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Isabella and Ferdinand foreign policy (Limiting/combating traditional…
Isabella and Ferdinand foreign policy
Limiting/combating traditional European rivalries
Portugal
Very easily suppressed
Portugal's
opposition to Isabella's accession
= war gripped the border for first 5 years of Isabella's reign (became queen
1474
).
Treaty of Alcacovas in 1479
formally recognised Isabella as queen of Castile - so removed Portugal as a threat on
Western frontier
Under terms of treaty Portugal also surrendered possession of the
Canary islands
. at the time it was just a
stopping place to Africa
but they would later prove to be a
valuable link to New World
A series of
marriage alliances
consolidated the peace
Numerous deaths of children of spanish and portuguese monarchs but eventually
Maria, princess of Spain, married Manuel, prince of Portuga
l. This marriage alliance would later lay basis for Philip's claim to Portuguese throne in 1580
France
Security of Spain's
northern frontier
for a century and a half
1512
- Ferdinand exploits a disputed succession and gains control of
Navarre
Valuable acquisition because it gave Ferdinand a
base on France's southern frontier from
which to invade France
Benefits of Navarre somewhat tempered by the fact that Navarre was very
independent
and did not want to be ruled by Spain - but benefits outweigh this
Treaty of Barcelona 1493
- France agree to surrender
Rousillon and Cerdangne
.
Expanding influence
Italy
France/Italy
Milan
Between
1512 and 1515
Ferdinand made several attempts to gain control over Milan but he was out manoeuvered by
Francis I who took control of the region.
A devastating blow for Ferdinand since
Milan would have been a valuable base on France's Eastern frontier
Naples
1495
- Ferdinand creates the
Holy League (Pope Alexander VI, HRE, Spain, Venice, Milan)
against France with the purpose of protecting Italy. By
1496
Spanish forces had driven the French out of Naples
Further military successes followed and in
1504, France recognised Ferdinand's sovereignty over Naples.
Kingdom became a
dynastic possession of the king
and belonged to him personally, not Spain, and was governed by Aragonese viceroys. This helped to
dispel Castilian hegemony
over Foreign territories
Naples strategically positioned in the
centre of the Mediterranean
-therefore extending Spanish frontier which was valuable in the
defense against the Turks
. Control over
Mediterranean trade was also necessary later to combat pirates
Naples made Spain the
most powerful influence in Italy
and gave it control of
Southern Europe by land and sea
New World
1492
- Columbus sets sail and accidentally discovers the New World.
Never had a significant impact
on Spain during the reign of the Catholic monarchs, but it did provide some additional wealth:
Approximately
1.5 million imports of goods from the New World entered Spain 1511-15
Discontented Spaniards
could go to NW to dispel their energies - opportunity for those who wished to continue the reconquista
Religious mission
in NW also further
ingratiated
the monarchs with the church (Catholic monarchs 1496)
Great source of
international prestige
- competition with Portuguese empire
Fighting Islam
Ottoman empire
1479
- Spain successfully assisted the Knight's Hospitallers when the island of
Rhodes
was besieged by the Turks
1501
- General Cordoba helped
Venice
to regain castles lost to the Turks
North Africa
Before she died,
Isabella demanded that North Africa be conquered by Christianity
as an extension of the Reconquista
Isabella's motives were predominantly religious but conquering North Africa would
secure Spain's southern and eastern borders
Successes:
Cisneros captured Mers-El-Kebir in 1505 and Tripoli and Algiers in 1510.
Failures: essentially failed to ensure the futurity of the conquest
No attempts at colonisation
, only setting up small garrisons along the coast. Although these did allow for trade, they were
isolated and vulnerable to attack
and recapture. Spanish trade ships were threatened by
pirates in the Mediterranean
.
Spain was never able to reap large rewards from North Africa and Spain's southern and eastern borders remained insecure
Granada
The war was lengthy (
1482-93
) but in the end the Moors were soundly beaten. approximately
100,000 died
in the conflict whilst an additional
200,00 emigrated
. Their crushing defeat was in part due to limited support from other states, but was also due to the harmony and consistency of the monarchs' army. The war had led to the emergence of what seemed to be a
permanent army
- with men from all over Spain fighting together
(political positive since it emphasised Spanish unity)
The war was seen as a
victory for Christianity
- a policy of conversion was introduced (first by Talavera and then by Cisneros) which was designed to encourage Christianity. Tbh it was largely unsuccessful.
Nobility and Church both came together to fight in the war. For example the
Mendoza family
. Church issued the
cruzada tax in 1482: raised over 800 million maravedis by 1492
. This was a valuable concession and it was later reissued indefinitely (valuable source of income for foreign policy).
Church and nobility were two groups who had traditionally undermined the authority of the crown - here they were working together in pursuit of royal motives
War gave Spain great
international prestige
. Also further consolidated the influence of the Catholic monarchs over the Iberian peninsula. Success in Granada was part of the motivation behind awarding Isabella and Ferdinand with the title of
'Catholic Monarchs' in 1496
50% of Granada was given to nobles as a reward - helped to ensure their loyalty