As cortes de Toledo de 1480 no processo de centralização do poder durante o reinado dos reis católicos

Abstract

This article examines the role of the Cortes of Toledo (1480) in the centralization of power during the reign of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, known as the Catholic Monarchs, arguing that these assemblies were instrumental in the construction of a unified legal framework, thereby reinforcing royal authority and supporting their integrative political project. The research contends that Isabella and Ferdinand, acting simultaneously as legislators and judges, employed law as a strategic instrument of political integration, laying the foundations for a modern state on the Iberian Peninsula. Methodologically, the study is grounded in documentary analysis of primary sources and a critical review of the relevant historiography. It concludes that the legal reforms implemented in these Cortes not only strengthened the legal system but were also pivotal in the consolidation of monarchical power and in the advancement of the monarchs’ integrative ambitions.