Hermandad
Encyclopedia
Hermandad, literally "brotherhood" in Spanish, was a peacekeeping association
of armed individuals, which became characteristic of municipal life in medieval Spain
, especially in Castile
.
As medieval
Spanish kings were often unable to offer adequate protection, protective municipal leagues began to emerge in the twelfth century against bandits and other rural criminals, as well as against the lawless nobility or to support a claimant to the crown. These organizations were to be temporary, but became a long standing fixture of Spain. The first recorded case of the formation of an hermandad occurred when the towns and the peasantry of the north united to police the pilgrim road
to Santiago de Compostela
in Galicia, and protect the pilgrims against robber knight
s. Throughout the Middle Ages such brotherhoods were frequently formed by leagues of towns to protect the roads connecting them. The hermandades were occasionally used for political purposes. They acted to some extent like the Fehmic courts of Germany
. Among the most powerful was the league of northern Castilian and Basque ports, the Hermandad de las Marismas: Toledo
, Talavera
, and Villa Real
.
As one of their first acts after the War of the Castilian Succession
, Ferdinand and Isabella
established a centrally organized and efficient Holy Hermandad (Santa Hermandad) with themselves at its head. They adapted the existing form of the hermandad to the purpose of creating a general police force under the direction of officials appointed by themselves, and endowed with large powers of summary jurisdiction, even in capital cases. The original hermandades continued to serve as modest local police units until their final suppression in 1835.
In the Netherlands
, the Dutch
expression heilige hermandad (holy hermandad) is a positive nick-name for the police
.
in 1265, in towns seeking to “defend their interests” from Islam
ic rebels who had been taking land and proclaiming their leader king. The groups may have been inspired by a previously-existing Islamic police force called the Shurta. The hermandad worked as local militias to protect the towns they came from. Hermandades also curbed the actions of bandits and other criminals, becoming a kind of police
force. As the hermandad gained more legitimacy, they also gained more powers and responsibilities. Along with working as a police force and militia, they also collected taxes, acted as judges, and worked with the Cortes
and corregidores
on these and similar administrative problems. The hermandad judges relied on the backing of the corregidores for legitimacy. The hermandad were given jurisdiction over a wide range of crimes including: "crimes on roads or in unpopulated areas; rape of honest women; blasphemy; and the passing of false money."
. They were sometimes used to undermine the authority of the king or his officials, and sometimes used to enforce it. While under the reign of Isabella I of Castile
they were used to consolidate her authority and silence those who objected to her reign, even against her ordinances for them not to do so.
Early in their formation, they tended to be temporary and to work in favor of royal authority in times of unrest. The king also took only a very minor role in the formation and regulation of the league.
Under the reign of King Alfonso in 1298 the hermandad were used against the king because some of the towns felt that he had been abusing his power. This contrasts with the way the Hermandad sought to
When the country was operating under a regency
the hermandad, in cooperation with one of the towns, wanted to keep the town in the best condition possible in order to better serve the future king’s needs.
Under the rule of Isabella, the hermandad were used to strengthen centralized power, and were given much more power and legitimacy in order to do so. Some of the proof for this is in the changes in the balances of power between the hermandad and the Cortes
and the Corregidor
. At one point, the corregidores began to lose the respect of the people because they were unable to do anything about the outrages and abuses of power on the part of the hermandad. The corregidores were able to hold posts within the Holy Brotherhood, but their power was limited as was their power to control the Brotherhood from the outside. After the hermandad had been made official by Isabella and Ferdinand, creating the Santa Hermandad (also called the Holy Brotherhood), the hermandad gained a great deal of power. By 1476, the administration of the “soon-to-be-kingdomwide league was incorporated into Isabella’s government as the Holy Brotherhood”. Lunenfeld argues that the hermandad incorporated very tightly into the government to create a higher degree of centralization.
Just as the Brotherhood’s relationship with the rulers and their fellow government employees was constantly changing, so was the opinion of them held by the towns they were supposed to be guarding. As mentioned before, the hermandad was initially created as local militias in times of need. When they became a more powerful and more permanent institution, there were definite instances of abuses of power. There were the previously mentioned instances of the Holy Brotherhood silencing those who objected to Isabella’s reign. There were also reported instances of abuse by judges and archers, about whom the corregidores could do nothing. Guzmán de Alfarache
(1599) is quoted in Lunenfeld’s book. He quotes: “God free us from the transgressions of the three Holies-Inquisition
, Brotherhood, and crusade bull
.” Complaints began appear requesting that the powers of the Holy Brotherhood be reigned in, and in 1485 police immunities were reduced and cases were brought up against the archers and judges.
as a crusading indulgence. Because the hermandad was usually backed by the crown and nobles, they were able to collect money from resistant towns with force.
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
of armed individuals, which became characteristic of municipal life in medieval Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, especially in Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
.
As medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Spanish kings were often unable to offer adequate protection, protective municipal leagues began to emerge in the twelfth century against bandits and other rural criminals, as well as against the lawless nobility or to support a claimant to the crown. These organizations were to be temporary, but became a long standing fixture of Spain. The first recorded case of the formation of an hermandad occurred when the towns and the peasantry of the north united to police the pilgrim road
Way of St. James
The Way of St. James or St. James' Way is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried....
to Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
in Galicia, and protect the pilgrims against robber knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s. Throughout the Middle Ages such brotherhoods were frequently formed by leagues of towns to protect the roads connecting them. The hermandades were occasionally used for political purposes. They acted to some extent like the Fehmic courts of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Among the most powerful was the league of northern Castilian and Basque ports, the Hermandad de las Marismas: Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, Talavera
Talavera
Talavera may refer to the following:Places* Talavera de la Reina, a city in Toledo province, Spain, where two battles took place:** Battle of Talavera, during the Peninsular War** Battle of Talavera de la Reina , during the Spanish Civil War...
