Overview of problems in the Government of the Catholic Monarchs

• Arguably, F and I greatly increase the weight of Spain in Europe during their repected reign

•  it can be further argued that they neglected their domestic priorities and left Charles V to inherit the problems caused by unresolved Spanish issues and the delicate expansion of the Spanish empire.

Significant features of the Catholic Monarchs reigns were

Spain’s unification, foreign and domestic policies, and

the powers of the  Cortes and Church.

In 1450, a unified Spain did not exist, however arguably,

it began in 1469 with the marriage of Isabella of Castile

and Ferdinand of Aragon, who ruled their kingdoms

jointly from 1479.

During their reign they were able to limit the powers of

the nobility and   gain control of the Catholic Church

whilst obtaining a   Spanish Empire

that would arguably lay the foundations for Spain to

become the  greatest power in Empire during the reign of

Charles V.

     Historians have suggested that Spain’s success under Habsburg rule was a direct result of Ferdinand and Isabella’s unification.

When they inherited their respective kingdoms, the Iberian peninsula was divided, with the power that the nobility yielded over the individual territories being a major problem for the Catholic Monarchs.

Ferdinand was restricted in his power of the territories by the ruler of each particular land and this strong and violent attachment to constitutional property was to be a major concern.

By limiting the power of the nobility within their kingdoms, Isabella and Ferdinand gave their people a far greater role in the politics of the city.

As the Northern and Eastern fringes of Iberia had never been conquered they remained divided, and so there was no central authority in the area.

The papacy had tried to unify the area by crusading however theIberian peninsula’s geography of mountains ranges and deep rivers encouraged its political fragmentation.

Another concern was the Black death which

swept through Europe during their reigns which

alongside the persecution of Muslims and Jews

in Spanish lands left Spain short of manpower

for its army and a decline in skilled labour for

its economy.

Along with the shortage of skilled workers in Spain due to a

diminished population, Isabella and Ferdinand faced a lot of

economic problems during their reign. These included, the

difficulty of feeding the growing population of Castile which had

badly irrigated and poorly fertilized soil and the Monarchs

financial need for revenue particularly to fund their wars against

France. In the short term, money was raised through acabala or

sales tax (in total 90% of all revenue), however the Monarchs

needed a stronger economy in the long term.