Ottoman and the Spanish Empires in the 16th and 17th Centuries

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1845 edition. Excerpt: ...not choose any longer to have armies in which the formula for giving orders ran, " Such is the command of the king and tbe condestable." It was furthermore of great moment for the position of the nobles, that they could no longer make their way good at court, or in the higher offices of state. Charles hardly ever kept his court in Spain, and Philip II. contrived to hold the nobles aloof. It was a maxim with both to entrust important offices only to men like Alva, whose fidelity was beyond all question, and to none besides, f Thus withdrawn from war, and from affairs of state, the nobles were likewise excluded from the national deliberations. This was in consequence of the proceedings of the national assembly of1538. When Charles represented his necessities to the assembled cortes, and made known his intention of introducing the excise, he did not look to experience so much opposition from his confederates and friends as from the other members. But the nobles pointedly resisted him, the condestable Velasco most conspicuously, though he was a Relatione delle cote, etc. ' II contestabile nelli bandi mandava a dire: questo comanda il re et il suo contestabile: it che si e cominciato in Spagna ad irnitatione di Francia." t Contarini, MS. " I grandl sono dal re tenuti bassi, et non da loro alcuno carico d'importanza in Spagna: et se li ne distribuisce alcuno fuori di questa provincia, gono brevi et spesso tramutati: onde non possono ncquistare molta autorita. Sono admessi rare volte alia presenza del re per non dar loro reputalione." decided adherent of the house of Austria. Velasco insisted upon it that to bear burdens was in Castile the portion of the peasants, and that the least tax robbed the gentleman not only of...