The Council of Crusade during the reign of Philip III: the commissariers Juan de Zúñiga, Felipe de Tassis, Martín de Córdoba and Diego de Guzmán y Benavides

Abstract

The Council of Crusade of the Spanish Monarchy has been scarcely studied, due, among other things, to its own structure and the difficulties to find archival sources to study it. Nevertheless, its relevance was out of doubt, though it must manage enormous incomes, that became ordinaries after its primigenious extraordinary condition. Its process of development towards the XVI and XVIIth century was closely linked as to the factional fights as to the relations that the Spanish monarchs maintained with the Pope. Thus, in the moments of triumph of the groups that mantained the hegemony of the castillian against those more universalist or close to the Pope, the Council of Finances had more chances to intervene in the incomes proceeding from the “Tres Gracias”. As long as, when the triumphants were those close to Rome, its independence was closer, as it happened during the majority of the reign of Philip III. The aim of the present article is to contribute to a better understanding of this council during Philip III reign trough a prosopographical study of its principal members, mainly the 4 commissaries of Crusade that it had during those years.