List of people associated with the Revolt of the Comuneros
Encyclopedia
This is a list of participants and notable figures of the Revolt of the Comuneros, a rebellion from 1520 to 1522 in Castile
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(Carlos I). Along with Charles, the government was led by the Regent, Cardinal Adrian of Utrecht (Adriano de Utrecht). Charles' departure for Germany to take up his recently acquired position as Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire (There were four Charles before him as Holy Roman Emperor, but none as King of Castile and Aragon) helped provoke the Revolt; he was seen as having broken his promise to leave a Castilian in charge of the country, for Adrian was Flemish.
Despite being in Germany for the duration of the Revolt, Charles nevertheless played an important role in quelling it via communication and orders to Regent Adrian. One of the most influential decisions Charles made was to appoint two new co-regents to govern Castile: the Constable of Castile
, Íñigo Fernández, and the Admiral of Castile, Fadrique Enríquez
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. However, they were not well regarded among the common people; the government often ineffectively stood by while nobles illegally expanded their domain through threats of force. Corruption ran rampant, and the government fell into debt. The Council's President, Antonio de Rojas, was widely hated.
Still, disrespect of the Royal Council paled next to the distaste of the retinue of Flemish advisers that Charles brought with him into Spain. William de Croÿ, sieur de Chièvres
(Guillermo de Croÿ, señor de Chièvres) had managed much of Charles' upbringing in Flanders and had not taught him overly much statecraft; by doing so he forced Charles to rely on him for advice. Many of these Flemish advisers proceeded to enrich themselves with funds from the Castilian treasury. William de Croÿ became Treasurer of Castile, a position which he later sold to Alvaro de Zúñiga, duke of Béjar, for 30,000 ducats. William had full control over who was appointed to administrative positions to Spain's fledgling colonies in the West Indies, and appointed friends of his to positions such as Bishop of Cuba. He promised rich fiefs to Laurent de Gorrevot (another prominent Flemish adviser) in Cuba and the Yucutan (later annulled), permitted the importation of 4,000 African slaves to the Indies, and sold rights to a syndicate for 25,000 ducats. William also managed to get his twenty-year-old nephew (named William de Croÿ
as well) appointed Archbishop of Toledo, an extremely unpopular act of nepotism. Jean Le Sauvage served as chancellor and controversially presided over the Cortes of Valladolid in 1518. Le Sauvage obtained in December 1517 the right to collect duties on the export of almonds and dried fruits, a position formerly held by the ruler of Granada. Le Sauvage leased this privilege to Fernando de Córdoba for nine years for 168,000 ducats.
In the second phase of the rebellion, the revolt took a strongly antiseigneurial turn under Bishop Antonio de Acuña and others. This helped make the peasants friendlier to the comuneros' cause at the cost of repelling many powerful nobles worried about their privileges.
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
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Royalists
The Royalist side fought to uphold the existing government of King Charles ICharles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
(Carlos I). Along with Charles, the government was led by the Regent, Cardinal Adrian of Utrecht (Adriano de Utrecht). Charles' departure for Germany to take up his recently acquired position as Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire (There were four Charles before him as Holy Roman Emperor, but none as King of Castile and Aragon) helped provoke the Revolt; he was seen as having broken his promise to leave a Castilian in charge of the country, for Adrian was Flemish.
Despite being in Germany for the duration of the Revolt, Charles nevertheless played an important role in quelling it via communication and orders to Regent Adrian. One of the most influential decisions Charles made was to appoint two new co-regents to govern Castile: the Constable of Castile
Constable of Castile
Constable of Castile was a title created by John I, King of Castile in 1382, to substitute the title Alférez Mayor del Reino. The constable was the second person in power in the kingdom, after the King, and his responsibility was to command the military in the absence of the ruler.In 1473 Henry IV...
