During the 16th century, this whole social controversy over the treatment of the poor ranged across and intersected with the Reformation. You also have the social changes happening where the power of the central court is growing and that of the knights is weakening. The economy is becoming more dependent on cash and trade and division of labor. Wealth is increasing, but at the same time there are more people and almost all the new people, meaning the marginal growth in numbers, are extremely poor.
Intellectually, the Humanists are dominant. They lead the policy reforms towards the poor, as a result, the initial policies of all involved are quite similar.
The European climate is cooling, There is a radical challenge to the single greatest institution or corporate body on the continent. Not only is the church being splintered, and challenged at every ideological level, but the church engages in a great council and comes out of it quite changed. Superficially the same, but more fixed in doctrine, less able to change doctrine as scientific advances happen. The counter reformation places the church against science in a way that it was not before.
All this is happening in societies that are not particularly used to rapid change.
We finish with Spain's national effort at treatment of the poor.
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