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Ferdinand and Isabella of

Spain

Thesis, Thesis, Thesis

Inadequate Thesis:
Spain, in some ways
resembled France and
England, but in other ways
was different.

Henry VII of
England

Better Thesis:
The centralization of
Spanish power exploited the
religious climate of the
country in ways that the
French and English Kings
were unable to do; this was
largely due to the fact that a
Spaniard had been elected
to the papacy. However, all
three nations took similar
steps to reorganize their
royal councils and reduce
the power of the nobility

Mini Thesis; First sentence of each

paragraph
Weak Mini-Thesis
Spain resembled England
in many different ways

War of the
Roses

Better Mini-Thesis
In regards to
centralization of power and
the formation of the
modern state, Spain
followed the examples of
England and France in
their reorganization of the
royal councils

Supporting Details..

Louis XI of France
Henry VII of England
Ferdinand of Aragon
Machiavelli; The Prince
New Monarchs
Justinian Code
Royal Councils
The Gabelle and The Taille
Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges
Louis XI The Spider King
Louis XII and Anne of Brittany
War of the Roses
Parliament/House of Commons
Court of Star Chamber

Justices of the Peace

Tudors
Iberian Peninsula
Isabella of Castille
Hermandades/Brotherhoods
Investiture
Catholic Kings of Spain
Reconquista
Anti-Semitism
Conversos/Maranos/New
Christians
Spanish Inquisition
Holy Roman Empire
Charles V/Hapsburgs
Phillip II

Tie all Examples to the Question Through the

Thesis; Make sure you USE the examples
not just simply PRESENT them.
Better Example:
Weak Example:
Like England and France,
Spain used Royal Councils
to centralize power.

The Spanish
Inquisition

The Royal Council was a

tremendously powerful
institution; members advised
the King on matters big and
smallall three sets of
monarchs realized that the
nobility did not owe much to
the king; a middle class
advisor would be much easier
to control. They reorganized
the council, replacing nobles
with the middle class,
effectively eliminating the
councils function as a check
on the kings power