Regalism facts for kids
Regalism is an idea where the king or queen has the most power over the Church in their country. This was especially true for the Spanish kings and queens and the Catholic Church in the Spanish Empire. People who supported regalism wanted to change things. They wanted the clergy (Church leaders) to be more like spiritual experts. They wanted them to have less power over laws and government.
Regalism started in Spain. At first, it focused on the Church having too much worldly power. But it grew into a belief that the king or queen should have the highest power in society and even in the world.
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How Regalism Started
Some historians think regalism came from something called the Patronato Real. This was a special power given to the Spanish kings, Isabel and Ferdinand. It allowed them to choose Church leaders in their lands overseas, like in Spanish America and the Philippines. This power did not originally apply to Spain itself.
Regalism really grew in the 1700s. This was when the Bourbon kings of Spain wanted to make their empire stronger. Spanish thinkers took ideas from other European countries and made them into state policy. Even though regalists wanted the king to control many things the Church claimed, they still believed they were good Catholics.
Regalism was different from another idea called Jansenism. But they both disagreed with the Pope having too much power. Regalism was more about who had political power, the state or the Church. The Pope wanted to keep his power, which was called ultramontanism. This idea said the Pope had power over all Church activities.
How Regalism Was Used
Regalism began in the Middle Ages. But it became much stronger under the Bourbon kings after 1700. Regalists said the king had power over all Church groups, even the Inquisition.
As early as the time of Philip V of Spain, kings claimed the right to choose Church officials in Spain. This had been the Pope's job. The Spanish kings also said they had the only right to collect taxes in Spain. They reduced the number of bishops. Any disagreements with the Pope had to go through the Spanish king first.
The Bourbon kings made their power stronger all over Spain. This wasn't just for the Church. Philip V removed special rights from Aragon and Catalonia in the Nueva Planta decrees. This made Spain a more unified country, except for the Basque country and Navarre.
Under Charles III of Spain and Charles IV of Spain, regalism became the main idea for making the king's power central in Madrid. Most discussions about regalism focus on how the king and the Church related. Especially about land and worldly power. Regalists believed the Church's only job was spiritual matters.
The Pope and the Spanish king made an agreement in 1737. This gave the king the right to choose Church officials in Spain. It also allowed the king to receive money that used to go to the Pope.
Regalists argued that the king should have power over life on Earth. They said the Pope had no right to stop the king from using this power. They wanted to lessen the Pope's influence on Spanish politics.
One way to reduce the Church's independence was to limit its power over priests. They wanted priests to be under the king's power, just like anyone else. The king removed special Church courts (called fuero eclesiástico). These courts used to judge priests for any crime. Now, royal courts would judge them. The king also started moving parishes from religious orders to local priests. Royal officials, not priests, began to handle unruly behavior.
Expelling the Jesuits
Regalists especially disliked the Society of Jesus, also known as the "soldiers of the Pope." King Charles III of Spain expelled them from Spain and the Spanish Empire in 1767. Their rich lands were sold off. Their missions on the frontier were given to other religious groups.
Important Regalists
In Spain, some important regalists were the Marquis of Ensenada, the Count of Campomanes, and the Count of Floridablanca. Others included Francisco de Carrasco, who was in charge of the treasury, José Nicolás de Azara, who represented Spain to the Pope, and José de Gálvez. Gálvez had been an inspector in New Spain and helped with the Bourbon Reforms. He later led the Council of the Indies. These leaders wanted to make the state more powerful. Their goal was to modernize Spain and make it a leading country again.
See also
In Spanish: Regalismo para niños