, and Villa Real
Vila Real, Portugal
Vila Real is a city in Vila Real Municipality, Trás-os-Montes, northern Portugal.According to the 2001 census, the city had a total of 24,481 inhabitants.- History :...
.
As one of their first acts after the War of the Castilian Succession
War of the Castilian Succession
The War of the Castilian Succession was the military conflict contested from 1475 to 1479 for the succession of the Crown of Castile fought between the supporters of Juana la Beltraneja, daughter of the late monarch Henry IV of Castile, and those of Henry's half sister, Isabella, who was ultimately...
, Ferdinand and Isabella
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...
established a centrally organized and efficient Holy Hermandad (Santa Hermandad) with themselves at its head. They adapted the existing form of the hermandad to the purpose of creating a general police force under the direction of officials appointed by themselves, and endowed with large powers of summary jurisdiction, even in capital cases. The original hermandades continued to serve as modest local police units until their final suppression in 1835.
In the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
expression heilige hermandad (holy hermandad) is a positive nick-name for the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
.
Early days and Formation
The hermandad initially began to form in AndalusiaAndalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
in 1265, in towns seeking to “defend their interests” from Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic rebels who had been taking land and proclaiming their leader king. The groups may have been inspired by a previously-existing Islamic police force called the Shurta. The hermandad worked as local militias to protect the towns they came from. Hermandades also curbed the actions of bandits and other criminals, becoming a kind of police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force. As the hermandad gained more legitimacy, they also gained more powers and responsibilities. Along with working as a police force and militia, they also collected taxes, acted as judges, and worked with the Cortes
Cortes
Cortes is surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin. Cortes or Cortés may also refer to:-Institutions:* The Cortes , the national legislative assembly of Spain...
and corregidores
Corregidor (position)
A corregidor was a local, administrative and judicial position in Spain and its empire. He was the highest authority of a Corregimiento. In the Americas a corregidor was often called an alcalde mayor. They began to be appointed in fourteenth century Castile and the institution was definitively...
on these and similar administrative problems. The hermandad judges relied on the backing of the corregidores for legitimacy. The hermandad were given jurisdiction over a wide range of crimes including: "crimes on roads or in unpopulated areas; rape of honest women; blasphemy; and the passing of false money."
Relationship with Rulers
The hermandad have had an inconsistent relationship with the ruling powers of SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. They were sometimes used to undermine the authority of the king or his officials, and sometimes used to enforce it. While under the reign of Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to both kingdoms that became the basis for the unification of Spain. Later the two laid the foundations for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor...
they were used to consolidate her authority and silence those who objected to her reign, even against her ordinances for them not to do so.
Early in their formation, they tended to be temporary and to work in favor of royal authority in times of unrest. The king also took only a very minor role in the formation and regulation of the league.
Under the reign of King Alfonso in 1298 the hermandad were used against the king because some of the towns felt that he had been abusing his power. This contrasts with the way the Hermandad sought to
When the country was operating under a regency
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
the hermandad, in cooperation with one of the towns, wanted to keep the town in the best condition possible in order to better serve the future king’s needs.
Under the rule of Isabella, the hermandad were used to strengthen centralized power, and were given much more power and legitimacy in order to do so. Some of the proof for this is in the changes in the balances of power between the hermandad and the Cortes
Cortes
Cortes is surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin. Cortes or Cortés may also refer to:-Institutions:* The Cortes , the national legislative assembly of Spain...
and the Corregidor
Corregidor (position)
A corregidor was a local, administrative and judicial position in Spain and its empire. He was the highest authority of a Corregimiento. In the Americas a corregidor was often called an alcalde mayor. They began to be appointed in fourteenth century Castile and the institution was definitively...
. At one point, the corregidores began to lose the respect of the people because they were unable to do anything about the outrages and abuses of power on the part of the hermandad. The corregidores were able to hold posts within the Holy Brotherhood, but their power was limited as was their power to control the Brotherhood from the outside. After the hermandad had been made official by Isabella and Ferdinand, creating the Santa Hermandad (also called the Holy Brotherhood), the hermandad gained a great deal of power. By 1476, the administration of the “soon-to-be-kingdomwide league was incorporated into Isabella’s government as the Holy Brotherhood”. Lunenfeld argues that the hermandad incorporated very tightly into the government to create a higher degree of centralization.
Relationship with Towns and Local Communities
Guzmán de Alfarache
Guzmán de Alfarache is a picaresque novel written by Mateo Alemán and published in two parts: the first in Madrid in 1599 with the title Primera parte de Guzmán de Alfarache, and the second in 1604, titled Segunda parte de la vida de Guzmán de Alfarache, atalaya de la vida humana.The works tells...
(1599) is quoted in Lunenfeld’s book. He quotes: “God free us from the transgressions of the three Holies-Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
, Brotherhood, and crusade bull
Bull of the Crusade
A Bull of the Crusade was a Papal bull that granted indulgences to those who took part in the crusades against Muslims, pagans or sometimes heretics...
.” Complaints began appear requesting that the powers of the Holy Brotherhood be reigned in, and in 1485 police immunities were reduced and cases were brought up against the archers and judges.
Finances
The Holy Brotherhood was supported by the collection of taxes and by a special ability to collect wartime funding, called servicios which were granted by a papal bullPapal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
as a crusading indulgence. Because the hermandad was usually backed by the crown and nobles, they were able to collect money from resistant towns with force.