The Hispanic

Monarchy of the
Habsburgs
Geography and History – Unit 7
 p. 178
Charles I / V (1516-1556):
The First of “Spain” and Fifth of “Germany”
• Son of Philip I “The Handsome” and Joanna I “The Mad”
• King of all the Hispanic kingdoms between 1516* and 1556. His mother
was politically unable by decision of Ferdinand II of Aragon after the
death of Philip I.
• Charles was self-proclaimed king in Castile and León in 1516, but he was
accepted by the Courts in 1518. Theoretically he reigned with Joanna,
sharing the power, but in fact she was moving out and locked up.
• Charles was the grandson of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, from
whom inherit the position of Emperor and the Holy Roman Empire.
1. Crown of Castile. 3
2. Crown of Aragón 5
3. Burgundy possesions 4
4. Austrian Territories

5. Holy Roman Empire 1 2

 p. 178
Revolts of the Comuneros (1520-21)
• Also known as the War of the Communities (Guerra de las Comunidades)
• In Castile some people was annoyed by the enormous importance of the
“foreigner” nobles in the Court and in power position.
• On the other hand, there were conflict between the craftsmen and the
landowners who got the most of wool: vassals (low nobles) vs lords.
• The Comuneros, leaded by Juan de Padilla (Toledo), Juan Bravo (Segovia)
y Francisco Maldonado Pimentel (Salamanca), demanding the reign of
Joanna I, but not Carlos I, went to Villalar in April 23rd 1521, where they
were defeated and executed the 24th.
 p. 178
Revolt of the Brotherhoods/Germanías (1519-23)
• The most important question of this revolt was the social conflict between the
traditional aristocracy with privileges and the artisans without them. Previously,
Ferdinand II The Catholic had given the artisans the right to hold arms to defense
themselves against the pirates.
• With the Plague of the XVI century the aristocracy of Valencia left the city, so the
power institutions were empty. The Viceroy was expelled, and the Guilds imposed
some social politics which benefit the non-privileged (artisans and peasants). The
revolt increased with violence and the peasant even murdered some agrarian
landowners. Then the King suppressed the revolt with his army and finished the
conflict without any chance of answer.
 p. 180
Foreign Policy of Charles V
• Charles privileged the imperial interest over the Castilian or Aragonese. His reign was
conditioned by the confrontation against Francis I of France, the Ottomans and the Lutherans.
• France: Some early victories, as the capture of the king Francis in Pavia or the control over
the Duchy of Milan. Nevertheless, the general balance was negative.
• Ottomans: Similar process. The Christians save Vienna, but the Turks control Hungary and the
Eastern Mediterranean.
• Lutherans: The beginning of the conflicts that would continue with other Habsburg Kings.
Some Germanic princeps joined the Lutheranism, which give them more rights against the
Pope and Emperor. Charles V got the victory in Mülhberg against the Smalkalda League,
which then set an alliance with France. In 1548 Catholics and Lutherans signed the Peace of
Augsburg and stablished the religious freedom in the HRE.
• Finally Charles V transfer (1556-58) the Empire to his brother Ferdinand I instead of his son
Philip II King of the Hispanic Monarchy (1556).
 Philip II, The Prudent
p. 179

(1556-1598)
• Son of Charles I and Isabella of Portugal. Inherit Portugal and joined it to the Monarchy.
• Madrid became the Capital.
• He was famous for the reinforcement of the Catholicism with religiocentrics politics, as the revitalization
of the Spanish Inquisition or the pressure over morisco.
• 1568: Morisco’s Revolt in Granada, leaded by Muley Hassam, against the obligatory integration
politics as religious conversion or moving plans. John of Austria (half-brother of the King)
suppressed the revolt.
*Precedent of the Expulsion of the Moriscos (1609).
• Persecution over protestants, Alumbrados and false converted. Limits in the cultural exchange
with foreigners. Aristocratic consideration of the “pure blood” Christians (limpieza de sangre).
p. 182 Supranational Monarchy of Kingdoms:
Hispanic • Some territories or domains form a kingdom. Some kingdoms form a crown. Some
crows form a monarchy.
Monarchy • The main Court of the Monarchy was established in Castile (Toledo, Madrid and
Valladolid) but with different levels of administrative and political organization.
• In the Kingdom where the King could not be in person there was a Viceroy (Virrey)
designed by the King himself. He was the “voice” of the king and the responsible of the
political ruling following the orders of the King, advised both by Court and Councils.
• Polisynodial system: System with different chartered institutions named Councils
(Consejos) to order information, advise the king and prepare the different legal documents
about some questions. This Councils could be Territorial (about the Kingdoms or
Viceroyalties) or Thematic (State, War, Taxes, Inquisition, Mesta…)
• The territorial councils as Council of Castile or Council of Aragon (and Council of Portugal
later), usually inherited some characteristics of the previous court systems, with territorial
variations.
• The Secretary was the person who organize the State Council. They became really
important in the XVI century, and we could relate this development with the arise of the
institution of the Validos of the XVII.
 International projects of Philip II p. 181

