The Limits of Royal Authority: Resistance and Obedience in Seventeenth-Century Castile (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern History)

In what is sometimes called the age of absolutism, Castilian nobles and commoners, tribunes and towns, were to a considerable degree able to resist and shape royal commands. Whereas there was little open conflict, there was sometimes a surprising degree of autonomy, rights and reciprocity on the part of the king's vassals. This is a study of one such form of resistance: the opposition to military levies. This opposition took place during a period of crisis, during the 1630s and 1640s, when the Crown's need to raise an army came into conflict with a notion of kingship that was far from absolute. From the king's advisory councils to parliament, from city councils and seigneurial estates, to the most humble villages, Castilians had recourse to a wide range of political and juridictional means with which to dispute the king's claims and avoid conscription.-- Provided by Publisher In What Is Sometimes Called The Age Of Absolutism, Castilian Nobles And Commoners, Tribunals And Towns, Were To A Considerable Degree Able To Resist And Shape Royal Commands. Whilst There Was Little Open Conflict, There Was Sometimes A Surprising Amount Of Autonomy, Rights, And Reciprocity On The Part Of The King's Vassals. This Is A Study Of One Such Form Of Resistance: The Opposition To Military Levies.--book Jacket. 1. Recruitment And Royal Authority -- 2. Making Soldiers Of Townsmen -- 3. War, Lords, And Vassals -- 4. Common Claims. Ruth Mackay. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 181-190) And Index. In what is sometimes called the age of absolutism, Castilian nobles and commoners, tribunes and towns, were to a considerable degree able to resist and shape royal commands. This is a study of one such form of resistance: the opposition to military levies in the 1630s and 1640s. The assurance with which such a range of people addressed the crown reveals a society in which a great number of people had a great deal to say about the definition and use of political power. The tests to which obedience was put in seventeenth-century Castile, the nuances and ambiguities, not to say manipulation, to which it was subjected, reflected not only popular and local attitudes toward royal power but also, of course, the nature of the power itself.