List of people associated with the Revolt of the Comuneros facts for kids

The Revolt of the Comuneros was a big rebellion in Castile, a part of Spain, from 1520 to 1522. It was a fight between the people who supported the king and those who wanted a new government.

Royalists: Supporters of the King

The Royalists were on the side of the king, King Charles I. They wanted to keep the government as it was.

King Charles I was also known as Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. He had just become emperor and left Spain to go to Germany. This made many people in Castile upset. They felt he broke his promise to leave a Spanish person in charge. Instead, he left a regent named Cardinal Adrian of Utrecht. Adrian was from Flanders, not Spain.

Even though King Charles was in Germany, he still helped stop the revolt. He sent messages and orders to Regent Adrian. One important thing Charles did was appoint two new Spanish leaders to help Adrian. These were:

• the Constable of Castile, Íñigo Fernández, and
• the Admiral of Castile, Fadrique Enríquez.

Royal Council and Advisers

The Royal Council was like the main government group. But many common people didn't like it. They felt the council didn't do enough to stop powerful nobles from taking more land. There was also a lot of unfairness and the government was in debt. The head of the council, Antonio de Rojas Manrique, was very unpopular.

People disliked the Royal Council, but they disliked King Charles's Flemish advisers even more. These advisers came with Charles from Flanders. William de Croÿ was one of them. He had helped raise Charles in Flanders. Many of these Flemish advisers used their positions to get rich from Spain's money. William de Croÿ even became the Treasurer of Castile. He later sold this important job to someone else for a lot of money.

William also controlled who got important jobs in Spain's new colonies. He gave high positions to his friends. For example, he made Jan de Witte the Bishop of Cuba. William also got his 20-year-old nephew, also named William de Croÿ, a very important job as the Archbishop of Toledo. This was seen as very unfair because it was based on family connections, not skill.

Another adviser, Jean Le Sauvage, was a chancellor. He was in charge of a meeting called the Cortes of Valladolid in 1518, which was controversial. He also gained the right to collect taxes on certain goods, which he then sold to someone else for a large sum.

Military Commanders for the King

These were some of the leaders who fought for the king:

• Rodrigo Ronquillo: He led a group to Segovia.
• Antonio de Fonseca: He was the captain-general of the army. He tried to get royal weapons from Medina del Campo but was stopped by the people.
• Antonio de Zúñiga: He was a leader from the Order of St. John.

Comuneros: The Rebels

The comuneros were the rebels. They wanted to remove the Royal Council and create their own government. Most of their supporters were from the middle and upper-middle classes. These groups felt they had lost their power under the current government. Some less powerful nobles also joined because they were jealous of the foreign advisers who had important jobs. Farmers in the countryside had mixed feelings about who to support.

Later in the rebellion, the comuneros started fighting against the powerful nobles. This made more farmers support them. However, it also made many powerful nobles worried about losing their own special rights, so they stopped supporting the rebels.

Nobles and Knights Among the Rebels

• Pedro de Girón: A noble who became an army captain.
• Pedro López de Ayala: A count and a captain of the rebel army.
• Ramiro Núñez de Guzmán: A city councilman and a lord.
• Pedro Maldonado: An important noble from Salamanca and an army captain.
• María Pacheco: A noblewoman who led the town of Toledo when her husband was away. After his death, she became a leader of the remaining rebels.
• Luis de Quintanilla: An army captain.
• Juan de Mendoza: A noble lord.
• Juan de Padilla: A noble and the main commander of the Comunero army.
• Juan Bravo: A Castilian noble.
• Francisco Maldonado: A Castilian noble.
• Pedro Laso de la Vega: A city councilor from Toledo. He was a moderate who didn't like the rebellion turning against the nobles.

Common People Among the Rebels

• Luis de Cuéllar: A merchant who exported goods.
• Antonio Suárez: A wool merchant.
• Antonio de Aguilar: An apothecary (like a pharmacist).
• Gonzalo de Ayora: An official historian.
• Bernaldino de los Ríos: A judge.
• Alonso de Zúñiga: A professor.
• Alonso de Arreo: A city councilman and lawyer.

Clerics Among the Rebels

• Antonio de Acuña: The Bishop of Zamora and an army captain.
• Juan de Bilbao: A Franciscan friar and one of the thinkers behind the movement.
• Alonso de Medina: A Dominican friar.
• Alonso de Bustillo: A Dominican friar and head of a theology department.

Other Important Figures

• Queen Joanna the Mad: The rebels hoped she would start ruling again. Some historians think she might have felt a bit better, but she didn't really help the rebels. She didn't want to sign any orders or fully support them. When the royalists took back a town called Tordesillas, she was said to be happy. Some say she just wanted attention, which she was finally getting.

• Pope Leo X: The Pope was seen as generally agreeing with King Charles. When Charles raised taxes on the church in Spain, the Spanish church protested at first. But Charles convinced Pope Leo X to approve the tax. While many parts of the Spanish church supported the rebels, Pope Leo X quietly supported King Charles. Church groups with strong ties to other countries tended to support the king more.

See also

In Spanish: Comunero para niños