R1315thand16thB

Theme: The evolution of political elites and the use of political parties, ideologies, and other forms of mass politics.

B. Hermandades (1498). The crafty and persistent Ferdinand and the aggressive Isabella performed many tasks to curb the aristocrats power. Such as the restructuring of the Royal council. However to curb the rebellious and warring aristocracy, Ferdinand and Isabella revived the violent old medieval institution, the Hermandades, or brotherhoods. These were popular groups in the towns that were given the authority to act as local police forces and as judicial tribunals. The aggressive Hermandades repressed violence with such savage punishment that by 1498 they could be disbanded. The reviving of the violent and repressive Hermandades displayed Ferdinand and Isabella’s absolute rule in Spain.

MLA:

McKay, John P. __A History of Western Society__. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003