The kingdoms of Spain experienced immense centralization through the 15th century. It experienced unification on three fronts: political centralization, militaristic centralization, and religious centralization. This strengthened Spain and made it a future powerhouse during the Age of Discovery.
The two most powerful kingdoms in Spain were Castile and Aragon. A marriage was arranged between the two heirs of each kingdom: Isabella of Castile (r. 1474-1504) and Ferdinand II of Aragon (r. 1479-1519). Exercising foresight, they realized that both monarchs would benefit from the marriage once they ascended their respective thrones. The marriage took place in 1469. Five years later, Isabella ascended the throne of Castile. Her ascension was briefly interrupted by a coup. Joanna of Castile contested her rule, and she was supported by Isabella’s half-brother, Henry. This dispute led to the War of 1475-1479. However, with the support of her husband and the aristocrats in Aragon, Isabella was able to quell the rebellion. Ferdinand II ascended the throne in Aragon towards the end of this war, and the two monarchs ruled their kingdoms conjointly. Although each kingdom exercised independent religious rights and had two independent governments on paper, the marriage between Isabella and Ferdinand II marked the end of an age and the beginning of the Spanish Empire.
The Reconquista was a military effort by the Spanish kingdoms in Christendom to retake the territories that were conquered by the Muslims across the Iberian Peninsula. The effort was largely successful, and Granada was one of the few territories still held by the Muslims. Though it was under Muslim rule, it offered tribute to Castile to avoid war. However, when Granada refused to acknowledge Isabella as queen and pay tribute, she prepared 30,000 to sack their food supply. Various damns and fields in Granada were destroyed, and by 1481, the Spanish declared war on Granada. All of the surrounding towns were slowly taken, but Granda’s fortifications remained strong. It took ten years before a siege was made on the city. By 1491, Spain was ready for their final blow. Remarkably, Isabella left her charming abode in Castile and traveled to the battlefront to provide her troops with morale. When the camps around Granada were repeatedly attacked by the locals, Isabella ordered her troops to build a city. They named it Santa Fe and launched their siege in 1491. By the following year, Granada surrendered on the condition that they could preserve independent governance and an independent religion. Isabella accepted their terms. The siege of Granda was significant because it officially marked the end of the Reconquista. The Muslim territories were retaken, and Spain was ready to focus on the centralization of power.
Realizing the futility of a religiously divided people, the Spanish monarchy set its sights on unifying the religion. At the time, many people within Spain believed in Judaism or Islam. To achieve religious unification, the Pope gave Isabella and Ferdinand II authority to appoint inquisitors. Thus, the Spanish Inquisition began. Contrary to popular belief, the Spanish Inquisition was not an attempt to force the population into Catholicism. Rather, the Spanish Inquisition was concerned with people who converted for social/political benefits. In a nation that was largely Catholic, people could diminish discrimination overall and improve their lives by claiming to be Catholic, even if they were Jews or Muslims in the privacy of their homes. The Inquisition was a commission dedicated to exposing dubious converts, and it stands as one of the darkest stains on the Church. Her participation in this bloody event was nothing short of evil. Though it is often exaggerated how many people were tortured, the fact remains that victims were immorally killed in the name of Jesus. Even though the Inquisition did not punish non-converts, Muslims and Jews were still persecuted, though this act was done by the Inquisition. Rather, the Spanish State made a decree in 1492 to exile all nonconverts. The Muslims and Jews who did not convert then moved abroad, against their will. This decree also affected people living in Granada, which was a violation of the peace treaty signed between the Muslims and Isabella. Lives were disrupted because of this move.
These three factors—the political unification under Isabella and Ferdinand’s marriage, the military unification under the siege of Granada, and the religious unification under the Inquisition—caused the kingdoms of Spain to centralize like they never had before.
Asher Sisneros 