The primary function of the Spanish nobility was military, as it originated from the struggle against the Iberian Muslim kingdoms during the Reconquista. The reconquest of territories occupied by Muslims began in the mid-8th century and ended in January 1492, when the “Catholic Monarchs” of Castile and Aragon captured the kingdom of Granada. The warrior ideal of the nobility was coupled with a religious ideal: the defense of Catholicism against Islam. After the reconquest, the nobles maintained their privileges and traditions.
The Spanish nobility constituted about 5% of the population. Since 1505, the monarchy, aiming for territorial unification, protected the nobles’ land inheritance by forcing them to respect primogeniture, preventing the division of their properties. Additionally, there existed a nobility on the brink of poverty, for whom survival meant, from the 16th century onwards, setting out to conquer the New World.
The reconquest left deep scars in Iberian society: in 1492, Jews were given the choice between conversion or exile. The Moriscos, or Spanish Muslims, were forcibly converted to Catholicism by the conversion edicts of 1502, after the “Catholic Monarchs” (Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon) abrogated the agreements that allowed them to maintain their Islamic faith and customs. Thus, within Spain, there remained populations considered unreliable, potentially reverting to their ancestors’ religion and threatening the unification undertaken by the Crown. From the 16th century, the Inquisition (created in 1478) conducted investigations into “blood purity”: those who could not prove it were banned from political or administrative responsibilities. This racial distinction, with the suspicion it maintained, contributed to further closing Spanish society.
What Are the Characteristics of the Spanish Nobility?
The Spanish nobility’s primary origin was “blood,” meaning ancestors who participated in the Reconquista. A second origin was possible through royal favor: the king rewarding his friends and favorites.
The hidalguía (or title of nobility) defined in the 13th century was characterized by a set of immutable honorific and legal privileges. The hidalgo benefited from personal tax exemption, which exempted him from most royal and municipal taxes, as he served the king in person. Other social categories could also access personal tax exemption, such as military personnel who distinguished themselves on battlefields, students who received doctoral degrees, holders of public offices, and members of the Inquisition. Being part of the nobility implied possessing a certain level of wealth and social prestige. Social prestige derived from wealth acquired through land rent.
The “Grandees” and titled nobles (dukes, marquises, counts, barons) were at the top of the noble hierarchy. Charles V created 25 Grandees of Spain in 1520; there were 41 in 1627, a number that continued to increase, reaching a record 119 in 1787. Being a Grandee was the highest noble title, just below the Infantes; it concerned the descendants of those who fought during the Reconquista. This noble elite enjoyed considerable economic power. Around 1600, twelve titled nobles had an estimated annual income between 100,000 and 170,000 ducats. For comparison, an urban day laborer working 300 days a year earned an (annual) salary of 60 ducats! Land rent constituted the main source of noble enrichment, but income from commercial transactions also contributed.
The Grandees and titled nobles played a leading political role. They served the monarchy by embracing diplomatic (ambassadors, viceroys), military (captains, generals, admirals), or religious (bishops, canons) careers.
Knights (or caballeros) constituted the middle layer of urban nobility. They played a key role in local and municipal political life. They can be grouped into two categories:
Hidalgos represented the lower echelon of the noble hierarchy. Among them, we distinguish:
The Spanish nobility symbolized a model of “closed society” existing in the vast majority of European states from the 16th to the 18th century. In several important Spanish cities (Seville, Córdoba, Toledo), access to municipal offices was reserved for nobles, and the massive sale of offices led to a closure of the nobility between 1580 and 1660. This closure also depended on ideological and cultural aspects: many institutions required proof of “blood purity” to exclude descendants of Jews and Muslims.
