The New Monarchies 1450-1550

1. The New Monarchies 1450-1550

2. Territories were diverse: linguistically, culturally, historically Consolidation of power by political means: Diplomacy Marriage War- most common • Look at map: nearly 500 distinct political units

3. Holy Roman Empire • Germanic peoples • Ecclesiastical city-states(Church lands), principalities, fiefs, free towns, counties, duchies • Succession to role of Holy Roman Emperor was left to 7 princes (votes) • States relatively stable but the empire as whole was becoming powerless

4. Holy Roman Empire (cont.) • Boundaries shifted according to marriages, war, inheritance • No Papal authority in the Empire • Arms manufacturer of the world • Big commercial centre: agric., mineral ores, industrial • Ports- north, west • Eventually replaced Italians as international bankers

5. Italian Peninsula Power balance between: • Duchy of Milan, Republic of Venice, city-state of Florence, • Papal States • Kingdom of Naples & Sicily ( Fr. then Aragon –Spanish rule) * Rome- city-state but politics intertwined with those of the Papal States

6. The Italian Peninsula ca. 1400

7. Italian Peninsula (cont.) • City-states governed themselves as separate political units form those of the neighbouring regions/city-states • Rule by local despots/noble (important) families (Milan) or an elite group of people (Venice) • Genova, Modena, Siena, Lucca, Bologna, Ferrara, Urbino

8. Italian Peninsula (cont.) • Due to insecurity of power balance, diplomacy developed & was refined: • ambassadors • espionage • alliances between smaller &weaker city-states to oppose the larger one • 1494 became arena for Franco-Spanish rivalries & Italian diplomacy began ot influence northern kingdoms

9. Iberian Peninsula: Spain & Portugal • Moors during Middle Ages • 8th to 15th centuries: reconquest of peninsula: reconquista • 1492completed at Granada: Moors left & Jews expelled • Several kingdoms including Portugal • Its borders confirmed in 1500- same as today

10. Iberian Peninsula: Spain & Portugal

11. The last reduct of the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula after the fall of Granada in 1492

12. Iberian Peninsula: Spain & Portugal (continued) • 1469 Marriage of King Ferdinand (Aragon) & Queen Isabella (Castile) created Spain as a political unit

13. France • End of 15th century it was still divided into small fiefs • Centred on Paris, Champagne, Normandy- royal domain • Others were contested lands between England & France • Cause of conflict

15. England • Romans, Danes, Angles, Saxons, • 11th century 1066 French Normans • Scotland& Wales were separate from England • Series of unstable monarchs & rivalries over the throne of England- Wars of the Roses • Traditional rivals of France

17. Previously the Church • was the object of highest allegiance • Church led by the Pope who resided in the Papal States (mid-Italian peninsula) • Clergy as Pope’s delegates helped to lead & morally guide the peoples of Europe • Papal authority over churches of various kingdoms- becoming weaker by now • Collapse of papal spiritual prestige & a gulf between Church & its flock

18. NOW Formation of States: Machiavelli A successful prince: Unites peoples & lands Secures his borders & Brings prosperity to his subjects Power can be centralised or dispersed Thus, the role a prince plays is essential to this process.

19. The Prince • Principe (The Prince) is a political treatise by Niccolò Machiavelli • written in 1513, • Published in 1532, after Machiavelli's death • “A prince must have no other objective, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war, its methods and its discipline, for that is the only art expected of a ruler. And it is of such great value that it not only keeps hereditary princes in power, but often raises men of lowly condition to that rank.” – Chapter XIV

20. Formation of States: difficulties • Transportation: eg, dependent on winds, seasons • Communication: distances, languages, literacy, cultural practices • Difficult to ensure directives from the centre of power were adhered to in distant parts of the domains

21. Formation of States • States were generally inherited • A Prince must outdo his rivals & defend his throne from others with strong claims to legitimacy • Rule of primogeniture: inheritance by eldest son • Variations: estates divided among sons/children of either gender; excluded females (Fr.), equality to both (Castile,Sp)

22. Formation of States (cont.) • Late Middle Ages- constant warfare • Alliances to prevent this: marriages • Independent institutions: the Church, fortified towns- armies, privileges • Assemblies to represent propertied classes- resistance to taxation. Parliament, Cortes (Sp)

23. Formation of States (cont.) • Too many small states made consolidation of political entities inevitable • Problem of dynastic marriages- small states inherited, matters of instability, precarious position • Technological advances in warfare-eg, fortifications no longer held, gunpowder, lightly armoured & mobile soldiers

24. Confusion of authority leads to New Monarchies • Dukes & earls- their interests conflicted with those of their monarchs • Threat to royal authority • Monarchs aimed to rectify this: by having central govts. & officials to represent royal interests • Solid boundaries/national frontiers

25. What were the New Monarchies? • New monarchies were the rulers of European nations during the 15th century who created a strong central government, ie, during the Renaissance. • Centralised governments: • enabled the New Monarchs in the 15th century for an era of colonisation & conquest in the 16th century • paved the way for rapid economic growth in Europe.

26. What were the New Monarchies? cont. • Rule was hereditary in nature, but they cared for the aspirations of the people. • The new monarchs created a strong central government with the help of large standing army. • Centralised system of taxation & tariffs. • Laws were enacted according to their wish & they controlled many aspects of religion. • The rise of these new monarchs was a great blow to the Church & nobles, but the middle class supported them.

