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