Spain Research Paper

-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.

Many people have heard of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. However, only some know of all the things they accomplished. They might be best known for funding the voyages of Christopher Columbus, but they also greatly contributed to the unity of Spain (“Isabella l”). Together, they brought many kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula together to form what Spain is today. Through Spain’s unification, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella strengthened Spain into an economic and dominant world power, enabling the spread of Christianity and the colonization of a New World.

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

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.

During the times the Iberian Peninsula was ruled by the Muslims and was called Al-Andalus, Christians, Jews and Muslims coexisted in harmony in the Caliphates. However, the understanding of Spain as it is understood today did not exist. It was because of the Christianisation of the peninsula and the Reconquista that Iberia was reimagined as something more similar to what we understand today as Spain and Portugal. In this essay I intend to explain how this happened, which historical figures were key to this event and

The Spanish empire started in 1402. It was one of the first empires that ruled many regions. South America was the most important region that came under the rule of the Spanish empire. It was famous for its natural treasures and resources. There were many causes that made South America a great colony for the Spanish empire.

During the Inquisition, hundreds of thousands of Jews and Muslims were either converted to Catholicism by force, tortured, or killed. These massive groups of people were conquered and controlled by Spain. This fact gave the monarchs the idea that if they could convert these people to their religion, maybe they could discover other societies and convert their people. The Spanish went on to conquer the Incas and the Aztecs in the 1500s, two South American peoples (Herbut). Although no one can say whether or not these events would have happened even if the Inquisition did not, the Inquisition certainly inspired the Spanish to set out exploring and to conquer new territories. Exploration and expanding their empire made Spain a more prominent and stronger global power. Spain was also able to gain knowledge and insight from visiting these empires. The conquered civilizations, the Aztecs and Incas, used a form of government that combined religion and politics. In their government, there was no main leader of all citizens. Instead, missionaries from various cultures were granted control over areas of land which are now known as parts of Mexico and the American Southwest (Spanish Colonization). Even though the original reason to come to these areas was to convert both societies to Catholicism, Spain ended up benefiting from learning this style of government and they were able to use it to their own political benefits

In 711, the Moors had invaded from Northern Africa and conquered the Iberian Peninsula. Later, during the 10th century, Christian kingdoms were founded in the regions of Aragon, Leon and Castile. These kingdoms were able to rise due to the fact that by the 11th century, Muslim Spain, also known as Al-Andalus was not united, but broken up into taifas, which were centered around large cities (Slack, 2015). The first major movement of the Reconquista was in 718 AD, when Pelayo started a rebellion against Munuza. Pelayo was a Visigothic nobleman, and Munuza was a Muslim governor.

A note-worthy Spanish conquistador known as Hernan Cortes, was a well-off, ambitious young man. “On February 18, 1519, Cortes set sail from Cuba with 500 men and 11 ships” (Miller, Amy 2001) in search of gold. The voyage led Cortes into MesoAmerica, the former Mexico. Once the ship docked in Mexico, Cortes was greeted by Moctezuma. Moctezuma was the Aztecs leader.

This meant Spain was stable politically and religiously internally,so could direct its energies and resources to voyages of exploration and discovery,and provide military means for the conquest of the 'New World' of the Americas once Columbus had discovered it and claimed it for Spain.

The Spanish flag has three horizontal bands of red (top),yellow (double width) and red, with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band. The shield includes the royal seal, which is flanked by two crowned pillars (the Pillars of Hercules) bearing the inscription Plus Ultra.The spain flag was officially adopted on December 19, 1981. The Spanish coat of arms depicts two crown-topped pillars of Hercules (with red banners displaying the motto in Latin, "PLUS ULTRA," meaning "More Beyond," alluding to Columbus' discovery of the New World). The crown on the spain flag is the royal seal or in other words their “mascot” kind of! (their true mascot is hercules)

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.

Spain has no official religion. The constitution of 1978 disestablished the Roman Catholic Church as the official state religion, but still recognizing the role, it plays in Spanish society. More than 90% of the population is at least nominally Catholic.