27. What were the New Monarchies? cont. • Law & order existed • To get support of the middle class: reduction of local tariffs • Rulers fostered domestic & international trade. The stability of these governments led to colonisation in the 16th century & led to further development of trade. • Some of the rulers of the new monarchies were Charles, the VII of France, Louis XI of France, Henry, the VII of England, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, etc..

28. Dynastic Rivalries • The kings of these emerging countries spent much of their time re-organising their governments & keeping their lords in line • From the 16th C they spent their time increasing their territories, as a result, war was constant & ruthlessness a virtue • Expansion came at dire cost • Explained in “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)

29. Different routes to centralisation of govt. early 14th & mid-15th Centuries • France, Spain , Portugal & England approached the problem in different ways • These attempts were affected by: 1. wars 2. internal dissensions (conflicts/disagreements) 3.Riots

30. Different routes to centralisation of Govt. (cont.) • 4. Famines • 5. Plagues • End of 15th century- royal houses of England, France, Spain & Portugal regained control of their governments

31. England, France, Spain and Portugal

32. France • Many independent states • Loyalty= fealty to local ruler= lord , not king • Policy : inheritance, marriage, war, the French crown achieved territorial sovereignty • Philip IV the Fair 1268- 1314 • Forced the Pope to dissolve the Knights Templars in 1313 & appropriated their wealth Papal Court moved to Avignon (in France from Italy) in 1307

33. NEXT • Louis X & Philip V reigned next • 1322 Charles IV to throne: increased taxes, debased coinage, confiscated noble estates • Death without a male heir in 1328 =end of Capetian dynasty which led to

34. The Valois Dynasty • The Valois dynastywhich ruled France during the 14th 15th Centuries • The Hundred Years’ War allowed this dynasty to establish its power, consolidated during the reign of Philip IV (1285-1314)

35. Hundred Years’ War • 1328 Philip VI (1293-1350) crowned King of France. Valois Dynasty • Edward III of England eventually contested the crown of France leading to the 100 Years’ War. • 1340 French fleet destroyed in the Netherlands

36. 100 Years’ War • 1346 French defeat at Crecy • French lost Calais in 1347 • Philip VI signed truce with Edward III until his (P’s) death in 1350 • Most of the fighting occurred on French soil, the French people suffered

37. 100 Years’ War continued • Mercenaries, disease, famines, • 1356 Loss at Poitiers, John II captured • His son, the Dauphin, appointed regent • Instead France was ruled by Etienne Marcel, a cloth merchant- assumed control of govt. • 1358 Revolt of the peasants, the Jacquerie

38. Peasants’ revolt 1358 • No leader so eventually crushed by the aristocracy • 1364 dauphin, Charles, assumed regency until his father’s death & he became known as:Charles V (1337-1380) • 1380 English withdrew & abandoned further milt. advances • Charles set about strengthening his power and the Crown’s revenues

39. Charles VI the Mad (1380-1422) • Unstable king from 1380 • Henry V of England began the war again • Agincourt 1415 forced Charles VI to sign a treaty with Henry V & thus accepted him (Henry) as heir

40. Charles VI of France (1368-1422) & Henry V (1387-1422) of England welcomed by the clergy, Paris, 1420 as they make their triumphal entrance to the allied courts in Paris. The Treaty of Troyes, signed on 21st May 1420, recognised Henry as Charles' heir to the French throne & as the virtual ruler of most of France.

41. TREATY OF TROYES 1420 • Marriage of Charles VI's daughter Catherine to Henry V, who was made regent of France • acknowledged (along with his future sons) as successor to the French throne. Dauphin Charles was disinherited from the succession.

42. Henry VI • Next king: Henry VI (son of Henry V) of England • Joan of Arc entered history here. Victory at Orléans led to crowning of Charles VII (1403-1461) at Reims in 1429.

43. Last battle of the 100 Years’ War • 1453 Castillon the English lost all territories except Calais • Charles VII consolidated royal authority • Authority over the Church’s income & personnel

44. Son of Charles VII • King 1461 – 1483 • As a young man he spent much of his time organising a series of rebellions against his father, Charles VII • one of the most effective kings of France • Through guile, wit & sheer brute force he united all of France Louis XI

45. The Reign of Louis XI1461 – 1483 • unpopular man, ruthless & efficient ruler • Brought the Church, nobles & merchants to heel • Smashed the Dukes of Burgundy • Left a strong, united, nationalistic France that possessed a strong central government

46. Charles VIII (1470-1498) • 1491 was on throne under a regency • 1494 invaded Italy & briefly occupied Naples • Driven out through a strenuous Italian effort • France attempted to invade Italy in the next half century

47. France by 1500 • Had become a strong nation. Flourishing economy staffed by noble & middle class bureaucrats

49. The Rise and Decline of Portugal • On the western coast of the Iberian peninsula, was once a great power of Europe. • For much of its history it was fought over by Moors, the Spanish and even the French. • By the 15th C, the country became united and through its sailors, established its place in Europe.

50. The Aviz Dynasty • This dynasty, founded by John I (king 1385-1433) established a powerful parliament, called the Cortes • They formed an alliance with England & together defeated their Spanish and Arab enemies • He broadened his empire into northern Africa & his son Henry found the first sea route to India