Absolutism in Spain Absolutism is when a Monarch was an absolute rulers This means they wanted to have all of the power and control in their country Absolute Monarchs believed in Divine Right

King Phillip II After the Reformation, the Hapsburg Emperor Charles V divided his empire and retired to a monastery – he was upset over Protestant Princes His brother Ferdinand inherited Austria & the German states His son Phillip II inherited Spain, the Netherlands, & Spanish colonies Phillip takes Portugal when the King of Portugal dies w/o an heir Like his father, Phillip also saw himself as a defender of Catholicism Next, Phillip would attack England & Queen Elizabeth to punish them for becoming Protestant Phillip aggressively expands his empire Spain has a great deal of money (due to its colonies) which makes it easy to fight wars In 1572, the Pope called on all Catholic Kingdoms to go to war with the powerful Ottoman Empire (Muslims)

Anglo-Spanish War of 1588 England had more efficient guns and better gunners England could fire 10 rounds to every one Spain could fire England also used empty ships loaded with explosives Spain’s navy was defeated and this setback weakened Spain Open your book to page 156 and answer map questions 1 & 2 in your notes

Painting of Christ by El GrecoKing Phillip’s Children by Velazquez Spain’s Golden Age

Spain’s Golden Age & Weakening Empire During Spain’s period of great wealth, many artists flourished El Greco, who was born in Greece painted saints and religious picture Diego Velazquez reflected the pride he had in the Spanish Monarchy, painting pictures of the royal family In 1605, Miguel de Cervantes wrote Don Quixote de la Mancha about a noble who went a little crazy after reading too many books about Knights Spain’s Empire Weakens A big problem for Spain was its economy A growing population demanded more goods, and silver was less valuable Spain also expelled the Jews & Moors, losing many taxpaying artisans Spain was also in debt, borrowing money to finance their wars In the Spanish Netherlands, people began to revolt Many Dutch people were Protestant and had little in common with Spain Dutch rebels continued fighting Spain for 11 years Seven northern provinces win their independence