To what extent did Ferdinand and Isabella deserve their titles of ‘the Catholic monarchs’? [25 marks] Church Reform: • Beginning of reign: • • Bishops and archbishops living luxurious live and ignoring their spiritual and pastoral duties. • Absenteeism rife. • Several bishops/archbishops had participated in civil war, drawing on their huge revenues to finance their political ambitions. • • Crown wanted: • • Royal domination of Church personnel (i.e. to take control of ecclesiastical appointments from papacy and to ensure dependable, loyal men were appointed to senior posts). • To obtain a share of the vast wealth of the church. • To reform the Church in order to raise its moral and educational standards. Church Reform: • After Civil War: Ferdinand and Isabella carried out numerous measures to limit the political and military power of the Church. • Clerics obliged to hand over fortresses to custody of royal appointees. • At a gathering of Spanish clergy at Seville 1478, Ferdinand and Isabella obtained support for the reduction of Papal influence and a programme of reform. • When the bishopric of Cuenca fell vacant in 1479, Ferdinand and Isabella asserted their right to nominate the new bishop and Pope Sixtus IV gave in after a prolonged struggle. • 1486 secured from Innocent VIII the right of ‘patronato’ – patronage over church appointments in newly occupied Granada. • Following support given to him concerning the Italian wars, 1508 Julius II gave the Kings ‘patronato’ over all Spanish territory in America. • Right to dismiss churchmen, tax the Church and ignore papal edicts. • Crown now exercised supreme headship in its colonies. • Not given power to appoint bishops in Spain itself until reign of Charles V, although Ferdinand and Isabella had effectively won the battle already. Church Reform: Appointed reforming Spanish clergymen to highest offices. Queen’s confessor, Hernando de Talavera, made Archbishop of Granada 1492. o Preached frequently. o Spent his revenues on the poor and providing work for the destitute. Cisneros replaced Talavera as Queen’s spiritual adviser 1492 and made Archbishop of Toledo 1495. o Leading reformer. o Improved religious orders (of which hundreds). Isabella and Cisneros’ greatest achievement was the establishment of the University of Alcala, 1508. o Complete ecclesiastical education available. o Cisneros encouraged the production of printed books on spiritual matters and sponsored the compilation of the Polyglot Bible, which contained parallel texts of the Vulgate, Greek and Hebrew versions. o The University was extremely prosperous. Church Reform: WE’VE GOT TO GET RID OF THE WOMEN!! THEY WILL WANT US TO BE POOR NEXT AND LIVING LIKE JESUS – IT’S RIDDUCULOUS! Church Reform: The Franciscans (believing in strict adherence to rule of St. Francis, known as Observants) gained ground at the expense of the more relaxed ‘Conventuals’ – other orders followed the same pattern. o 1517 when Cisneros died, there were no Conventual houses left in Spain. BUT many remote houses scarcely touched by reform. o 400 Andalusian friars settled in N. America and became Muslims rather than give up their concubines. To combat laxity, bishops were ordered to reside in their sees and to supervise their clergy. Parish priests were instructed to abandon their mistresses, preach sermons, wear appropriate clerical dress and provide their congregations with religious instruction. BUT the huge area of Spain made enforcement of reform difficult and even cathedral chapters sometimes resisted pressure to change their traditional modes of conduct. o 1496 the chapters (cathedral’s governing bodies) of Castile appealed to the Pope and Ferdinand and Isabella had resort to kidnapping their representatives to prevent them from leaving the country. Church Reform: 1482 – In line with measures to keep the nobility in hand – so too, as a result of the ‘derectio de presentacion – gradually only prelates loyal to Ferdinand and Isabella were appointed to vacant sees – granted by Sixtus IV in 1482. Also, in support of campaigns (crucades) v Granada, Sixtus granted indulgences to the faithful making financial contributions – hence Ferdinand and Isabella received considerable financial help from the ch. In their kingdoms. 1481-1482 - …. But the following year Sixtus supported Venice v Ercole d’Este, duke of Ferrara (son-in-law of King Ferrante of Naples and a cousin to Ferdinand) and Ferrara was invaded in May - > Sixtus went on to seek the aid of Aragon! Ferrante turned to Ferdinand who threatened Venice with commercial war and the pope with armed intervention v papal states……. The pope changed sides! Church Reform: 1483 he allowed the Cath. kings to appoint inquisitors and a judge of appeal. In Spain (esp. Aragon) cases before the inquisition stated their belief that its purpose was to deprive the accused of their wealth (they blamed Isabella rather than Ferdinand). Ferdinand’s attempts to introduce the inquisition into Aragon met with strong oppo. IN Aragon itself it culminated in the murder of the inquisitor, Pedro de Arbues, in the Cathedral of Saragossa (1485). 1485 - Many Jewish and converso merchants fled to France with their goods and capital. A blow to the Catalan trade. Church Reform: 1486 – Innocent VIII bull gave Sp. Crown the right or patronage and presentation to all major ecc. benefice’s in newly conquered Granada = a royal PATRONATO. This Granada Patronato = momentous achievement for Ferdinand and Isabella – to be extended (they hoped) to all dominions. NB* In the 20 years after 1492 Ferdinand manoeuvred with great skill to obtain from the Papacy – absolute royal control over all ecc. foundations overseas. Spain 1493 - Bull ‘inter caetera’ – Alexander VI gave exclusive rights for Spain to evangelize new lands – granting in perpetuity to kings of Castle – all newly discovered continents and islands. The following day a bull titled ‘Eximiae devotionis’ drew a dividing line to separate discoveries of Castile and Portugal. Portugal Church Reform: 1492 – 1503 – relations with the papacy were especially good in the days of Alexander VI, the Valencian Rodrigo Borgia = a period of considerable Hispanic influence in Rome. The outcome of the Jewish problem was their final expulsion (1492). This was not a sudden step – as early as 1480 Isabella had threatened to expel Jews from Andalusia and local expulsions had occurred in bishoprics of Seville and Cordoba in 1483 and Burgos in 1490. 1494 – When threatened by French (Charles VIII) Alexander conferred upon Ferdinand and Isabella the title of ‘The Catholic Kings’ – rewarding Ferdinand for forming League of Venice v France. The same year Alexander granted Ferdinand and Isabella full powers to reform all communities of nuns and friars in Sp. [notable success = Franciscans] Cardinal Jimenez de Cisneros was entrusted with task – also twice ruled Castile as regent in Ferdinand’s absence (15067) = Isabella’s confessor and great influence. Church Reform: 1501 – Bull conceded to crown in perpetuity – all tithes levied in Indies. These bulls of Alexander VI and Julius II left the ecclesiastical affairs of the Indies almost entirely in the hands of the sovereigns but… it was incumbent upon the crown to send missionaries and build churches. As well as tithes Ferdinand and Isabella had the right to submit to the pope nominations for bishoprics and all the ecclesiastical offices in America. 1508 – Bull of Julius II gave crown universal Patronato over the Ch. in the new world = unique power of the Sp. Monarchy over ch. In its American possessions. Outside the of Granada – nothing comparable in curo. a third of all tithes paid to the church in Castile. - and the much more valuable Cruzada £ raised by sale of indulgences 1510-15 – During Ferdinand’s regency – a council (consejo da la Cruzada) was established to fix the appropriate contribution for each bishopric and collect it. The clergy paid a special contribution – the ‘subsidio’ agreed by Leo X (470 monasteries in Castile!).
