SPAIN: THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS
When Ferdinand of Aragon
married Isabella of Castille, they
united the two largest Christian
kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula,
laying the foundation for modern
Spain. In 1492, they completed the
Reconquista when they conquered
Granada, the last Muslim stronghold
in Spain.
The Catholic Monarchs, as they were known, mandated that all of their
subjects profess and practice the Catholic faith. They expelled Jews and
Muslims who refused to convert to Christianity and established the Spanish
Inquisition to keep an eye on recent converts to make sure that they did not
continue to practice their former faiths in secret.
Ferdinand and Isabella nanced Christopher Columbus’ voyages, which
led to the establishment of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. Spanish
conquests in the Americas generated a new source of wealth, elevating Spain
to the status of a major power in Europe during the sixteenth century.
ENGLAND: THE TUDOR DYNASTY
In 1485, Henry Tudor found himself victorious at the Battle of Bosworth
Field, ending the Wars of the Roses, a disastrous series of civil wars
between the rival noble houses of York and Lancaster. Henry Tudor was
crowned as Henry VII, the rst English monarch of the Tudor Dynasty. As a
New Monarch, he made reforms that strengthened the English monarchy.
Henry VII prohibited noble families from retaining private armies, reducing
the chances of another civil war, and set up an ecient system of
centralized tax collection, which built up his royal treasury. To centralize the
administration of justice, he established the Star Chamber, a court of justice
where nobles could not use their inuence to manipulate justice. He also
began building a navy, which would later be useful to his granddaughter.
Henry VIII continued to build a New Monarchy in England when he left the
Catholic Church and, with the support of Parliament, proclaimed himself
the Supreme Head of the Church of England (also known as the Anglican
Church). He sold the Church’s lands to bring new wealth to the monarchy.
Although Henry’s eldest daughter,
Mary I, briey restored England to
Catholicism, his second daughter,
Elizabeth I, rmly established
England as a Protestant nation.
The Elizabethan Religious
Settlement required all subjects
take communion in the Church
of England, which would retain
some Catholic features. In 1588,
Elizabeth’s navy defeated the
Spanish Armada, establishing
England as a naval power.
THE RISE OF THE COMMERCIAL ELITE
The increase in global trade created wealth not only for monarchs, but
also for merchants, who formed an emerging commercial elite during
the early modern period. The growing wealth and political inuence of the
professional class would further undermine the power of the the traditional
nobility. In regions without centralized monarchies, such as Italy and the
Netherlands, commercial elites were directly involved in governing.
Wedding Portrait of Ferdinand and Isabella
AP
®
European History Study Guide
OVERVIEW
Between 1450 and 1600, the New Monarchs began to
construct centralized states and began to take on some
of the powers that had been traditionally held by the
nobility, such as tax collection and maintaining armies.
New Monarchs also exercised control over religion,
claiming the authority to determine the religion of all of
their subjects.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
The New Monarchies represent an important
transition between decentralized feudal institutions
of Medieval Europe and the absolutist nation states
that would become prevalent in Europe in the
seventeenth century. The centralization of authority
helped facilitate European colonial ventures during
the Age of Exploration and contributed to the later
development of national identity.
KEY TERMS
Conversos
Spanish Jews who converted to Christianity in order
to escape persecution were known as conversos.
Muslims who converted were called moriscos.
Spanish Inquisition
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain established the
Spanish Inquisition in order to identify and punish
heretics (Christians who held beliefs contrary to
Catholic teaching), as well as conversos and moriscos
who had made insincere conversions.
Star Chamber
Henry VII of England set up an independent court
of justice where high-prole defendants could be
tried in a setting where the could not use their
inuence to escape justice. It became known as
the Star Chamber because of the stars painted on
the ceiling. Though initially popular, it later became
associated with secrecy and corruption.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
The New Monarchs of Spain and England were
similar because…
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain asserted
control over the religious life of their subjects,
as did Henry VIII and Elizabeth I of England,
who also insisted on religious uniformity.
The New Monarchs of Spain and England were
dierent because…
In Spain, the monarchs used their power to
defend and strengthen the Catholic religion,
while the English monarchs cut ties with the
Catholic Church in order to assert a more
independent religious authority..
Topic 1.5: The New Monarchies
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Portrait of Elizabeth I commemorating the defeat of the Spanish Armada
