Council of Castile facts for kids
The Council of Castile (in Spanish: Real y Supremo Consejo de Castilla) was a very important group in the government of the Crown of Castile. It was almost as powerful as the king himself! It was first called the Royal Council.
Queen Isabella I created this council in 1480. Its main job was to handle the daily running of the kingdom and its laws. In 1516, King Charles I became king of both Castile and Aragon. Because Charles ruled many different lands, the Royal Council became known as the Council of Castile. This showed that it was only in charge of Castile.
Sometimes, if there was no king, or if the king was away or too young, the Council of Castile would rule the country. It acted like a temporary ruler. The Council became less powerful in the 1800s. It was stopped and restarted a few times before being permanently ended.
Contents
A Look Back: The Council's Journey
How the Council Started
The very first Royal Council began in 1385. King John I created it after a big battle. It had 12 members. These members came from the church, the cities, and noble families. By 1442, noble families gained more power. They added many nobles to the council, making it much larger with 60 members.
The Catholic Monarchs: Making Government Stronger
This larger council was not very effective. So, the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I, wanted to change it. They wanted to make the country's government stronger and more organized. In 1480, they passed a new law. This law allowed Ferdinand and Isabella to choose government officials directly. This meant that powerful nobles could not rule as freely as before. The Royal Council also started to control the royal army and handle tax problems. This helped the Crown have more control over the nobles.
The new Council had a president, a treasurer, a church leader, three knights, and eight to ten lawyers. These were the Council's main duties:
- To advise the King and Queen on choosing people for military and government jobs.
- To oversee big projects, trips, and new settlements. This included lands in the Old World and the New World. This was before the Council of the Indies was created.
- To help the King and Queen decide on payments and special favors.
- To act as the highest court of justice for the Kingdom of Castile.
- To have all members sign important legal papers. This included daily government decisions.
To stop powerful noble families from controlling the Council, nobles who were not chosen as members could attend meetings but could not vote. This meant that the Council was mostly made up of "new men." These were often minor nobles, townspeople, and educated lawyers.
After Queen Isabella died in 1504, the Royal Council started to become less fair. Nobles began to influence it again. King Philip I ruled for only two years. After him, the government was supposed to go to Isabella's daughter, Queen Joanna I, and her young son, Charles. Joanna was thought to be unable to rule, and Charles was too young. Archbishop Cisneros ruled for a short time. But nobles caused problems, and he struggled to keep the government together.
Then, Joanna's father, King Ferdinand II, became ruler. He often lived in Aragon, so the Royal Council managed things in Castile. During this time, it became even more unfair. Nobles illegally took land by force. The Council, often bribed, usually ignored these actions. This allowed nobles to get richer at the expense of justice and the government.
Charles I: Changes After a Revolt
After Ferdinand died in 1516, Charles I became king. At first, Charles was heavily influenced by his advisors from Flanders. He did not change the Council. His new government also placed high taxes on Castile. This was because Charles had big plans for his empire across Europe. Charles became Holy Roman Emperor in 1519. He ruled one of the largest empires in history. It was called "The empire on which the sun never sets."
In 1520, when Charles left Spain, a big uprising called the Revolt of the Comuneros began. Many people were angry at the Council. They blamed the Council's "bad government" for the kingdom's problems. The Royal Council led the king's forces against the rebels. Charles left Cardinal Adrian in charge. The Council wanted to punish the rebels harshly. But these early actions made the revolt spread even more.
Eventually, the rebels were defeated. Charles realized that the Council needed big changes. He removed the unpopular president, Antonio de Rojas. He replaced him with Juan de Tavera. Charles also added new members who were educated lawyers. He wanted to replace nobles with gentry and lawyers. More importantly, Charles changed the Council's jobs. The Royal Council would no longer handle most civil law cases. This allowed them to focus on running the government. A new system of courts, called audiencias, would handle legal complaints. With these changes, the Council's reputation improved.
During this time, the Royal Council became known as the Council of Castile. This showed that its power was only over Castile. As Spain conquered more lands overseas, the Council of Castile grew and split into new councils.
Between 1522 and 1524, the Council of Castile reorganized the government of Navarre. A Council of Finance was created. On August 1, the Council of the Indies was created. This new council was split off from the Council of Castile to manage the new lands.
Later, in 1555, the Council of Italy was also formed. It was another new council that came from the Council of Castile. A special group called the Consejo de la Cámara de Castilla was also set up. It had a few trusted members of the Council who dealt with secret or difficult issues.
After Charles I: Rise and Fall
The Royal Council became very important again when Charles II of Spain was a child king (from 1665 to 1675–1677). His mother, Mariana of Austria, ruled as a temporary regent. After Philip V of Spain became king in 1700, new laws were passed. These laws removed the independence of the former Crown of Aragon and made the government more centralized in Madrid. The Council also played a big role under Charles III and Charles IV of Spain. It was stopped in 1812. It was brought back in 1814 by Ferdinand VII of Spain. But it was finally ended for good in 1834 by Isabel II.
See also
In Spanish: Consejo de Castilla para niños
