Medieval Spain: Crown of Aragon, Castile and the Late Crisis

Social Groups in Medieval Spain

• Mudéjares: Muslims living in the Ebro Valley and Valencia who maintained their religion and customs.
• Moors: Muslim converts to Christianity who served the nobility.

Mediterranean Expansion of the Crown of Aragon

Under Peter the Great, the Crown of Aragon expanded significantly, conquering Sicily (1282), Sardinia under James II (1323–1325), and Naples (1442).

Government Institutions

The political structure relied on the Monarchy, the Courts (Cortes), and the municipalities.

Castile vs. Crown of Aragon

• Castile: The monarchy held greater power, including legislative, judicial, and military authority.
• Crown of Aragon: The king was required to respect local laws and customs. Each kingdom (Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia) maintained its own independent courts.

The Role of the Cortes

The bourgeoisie demanded inclusion in the Cortes, which were composed of the nobility, clergy, and bourgeoisie. These were established in the Kingdom of León (1188), Catalonia (1214), Aragon (1247), and Valencia (1283).

Economic Foundations

• Castile: Focused on sheep farming and wool production for export. The Real Mesta (1273) was created to manage the trade of wool and Basque iron.
• Crown of Aragon: Valencia and Aragon relied on agriculture and ranching, while Catalonia thrived through overseas Mediterranean trade.

This prosperity fostered a powerful commercial bourgeoisie that eventually controlled key institutions.

The Crisis of the Late Middle Ages

The 14th century brought a demographic and economic collapse, exacerbated by the Black Death (1348).

Consequences of the Crisis

• Demographic Disaster: Bad harvests (1310 and 1346) led to malnutrition, making the population vulnerable to the plague. Catalonia's population declined by nearly 40%.
• Economic Decline: Abandonment of farms, rising prices, and a collapse of Mediterranean trade.
• Social Unrest: Peasant uprisings against the nobility and violent attacks on Jewish quarters, who were scapegoated for the crisis.

Political Confrontations and Civil Wars

Internal power struggles defined the era:

• Castile: The nobility and Church opposed Pedro I (1350–1369), supporting his brother, Henry II. Henry's victory in 1369 established the Trastámara dynasty, which secured significant privileges for the nobility.
• Crown of Aragon: Catalonia suffered a decade-long civil war between the monarchy and the nobility, which failed to resolve underlying structural problems.
• Navarre: A civil war (1447) erupted between John II of Aragon and his son, Charles of Viana, supported by the Agramonteses and Beaumonteses factions respectively. The conflict persisted until the rise of Ferdinand, son of John II.