Lesson 1B.1.1

1B.1.1 Establishing a 'New Monarchy' in Spain, 1469–1556 Quiz: AQA History, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 1B.1.1, Establishing a 'New Monarchy' in Spain, 1469–1556: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA History (7042), Unit 2: 1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469–1598, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which marriage in 1469 united the crowns of Castile and Aragon, laying the basis for a unified Spain?

    • Charles of Habsburg and Joanna of Castile
    • Alfonso V of Aragon and Blanche of Navarre
    • Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile
    • Henry IV of Castile and Juana of Portugal

  2. Which Muslim kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula was conquered by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492, completing the Reconquista?

    • Toledo
    • Valencia
    • Granada
    • Cordoba

  3. Which institution, established in Castile in 1478 with papal approval, was used by the Catholic Monarchs to enforce religious conformity?

    • The Council of Castile
    • The Inquisition
    • The Santa Hermandad
    • The Cortes of Aragon

  4. Which edict of 1492 ordered the expulsion of Jews from Spain unless they converted to Christianity?

    • The Edict of Nantes
    • The Alhambra Decree
    • The Edict of Worms
    • The Treaty of Tordesillas

  5. Which treaty of 1494, agreed by Spain and Portugal under papal arbitration, divided newly discovered lands outside Europe?

    • The Treaty of Tordesillas
    • The Treaty of Utrecht
    • The Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis
    • The Treaty of Alcacovas

  6. Which Spanish royal figure, a Cardinal and Archbishop of Toledo, served as a key royal minister and reformer in the early 16th century?

    • Cardinal Richelieu
    • Cardinal Cisneros
    • Cardinal Wolsey
    • Cardinal Mazarin

  7. Which 1516 event brought Charles of Habsburg to rule over Spain, combining Castile and Aragon with the Burgundian inheritance?

    • The election of Charles as Holy Roman Emperor in 1519
    • The death of Ferdinand of Aragon in 1516
    • The Battle of Pavia in 1525
    • The Treaty of Madrid in 1526

  8. Which revolt of 1520 to 1521 in Castile was led by towns against royal policies, and ended at the battle of Villalar?

    • The revolt of the Germania
    • The Catalan revolt of 1640
    • The revolt of the Comuneros
    • The Morisco revolt of the Alpujarras

  9. Which conquest of 1519 to 1521 was led by Hernan Cortes and brought the Aztec empire under Spanish control?

    • Mexico
    • Chile
    • Peru
    • Florida

  10. Which Spanish conquistador, leading an expedition into the Inca empire in 1532, captured the Inca emperor Atahualpa?

    • Pedro de Alvarado
    • Francisco Pizarro
    • Juan Ponce de Leon
    • Hernan Cortes

  11. How many years separated the conquest of Granada in 1492 and the Comuneros revolt in 1520?

    • 22 years
    • 28 years
    • 32 years
    • 38 years

  12. How many years did Charles of Habsburg rule Spain from 1516 until his abdication in 1556?

    • 50 years
    • 45 years
    • 30 years
    • 40 years

  13. How many years passed between the Alhambra Decree of 1492 and the first Morisco forced conversions in Castile in 1502?

    • 5 years
    • 15 years
    • 10 years
    • 20 years

  14. Which statement best explains why Spain's political unity remained incomplete in 1516, despite the dynastic union?

    • Papal authority over Spain had been formally abolished, so the crowns answered to no one outside Spain
    • Castile had no monarchy, so the Cortes ruled alone and made every law without any royal approval
    • Aragon had already been conquered by the Ottoman Empire, which removed its kings from the political scene
    • Castile and Aragon kept separate laws, institutions and assemblies, and the crowns were not fully merged

  15. Which best describes the economic situation of Spain in 1469 that the spec's key themes highlight?

    • A fully centralised tax system managed from Madrid, with every province paying through a single royal treasury
    • Dominance of Spanish banking across all of Europe, with Spanish merchants controlling the major money markets
    • Rapid industrial growth in Barcelona and Seville, driven by large factories and new coal-fired machinery
    • Economic stagnation, with trade and exploration developing slowly and the Iberian economy still largely agrarian

  16. Which change best illustrates the extension of royal authority in Castile under the Catholic Monarchs?

    • The abolition of all Castilian municipal councils, which the crown replaced with appointed royal officials in every town
    • The transfer of Castilian taxes to papal management, which allowed the pope to pay the crown's debts directly
    • The removal of the Inquisition from royal control, which was handed to the papacy as a state institution
    • The use of the Santa Hermandad to police the countryside and reduce noble private warfare

  17. Which consequence of the New World discoveries by 1516 most clearly affected Spanish society?

    • New wealth and emigration to the Americas, which brought gold and silver but also social and economic change
    • The immediate abandonment of the Spanish navy, which was sold off to foreign merchants during the 1490s
    • The restoration of feudal serfdom across all of Castile, which was reintroduced by the crown in 1510
    • The complete end of Spanish trade with North Africa, which was banned by royal decree in the early 1500s

  18. Why did Charles's inheritance create tensions in Spain between 1516 and 1523?

    • Charles was a Muslim convert who opposed Catholic reform, which divided his court from the Spanish Church
    • Charles was foreign-born and his advisers were seen as outsiders, provoking revolts such as the Comuneros and Germania
    • Charles refused to allow any taxes to be raised in Castile, which left the crown without any income for his household
    • Charles had already abdicated to Ferdinand in 1516, which meant his Spanish inheritance passed to another heir

  19. Which judgement best explains the importance of the Moriscos in the spec's theme of religious and social issues by 1556?

    • Their forced conversion and continuing suspicion shaped royal religious policy and created persistent social tensions
    • They had been fully integrated without any religious tension, so the crown never needed to address them
    • They were the largest group of Spanish nobles who backed the Habsburgs, and they held most of the great offices
    • They controlled the Spanish navy and the New World trade, which made them indispensable to royal finance

  20. Which statement best assesses Spain's position in 1556 after the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella?

    • Spain was a more unified monarchy but still faced regional diversity, religious issues and dependence on overseas wealth
    • Spain had lost all its New World territories by 1556, which left the monarchy dependent on European taxes
    • Spain had become a fully centralised state with a single parliament that met in Madrid every year from 1500
    • Spain had no Church influence on royal decisions, since the crown had removed all bishops from royal councils

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