AQA_2024: A-level History - Component 1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469–1598 (Merged Question Paper and Marking Scheme)

AQA_2024: A-level History - Component 1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469–1598 (Merged Question Paper and Marking Scheme) A-level HISTORY Component 1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469–1598 Thursday 23 May 2024 Materials For this paper you must have:  an AQA 16-page answer book. Instructions Morning  Use black ink or black ball-point pen. Time allowed: 2 hours 30 minutes  Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is 7042/1B.  Answer three questions. In Section A answer Question 01. In Section B answer two questions. Information  The marks for questions are shown in brackets.  The maximum mark for this paper is 80.  You will be marked on your ability to: – use good English – organise information clearly – use specialist vocabulary where appropriate. Advice  You are advised to spend about: – 60 minutes on Question 01 – 45 minutes on each of the other questions answered. IB/M/Jun24/G4002/7042/1B 3 Key areas: 1. The Catholic Monarchs – Ferdinand and Isabella (1469–1504): o Unification of Spain through marriage, centralizing power, and the Reconquista completion in 1492. o Religious reforms, including the Inquisition and expulsion of Jews and Muslims (1492). 2. Christopher Columbus and the Age of Exploration (1492): o Columbus' voyage to the Americas (1492), marking the beginning of Spanish overseas empire building. o Expansion of Spanish territories in the New World, including the conquest of the Aztecs and Incas. 3. Habsburg Rule – Charles V (1516–1556): o Vast empire, spanning Europe and the Americas. o Religious wars (e.g., against Protestant Reformation), wars with France, and struggles with the Ottoman Empire. 4. Philip II (1556–1598): o Height of Spanish power, including control over vast colonies in the Americas and parts of Europe. o Religious wars, including the Spanish Armada (1588) against England and wars with the Netherlands. o Economic difficulties due to overextension and costly wars. 5. Spanish Empire in the Americas: o The colonization of the New World, economic impact of gold and silver from the Americas, and the establishment of viceroyalties. o Social and religious impacts, including the role of the Church and the treatment of indigenous populations. These key areas outline Spain’s political, economic, and imperial developments during the Age of Discovery. IB/M/Jun24/G4002/E6 IB/M/Jun24/G4002/7042/1B 7042/1B Turn over ► 4 IB/M/Jun24/G4002/7042/1B Section A Answer Question 01. Extract A From the beginning of his reign, Philip II was convinced that the Spanish Church needed reform. Heresy had taken root. The Inquisitor-General, Valdes, submitted a detailed report on the religious situation. In monasteries, convents and universities throughout Spain, many books and Bibles were found to be contaminated with Lutheran heresies. There was also an upsurge in Moorish and Jewish worship and Paganism flourished in remote regions, with festivals, rituals and superstitions. But Philip’s personal spirituality and desire for reform were not reflected within Spain. Valdes and the Papacy were involved in plots against leading churchmen, creating a situation whereby the Inquisition became too focused on establishing political power. The Church neglected the spiritual education of priests and ordinary Spaniards. Many clergy remained uneducated and poor. The Church’s contribution to reform might have been more productive if it had been more effectively co-ordinated. But, despite Philip’s implementation of the Tridentine Decrees, reforms had made little progress by 1598. Adapted from G Parker, Imprudent King: A New Life of Philip II, 2014 5 10 Extract B By far the most important influence upon the reforms of the Spanish Church was the long-awaited conclusion to the final session of the Council of Trent. Spanish bishops had played a prominent part early in this session and Philip took a personal interest. Philip wanted doctrinal issues discussed and defined, believing more power should be given to the bishops over their own clergy and limitations imposed upon papal authority. The Tridentine Decrees revolutionised Spanish Catholicism. They brought greater reform of the clergy, greater power to the bishops, which particularly pleased Philip, and a programme of clerical education. This led to the construction of 20 seminary colleges in Spain. Under Philip’s direction there were also important administrative changes. New bishoprics were set up, greater control was established over monasteries with foreign orders and many decayed religious houses were shut down. Teresa of Avila created the powerful Observant order in 1562. The Crown’s control over the Church thus became more complete in Spain in the 16th century than elsewhere in Europe. Adapted from G Woodward, Philip II, 1992 5 10 3 Extract C The Spanish enthusiasm for religious orthodoxy had an old-fashioned approach, being still largely directed against the traditional Moorish enemy. Spaniards could not understand the general Catholic agitation for reform of the Church. The Spanish Inquisition, dating from 1478, had been designed to root out heresy among converted Muslims and Jews. These conversos were hated and feared; by the time of Philip II, a racist campaign had been launched to bar anyone from public office whose blood was impure. Once the Protestant revolt broke out in Europe, the Inquisition went to extraordinary lengths to keep the new heresy out of Spain. Anyone deviating in the slightest from Catholic orthodoxy was branded a Lutheran by the Holy Office and handed over to the secular authorities for public execution. Erasmus’s supporters in Spain were hounded into silence. St Ignatius Loyola was twice imprisoned on suspicion of heresy. Even the Archbishop of Toledo was held prisoner by his enemies in the Inquisition from 1559 to 1576, on false charges of heresy. Adapted from R Dunn, The Age of Religious Wars, 1559–1689, 1971 5 10 0 1 Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to reform of the Church under Philip II. [30 marks] Turn over for Section B IB/M/Jun24/G4002/7042/1B Turn over ► 6 IB/M/Jun24/G4002/7042/1B Section B Answer two questions. How far was the Spanish economy strengthened in the years 1492 to 1516? [25 marks] ‘Charles I’s government of Spain showed more continuity than change.’ Assess the validity of this view in the years 1522 to 1556.