Full Text
Comunero movement
Rady Roldan-Figueroa
Subject
History
»
Political History
Social Movements
»
Collective Behaviour
Place
Europe
»
Western Europe
Iberia
»
Spain
Period
1000 - 1999
»
1500-1599
Key-Topics
citizenship, civil rights, equality, monarchy, revolution
DOI: 10.1111/b.9781405184649.2009.00392.x
Extract
The Comunero movement ( movimiento de las comunidades ), or Comuneros' Revolt was the first and last major uprising against the Hapsburgs in the kingdom of Castile. In 1516 Charles of Ghent became king of Castile and Aragon, as Charles I of Spain. He inherited his Spanish crown after the death of his maternal grandfather, Ferdinand II of Aragon (r. 1479–1516). He arrived in Spain in 1517, but he was not prepared to assume control of his Spanish possessions. Charles was raised in the Netherlands and was surrounded by Flemish advisors. He was ignorant of the customary practices and languages spoken in his new possessions. Elected king of Germany soon after the death of his paternal grandfather, Maximilian I (r. 1493–1519), Charles made arrangements to relocate his court to Germany, although he was not crowned until October 1520. The prospect of having an absentee king as well as resentment towards his foreign-born attachés fueled popular resentment. The situation was complicated in April and May 1520 by new financial demands made by Charles on the Castilian Cortes. The Cortes was a medieval system of representation in which free municipalities ( comunidades ) negotiated additional financial subsidies for the crown and participated in deliberations on matters of interest to the realm. In 1520 the Castilian Cortes consisted of around eighteen municipalities. The demand for higher subsidies ... log in or subscribe to read full text
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