Renaissance: Society, Politics, and the Rise of Nations
Historical and Social Characteristics of the Renaissance
The 15th century brought about events that changed the course of history. Human thought is contradictory, and in the case of the Spanish, this is very accentuated. A new way of organizing society into nations emerged, lasting until the 20th and 21st centuries. Now, the aim is to change the social organization from some nations to a European grouping similar to that of the United States.
Transition from Feudalism to Nation-States
In the 15th century, government transitioned from a feudal, aristocratic structure (where all were vassals of a noble, and the noble was subordinate to other nobles and their King) to a government of citizens and cities. Initially, it was an articulated structure of feudal vassalage. In the 15th century, the nation emerged where all citizens are related to the King. There is a struggle between the feudal spirit and the modern nation. In Spain, the Catholic Monarchs were in charge of turning it into a modern nation. Concurrently, other nations were formed in the late 15th century:
- England: After the War of the Roses between Lancaster and York against Henry VII.
- France: After the Hundred Years’ War, with Charles VII and Louis XI.
- Portugal: Formed around the same time as Spain, opening into the Atlantic near Spain and inaugurating a new economy.
The passage from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Other territories remained feudal. Germany and Italy became nations in the 19th century because, until then, they had a mercantile economic structure. Germany was divided into feudal territories, while Italy was divided into areas of new cities (Venice, Genoa, Pisa, etc.).
Key Events and Figures
In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs expelled the Arabs and Jews from Spain. In the 15th century, the Eastern Roman Empire (Constantinople) fell in 1453 when the Turks took the city and the entire Eastern Empire. During the 15th century, there was a large population increase in Europe, increased credit and private property in cities (bills, notes, etc.), and the mating of capitalism. Banks appeared in the 12th and 13th centuries in Lombardy; it was a time of great exploitation of gold and silver (coin).
Treaty of Tordesillas
In 1494, the Catholic Monarchs signed the Treaty of Tordesillas with Portugal, dividing the world in half. One part was for the Spanish to conquer, and the other was for the Portuguese. A meridian was established, with the Portuguese taking the west and the Spanish the east. However, other nations did not respect these partitions.
Explorers
Two of the most famous sailors were:
- Christopher Columbus: Discovered America in 1492.
- Bartolomeu Dias: Reached India in 1488.
Núñez de Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean in 1513, and Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano circumnavigated the world. Magellan died in the Philippines, and Elcano completed the journey in 1521.
The Reign of Charles V
In the 16th century, a prince named Charles V came to power in Spain through inheritance from his father, Philip the Fair. He inherited Castile and Aragon from his maternal grandparents, the Habsburg territories, and France and Germany from his paternal grandparents. However, Spain did not have the same power as the King because Germany was still divided into feudal territories. Germany also called him Charles V. When Charles V arrived in Spain, he came with the Fugger family (major bankers) who were given the economic contribution to pay armies. Initially, he did not know Spanish and was welcomed by many nobles who had been crushed by his grandparents (although the throne should have been taken by his mother, he took it due to her insanity). His education in Germany was feudal.
Challenges and Conflicts
His reign lasted from 1516 to 1555, with two options:
- Do what his grandparents did and enhance the Spanish nation, aimed at the Atlantic, staying with Spain and the Indies.
- Follow the idea of his grandparents (Emperor of Germany), as King of Castile and German Emperor, wanting to revive the German Empire (like Charlemagne).
He decided to consolidate the German Empire. To do so, he faced France (Francis I) and the German princes (who had become Lutherans due to the Reformation, with battles in Mühlberg and Pavia). Moreover, having conquests and possessions in southern Italy, he also faced the Pope. He neglected Spain and the Indies. Charles V spent his life struggling to create his German Empire. He invaded Rome and took the Pope prisoner, who eventually escaped through underground passageways of the Tiber. Spanish troops entered Rome in 1527 and killed half of the city’s population with the Flanders infantry (as the Spanish nobles refused to go). Upon Charles V’s death, he did what Charlemagne did:
- Spain and the Indies: Passed to his son, Philip II (a very powerful king who married a Portuguese princess).
- The German Empire: Passed to his brother, Ferdinand, who was no longer the German Emperor.