Unit 1 Paragraph

The Spanish Inquisition under the rule of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon produced a large class of men that regarded manual labor and commerce contemptuously and when the Inquisition was finished, they turned their attention to the New World and some of them became the famous conquistadores, who greedily conquered and destroyed Native empires.
In 1469 the two monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand married “despite strong protests from neighboring Portugal and France, both of which foresaw the formidable European power such a union would create” (pg. 444). Before the union Spain had been a place were Islam, Judaism, and Christianity coexisted with certain toleration. By 1502 Spanish Jews and nonconverting Moors in Granada had been driven into exile. But Spanish society had suffered greatly from the conflict. “Centuries of military and religious confrontation nurtured an obsession with status and honor, bred religious zealotry and intolerance” (pg. 16), which were some of the characteristics of the Spanish conquistadores. “The new Spanish power was evident in Ferdinand and Isabella’s promotion of overseas exploration” (pg. 445). Supported by the crown some of these men who had fought in the Inquisition were now headed for the “New World”, in the hopes of gaining riches, especially gold, receiving a higher status in society and recognition of the crown, by conquering the new lands and by bringing gold to the Spanish empire.
The Inquisition had created a new class of men, who were good with the sword and greedy for wealth and power. Since the discovery of a New World had opened up new opportunities, they hoped to find what they were looking for in the West Indies. Some of them became Spanish conquistadores destroying Native American culture in their greedy quest.