Ambitions Realized and Thwarted (1150-1250) - European Ambitions and Their Limits - Spain and France in the Making

6 important questions on Ambitions Realized and Thwarted (1150-1250) - European Ambitions and Their Limits - Spain and France in the Making

What drove the expansion in Spain?

In Spain, the reconquista was the engine driving expansion.

What threefold political configuration was there in Spain?

To the east was the kingdom of Aragon; in the middle was Castile; and along the western coast was Portugal.

How did Spain keep their new territories?

  • To hold on to their new territories, the Spanish kings had military religious orders establish garrisons along their ever-moving frontiers.
  • To rule their newly conquered regions, they issued laws and worked out systems of justice and taxation. 
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What did King Alfonso VIII of Castile do for Cuenca?

  • After taking it in 1177, he established a bishopric and gave the city a detailed set of laws (fueros) that codified the rights of all groups: clergy, laity, townspeople, peasants, Christians, Jews, and the many Muslims who remained.
  • Local officials to enforce the laws were elected by an elite group of property owners. 

What did King Philip II conquer?

  • When King Philip II (r.1180-1223) came to the French throne at the age of fifteen, his kingdom consisted largely of the Ile-de-France.
  • Through inheritance he gained a portion of Flanders in 1191.
  • In 1204 he wrenched Normandy from John, the king of England.
  • In the wake of that conquest, he forced the lords of Maine, Anjou, and Poitou to submit to him.

How did French kings extend their power?

French kings extend their power by developing royal administrative institutions - bureaus to write and keep records of their decrees, legal decisions, and tax collection.

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