From the Middle Ages to the Modern Age
Society and the Feudal economy
Structure of society didn't change. Society divided according to privileges
The three states of the realm
Collective privileges: cities
The king at the top, Nobles below, Clergy below, peasants below, and the slaves under the pyramid 
Cities enjoyed privileges others couldn't. Collecting taxes, administration justice, enjoying monopolies
City council was in charge of thoose privileges
Monarchs and their kingdoms
Power was fragmented and disputed
Monarchies of the 16th century
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Estate courts and parliaments endured negotiations
Political and social conflicts
There where some independent political entities
The Holy Roman empire was a political entity with little internal cohesion
Composited monarchies emerged
Basic Traits of new era
Religious changes
Social changes
Cultural changes
Political changes
Economic changes
Financial activities experimented a huge boom
New artistic styles, cultural movements and the printing press
Time of intolerance. Jews and muslims persecuted by inquisition
The middle class adquired more power
Monarchies gained power
The factors behind geographical discovery
Sociological factors
Scientific and technical factors
Political and Religious factors
Demographic factors
Economic factors
Need of gold, silver, silk and spices. Ottomans cloosed traditional spice trade routes
Religious rivalry with Islam, reinforced by Ottomans. Particularly noticeable in Iberian Kingdoms
The Renaissance inspired people to explore
Population went through i demographic growth
Advances in navys, such as carabels and carracks
Authoritarian Monarchies and Society
The most powerful monarchies
The Treasury and the Army
Monarchs frecuently involved in conflicts, there where subjectives that opposed their authority and some instability
This why they created permanent royal armies
Royal treasuries were responsible for collecting money to maintain administrative and military systems
This why they created taxes and asked for loans to the middle class
The Royal Court and the Administration of Kingdoms
Limitations of Authoritarian Monarchies
Administrative structure became more complex: More ambassadors, ministers and officials
This is considered the origin of modern states
Stability increased as much as monarchs gained power and prestige
The monarchs also gained power over the church, and started appointing religious figures
And over municipalities, appointing mayors and magistrates, as they wanted
They didn't depend on the parliaments and courts
Monarchs were not gods, they couldn't impose their will to absolutely everybody and anything
For not losing the support from lower social people, monarchs gave nobles works with high authority ranks
Just to make them feel like they have some power
The Catholic Monarchs
The Bird of a new Monarchy
1469 Fernando II of Aragon married Isabel I
Enrique IV, died in 1474, his daughter Juana and Isabel (sister) wanted the throne
War between Juana and Isabel for the crown of Castilla
Isabel wins with the support of Aragon, Juana loses with
Fernando inherited the crown of Aragon in 1479
The Authoritarian Monarchy of the Catholic Monarchs
The Religious Policy of the Catholic Monarchs
Kingdoms under the Catholic Monarchs
The Monarchy and the States of the Realm
The Catholic monarchs wanted entire authority
Catholic Monarchs wanted thir empire to be 100% catholic, so they expelled jews and muslims with the inquisition
The kingdom of Castilla had a greater royal authoritarism
Fernando used his influence to control mostly every power in Aragon
The Beginning of the Hispanic Dominance
The Catholic monarchie started stability period, were they expanded their territory and formed alliances through marriage
They made this to maintain the peace with Portugal and to gain power against France. Everybody hated France.
Atlantic expansion
Canary islands (1496)
America (1492)
Infanta Juana - Duke of Burgundy
Catherine of Aragon - Henry VIII
Infanta Isabel - Manuel I