Phillip II was the King of Spain from 1556 and is best known for his contribution in Spain’s religion and cultural practices. He was a man of religion and his support for the Spanish culture was in his love for art and music and his great collection of books on History and Politics. For this reason, it can be established that the major themes during his reign were religion and culture, both of which he attempted to promote and maintain during his rule. More detail shall be provided on these themes based on how the Spanish people lived in the 16th Century and discussion provided on his successes and failures while he was King of Spain.
The people of Medieval Spain were staunch Catholics who observed various rituals and practices that were in line with their beliefs concerning salvation and the afterlife. 1 They strictly followed the doctrines and theological truths that were provided by Catholic Monarchs who attempted to unite the rich and the poor. During this time, the king ensured that external influences did not corrupt the religion in his Kingdom and was especially aware of the Protestant and Islamic denominations that were a threat to Catholicism. Maintaining religious homogeneity among the people, despite the existence of religious wars among the different denominations, was the main role of the Catholic monarchs. 2 However, the people during this time expressed themselves religiously using Catholic saints, images and talismans as a show of how deeply enrooted in religion they were.
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Spanish art and culture was also common during this time as people held festivities and royal entries where people would adorn in Spanish attire. These ceremonies would last for days and this provided the people with a chance to showcase the different types of garments and fabrics that existed in Spain, which were differentiated by the different colors. According to Ruiz, “The kings of the diverse Spanish realms until the late fifteenth century, and of Spain afterwards, always made sure to distinguish themselves in dress and in the choreography of eating from the great nobles”. 3 The kings at the time also ensured that they helped promote Spanish culture, for example, during the reign of King Philip, he knew what to wear to his wedding so as to differentiate himself from other nobles. Official ceremonies were characterized with dancing, theatrical displays, and demonstrations of the artisan crafts. 4 These helped to unite people from different social groups since everyone was involved in the social and cultural activities that took place during this time. Also, as a representation of the Spanish culture, certain symbols like the coat of arms were used to show the political power in a city an helped to distinguish social norms in the city.
One of the successes that can be attributed to the 16th Century Spanish Society was the New World, which was characterized by Spanish expansion in terms of literature, culture and religion. During this period significant changes were made to the Church liturgy and in how religion was observed in Spain. These changes were brought about by the Catholic Monarchs and the Council of Trent. Some of these reforms were meant to scrape out their traditional practices and beliefs and this resulted in resistance between the people and the church. As a result, gender affected religious practices as more women observed the religious rituals while the men were more adamant in observing the new beliefs and rituals. The religious leaders also took it upon themselves to foster security by keeping a record of all citizens in the towns where they presided over religious duties and organized a “police” force who helped to protect the people in every town. This period also resulted in the inclusion of Spanish culture and religion in entertainment, whereby there were re-enactments of beliefs of death, punishment and redemption. Their beliefs in moral teachings and the social orders that had been developed by their cultural practices were used to formulate plays and performances whose major focus was on the Spanish language and moral teachings of the people. Different forms of speech were adopted into their literature and several books were written bearing the Spanish language and those who could afford read the books and even engaged in discussions with others and this helped to foster social unity. This shows that the Spanish became exposed to education. 5
The Spanish Armada is regarded as being one of the major failures during the 16th Century. This occurred in 1588 when the king attempted to invade England by sending a fleet of many ships in a bid to try and claim the throne of England after the queen was executed, leaving behind an infant. The Spanish wanted to overthrow the ruling queen who was supporting Protestant religion as to ensure that the Catholic beliefs were promoted in England. The Spanish aimed at spreading the doctrinal orthodoxy of the Catholic Church. The religious reforms that would be carried out by included the introduction of very strict religious rituals that the people had to observe, which would alter their liturgical organization. This would also eradicate the forms of worship that they had adopted that were different from Catholic forms of worship. The invasion would also make the Spanish King the king consort of the young queen who was not of age and thus the Spanish people would be able to spread Spanish art and religion in England. However, the Spanish Armada was destroyed by the Queen and her soldiers and thus the Spanish were unable to invade England.
In conclusion, the Spanish society during the 16th Century was coupled with a lot of developments in terms of arts and literature where the Spanish language was adopted into their literature and their different forms of entertainment, and this led to the New World, especially when education was adopted by the Spanish. Their staunch belief in Catholic doctrines also defined the Spanish society during the 16th Century.
Bibliography
Ruiz, T. 2001. Spanish Society, 1400-1600 (p225-247) . Harlow, London: Longman.
1 Ruiz, T. 2001. Spanish Society, 1400-1600 (p225-247) . Harlow, London: Longman.
2 Ruiz, T. 2001. Spanish Society, 1400-1600 (p225-247) . Harlow, London: Longman.
3 Ruiz, T. 2001. Spanish Society, 1400-1600 (p225-247) . Harlow, London: Longman.
4 Ruiz, T. 2001. Spanish Society, 1400-1600 (p225-247) . Harlow, London: Longman.
5 Ruiz, T. 2001. Spanish Society, 1400-1600 (p225-247) . Harlow, London: Longman.
