How Did Spain Shape The Modern World

Spain was one of the most powerful nations of the world during the 16th century. This time was known as Spain's “golden age”. Spain had built up a treasury of gold and silver which made their economy very strong. Spain had also led many conquests to Central America, South America, and the Caribbean which expanded the size of its empire greatly and boosted its ability to trade goods with other nations. During the reign of King Philip the second, from 1556-1598, many nations rose up to challenge Spain. But, In 1566 there was a revolt with threatened to challenge Spain's rule in the netherlands and other Spanish settlements. Spain was beginning to have problems in its empire. In 1588 English and Spanish disputes over economic and religious issues led to war. Philip The Second sent large armadas to England in an attempt to subdue the nation. He continued his efforts against England and ended up draining Spain's treasury of gold and crippling its military. In 1598 Philip The Second was forced to sign the treaty of vervins which brought

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.

Before the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Moors were in control of much of the Iberian Peninsula. They desperately wanted to unite Spain and turn it into a

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

Spain, a place of majestic artwork and structures that truly embrace and utilize the beauty of its homeland. Not only does Spain offer a stunning scenery, there are other activities that can be experienced whilst in Spain. Spain is home to many isolated and unique structures that testament the engineering wonder that the Roman Empire birthed into the world; such as, The Aqueduct of Segovia and the city of Merida.

From sandy beaches to rocky mountain ranges, astounding big cities to mosques and gothic cathedrals, vibrant festivals to the theatrical historic bullfights, Spain has about everything. Spain has been the center of culture in Europe for thousands of years. Spain is an astonishing place with rich heritage and lively festivals and art. Spain is not just about the flamenco dancing, bullfights, and the religious festivals, it has so many things to offer. Even Lenny Kravitz the American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer said, “It’s like a dream to come to Spain and stay a for a couple of years and get somebody to teach me Spanish music.” Today I am going to inform you about the well-known features of La Siesta in the Spanish culture, the creative and energetic Flamenco dance, and the historic subculture of Basque.

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

During this long-lasting Reconquista, there were long periods of war and peace. Over time, the Christian kingdoms gradually defeated the Moors and took back all of Moorish Spain. After several centuries, the Moors were at their weakest moment. No other caliph from North Africa, or the Middle East could save the Moors. In 1469, the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon were united by the marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. Soon, the Moors only had control of the Kingdom of Granada. The Moors were extremely economically, politically and militarily weak. In 1492, the last outpost of the Moors had fallen. Spain had captured Granada and finally brought an end to the reconquest of Spain. During this period of time, there was more than a reconquering of lands. There was an an inquisition and an expulsion of Jews and Moors from Spain. In 1478, Pope Sixtus IV issued a bull that authorized Isabella and Ferdinand to appoint inquisitors in Castile for the purpose of combating heresy. The Spanish Inquisition

Some Historians consider Isabella’s decision to pass the crown to the Hapsburgs rather than Aragon as evidence of Isabella’s disunity. Lockyer claims; “she showed how little she appreciated the concept of Spanish unity” . This theory is supported by Historian Lotherington and Kamen, the latter who comments “the achievement of a united Spain was never an objective of the Catholic Kings” However this is too simplistic a view; because Isabella knew that the Castilian nobles would not accommodate for an Aragonese king, and the crown must rest upon the spouse of Aragon and Castile if unification was to be a realistic goal. Elliot suggests this when he speaks of a “Spanish inheritance” when referring to the Burgundian inheritance and Rady explains “Ferdinand held such influence in Castile this kingdom also might have been wrenched away from the new heir (Charles)” . Likewise J.Jones identifies “national unification” as a key policy of the Catholic Kings.

     The union of Aragon and Castile showed the establishment of the New Monarchy in Spain in 1469. The marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile joined Aragon, which included the Balearic Islands, Sardinia, Sicily, and Naples, and Castile, the Americas, in a “personal union” only. Both kingdoms recognized the monarchs, but there were few common institutions. The church court, or Inquisition, was common however. Also, the church was reformed early on so it was free from the corruption that occurred in the church in the rest of Europe. The reconquista was also completed when Granada was taken over from the Moors in 1492. The church was at the center of unification efforts. Palmer states it best as “(t)he rulers, though they

Queen Isabella had a positive impact on Spain because she united two kingdoms, so there was centralized power, spread Christianity all across Spain by getting rid of anyone who practiced another religion, and made a strong bureaucracy and created new laws to centralized power which played a big role in unifying Spain. Queen Isabella was an extremely powerful ruler who not only Unified Spain, but she did it under one religion as well as one law. By using her genius military skills combined with her intelligence she was able to unify Spain with one religion. She created new laws and a new way of government to provide order to the country. Although she could not have done this all without the help of her husband, Ferdinand. Together, Isabella and Ferdinand were able to come together and unite their two kingdoms. Queen Isabella was able to unite Spain under one rule by combining her husband’s kingdom, Kingdom of Aragon, and

Around the late 1800s, Spain was having a hard time with preventing Cuban’s from fighting for their independence. The revolts led Spain to send over General Valeriano Weyler, to put a stop to the protests. Consequently, he had anyone suspected of supporting independence, removed from the general population, and sent to concentration camps. Newspaper publishers, William R. Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, gave the word out to the American people, with the use of a little Yellow journalism--journalism based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration, in an attempt to create disgust towards the Spanish government's actions. The American people, with their moral beliefs, and pride in their military might, decided to put into action the long-dormant

During the Spanish Renaissance “Madrid was a relatively sleepy, provincial town perched high on a central plain of Spain in 1561” (“Renaissance”). In 1561 Madrid became the center of the royal government (“Renaissance”). After Madrid became the center of government it also became the home of the most vigorous theater life by 1600 (“theater”). Spain was slowly improving piece by piece. Although it

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.

Catalonia is one of Spain’s richest regions and has very different cultural value and languages than the other regions in Spain. Since 2010, the Catalonia region has been gaining momentum to split apart