber--did not use juries, allowed torture to be used to extract confessions; controlled irresponsible activity of nobles
· successful in extracting income from financial resources such as the crown lands, judicial fees and fines, and customs duties
· used diplomacy to avoid wars thus avoided having to call Parliament to grant funds
· encouraged commercial activity by increasing wool exports, royal export taxes on wool rose
Ø Spain
· Isabella and Ferdinand
· worked to strengthen royal control of government
· New because of:
· hermandades or brotherhoods organized which became new national militia- disbanded when they became obsolete/unneeded
· corregidores: replaced corrupt municipal officials
· made Spanish army great
· controlled church
· Cardinal Ximenes doctrines: hard discipline and elimination of immorality among monks and clergy
· conversos: Jew and Muslim converts due to mass persecution
· Charles I: grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, inherited complete power of Spain
Ø Holy Roman Empire
· Habsburg dynasty
· New Because: German states within HRE built up bureaucracies, standing armies, fiscal systems, and a law system, and posed a threat to the church, just like the other new monarchies
· success because of well-executed policy of dynastic marriages
· Frederick III
· Though marriage, made Habsburgs international power, brought French hatred
· Maximilian I
· attempted to centralize administration by creating new institutions common to the empire through parliament but failed because of German prince opposition