Botticelli, Venus and Mars, 1483

Humanities 3II. Spain and the New World

Lecture 5

Birth of a Nation

Outline

• The Creation of Spain

• The Inquisition

• Events of 1492

• Politics and Religion

• The Legacy of Ferdinand and Isabella

Machiavelli’s Hope• The last chapter of The Prince expresses

Machiavelli’s hope: to rid Italy of foreign armies(“This barbarous tyranny stinks in everyone’snostrils”) and to restore liberty and order under therule of a prince, “who has the competence todominate the others by his prowess and goodfortune.”

• Cesare Borgia might have filled this role, but “hewas rejected by fortune.”

• Machiavelli praises Ferdinand of Aragon as aprince who has succeeded in uniting Spain andturning it into a formidable power.

Machiavelli on Ferdinand“Nothing brings a prince more prestige thangreat campaigns and striking demonstrationsof his personal qualities. In our own time wehave Ferdinand of Aragon, the present king ofSpain. He can be regarded as a new prince,because from being a weak king he has risento being, for fame and glory, the first king ofChristendom...” (ch. 21)

Spain: Historical Background• 711 Muslim armies enter Iberian peninsula from

Africa, and within several decades extend theircontrol of the peninsula to the French border.

• Jews had lived in Spain since the 5th c. BCE, butmany more (>50,000) enter in the train of theMuslim armies. By the 12th c. 90% of the world’sJewish population lives in Spain.

• From the 8th c. on, Christian armies attempt toturn back the Arab presence in Spain in what willbe called La Reconquista. By 13th c. Granadaremains the sole Muslim kingdom.

The Rise of Anti-Semitism• 1215 Fourth Lateran Council institutes “Badge of

Shame” that Jews are required to wear in public.• 1348-51 Plague (“black death”) blamed on the

Jews.• 1391 Anti-Jewish riots throughout Castile and

Aragon.• 1415 Study of Talmud forbidden by papal bull.

Many Jews convert to Christianity (conversos);those who continued to practice Judaism secretlywere called marranos (swine).

Ferdinand and Isabella• 1469 Marriage of Isabella

of Castile and León toFerdinand of Aragon(children includeCatherine of Aragon, firstwife of Henry VIII).

• 1474 Isabella andFerdinand jointly succeedto the throne of Castileand León.

• 1479 Unification of thekingdoms of Castile andAragon.

• During the 1480s, Ferdinand and Isabellafight a costly war against the last Muslimpresence on the Spanish peninsula: thesouthernmost kingdom of Granada. This isrepresented as a holy war on behalf ofChristianity. Special taxes and thepossessions of Jews who are imprisoned,killed or expelled are dedicated to the cause.

• Support grows for the doctrine of pureza desangre (“purity of blood”).

The Spanish Inquisition1479-1492

• 1478 Inquisition is set up to root outmarranos in cities throughout Spain.

• 1483 The Dominican monk Tomás deTorquemada appointed as chief inquisitor

• The Inquisition was a religious proceeding.Officially, it aimed at exposing heresy:Christians who were secretly practicingJudaism.

Depiction of strappado

• Many brought before the Inquisition wereabsolved or “reconciled.” Those who werenot were condemned as heretics and handedover to the secular authorities forpunishment.

• Sources claim that as many as 2000 Jewswere burned at the stake.

• The inquisition officially continued until1834. The most intense period ofpersecution of conversos lasted until 1530(see article on Juan Luis Vives).

Events of 1492• January Ferdinand and Isabella seize

Granada, driving the Moors from Spain.

• March 31 Urged on by Torquemada,Ferdinand and Isabella sign the edict ofexpulsion.

• June 30 Last Jews (between 75,000 and200,000) leave Spain, mainly for Portugal.

• August 3 Columbus sails from Palos.Lands at San Salvador on October 11.

Edict ofExpulsion

Politics and Religion• On Machiavelli’s account Ferdinand uses religion as a

cover for his political ambitions (ch. 21). Whether ornot this is true, Ferdinand succeeds by virtue of acomplex set of factors, which include the appeal of anotion of national identity premised on ethnic andreligious exclusiveness.

• We find no recognition of freedom (of thought,conscience, speech) as a fundamental political value,on which a state may be based.

• Is there an inevitable tension between notions ofidentity based on religion or ethnicity and theconstitution of a state based on the value of freedom(i.e. a republic)?

Family Tree ofFerdinand and Isabella

Catherine of Aragon(1485-1536)

Joanna the Mad(1479-1555)

Ferdinand of Aragon(1452-1516)

Isabella of Castille(1451-1504)

EleanorQueen ofPortugal

(1498-1558)

Philip IIKing of Spain(1527-1598)

Charles VKing of Spain

Holy Roman Emp.(1500-1558)

IsabellaQueen ofDenmark

(1501-1526)

Maximilian IIHoly Roman Emp.

(1537-1576)

Ferdinand IHoly Roman Emp.

(1503-1564)

MariaQueen ofHungary

(1505-1558)

CatalinaQueen ofPortugal

(1507-1578)

Philip the Handsome(1478-1506)

Maximilian I of Habsburg(1459-1519)

Mary of Burgundy(1457-1482)