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Opposition to Carlos V
Foreign policies
The political policies of Carlos v included defending Christianity and
the imperial supremacy of Christian kings. However, many opposed
these ideas and there were many conflicts during his reign.
o The Papacy. The Church as afraid that Carlos Vs imperial power
would rival the Church and possibly even control it, especially
after the Sack of Rome in 1527, when imperial troops assaulted
and sacked the papal capital.
o France. It was surrounded by the territories of the Empire and it
was always against the European hegemony of the Habsburgs.
King Francoise I of France AND Carlos V fought against each
other four times. The rivalry with france continued all his
lifetime.
Financial problems
Carlos Vs wars were very expensive and some efforts were needed:
o The Tercios were a modern and profesional army. They were
made up of volunteers from their territories and mercenary
tropos.
o A more complex management was required , which was made
up of volunteers from their territories and mercenary tropos.
o A more complex management was required, which made up of
officials from different social and geographical origins.
o The Hacienda Real went into debt. The gold and silver sent
from America was not enough to cover all the costs of the
Crown and the Emperor had to borrow from German and Italian
bankers.
Abdication of Carlos V
By 1556, Carlos V was in poor health and exhausted. In that year, he
abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor in favour of his brother, Fernando,
hor received the title of Emperor an his Austrian territories. His son,
Felipe II, became the ruler of the rest of his Empire. In 1558 Carlos V
dis at the Monastery of Yuste (Extremadura).
Felipe II becomes king of Spain. Felipe II was the ruler of the largest empire
in the world. Madrid and San Lorenzo del Escorial were new centres of
power in, and relying primarily on the Crown of Castilla. Despite its large
size, this empire is often called the Spanish monarchy. Felipe developed a
more complex bureaucracy and a system of advisors. He also gave more
power to the viceroys and governors who ruled outside Castilla and
thecorregidores in the provinces and municipalities.
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Foreign policies
Felipe IIs international policies aimed to strengthen his territories and
defend Catholicism.
o France. Felipe II defeated the French at the Battle of Saint
Quentin in 1557, which was followed by the Peace of CateauCambrsis in 1559. However, this rivalry was renewed near the
end of his reign.
o The Holy League.Felipe II created the Holy League formed by
the Papacy, Venice, and other Italian states to confront and
defeat the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto. This ended Turkish
control of the eastern Mediterranean.
o Portugal. Felipe II claimed the Portuguese throne through his
mother, Isabel of Portugal. His tropos forced the Parliament of
Tomar to accept him as the king in 1581. After that, his rule
over Poruguese territories overseas made his empire even
more vast.
Felipe III was not as energetic as his father. He left political decisions to a
royal favourite, or valido, who governed on his behalf. Felipe IIIs main
favourite was the Duke of Lerma, who was more concerned with his own
personal interests than ruling the country.
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Domestic policies
The expulsion of the Moriscos (1609-1613). This was the Duke of
Lermas most disastrous decisin. The Moriscos were a hard-working
minority, and the economy was damaged by their departure.
Foreign policies
In foreign affairs, there was a pause in the continuous wars of the
previous century. Peace was signed with England in 1604, and the
Twelve Years Truce was signed with the Dutch rebels of the United
Provinces (1609). Felipe III decided to help the Austrian branch of his
dynasty and entered the Thirty Years War (1618-1638).
Domestic policies
Olivares wrote the Great Meorial in 1624, proposing to strength the
authority of the monarch by standardising the laws and institutions of
all the kingdoms, increasing the participation in military spending of
the other kingdoms and establishing a system for recruiting soldiers,
called the Union of Arms (1626)-
Foreign policy
France intervened in the Thirty Years War to support the Protestants.
The Spanish Tercios were defeated in the Battle of Rocroi in 1643. By
the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, Spain recognise the Independence
of the United Provinces. However, war with France continued until the
Peace of the Pyrenees in 1659, which also ceded some territories in
Flanders and Northern Catalua. This was the end of Spains
hegemony as the leading military power in Europe.
