Unit 2. The Catholic Monarchs and the Great Expeditions

What was the result of the marriage between Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragón?

• A royal household that would rule in both kingdoms but retain their own institutions.

• The royal households, the political administration and the laws of thier territories joined.

• It did not have any consequences in the short or long term.

What did the conquest of Granada lead to?

• A counter-offence by the Mudejar.

• The end of the so-called Reconquest.

• The flight of many Jews, away from the peninsula.

How many kingdoms remained in the peninsula when the reign of the Catholic Monarchs began?

• 5: Crown of Castilla, Crown of Aragón, Navarra, Granada, Portugal

• 4: Crown of Castilla, Crown of Aragón, Granada and Portugal

• 2: Spain and Portugal

What institution did the monarchs resort to in order to answer questions on a subject or a specific region?

• The courts

• The councils

• The Holy Brotherhood

What happened to the Jews who were expelled from the peninsula?

• They emigrated to Israel, the land of their ancestors.

• They were known as the sefardic Jews; they had to leave quickly, selling off their property at a loss, without knowing where they were going.

• Mostly they prospered as merchants around the rest of Europe.

Why did the Spanish Inquisition have such a bad reputation?

• Because it exemplified religious intolerance.

• Because inquisitors were executed.

• Because in other kingdoms there was no such religious persecution.

What were the main economic activities in the peninsula kingdoms?

• In Castilla, livestock and agriculture and in Aragón agriculture and trade.

• In Castilla, livestock and the textile industry and in Aragón, trade and the shipbuilding industry.

• In Castilla, mining and agriculture and in Aragón trade and fishing.

Why did the nobles never lose their land?

• They never put it up for sale.

• Because the Catholic Kings granted them the privilege of Estate (Mayorazgo) by which the lands were linked to the family by law.

• Because they helped each other to maintain their possessions.

What was decided by the Treaty of Tordesillas?

• The isolation of France

• The division of riches

• The distribution of two expansion zones between the Portuguese and the Spanish monarchies

What inventions facilitated the great expeditions at this time?

• Those related to orientation, such as new weapons and larger vessels.

• Those related to orientation, such as the compass or astrolabe, and better advances in navigation, such as vessels that were better adapted.

• Using sails on a ship and the rudder.