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THE REIGN OF THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS 2 - Coggle Diagram
THE REIGN OF THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS 2
Foreign policy
Main objectives
Unification of the Iberian Peninsula
Isolation of France
Consolidation of the Crown of Aragón in the Meditterranean
Expansion across the Atlantic
Diplomatic
The monarchs formed political agreements or alliances by marrying their children to the kings and princes of other European kingdoms
Union with Portugal
Married Isabella of Aragón, to King Manuel I of Portugal
Their son, Miguel, was due to inherit the three kingdoms, but both mothers and son died
One of the monarchs' other daughters, María, was then married to the widowed king
Isolation of France
In 1493 an agreement was reached with France in which the territories of Roussillon and Cerdanya were returned to Aragón
France continued to be their main enemy
Thee monarchs married their children to English princes and the Habsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire, who governed Austria and Burgundy
Military
The Catholic Monarchs carried out a series of military conquests
On the Iberian Peninsula
1492
After ten years of war
Boabdil, the ruler of the kingdom of Granada, surrendered the last existing Muslim state on the Peninsula
1512
Ferdinand the Catholic' conquered Navarra to prevent it from forming an alliance with France
Navarra became part of the Crown of Castilla
Outside the Iberian Peninsula
Northern Africa, between 1497 and 1510
Various enclaves which Berber pirates operated from were conquered
Ceuta was conquered by the kingdom of Portugal
Italy
The forces of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba the Great Captain', defeated the French at the battles of Cerignola and Garigliano
Secured the Aragónese territories of Naples, Sicily and Sardinia
The Atlantic Ocean
The Canary Islands were conquered following the subjugation of their inhabitants
These islands would serve as a stop off point for Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the Americas in 1492
Economy and society
After the serious economic and demographic crises of the 14th century, cereal farming, which the economy was based on, went into decline
This became a source of conflict for those searching for alternatives
Crown of Castilla
The exportation of wool was very important
Transhumance livestock farming developed, meaning the shepherds migrated with their flocks of sheep between seasons in search of new pastures
They migrated to the northern meseta in summer and headed south in winter.
The flocks travelled along paths protected by the crown called cañadas reales
Catholic Monarchs received taxes from the wool trade, they gave numerous privileges to the association of shepherds that controlled this activity. This association was called the Honrado Concejo de la Mesta
In 1494, Burgos Consulate was founded to control the exportation of wool from the Cantabrian ports
The Spanish textile industry developed just enough to cover domestic demand.
Agriculture suffered due to the increase in livestock farming
During the 16th century, the main source of wealth was precious metals (gold and silver) from the Americas.
Crown of Aragón
As in Castilla, the crisis of the 14th century provoked an increase in the abuses of the nobility
War of the Remences
Ferdinand the Catholic' ended this conflict by stopping the feudal abuses of the nobility with the Sentencia Arbitral de Guadalupe in 1486
Trade in the Mediterranean benefitted from the incorporation of Italian territories into the Crown of Aragón
The main ports were Valencia and Barcelona
Trade benefitted other economic activities like shipbuilding and the textile industry
The monarchs protected local industries by placing taxes or duties on foreign products.
Art and culture
New humanist and Renaissance ideas spread from Europe
The Spanish Renaissance
The increase in the importance of the Castilian language
The founding of new universities and the spread of the printing press.
The most important humanist was Juan Luis Vives, a converted Jew who went into exile to escape the Inquisition and spent the rest of his life in Flanders and England
The Gothic artistic style was maintained
In architecture, the main Gothic works of art were commissioned by the Catholic Monarchs
In sculpture, the Italian Domenico Fancelli was a very important artist
In painting, the works of Pedro Berruguete were greatly influenced by the Flemish style
