How far do the sources support the view that, during the period 1474 - 1598, Religious Interests were more important for the Spanish Monarchy than were Political Interests?

How far do the sources support the view that, during the period 1474 – 1598, Religious Interests were more important for the Spanish Monarchy than were Political Interests?

The period of 1474 – 1598 was very important in terms of religion in Europe, as Luther’s Reformation of 1517 brought religion to the forefront of the political agenda. Yet, it is questionable whether it took precedence over issues such as war and the economy for the Catholic Monarchs. The sources agree that religion was an important concern in the private lives of the Catholic Monarchs, but disagree over whether they allowed personal faith to become the most prominent motive behind their decisions as rulers.

Sources, 1,3 and 6, all written contemporaneously by the monarchs, or their advisors, emphasise the strong role played by religion in the monarch’s lives, and consequently their behaviour as rulers. Del Purgar, writing in the 1480s, during the Granada war, explicitly states that Isabella’s monarchical ambition was to root out and destroy heretics, and that she imposed these views on Ferdinand. This view is support by Isabella herself in source 3, where she proclaims that her faith is the only grounds for the war with Granada, arguing that, logically, if it was for other purposes they would have chosen a less expensive and hazardous conflict. However, the fact that Isabella had to justify her actions so desperately to the Pope, demonstrates that she could have faced severe criticism over her policy towards Granada, implying that her motives were not purely religious. It is also possible that by 1500 Isabella wished to continue the Reconquista into North Africa, and wrote this letter to gain support for that venture.

According to Philip II, in source 6, his military exploits, especially in Flanders and France, also had religious purposes, and furthermore, all of his actions as monarch were in the service of ‘Our Lord.’ This source, written in 1591, probably had the intention of placating the Junta over the extreme action his army had taken, or was poised to take to crush the riots in Aragon. Source 5 also shows implicitly that warfare was a higher priority than religion, as the increasing persecution described does not seem to take place until after 1567, when the threat from the Turks in ...

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There is debate within the sources over whether the economy took a more central role than religion in the Catholic Monarchs policies. Del Purgar firstly emphatically denies this, writing that religious cleansing was the ‘essential thing,’ and therefore ‘little importance was placed on the decline of her revenue.’ He then contradicts himself, in that he thinks the inquisition was motivated as much by the desire to confiscate Morisco property as by religious zeal. This view seems to be supported, not by modern historians, but by the Papacy. Both sources 2 and 3 show that the heads of the Catholic Church believed that the inquisition and the invasion of Granada, were ‘motivated more by greed than faith.’ Ferdinand, in source 2, appears to believe that his power is superior to that of the church, and does not even acknowledge the accusations made against him, implying his guilt.

The final political interest for religion to contend with is the issue of political unity. Prior to Ferdinand and Isabella’s accession to the Castillian and Aragonese thrones, Spain was chaotic and disordered, and, as J H Elliot (with the luxury of hindsight) agrees, it was an aim of the new monarchs to unify and order their states. Elliot believes that religion was used to achieve this unity, as it was a common view at the time that a united country must have a common religion.

From sources 5 and 7 it seems that under Philip the idea of using religion to unite the people was taken further. The measures taken to remove Muslim identity, as described by a Morisco noble in source 5, demonstrates a desire from the government to create a country militant in their uniformity. Modern historian Trevor Davies in source 7, concurs that Philip wished to ‘increase royal power,’ and did this with the ‘destruction of all Protestant and Islamic movements.’

Davies also takes the view that not only did Philip dishonour religion by using it as a uniting device; he actually venerated political unity high above it despite the strength of his personal faith. Davies explicitly states that, ‘whenever political interest and religious zeal clashed religion almost invariably gave way.’ However, the author does concede at the beginning of the extract that his view is not widely held by many historians, therefore shedding doubt on its accuracy.

To conclude, the Catholic Monarchs allowed religious interests to take precedence over some areas of politics, and were always willing to sue religion as an excuse for a controversial action. The lack of sources concerning Charles makes it difficult to form a judgement, but it is probably fair to say that individually religion was more important that any political interests. However, in areas where the two could be combined, e.g. Granada, it was deemed more important.

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