AHC: Curb Royal Absolutism in Spanish Golden Age

[John Fredrick Parker]

The reign of the Catholic Monarchs (Ferdinand and Isabella) saw the unification of Spain and the dawn of the Spanish Empire, but also a major centralization of power which came at the expense of the independent political influence of the nobility and bourgeoisie (which, prior to their reign, had been some of the most *progressive* in Europe).

My question is, could the 16th and 17th centuries in general have still seen the former without the latter? Mind you, the earlier moves toward absolutism don’t necessarily have to change; after all, the English parliament had been reduced to a rubber stamp for in a manner similar to that of the Spanish Cortes, but managed to reassert their counterbalancing role in governance later. Could Spain have managed the same?

 

[Historyman 14]

The best way to do this is to go back to the 15th century, and have Joanna of Castile/Joanna la Beltraneja and Portugal win the War of the Castilian Succession. This would block the path to absolutism, the nobles being the real power of the kingdom. (Joanna was docile and easily manipulated, nothing like Isabella.) Among other things, we would also see no military orders absorbed into the Crown, all the colonial interests given to Portugal, and the lack of reforms within the Castilian church, which would allow the Protestant Reformation to actually take root and glow all over the region.

 

[profxyz]

I see several obstacles with re-introducing parliamentarianism into Spain during the 16thC, mainly that the various Cortes were less relevant as a source of war financing for the Habsburgs:

1) Large alternate income streams for the Spanish Monarchy: the Mesta wool monopoly whose system was replicated in the Casa de Contratacion and New World taxes; the right to collect tithes on behalf of the Church, and greater 'credit lines' thanks to Habsburg rule over the Low Countries and later, Italy.

2) The continuing political strength of the Castilian nobility which was reflected in their ability to defeat tax proposals in the Cortes (Charles V dropping the proposal for a sisa tax on food). The Aragonese Cortes was so difficult to work with that the Habsburgs simply did not bother - the fact they were able to ignore them says something about the importance of Cortes to war financing.

3) The administrative split between Castile, Aragon and others which prevented the emergence of a single 'Parliamentary' front that could use the power of the purse to rein in the Habsburgs. If Aragon didn't pay tax, Castile was OK with making up some of the shortfall through servicio (emergency subsidy), cruzada (religious), alcabala (sales) taxes.

Unlike Charles I's botched Scottish policies, Charles V was astute enough to not let the Comuneros-Germania revolt in Castile and Aragon turn into a unified front against royal authority; by playing off the aristocrats and wealthy (who benefited from 'progressive' institutions) against the city-dwellers and poor, Charles V used the natural fear of violent socio-economic redistribution to fragment the rebellion to the advantage of royal power.

I think the most straightforward way to curb absolutism is for the Castilian monarchs to (unwisely) put more sources of income under the jurisdiction of the Cortes. Wool and New World incomes are especially important, but even the initial concession of the Mesta could lead to a feedback loop (less money > weaker monarch > more reliance on Cortes) where Charles V ultimately would see no other solution to dealing with the Comuneros or war finance than granting the Cortes more say in legislation.

 

[John Fredrick Parker]

I think the most straightforward way to curb absolutism is for the Castilian monarchs to (unwisely) put more sources of income under the jurisdiction of the Cortes. Wool and New World incomes are especially important, but even the initial concession of the Mesta could lead to a feedback loop (less money > weaker monarch > more reliance on Cortes) where Charles V ultimately would see no other solution to dealing with the Comuneros or war finance than granting the Cortes more say in legislation.

Thinking about this, is it possible this initial Mesta concession and/or resultant feedback loop could have started under the reign of Phillip II or even one of his successors? Or would it be too late then?

 

[Kellan Sullivan]

Joanna was docile and easily manipulated, nothing like Isabell

I'm not so sure, she strikes me as being pretty stubborn and spirited from what I've read between the lines. After all, it would be in any Isabelline propaganda campaign's interest to portray la Beltraneja as weak or as you say, easily manipulated. I DON'T say you're wrong, but it IS a case of Isabel being the one holding the pen.

I don't think la Beltraneja would've been anything like Isabel (possibly less rigid in her religious observance - considering the Church was one of her main detractors OTL), but I'm not sure she would've been a worse/better queen. And because there is so little (if any) neutral information (without Isabel bias) on la Beltraneja, I guess we can sort of paint her as anything we want.

My thread on Fernando marrying La Beltraneja

 

[Historyman 14]

I'm not so sure, she strikes me as being pretty stubborn and spirited from what I've read between the lines. After all, it would be in any Isabelline propaganda campaign's interest to portray la Beltraneja as weak or as you say, easily manipulated. I DON'T say you're wrong, but it IS a case of Isabel being the one holding the pen.

I don't think la Beltraneja would've been anything like Isabel (possibly less rigid in her religious observance - considering the Church was one of her main detractors OTL), but I'm not sure she would've been a worse/better queen. And because there is so little (if any) neutral information (without Isabel bias) on la Beltraneja, I guess we can sort of paint her as anything we want.

My thread on Fernando marrying La Beltraneja

I been reading your thread over, and you and others make a lot of good points.

Joanna as Queen was be very neat to see. A longer lasting Granada (It days where always number I feel.), no Inquisition, lack of good relations with the clergy and the church. You think a ATL Protestant Reformation can actually take root and grow within Spain? (Or at the very least, Spain is far less 'Deus Vult!' and more cultural diversity with all the Jews, and Muslims, among others, not kick out, or not murder, or not force to be Christians.)

 

[Jan Olbracht]

I been reading your thread over, and you and others make a lot of good points.

Joanna as Queen was be very neat to see. A longer lasting Granada (It days where always number I feel.), no Inquisition, lack of good relations with the clergy and the church. You think a ATL Protestant Reformation can actually take root and grow within Spain? (Or at the very least, Spain is far less 'Deus Vult!' and more cultural diversity with all the Jews, and Muslims, among others, not kick out, or not murder, or not force to be Christians.)

Protestant Spain is still extremaly unlikely. Jews not being expelled from Iberia-that really could happen.

 

[Historyman 14]

Protestant Spain is still extremaly unlikely. Jews not being expelled from Iberia-that really could happen.

True. I just love the idea of it given how much of a oddity it was within Spain and that the just right actions could give you something like it.

 

[Kellan Sullivan]

I been reading your thread over, and you and others make a lot of good points.

Joanna as Queen was be very neat to see. A longer lasting Granada (It days where always number I feel.), no Inquisition, lack of good relations with the clergy and the church. You think a ATL Protestant Reformation can actually take root and grow within Spain? (Or at the very least, Spain is far less 'Deus Vult!' and more cultural diversity with all the Jews, and Muslims, among others, not kick out, or not murder, or not force to be Christians.)

Not so much on the whole Protestant thing. However, Spain might follow a different trajectory if its less gung-ho with its Catholicism (rather than being the Pope's Gendarmes like OTL)