Social Structures and Conflicts in Medieval Castile and Aragon

Late Medieval Iberian Crisis (c. 1340-15th Century)

Around 1340, a crisis emerged due to demographic decline from rivalry with Genoa, high taxes, and currency devaluation. Several banks failed by the late 14th century. The 15th century saw internal rivalries (Biga and Seek) and civil war exacerbate the crisis. Valencia surpassed Barcelona as the financial and commercial capital of the Aragonese crown.

Social Groups and Conflicts

Society in Castile and Aragon: The Nobility

The Christian kingdoms of the 13th to 15th centuries were feudal societies. Land ownership and income defined the relationship between peasants and lords. Peninsular feudalism had unique features. Councils and many peasants initially had considerable freedom, especially in Castile, to encourage settlement. The aristocracy, comprised of a few powerful families who acquired vast lands during the conquest, stood at the top. After the mid-13th century expansion ended, major titles lost military significance. Aristocrats filled important court positions, influencing the crown and accumulating wealth. The aristocracy and the church were tax-exempt. The 14th-century demographic crisis led to land abandonment, decreased income, and increased pressure on peasants, causing discontent. Some lands shifted to sheep farming. Noble families divided estates among heirs, leading to fragmentation and impoverishment. In Aragon, the nobility demanded privilege guarantees, while in Castile, struggles arose between lineages and the crown. The lower nobility, composed of landless families, held less economic and political power. In Castile, knight-villains controlled key council positions, blocking popular participation. In Catalonia and Valencia, merchants and manufacturers formed urban political oligarchies, a phenomenon also seen in Mallorca.

Popular Groups

At the bottom of the social scale were peasants and urban workers (commoners in Castile), obligated to pay taxes. Peasants formed the majority, ranging from landowners to laborers in southern Castile and free communities in the central region. Many were subject to great lords, the church, and military orders, owing rents and services. The Aragonese crown, especially Aragon and Catalonia, faced harsher conditions due to entrenched feudal exploitation. Cities had artisans, shop workers, fishermen, and sailors. Castile had small but significant artisan populations in Seville, Toledo, Cordoba, and Cuenca. Aragon had specialized artisan and sailor districts in Zaragoza, Valencia, and Barcelona. Large numbers of poor, sick, and marginalized people lived in major cities. Slaves were employed in domestic service, but their numbers were small.

Lordships and Social Unrest in Castile

Henry of Trastámara’s victory against Pedro the Cruel led to a dynastic change. The king rewarded supporters with mercedes enriqueñas (land grants, estates, titles, and positions), creating a nobility of service loyal to the crown. This process lasted a century. The crown ceded manorial court authority over municipalities and inhabitants to nobles, who became lords. They appointed local authorities, judges, and collected taxes. The manorial court became the aristocracy’s main source of economic and political power. This change was intense between the Douro and Tagus rivers and the Guadalquivir valley. Many estates granted to nobles followed primogeniture, where the firstborn inherited the title and household goods, ensuring lineage continuity. The rise of lordships paralleled increased feudal exploitation: new duties, lordly abuses, etc. Protests and complaints to the courts persisted from the late 14th century to the reign of the Catholic Monarchs. Spaniards reacted with resignation and social conflicts. Increased pressure led to peasant protest movements in the 15th century. In Galicia, peasants and townspeople revolted against warlords in the Irmandiños uprisings, destroying castles before the movement disintegrated.

Social Conflicts in the Crown of Aragon

Peasant exploitation was harsher north of the Ebro River, in old Catalonia and Aragon, where lords had the right to mistreat or even kill serfs. Catalan farmers faced abusive and humiliating duties in addition to income payments. The Remences payment, required to leave the land, symbolized their lack of freedom.