Religious Interests and Political Interests in the Spanish Monarchy

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Religious Interests and Political Interests in the Spanish Monarchy 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 ... ... middle of paper ... ...al 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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