The Spanish Empire at the time of its power was one of the largest states that ever existed in the world. Its creation is inextricably linked with the era of the Great geographical discoveries, when it became a colonial power. For several centuries, the flag of the Spanish Empire has developed over vast territories located both in Europe and in Asia, Africa, America and Oceania.
The emergence of the state
Most historians are convinced that Spain as an empire began to exist at the end of the 15th century, when the Union of Castile and Aragon was signed in 1479, as a result of which Isabella I Catholic and Ferdinand II began to rule the united lands. It is interesting that, as spouses, the monarchs each ruled their territory as they pleased, but as for foreign policy, the views of the ruling couple always coincided.
In 1492, Spanish troops captured Granada, which ended the Reconquista - the liberation struggle of Christians against Muslim conquerors. Now that the Iberian Peninsula has been reclaimed, its territory has become part of the Castile kingdom. In the same year, Christopher Columbus set off on his first exploratory expedition, which held its way west. He managed to cross the Atlantic Ocean and discover Europeans America. There he began to create the first overseas colonies in history.
Further strengthening
After the death of Queen Isabella the Catholic and her husband Ferdinand II, her grandson Charles V of Habsburg ascended the throne. I must say that he was not a Spaniard, but it was his rule that was associated with the golden age of the empire.
After Charles V united the two titles - the Spanish king and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, his influence increased at times, since together with the crown he still inherited Flanche-Conte, the Netherlands and Austria. The uprising of the Comuneros in Castile was a real test for him, but he dealt with it. The riot was suppressed, and Charles V began to rule the largest empire in Europe, which was not equal until Napoleon Bonaparte appeared on the world stage.
Charles V policy
For 200 years, the Habsburg dynasty ruled the Spanish Empire. This clan was perhaps the richest, since it owned truly huge reserves of silver and gold, and also seated on the throne of the world's largest power, which included not only Spain and its colonies, but also almost all European states.
As mentioned earlier, the country flourished during the reign of the Habsburgs. They did not skimp and were rather generous patrons in cultural matters. However, in the political sphere, not everything was so smooth. Even under Charles V, the Spanish Empire faced a big problem: a huge power did not become truly united, because many of its lands wanted to become independent. In this regard, the king had to wage numerous wars, even with his subjects, including in northern Europe. Despite the greatness of the Spanish Empire, Charles V was hard to resist France and Italy. The wars with these countries were lengthy, but they did not lead to victory for either side.
Board of Philip II
After the death of Charles V, the throne was inherited by his grandson. Philip II, unlike his grandfather, spent most of the time in his palace in Escoreal. This monarch in childhood received an excellent education at that time, was extremely pious and supported the Inquisition in everything. Under him, religious intolerance reached its climax: not only Catholics, but also Protestants persecuted Gentiles throughout Europe.
Under Philip II, Spain reached its peak of development. Like his predecessor, he also fought with external enemies. For example, in 1571, under Lepanto, his fleet utterly defeated the Turkish squadron, thereby blocking their path for further advancement to Europe.
Anglo-Spanish War
In 1588, the so-called Great Armada of Philip II suffered a crushing defeat off the coast of England. Later, in 1654, these two powers will again fight at sea. The fact is that the English Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell was sure that the time had come when he could expand the colonial presence of his state in the West Indies. In particular, he wanted to capture the island of Jamaica, which at that time was already owned by the Spanish Empire.
The war with England over this piece of land was fought with varying success, but it still had to be ceded. In the years 1657-1658, the Spaniards again tried to recapture Jamaica, but nothing came of it. With the consent of the British authorities, Port Royal turned into a pirate base, from where they attacked Spanish ships.
Crisis in the economy
It is worth noting that at first the overseas colonies were unprofitable and only brought disappointment. Of course, there were some points that had a positive impact on trade, but they were not enough. Everything began to change gradually when silver began to be mined in the recently discovered deposits of Guanajuato in 1520. But the real source of wealth was deposits of this metal, found in Zacatecas and Potosi in 1546.
Throughout the sixteenth century, the Spanish Empire exported gold and silver from its colonies in an amount equal to the equivalent of one and a half trillion US dollars (at 1990 prices). In the end, the amount of imported precious metals began to exceed production volumes, which inevitably led to inflation. The economic downturn that began in the last decade of the 16th century was aggravated at the beginning of the next. The reason for this was the expulsion of Morisks and Jews, whose representatives from ancient times were engaged in craft production and trade.
The collapse of the Spanish Empire
The gradual decline of this huge state began after the death of Philip II. His successors turned out to be bad politicians, and Spain gradually began to lose its position, first on the continent, and then in overseas colonies.
By the end of the 19th century, the level of nationalist and anti-colonial sentiment reached its zenith, as a result of which the Spanish-American war broke out, from which the United States emerged victorious. The Spanish colonial empire was defeated and forced to cede its territories: Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam. By 1899, she no longer had land in either America or Asia. She sold the remaining islands in the Pacific to Germany, retaining only African territories.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Spain almost stopped developing the infrastructure of its remaining colonies, but still continued to exploit the huge cocoa plantations on which Nigerian workers worked. In the spring of 1968, under pressure from the UN and local nationalists, authorities were forced to declare Equatorial Guinea independent.
Heritage
The Spanish Empire, whose history spans five hundred years, influenced not only the development of Western Europe. Conquistadors carried the Roman Catholic faith and Spanish to America, Africa and the East Indies. A fairly long colonial period contributed to the mixing of peoples: Hispanics, Europeans and Indians.
Together with the Portuguese, the Spanish Empire became the founder of this international commerce, opening up new overseas trade routes. It was her money that became the first world currency on the basis of which the American dollar arose. As a result of the Old World trade with the New, there was an exchange of a large number of domestic animals and various plants. So, cattle, sheep, horses, pigs and donkeys, as well as barley, wheat, apples, etc. were brought to America. Europeans, in turn, first tried potatoes, tomatoes, corn, chili peppers, and tobacco. The result of such exchanges has been a significant improvement in the agricultural potential of America, Europe and Asia.
We must not forget about cultural influence. It is noticeable in everything: in music, art, architecture, and even in the drafting of laws. The contact between different peoples for a long period of time led to the mixing of their cultures, which were intricately intertwined with each other and acquired their unique shape, which is nowadays noticeable in the former colonial regions.