Unification of Spain During the Renaissance by Trevor Muehring Beginnings · Aragon and Castile were the strongest Spanish kingdoms · Marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon · Maintained their own customs · Had to strengthen the government of Castile Actions for Unification · Towns were enlisted into the policy of state building · Hermandades (“brotherhood”; maintained law and order) · Transformed the hermandades into a militia · Stopped the wealthy landed aristocrats from disturbing the peace · Corregidores (replaced corrupt municipal officials) · Enabling the monarchs to extend the central authority of royal government into the town · Inherited a more professional royal army · Reorganized the military forces of Spain · Recognized the importance of controlling the Catholic Church · Gained the right to select the most important church officials in Spain · Made many Jews and Muslims convert to Christianity (conversos) · Expelled all professed Jews from Spain (Inquisition) · broke the power of the great nobles in Castile · working with the cortes to guarantee reliable tax revenues Ortiz-Griffin, Julia, and William D. Griffin. "The Lands and Peoples of Iberia." Spain and Portugal: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present, European Nations. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Modern World History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp Spielvogel, Jackson J. "The Unification of Spain." Western Civilization. 4th ed. Stamford: Clark
Baxter, 1999. 354-355. Print.
Beginnings
· Aragon and Castile were the strongest Spanish kingdoms
· Marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon
· Maintained their own customs
· Had to strengthen the government of Castile
Actions for Unification
· Towns were enlisted into the policy of state building
· Hermandades (“brotherhood”; maintained law and order)
· Transformed the hermandades into a militia
· Stopped the wealthy landed aristocrats from disturbing the peace
· Corregidores (replaced corrupt municipal officials)
· Enabling the monarchs to extend the central authority of royal government into the town
· Inherited a more professional royal army
· Reorganized the military forces of Spain
· Recognized the importance of controlling the Catholic Church
· Gained the right to select the most important church officials in Spain
· Made many Jews and Muslims convert to Christianity (conversos)
· Expelled all professed Jews from Spain (Inquisition)
· broke the power of the great nobles in Castile
· working with the cortes to guarantee reliable tax revenues
Ortiz-Griffin, Julia, and William D. Griffin. "The Lands and Peoples of Iberia." Spain and Portugal: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present, European Nations. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Modern World History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp
Spielvogel, Jackson J. "The Unification of Spain." Western Civilization. 4th ed. Stamford: Clark
Baxter, 1999. 354-355. Print.