FRANCE AND THE OTTOMANS NETHERLANDS AND FLANDERS ENGLAND

• France, with inner problems with Henry • Dutch revolt (1566) which became war in • Philip had been prince/king consort of
II, lost in Saint Quentin and signed the 1568 until 1648. Systematic intervention England because of the marriage with
Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559). The of different allies, as England. Mary Tudor. But in the reign of Elisabeth I,
conflict with France was relaxed in this • In Flanders there was periodic instability, he was shown as her nemesis.
century. usually related to economic changes and • Hispanic Monarchy and England clashed in
• Ottomans were trying to conquer the lack of cash and credit. The Governors America, with the corsair Drake attacking
Western Mediterranean, as Malta. Then John of Austria, Duke of Alba or Castilian convoys. Meanwhile England
the Pope Pius V join his allies in the Holy Requesens were unable to calm the usually support the Calvinist and Lutheran
League against the Muslims-Turks. Philip situation. Alexander Farnese starts a revolts in Netherlands and Flanders.
II was part of this League, with a really reconquest campaign thanks to American • The Great Army of Philip II was defeated
important presences of his army in the silver. He assemble the loyal Union of in the England shores.
Battle of Lepanto, where Cervantes’ left Arras against the rebel Union of Utrecht.
arm was hurt. It just solve the problem partially. • Antonio Pérez ex-secretary of the king
spread the “Black Legend”
 Philip III (1598-1621) “El piadoso” p. 206

• Philip III was not as energetic as his father or grandfather. In this century the
kings usually left political decisions to the validos, a royal favourite who
governed on his behalf and concentrate the political power. The Duke of Lerma
was the main valido of Philip III.
• The expulsion of the moriscos (1609-1613) was the continuation of the
precedent dynamics and tensions. This was a decision of the Duke of Lerma. It
was a disaster in economic and demographic terms, because the moriscos
were hard agrarian and artisanal workers. In the Crown of Aragon they were
the 30% of population. Their expulsion cause more problems than solutions.
• Other fiscal politics, taxes and minting (new coins). And some shadows of
corruption (The Court of Valladolid to revalue his own lands).
Philip IV, The Great or The Planet King p. 206
(1621-1665)
• His reign was really complex and problematic with an enormous rivalry with
England, Sweden and specifically with the France of Louis XIII and Richelieu. The
valido or favourite of Philip IV was the famous Count-Duke of Olivares, Gaspar de
Guzman.
• Olivares wrote the “Great Memorial” in 1624, proposing to strength the authority of
the monarch (or maybe his own power) by standardising the law and institutions of
all the kingdoms. He wanted to centralise the control of all the institutions of the
Hispanic Monarchy and demanded increasing the participation in military spending
of the other kingdoms with a system for recruiting soldiers called Union of Arms
(1626).
p. 206 The Crisis of 1640
• Uprising in Cataluña: Rejecting the centralising proposals they broke out
in revolts. After a war, the royal rule of the Hispanic Monarchy was
restored in 1652.
• Portuguese Rebellion: They were uncomfortable with the Union of
Arms and at the same time the nobles refused to help against the
Catalan revolts. They proclaimed the Duke of Braganza king of Portugal
and became independent in 1668.
• Some aristocratic conspiracies: First in Andalucía, a few years later in
Aragón. Meanwhile in Naples appears a popular movement called
“anti-Spanish revolt”.
• All these problems and the loss of Portugal defeat Olivares as Favourite.
 Charles II (1665-1700) The Bewitched p. 207
• With only two years old, Charles II, son of the second marriage of Philip IV get the throne, with
his mother Mariana of Austria as regent. He was usually sick, so even if he reigned 35 years,
one of the main issues of his period was who would succeed him.
• It was a period of instability, and the Hispanic Monarchy was not able to recover the greatness
of the past, especially because of the prominence of France and Louis XIV. For this matter
started a process of renegotiate alliances.
• Charles II had no children and named Philip of Anjou from the Bourbon Dynasty (Grandson of
Louis XIV of France) as heir in his second testament/last will. The Archduke Charles of Austria,
the heir in the first will, tried to claim the Spanish Throne. In the War of the Spanish
Succession (1700-1715) the pro-French and pro-Austrian territories fought to define the king
and the political model. Philip of Bourbon became Philip V and unified all the crowns and
kingdoms of the Hispanic Monarchy in the Kingdom of Spain with the Nueva Planta Decrees
(1715), after the Peace of Utrecht (1713-1715).
 Meanwhile in Europe:
France (I)
• Louis XIII (1601-1643) called The Just,
was especially famous for choose as
favourite and adviser the Cardinal
Richelieu.
• Fight against the Huguenots (Protestants)
in a religious inner war.
• International rivalry with Ferdinand III of
the HRE and Philip III and IV of the
Hispanic Monarchy in
the Thirty Years War.
Meanwhile in Europe: France (II)
• Louis XIV (1643-1715), The Great or the Sun King, was the most
important representation of an absolute monarchy in France and
maybe even in all Europe.
• He unified the politics and territories under his rule with centralizing
power around an absolute king. It is the moment when the French
proto-nationalism was born.
• It was the Golden Era of France, with an enormous cultural production
and wealth, as the Versailles Palace or famous authors as Moliere.