Decisions without Alternatives? The Establishment of the Spanish Inquisition during the Reign of the Catholic Monarchs (C12 [B03])

• Subject Area: Medieval History
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 252080619

Surveys on Spanish history often present the rule of the Catholic monarchs as marking the transition between the middle ages and the modern period, which paved the way to Spanish dominance on a global scale. Against this backdrop, the project addresses the question of whether this allegedly ground-breaking transition was accompanied by different cultures of decision-making in various segments. The analysis is focussed on the emergence of a system of different councils at court, as well as on the difficult genesis of the expedition planned by Christopher Columbus, who interacted with various experts and decision makers before finally achieving his goal, the royal endorsement of his plans.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1150: Cultures of Decision-Making
• Applicant Institution: Universität Münster
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Wolfram Drews