THE REIGN OF THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS (I)

THE DYNANSTIC UNION OF CASTILLA AND ARAGON

DOMESTIC REFORMS

At the end of the 15th century

The Catholic Monarchs made some domestic reforms to centralise power

Such as

Reform the existing institutions

Establish new institutions

Increase the number of royal officials

They made this reforms to achieve 4 objectives

To weaken the power of the nobility

The Council of Military orders managed military orders and the Council of the Supreme Inquisition managed moral and faith issues

Trained officials replaced nobles in institutions like the Council of Castilla

Which the Pope's permission, they placed Military Orders under their control

They formed an army of mercenaries to overpower the militias of the nobility image

The royal treasury had more power to control tax collection

Councils of experts advised monarch about

To reduce the autonomy of the kingdoms of the Hispanic Monarchy

They reduced the power of the General Courts

They selected viceroys, who represented them in each kingdom in their absence

The Inquisition was established to persecute false conversos

To restrict the autonomy of the urban oligarchies

In Castilla, the monarchs chose who the mayor was

In Aragon, the sortition system was maintained. Which means that the mayor was chosen by lottery. image

To improve international relations

The diplomatic corps, which represented the monarch in other kingdoms, was expanded

The audiencias of Valladolid and Granada restructured the judicial system

A militia, the Santa Hermandad, was created to keep peace in Castilla

Castilla was a more authoritarian monarchy than Aragon because there the pact tradition was maintained, which means that the king made decisions with approval of the regional institutions

Isabella and Ferdinand established and authoritarian monarchy on the Iberian Peninisula

Other authoritarian monarchies were established in England and France

In 1469, Isabella and Ferdinand got married

When the King of Castilla died in 1474, a civil war started between

Joanna la Beltraneja, who had the support of Portugal
image

Isabella, who had the support of Aragon, and finally won in 1479 image

In 1479, Isabella and Ferdinand formed the dynastic union of Castilla and Aragon because that year Ferdinand also became king

This union didn't result in the creation of a unitary state as each kingdom retained its own institutions, laws, language...