Revolt of the Comuneros: Difference between revisions

|result=Decisive royalistRoyalist victory

The revolt occurred in the wake of political instability in the [[Crown of Castile]] after the death of Queen [[Isabella I of Castile|Isabella I]] in 1504. Isabella's daughter [[Joanna of Castile|Joanna]] succeeded to the throne. Due to Joanna's alleged mental instability, Castile was ruled by the nobles and her father, King [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]], as a [[regent]], while Joanna was confined. After Ferdinand's death in 1516, Joanna's sixteen-year-old son Charles was proclaimed her co-monarch of both Castile and [[Kingdom of Aragon|Aragon]]. Charles had been raised in the [[Burgundian Netherlands|Netherlands]] with little knowledge of [[Castilian language|Castilian]]. He arrived in Spain in October 1517 accompanied by a large retinue of Flemish nobles and clerics. These factors resulted in mistrust between the new king and the Castilian social elites, who could see the threat to their power and status; while as nominal co-monarch of her son, Queen Joanna remained confined and thus effectively powerless as before.

In 1516, Ferdinand died. The remaining heir was Ferdinand and Isabella's grandson [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles]], who became King Charles I of both [[Crown of Castile|Castile]] and [[Kingdom of Aragon|Aragon]] in [[coregency]] with his mother Joanna, whoalthough wouldJoanna remain effectivelywas confined in Tordesillas asand largely beforepowerless. Charles was brought up in [[Flanders]], the homeland of his father Philip, and barely knew Castilian.<ref>[[#Lyn64|Lynch 1964]], p. 36.</ref> The people greeted him with skepticism, but also hoped he would restore stability. With the arrival of the new king in late 1517, [[List of people associated with the Revolt of the Comuneros#Royal Council and Advisers|his Flemish court]] took positions of power in Castile; young Charles only trusted people he knew from the [[Burgundian Netherlands|Netherlands]]. Among the most scandalous of these was the appointment of the twenty-year-old [[William de Croÿ (bishop)|William de Croÿ]] as [[Archbishop of Toledo]]. The Archbishopric was an important position; it had been held by [[Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros|Archbishop Cisneros]], the former regent of the country.<ref>[[#Hal81|Haliczer 1981]], p. 126.</ref><ref name="Lynch38" /> Six months into his rule, discontent openly simmered among rich and poor alike. Even some monks began to agitate, denouncing the opulence of the royal court, the Flemish, and the nobility in their sermons. One of the first public protests involved placards posted in churches, which read: