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Date ________________________________________
Read and Reread Note-Taking Guide Chart for Expository Text
Title: How Did the Spanish Monarchy Become So Powerful?
Author: Levin, Moline and Redhead
Source: Our Worldviews: Explore, Understand, Connect Pages: 254-256
List 5 Key Words
Rise to Power
Reducing the Powers of the
Aristocracy
Control of the Church
Domestic Issues
The Spanish Begin to Build
an Empire
Monarchy
Centralized
Bureaucracy
Spanish
Inquisition
List 3 to 5 Key Facts
-
-
The Monarchy centralized the
power allowing for a more
efficient use of tax dollars by
the governing bureaucracy.
They gained control of the RC
Church by initiating the
Spanish Inquisition that
resulted in a RC Spain.
Write a Summary
Write the Key Concept
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella sought
to have the power and authority to rule
Spain. They centralized their control by
creating an efficient bureaucracy funded
by taxes. They also gained control of the
Roman Catholic church in their region by
initiating the Spanish Inquisition thus,
making the faith the only one in Spain.
Cortes
Aristocracy
Parliamentary
Financial and
Judicial
Institutions
Merchant Class
- The Spanish monarchy gained control of the
Cortes by appointing humble men to the
parliament, reducing the aristocracy right to vote.
- They centralized control of the Councils of State,
Finance and Justice.
- They stripped the political power of the
aristocracy by land grants and tax exemptions.
- Gained support of the merchants through support
of financial institutions.
In the monarchy’s quest for power, they had to
reduce the power of the parliamentary Cortes. By
limiting the aristocracy ability to vote, replacing the
nobles with humbler men in the Cortes and
restructuring the judicial and financial institutions
they ensured loyalty from the both the aristocrats
and merchants. Moreover, they would send into
cities and towns their own government
representatives to rule and tax the residents.
Independent
Authority
Influence
Pope
Complete
control
- The papacy usually functioned independent from
royal authority.
- The church had great influence over its followers.
- The Pope’s influence threatened the monarchy’s
plan for complete control
- The monarchy needed to have the ability to name
church officials
- In 1486, Pope Innocent VIII granted the Spanish
monarchy this power in return for the
establishment of the Spanish Inquisition
The independence of the Roman Catholic
church and the papacy threatened the Spanish
monarchy’s plans for complete authority. In
the establishment of the Spanish Inquisition,
Pope Innocent VIII granted the monarchy the
right to name church officials in Spain allowing
the monarchy great control in church matters.
Hierarchical
Exempt
Superior
Problems persisted for the new monarchy.
- The Spanish hierarchical society saw few people
owning most of the land
- Landowners and the church were exempt from
tax
- The small merchant class was resentful of the
church and aristocracy tax exempt status.
- The sense of the aristocracy superiority saw little
industrial development.
- Castile and Aragon functioned independent of one
another.
Given the aristocracy sense of superiority,
little industrial development occurred. The
upstart merchant class was overly burden
by taxes leaving little left to build their
businesses. Resentment was building in
the merchant and peasant classes.
Domestic
Instituted
Policy
Authority
Exploration
- The changes made by the monarchy gave
them the power to develop a policy of
exploration.
- Christopher Columbus convinced the
monarchy to fund his explorations
- Columbus’ exploration set Spain on the path
to becoming most powerful and wealthy
society in Europe during the 16th century.
Despite domestic issues, the monarchy had the
authority to institute changes allowing them to
create a policy of exploration. In 1492, they first
backed Columbus’ voyages to the New World. His
discoveries inspired further expansionist policies
that would result in Spain become the wealthiest
and most power nations in the 16th century as it
controlled large areas of the Caribbean, the
Americas and parts of Asia and Africa.
List at Least Two
Questions you Have
Relevance to Today
This is important or not
important because…
King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella gained
control of Spain by
centralizing the
government and
gaining control of the
Roman Catholic
church.
King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella
reduced the power of
the aristocracy
through land grants
and tax exemptions.
Did the Spanish monarchy
influence the Roman
Catholic Church beyond
Spain?
Is Spain today basically
Roman Catholic?
This is important
today because in a
democracy we want
politicians that serve
the public good not
their own lust for
power.
How did the
merchants react to
their high taxes?
Why would the
aristocracy give up its
political power for
land?
This is important
because the Spanish
monarchy like our
leaders often makes
lofty promises but
ultimately someone
has to pay for them.
In return for
establishing the
Spanish Inquisition,
Pope Innocent VIII, in
1486, allowed the
Spanish monarchy the
authority to name
church officials.
Spain was becoming a
society burdened by a
lazy aristocracy and an
over-taxed merchant
class.
Did the Pope realize
the extent the
Spanish Inquisition
would go to?
Why was the Spanish
monarchy concerned
about the Spanish
beliefs?
What was happening
in the rest of Europe
at this time?
Did this peasant and
merchant
resentment ever
build into a
revolution?
How expensive was it
to fund Columbus’
voyage?
How were the
Spanish affected by
this expansionist
policy?
This is important today
because not all political
decisions benefit the
citizens. We should be
aware of who benefits
from our politicians
political actions.
In a desire to become
the wealthiest and
power nation, Spain
implemented an
expansionist policy
based on exploration
in the 16th century.
Draw a Figurative Representation
This is important
because without a fair
distribution of wealth
societies can become
dysfunctional.
This is important
because it speaks to
the motivation of the
U.S. exploration of
space and its interest
in Mars.
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