CARLOS II (1665-1700)
Carlos II was only two years old when he succeeded Felipe IV and his mother
ruled as regent.
He was so sick and incapable, that the great issue of his reign was who
would succeed him. It was a period of political instability. Other European
monarchs conspired to gain control of the Spanish Empire.
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Spanish society in the Modern Age still had its roots in the medieval threeestate or social group system. The first two estates had certain privileges,
such as not paying taxes.
o
They lost political power, but received privileges like held positions
in government or feudal manors (seoros). These were large
The wakest and most numerous group. They worked, paid taxes,
and could be recruited as soldiers.
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ECONOMY
Castilla was the economic engine of the Spanish Monarchy in the 16 th century.
Sevilla and Madrid benefited greatly from Spains imperial expansion. The territories
of the Crown of Aragn which were outside the Atlantic trade routes, however, did
not gain as much as Castilla.
Rise in prices.
The arrival of silver and gold from America raised prices and made
Castilian industry less competitive. Much of this income paid for wars
in Europe and luxuries for the court, like buildings, artwork, or other
opulent items.
Population decline.
This was caused by many epidemics, emigration to America,
and wars. Certain rural areas were especially affected and
became deserted. Certain cities lost their manual labour and
also saw less demand for their products.
Other expeditions
There were many other expeditions across America, such as the expeditions
of Diego de Almagro and Pedro de Valdivia to Chile and Jimnez de
Quesadas conquest of New Granada, which is now Colombia.
In Spain
The Consejo de Indias was part of the court and advised the king on
legal and administrative matters for the American sector of the
Empire.
o The Casa de Contratacin was established in Sevilla in 1503. It
controlled trade across the Atlantic and emigration to America. It was
also responsable for creating maps and for training sailors.
In America
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These institutions and posts, many of which were newly created, were in the
larger cities.
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Viceroyalty. There were originally two: New Spain in the north (Mexico
Aand Central America)and Peru to the south (South America). They
were run by a viceroy.
Governors. They ruled the provinces and were under the authority of
the viceroy.
Corregidores and alcaldes. They directed the cabildos or city councils.
Courts of Justice (Audiencias). They were created to apply and
administer Spanish laws on the new continent.
Mining
The first conquest provided large amounts of gold and silver. Mining
was the most prominent sector in colonial America, especially after
the discovery of important silver mines in northern Mexico
(Zacatecas, San Luis) and in todays Bolivia (Potos).
Agriculture
The rising demand for food led to creation of large cattle ranches for
local production. Hacienda estates were created to provide products
to be exported to other continents like cocoa, sugar, or tobacco.
Crafsmanship
It was less developed to avoid competing with products brought over
from Europe. Craftsmen created all the goods that would be sold.
People made furniture, horseshoes, and ox shoes which were needed
throughout the colonies.
TRADE ROUTES
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Culture
The conquerors imposed their language, customs, and religion on he
people of the new territories. Indigenous cultures mostly disappeared
and Christianism and the Spanish languqge became essential to the
cultura of the New World.
o Religious orders played an important role both in
evangelisation and education. The first American university
was founded in Santo Domingo in 1538. Some religious leaders
Social organisation
Colonial society was organised in an authentic or caste system
according to skin colour. The main social groups were:
o Peninsulares: They were born in Spain. It was a dominant group
and held the highest government offices. They were usually the
landowners of the hacienda estates.
o Criollos: Descendants of the peninsulares born in America.
They belonged to the upper class, but the crown tried to avoid
giving them too much power. Although the peninsulares and
criollos only made up 1% of the total population, hey hada ll he
power.
o Mestizos and Mulattoes: Mestizos were the children of
europeans and natives- Mulattoes were the children of
europeans and africans.
o Amerindians: This group made up most of the population. They
were considered socially inferior, but not slaves. They worked
through an encomienda system under the rule of Spanish
colonists.
o Negroes: They were taken by force from Africa to America to
work as slaves.