Analyse the Strengths and Weaknesses of Spain by 1516 Essay Example for Free

Analyse the Strengths and Weaknesses of Spain by 1516 Essay on that point were considerable differences among the Hispanic kingdoms within the Iberian peninsula. It was divided by language and religion, governed by distinct political institutions and ruled by monarchs with conflicting foreign interests. Both Aragon and Castile had very lowly in common. The economies wide-ranging in strength in different parts of Spain, for example Catalonia was in decline whilst Valencia was in the convalescence stage. The marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand in 1469 dramatically changed the course of Spain.The Queen was a determined and quick-witted woman, with a street-fighters consciousness for survival. She guaranteed privileges to nobles and town government, promised to restore law and order and was the provided claimant with an undisputed right to the throne. Ferdinand played a subroutine in leading Isabellas troops against the Portuguese and French invasions and recaptured rebelliou s towns, all helping to stabilise the crown. His buddy excessively aided Isabella by commanding the Hermandad meaning that although his father died, no Aragonese nobles contested the crown. Royal potence had declined during the weak rule of Henry IV and it needed to be asserted and there was also the bother of law and order (lots of disorder in Castile due(p) to the 5 years complaisant war).There were pacify supporters of Joanna a minority of the nobility had fought against Isabella e.g marquis of Vienna. The Hermandad at least brought any(prenominal) justice to the countryside, which benefited Castilian towns as sound as law-abiding landowners. Hermandades had never been controlled so extensively by the Crown, it significantly contributed to the improvements in local anaesthetic administration. Corregidores were also having an impact (administrators of cities and districts with both administrative and judicial business leaders).They were used by the Catholic Monarchs to strengthen munificent pledge rather than revive local responsibility Ferdinand and Isabella travelled extensively in Castile. They spent relatively little time in Aragon in his 37-year reign (7 years). This was a very important means of asserting purple delegacy by showing themselves to their subjects and establishing an effective working consanguinity with their nobility and to discipline any troublemakers. Ferdinand and Isabella visited all Castilian town at least once.Ferdinand tried and true to increase royal authority over Aragonese towns by act to introduce new procedures for the election of municipal offices. His idea of sending royal governors to towns was rejected preventing royal authority encroaching. Isabella was able to have a greater effect on improving local administration than her husband. She tried to protect, by intervention, town people from impressive nobles and nominated jurados to sit on town councils. She persisted with the idea of Corregidores in town s, despite opposition, and the number of towns with them increased (Toledo for instance enjoyed a long period of peace largely due to Gomez Manrique, its Corregidore.). Their authority varied, some governed entire regions, and others had a limited impact. However, overtime they became more corrupt lowering the standards of local administration.The civil war left deep scars and required close supervision to work effectively. Both Isabella and Ferdinand disperse justice personally. The Hermandad was unpopular and it demanded taxation on local people for its maintenance. It was officially dissolved in 1498 as nobles increasingly disliked it (didnt want too much crown influence). The crowns political strength lay into relationship with the nobility. Ferdinand and Isabella however, due to incompatible promises in the 1470s, were in a different situation as some families pass judgment rewards for their role in the civil war. This often contradicted what Isabella had said about protectin g the rights of the towns. Isabella decided to harness the power of the nobility and tried to regain land given out by Henry IV.Isabella and Ferdinand on a smaller scale in Aragon gave the nobles rights to collect sales tax and confirmed their exemption from direct tax. This guaranteed their complaisant and economic position. Also nobles who had fought against Isabella in the civil war were given fair agreements such as the Marquis of Vienna in order to preserve social stability.Those on her side were awarded with for example dukedoms guaranteeing their continuing support. Although some nobles maintained control of regional politics, which was a big threat to the crown as they had no standing(a) army, whereas most nobles kept retainers. An example of when the crown and nobility worked together to ensure the stability of the country was the Granada between 1482 and 1492. Some of the nobility actually served in the war and fought on behalf of the crown against the Muslims. The war he lped to enhance royal prestige. However, outbreaks of civil disorder and violence in Castile in the early years of the sixteenth century project that royal administration was beginning to break down.Nobles became better educated and there was an emergence of letrados (lawyers). Most Castilian and Aragonese peasants enjoyed a period of relative prosperity, with wage rises, stable prices and plenty of employment in the countryside. Town life was changing rapidly, Castilian merchants experienced a dramatic increase in trade and commerce, which led to a growth in business and rising prosperity for those in work. However, due to an increase in population town authorities were faced with the problem of vagrancy where people wonder from place to place and dont usually have a home.The Catholic Monarchs intended to enhance the welfare of their subjects. They maintained the Mestas monopoly and continued wool trade, which was high in demand in the Low Countries. Taxes on wool and sheep and t he establishment of trade links with America (gold bullion), proved extremely beneficial. Maintaining the whole step of Castiles coinage and establishing a currency common to both kingdoms, monetary if not economic unity was achieved. afield trade was strengthened with Venice as a base, and the financial status and prosperity of Barcelona recovered from the effects of the civil war in the 1460s.However the Spanish economy had a number of weaknesses, poor communications (bad roads, mountainous), a ne iirk of internal customs duties and inland tolls and resistance to state intervention in effecting changes in agriculture, guilds and industry. Regionalism was a very powerful force and applied to the economy. There was no significant attempt to integrate the two economies, for example, trade with Americas was a Castilian monopoly (intensified hostility between two kingdoms, threat of inflation and decline in currency). The only measure that was taken was the standardisation of the cur rency in 1497.The Spanish Crown failed to protect and promote its domestic industries and focused too much on exportation of wool than developing its textile industry. Also, the persecution of the Conversos and Jews (many of them were skilled craftsmen) shamed wool trade, while the silk trade was damaged with war in Granada (mudejars were main producers of silk, many were killed while others emigrated). Spanish wealth and commercial gains from the New World could potentially fall through due to its lack of incorporation.