, Íñigo Fernández, and the Admiral of Castile, Fadrique Enríquez
Fadrique Enríquez
Fadrique Enríquez was the 4th Admiral of Castile and played an important role in defeating the Revolt of the Comuneros.Fadrique Enríquez was the son of Alonso Enríquez and María de Velasco. He inherited his father's possessions in Palencia and the castle of Medina de Rioseco. On february 14...
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Royal Council and Advisers
The Royal Council had functionally run the country during the period following King Philip IPhilip I of Castile
Philip I , known as Philip the Handsome or the Fair, was the first Habsburg King of Castile...
. However, they were not well regarded among the common people; the government often ineffectively stood by while nobles illegally expanded their domain through threats of force. Corruption ran rampant, and the government fell into debt. The Council's President, Antonio de Rojas, was widely hated.
Still, disrespect of the Royal Council paled next to the distaste of the retinue of Flemish advisers that Charles brought with him into Spain. William de Croÿ, sieur de Chièvres
William de Croÿ
William II de Croÿ, Lord of Chièvres , later Duke of Sora and Arce, Baron of Roccaguglielma William II de Croÿ, Lord of Chièvres (1458 – 28 May 1521) (also known as: Guillaume II de Croÿ, sieur de Chièvres in French; Guillermo II de Croÿ, señor de Chièvres, Xevres or Xebres in Spanish;...
(Guillermo de Croÿ, señor de Chièvres) had managed much of Charles' upbringing in Flanders and had not taught him overly much statecraft; by doing so he forced Charles to rely on him for advice. Many of these Flemish advisers proceeded to enrich themselves with funds from the Castilian treasury. William de Croÿ became Treasurer of Castile, a position which he later sold to Alvaro de Zúñiga, duke of Béjar, for 30,000 ducats. William had full control over who was appointed to administrative positions to Spain's fledgling colonies in the West Indies, and appointed friends of his to positions such as Bishop of Cuba. He promised rich fiefs to Laurent de Gorrevot (another prominent Flemish adviser) in Cuba and the Yucutan (later annulled), permitted the importation of 4,000 African slaves to the Indies, and sold rights to a syndicate for 25,000 ducats. William also managed to get his twenty-year-old nephew (named William de Croÿ
William de Croÿ (archbishop)
William de Croÿ was Archbishop of Toledo from 1517–1521...
as well) appointed Archbishop of Toledo, an extremely unpopular act of nepotism. Jean Le Sauvage served as chancellor and controversially presided over the Cortes of Valladolid in 1518. Le Sauvage obtained in December 1517 the right to collect duties on the export of almonds and dried fruits, a position formerly held by the ruler of Granada. Le Sauvage leased this privilege to Fernando de Córdoba for nine years for 168,000 ducats.
Military commanders
- Rodrigo Ronquillo, who led the ill-fated expedition to Segovia to punish the murder of the legislator who voted for the king's tax at the Cortes of Corunna.
- Antonio de Fonseca, the captain-general of the Castilian army who went to Medina del Campo to seize the royal artillery, but was driven off by the civilians.
- Antonio de ZúñigaAntonio de ZúñigaAntonio de Zuñiga y Guzman,, Prior of Castile, Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Plasencia, Spain, general of the Royal Army against the Revolt of the Comuneros and a Viceroy of Catalonia from 1523 - 1525.-Family background:...
, the prior of the Order of St. John.
Comuneros
The comuneros were the rebels who tried to overthrow the Royal Council and set up their own government. Their firmest base of support was the middle and upper-middle classes. The monied elite had been treated well under the regime of Ferdinand and Isabella, but had seen their standing decay under the Royal Council to the most powerful nobles. Some nobles (especially "low" nobles) threw their lot in as well, jealous of the foreigners who occupied many of the prestigious positions of government under Charles. The rural peasants generally had conflicted loyalties.In the second phase of the rebellion, the revolt took a strongly antiseigneurial turn under Bishop Antonio de Acuña and others. This helped make the peasants friendlier to the comuneros' cause at the cost of repelling many powerful nobles worried about their privileges.
