Decline Of The Seventeenth Century Spain Research Paper

Medieval Spain started with the arrival of the Visigoths in the late 5th century to the end of the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella in the 16th century. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval countries and kingdoms including Galicia, Leon, Castile, Aragon, Navarre, Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia, and Granada. These countries all contributed to what has been known as the Spanish language as well as the country itself.

-Roark, James L., Michael P. Johnson, Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, and Susan M. Hartmann. The American Promise: A Concise History. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. Print.

Throughout history, as we study Spain we can clearly recognize high and low points in their success. In the fifteen hundreds Spain had no influence on European affairs, Spain essentially vanished out of Europe. However, within one complete century Spain had become not only a leading power but they also had a great sense of effectiveness in Europe. Spain experienced a Golden age with many social, economic, political aspects. On the other hand, within

During the 15th century, many considered Spain insignificant. However, within a century it became a world-dominant power in Europe. Although Spain only took a brief time to rise, it was also short-lived. The rise of Spain was due to its flourishing culture, stable political system and successful voyages to the New World. On the other hand, its decline was due to religious control, resistance from other countries and inflation.

As the Spanish and English were developing their colonies throughout the Southwest region, they had different mindsets on how the political systems should work. “But by the end of the sixteenth century, the monarchy had extended its authority

In Imperial Spain, J.H. Elliot examines the history of early modern Spain from the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, to the reformation of the Spanish government by the first member of the Bourbon dynasty. According to the author, at the start of the 15th century, Spain was internally weak, hopelessly divided and isolated from the continent by the Pyrenees. Yet, by 1492, Spanish society experienced a tremendous transformation which allowed Isabella and Ferdinand to unify the country, secure the largest transoceanic empire the world has ever known, and for a

In 1532, an exploration led by spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro Conquered the Incan Empire. Pizarro, along with his army captured and killed the last Incan emperor Atahualpa in 1533.The Incas kindly welcomed the spanish into their Empire, when they suddenly set a trap for the unsuspected Incas.

The rise of a powerful government and the enforcement of religious orthodoxy were factors that help established the Spanish Empire.

Death. Rape. Torture. Enslavement. These were some of the horrific tragedies Indigenous peoples endured as Iberians during the 15th to 16th century entered and ravaged their world. As the Spanish empire spread their colonies into the Americas, many Indigenous peoples suffered the wake of the Spanish thirst for power and profit. Iberians depicted the Indigenous peoples as naïve and inferior because Iberians believed they were religiously and socially superior on the account of Christianity and their assessment of a “civilized” culture. Caused by this superiority complex, the Indigenous peoples were subjected to many hardships.

I would have least like to have lived in New Spain societies. Indians were the most dominant population when Spanish Monarch established the New Spain. All these Indians were forced to change their religion to Christianity. When Indians were discovered incapable of understanding Christianity, they were the victims of coerced labor, overwork, abuse, and mistreatment. They had to see their friends head chopped off, parts of the body cut away, home destroyed, and their women raped. All of their antiquity were destroyed. There was the drastic change in Indian population when the European diseases in the tribe was introduced as result of conquest. They were highly susceptible to diseases like measles, small pox, and respiratory illness. Establishment

A ‘golden age’ can be interpreted in many ways; it can be a time of

If we take time to look back into history we would see that around the 1500s – 1600s the attitude of mankind was exactly the same as it is today when it comes to all nations trying to appear superior to others by doing things like aggrandizing their economy, or by going to war with other nations and winning. This thing called pride was the sole reason why every nation was motivated to be the greatest. Two of these monarchies within the eastern hemisphere were Spain and England, which at the time, had the biggest most powerful fleets the earth has ever seen. Due to this thirst for superiority, the two nations butted heads causing many conflicts. Even though both nations had their differences, both had an eagerness to explore and expand their

The fascinating and beautiful country of Spain is one of the largest countries in Europe. The history that Spain has had has left great stories to tell and remarkable landmarks to visit. Spain is located in the south west corner of Europe, with its neighboring countries, Portugal and France. It has a population of forty million plus people, but almost one-third of the nation’s population is foreigners that reside in its territory. One of the most important facts about Spain is that its economy is one of the largest in the world. Spain is currently in a recession, with low employment rates and poverty.

During the early 1700s, The Spanish Succession was a huge European conflict that was brought upon by the death of Charles II “the last of the Spanish Habsburgs.” This war was fought between two groups of European countries, The Two Crowns, and the Great Alliance, lasting from 1701, until 1714 (Britannica.com).

With this victory Phillip gained some control over the Mediterranean and his naval dominance was at its peak. Phillip also had control over the Spanish Netherlands which were another important source of wealth. Phillip II’s high tax in the Netherland’s trading system brought upon rebellions which Phillip was unable to shut down easily. In the end only some parts of The Netherlands remained catholic and loyal to Phillip II. Lastly Since there was an alliance between the rebelling Netherlands and England; Phillip planed revenge on England on 1587 not only for revenge but also for hopes of making it catholic once more. To activate his revenge, Phillip gathered a large fleet also known as the “Great Armada” and sent it towards England. Everyone had expected a victory from Phillip II but as the large fleet headed for England it ended up in the middle of a storm which shipwrecked a large portion of the fleet. To Phillips surprise his fleet was weakened furthermore by England’s strategic naval attack using fire ships. Lastly, since Phillip was a pure catholic like his father. He held on to the inquisition policy which targeted mainly Protestants like Calvinists. It was a mistake because it caused uneasiness between Catholicism and Protestantism in Spain. In conclusion Phillip II of Spain not only caused an economic depression for his nation but he destroyed its naval force, was unable to efficiently suppress uprisings in the