Board: OCR | Unit: Y206 | Component: 2 (Non-British Period Study)
About this option
Spain 1469–1556 covers the creation and consolidation of one of the greatest early modern empires — from the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella through the conquest of the Americas and the reign of Charles V. Students examine the unification of Castile and Aragon, the completion of the Reconquista, the expulsion of the Jews, the Spanish Inquisition, the role of the Church in the new monarchy, and the challenges of governing a composite monarchy that spanned Europe and the Atlantic world. The option requires depth across a period of dramatic state-building and imperial expansion.
Key themes
- Ferdinand and Isabella: the union of Castile and Aragon, the nature of their joint rule, and the problem of a composite monarchy
- The Reconquista: the fall of Granada 1492 and the completion of seven centuries of Christian reconquest
- The expulsion of the Jews and the forced conversion of Muslims: the role of religious uniformity in the new Spanish state
- The Spanish Inquisition: its origins, methods, and relationship to the Crown
- Columbus and the Americas: the establishment of colonial rule and its significance for Spain
- Charles V: Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain — the challenges of governing a world empire, the Lutheran crisis, and the wars with France and the Ottomans
- The nature of Spanish royal government: the role of the Cortes, the grandees, and the Church
What the exam asks
Y206 is a depth study. Questions require analytical depth within a defined period, focusing on causation, significance, and historical judgement. Students are expected to engage with historical debate and are rewarded for the ability to challenge or qualify interpretations rather than simply describing events.
Historiography
Spain in this period has generated major debates about the nature of early modern state-building and religious uniformity:
- Ferdinand and Isabella as ‘Catholic Monarchs’: the debate about how far they achieved genuine unification versus a personal union of distinct kingdoms with different laws, institutions, and identities
- The Spanish Inquisition: Henry Charles Lea’s image of systematic terror versus Henry Kamen’s revisionist argument that the Inquisition was a relatively restrained institution by contemporary standards, with far fewer executions than legend suggests
- The expulsion of the Jews: economic, religious, or political motivations? And how far did it damage the Spanish economy?
- Charles V and the Lutheran challenge: could Charles have handled the Reformation differently, and what does his failure to suppress it reveal about the limits of imperial authority?