Nobles and Knights
- Pedro de GirónPedro Girón, 3rd Count of UreñaPedro Téllez-Girón y Fernández de Velasco or Pedro Girón , was a Spanish noble, 3rd Count of Ureña and a leader of the Revolt of the Comuneros....
, a Castilian noble. He rose to prominence in the junta and eventually became a captain of the army. - Pedro López de Ayala, Count of Salvatierra and a Captain of the Comunero army.
- Ramiro Núñez de Guzmán, a city councilman, and Lord of Porma and the village of Toral.
- Pedro Maldonado, heir to the Casa de las ConchasCasa de las ConchasThe Casa de las Conchas is a historical building in Salamanca, central Spain. It currently houses a public library.It was built from 1493 to 1517 by Rodrigo Arias de Maldonado, a knight of the Order of Santiago de Compostela and a professor in the University of Salamanca...
of Salamanca and Captain of the army. - María Pacheco, a Castilian noble. She ran the town of Toledo in the absence of her husband Juan de Padilla, and after Padilla's death became the leader of what remained of the revolt.
- Luis de Quintanilla, an army captain.
- Juan de Mendoza, noble lord of Cubas and Griñón.
- Juan de PadillaJuan Lopez de PadillaJuan López de Padilla was an insurrectionary leader in the Castilian War of the Communities, where the people of Castile made a stand against policies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his Flemish ministers.Padilla was the eldest son of the commendator of Castile...
, a Castilian noble and overall commander of the Comunero army. - Juan Bravo, a Castilian noble.
- Francisco MaldonadoFrancisco MaldonadoFrancisco Maldonado was a leader of the rebel Comuneros from Salamanca in the Revolt of the Comuneros.He was captured at the Battle of Villalar, and beheaded the following day....
, a Castilian noble. - Pedro Laso de la VegaPedro Laso de la VegaPedro Laso de la Vega was one of the people elected as councilors for Toledo, Spain at the start of the Revolt of the Comuneros. He along with Juan de Padilla was one of the original leaders of the revolt but he later turned against it as it shifted to a position more in opposition to the...
, a prominent town councilor in Toledo, and a moderate who opposed the later turn of the Revolt against the nobles.
Commoners
- Luis de Cuéllar, an exporter and merchant.
- Antonio Suárez, a wool merchant.
- Antonio de Aguilar, an apothecary.
- Gonzalo de Ayora, an official historian.
- Bernaldino de los Ríos, a jduge.
- Alonso de Zúñiga, a professor.
- Alonso de Arreo, a city councilman and lawyer of Navalcarnero.
Clerics
- Antonio de Acuña, Bishop of Zamora and a Captain of the army.
- Juan de Bilbao, a Franciscan, one of the theorists and initiators of the movement.
- Alonso de Medina, a Dominican.
- Alonso de Bustillo, a Dominican and the head of the theology department at Valladolid's seminary.
Others
- Queen Joanna the Mad (Juana la Loca) . The rebels proclaimed that she had recovered her senses, and was now ready to rule. Historical sources are split on whether there was truly much of a recovery. American Historian Stephen Haliczer believes there was one, but if anything, it failed to help the comuneros—she learned of the anti-Charles rhetoric and refused to go along with it. Joanna refused to sign any edicts or lend much presence to the comuneros, whether due to incapacity or disagreement. When Tordesillas fell, she was said to be happy — all she'd wanted was attention, which she was finally receiving.
- Pope Leo XPope Leo XPope Leo X , born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses...
was seen as a Pope compliant to many of Charles' wishes. When Charles raised the tax on ecclesiastical holdings in Spain in 1517, the Spanish church at first protested vigorously; Charles prevailed upon Leo X to grant his blessing upon the tax. While much of the Spanish church was pro-comunero during the revolt, Leo X failed to give much guidance and lightly supported Charles. Branches of the church with strong foreign connections tended to be more strongly pro-Royalist (such as the Knights of St. John).