Revolt of the Comuneros of Castile

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:33 +0000

The War of the Communities of Castile, or the Revolt of the Comuneros, took place during the reign of Charles I, between 1520 and 1522. It was an armed uprising led by the so-called “comuneros” from the inland cities of Castile, with Toledo and Valladolid at the head of the uprising. This uprising has been interpreted in different ways, as an anti-seigneurial revolt, as one of the first bourgeois revolutions, or even as an anti-fiscal movement. It was motivated by the political instability present in the Crown of Castile from the beginning of the 16th century. The arrival of Charles I in Castile around 1517, barely knowing how to speak Castilian and bringing with him a large number of Flemish nobles and clerics as his court, provoked misgivings among the Castilian elites, who felt a certain displacement and feared the loss of their power and status. This discontent was transmitted to the popular strata. This was compounded by tax demands that provoked a series of urban revolts. After a year of rebellion, the communist leaders Padilla, Bravo and Maldonado were beheaded in 1521, and the communist army fell into disarray. Toledo maintained its rebellion until 1522. In some territories such as Andalusia, for example, the uprising had little impact, as the cities were dominated by the nobility and remained loyal to the king. Only Jaén, Baeza and Úbeda supported the rebellion until 1521. The image is a photograph of the work by Antonio Gisbert Pérez, “Ejecución de los Comuneros de Castilla” (“Execution of the Comuneros de Castilla”), kept in the Palacio de las Cortes in Madrid, which was photographed by Juan Laurent y Minier in 1871 for the National Exhibition of that year. It depicts the execution of the Comuneros Juan de Padilla, Juan Bravo and Francisco Maldonado on 24 April 1521 at Villalar.

The post Revolt of the Comuneros of Castile first appeared on History Lab.

Ferdinand VII, a bad reign of a lousy king

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:27:35 +0000

Radio documentary on Ferdinand VII and his reign. Described in his time as “The Desired One” by a people who saw him as a victim of Godoy, first, and Napoleon, later, he is considered one of the worst kings in the history of Spain. Born in 1784, he was the son of Charles IV and Maria Luisa of Parma. A conspirator against his father, Napoleon took advantage of the weakness and division of the royal family to force the abdication of the crown and hand it over to his brother Joseph. Exiled in France during the War of Independence, he returned to Spain in 1814. As absolute monarch he annulled the Constitution of Cadiz and persecuted the liberals. After Riego’s uprising, he had no choice but to swear the Constitution in 1820 during the so-called Liberal Triennium. Three years later the absolute monarchy was imposed once again, ushering in the Ominous Decade until his death in 1833. In the absence of a son, he repealed the Salic Law so that his daughter, the Infanta Isabella, could accede to the throne. With the Pragmatic Sanction, the Carlists, supporters of the Infante Carlos María Isidro, saw their hopes of succession collapse, provoking a civil war that would continue throughout the 19th century. Modesta Cruz’s documentary features contributions by Emilio La Parra and Juan Francisco Fuentes, as well as Miguel Artola Gallego, a former Prince of Asturias Award winner.

The post Ferdinand VII, a bad reign of a lousy king first appeared on History Lab.

Levantamientos - History Lab

Revolt of the Comuneros of Castile

Ferdinand VII, a bad reign of a lousy king