Texas Almanac, 1992-1993 Page: 597
656 p. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
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SPANISH HISTORY 597
Charles V of Flanders (also Charles I of Spain), the grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, led Spain away from its pro-
vincialism and into a role of leadership of 16th century Europe. Picture from Culver Pictures.
Charles VSpain became a major player on the European stage
with the ascension of Charles V to the head of govern-
ment in 1517. His entry was inauspicious. The 16-year-
old grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella was a native of
Flanders. He spoke no Spanish and had no Spanish
advisers upon taking the throne.
(Charles' European title will be used in this article;
in Spain's succession, he is Charles 1.)
More responsibility soon rested on his shoulders and
eventually on Spain. His paternal grandfather, Maximi-
lian, was the Holy Roman Emperor. Upon his death, the
title and responsibilities fell upon Charles V who poli-
ticked the title and authority from his brother, Ferdi-
nand, of Austria.
(The Habsburg family was founded by Guntran the
Rich in 950 and named for its ancestral seat, Habsburg,
or Habichtsburg, or "Hawks Castle." For a time, the
family split, but it was reunited in the early 15th cen-
tury. Several members had led the Holy Roman
Empire, which was formed in 800 to resuscitate the
"Empire of the West." The empire lost power in the
13th century and finally was dissolved in 1806 when it
was feared that Napoleon I might annex the title.)
Spain was uniquely prepared for leadership of the
Holy Roman Empire, once Charles V matured in his
leadership. Under Ferdinand and Isabella, Spain had
become perhaps the best educated country in Europe.
Beginning with six universities in 1450, 27 more were
opened in the next 150 years. The schools accepted men
and women, and women were allowed to lecture in the
universities. The printing press also came to Spain in
the late 15th century. Before 1500, 725 books were pub-
lished in 25 towns, far exceeding the 358 printed in En-
gland in the same period. Each town with more than
2,000 population had a Latin school of some type, and an
estimated five percent of the population was university
trained.
With the reform of the Spanish church under Ferdi-
nand and Isabella, Bible study gained importance. In
1517, the first of six volumes of the "Polyglot Bible of
Alcala," the initial critical edition of the Holy Bible, was
published. Ironically, this publication came the same
year that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses condemn-
ing indulgences - abuses and theory - to the church
door in Wittenberg. Biblical scholars studied original
manuscripts in Hebrew, Chaldean, Greek and Latin in
preparing the critical work, with the support of Cardi-
nal Ximenez de Cisneros. And for a brief time (1527-32),
Spain was the center of Erasmianism, the humanistic
movement that suggested the church should be as inter-ested in human affairs as in heavenly concerns, thus
providing an impetus for the Reformation.
As Charles V matured, his appreciation of the tal-
ents of his Hispanic subjects deepened, and many be-
came prominent advisers in his administration.
Spaniards responded with growing respect and affec-
tion for their sovereign, sharing many of his goals and
aspirations. Spain was a major player in the game of
European politics for the first time, and Spaniards rath-
er liked the limelight.
The king's popularity was enhanced by the econom-
ic boom that accompanied his reign. Sales were enor-
mous at Spain's three major trade fairs, Medina del
Campo, Villalon, and Medina del Rio Seco. Employ-
ment in the silk industry soared. Wool was gobbled up
by foreign merchants. On the other hand, Spain, under
Charles V, did not impose mercantilist demands on its
American colonies, though trade often was restricted to
Castile. (England, for example, required its American
colonies to buy only goods manufactured in the mother
country.) Demands for goods from Spain's American
colonies strained the country's industrial capacity (and,
indeed, were blamed for the price rise that soon buf-
feted Spain). Spain's colonies initially showed little in-
terest in starting their own industries to supply their
needs, concentrating, instead, on conquest, exploration
for precious metals and mining.
The first crisis in Charles' reign came when he left
Spain in 1519 to secure the title of Holy Roman Emper-
or. Cardinal Adrian, as regent, encountered problems
when the cities balked at higher assessments for sup-
port of the government. Expenses rose when the state
provided for defense of newly reconquered Granada,
and Charles also required additional revenues for the
general operation of government. The etiquette of the
court of Burgundy, ostentatious and expensive, also
was brought to Spain by Charles. The rituals were de-
signed to impress participants with the power and gran-
deur of the king and to set the rigid social caste system
of the king's servants and subjects. By 1520, the country
verged on bankruptcy, and beginning with Toledo,
many cities rejected the crown's demands for addi-
tional money and took up arms.
Ferdinand and Isabella had sided with the cities in
disputes with the nobility in the late 15th century, but
Charles' officials got cooperation from the nobility in
putting down the so-called "Revolt of the Comuneros,"
which ended in 1524. If the towns had won the power
struggle, Castile could have become Europe's first
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Kingston, Mike. Texas Almanac, 1992-1993, book, 1991; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth279642/m1/601/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.