The New Monarchies: About 1450 -1600
Institutions of the Modern State
• Mid-1400s affected by war, civil war, class war, feudal rebellion
• Monarchs offered institution of central government as guarantee of law and order
• Proclaimed that hereditary monarchy was the legitimate form of public power
• Enlisted support of middle class in town who tired of feuding nobles
• National taxes allowed monarchs to build standing armies to control nobles
Henry VII: Tudor England
• Henry VII (r. 1485-1509) ended “War of the Roses”
– Conflict between houses of York (white rose) and Lancaster (red rose)
• Henry Tudor (of larger Lancaster family) married into York family to unite families behind monarchy
• Created “Star Chamber” court, – Nobles often corrupted
decisions in normal courts– Judged by king’s privy council– Settled property disputes and
infractions of the public peace
• Prohibited lords’ “livery and maintenance” to prevent private armies
Valois France: Louis XI (r.1461-1483)
• Inherited standing army created to defeat English under Joan of Arc
• 1477: defeated Charles the Bold of Burgundy and doubled size of France
• Created centralized administration, postal service, and strong economy
• Supported by urban middle class against power of nobility
Valois France: Francis I (ruled 1515-1547)
• First humanist-schooled king of France
• Settled power struggle with Pope
– Papacy to receive annual money income from French clergy
– King to appoint French bishops and abbots, and so control French church
• Continued French invasion of Italy
– Conflict with Hapsburg Charles V over Italy
– Captured and ransomed by Charles V
• Hired Leonardo to work in Paris
Unification of Spain
• 1469: Prince Ferdinand (Aragon) and Princess Isabella (Castile) married to unite kingdoms
– Kingdoms remained separate administratively and politically
– Ferdinand defeated rival Portuguese when Isabella’s father died
– Reconquista: 1492 Ferdinand and Isabella expelled Moors from Spain
• Unification took place around the church: Catholic faith became official religion
– Inquisition: Spanishness was associated with Catholicism
– Formerly tolerant Spain expelled Muslim Moors and Jews
– Fear grew of recently converted Christians who could still be loyal to Muslim or Jewish groups
Habsburg Germany
• Germany divided into princely states, ecclesiastical states, and free cities, loosely joined in HRE
• Bribery caused electors to choose Habsburgs as “Holy Roman Emperor” from 1452 to 1806
• Maximillian (r. 1493-1511)– Married heiress to the duke of
Burgundy (east of France)– Son Philip married Joanna,
daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, who produced Charles V
– 1519: Charles V became HRE and monarch of Netherlands, Austria, Burgundy, Spain
– Hungarians elected Charles V’s brother, Ferdinand, as their king
Results: Early 1500s
• New monarchs competed for land, but consolidation came most successfully by marriage
• Strong centralized leaders were necessary to pay for standing armies; standing armies created strong leaders
• Strong centralized monarchs competed with Pope for power
• Consolidated new monarchies would dominate colonial experience
• Monarchs still required great cooperation from nobility