The Spanish Empire Unit 10 - 2º Bil

1- Who was Charles V?

2- What was the Revolt of the Comuneros? -It was an uprising by citizens of Castile against the rule of Charles V and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its height, the rebels controlled the heart of Castile, ruling the cities of Valladolid, Tordesillas, and Toledo.

-In 1519, Charles was elected Holy Roman Emperor -In 1519, Charles was elected Holy Roman Emperor. He departed for Germany in 1520, leaving the Dutch cardinal Adrian of Utrecht to rule Castile in his absence. Soon, a series of anti-government riots broke out in the cities, and local city councils (Comunidades) took power.

-On April 23, 1521, after nearly a year of rebellion, the reorganized supporters of the emperor struck a crippling blow to the comuneros at the Battle of Villalar. The following day, rebel leaders Juan de Padilla, Juan Bravo, and Francisco Maldonado were beheaded.

3- What was Charles V's empire like? -Vast Empire -> the biggest in that times. -Every territory had its own laws and institutions. -He was not an absolute king, he had to ask Parliaments for some issues. -The Court was itinerant. -Each territory had a viceroy and a court to administer justice. -His revenues came mostly from taxes. -He had to ask for loans to finance his policies as well.

Problems in the Empire -Main rival: France. -The Ottoman Empire: rival in the eastern boundary -> religious rivalry. -Rebellion of the German Protestant Princes. -1555 Peace of Augsburg. -1556 Charles V abdicated: Ferdinand I became Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Philip II inherited the rest of his father possessions.

4- What was Philip II's reign like?

The Hispanic Monarchy -Philip II had a vast Empire inherited from his father, Charles I. -He was son of Isabella of Portugal, so he claimed the Portuguese throne when King Sebastian died in 1578 and after him his uncle Cardinal Henry in 1580 with no descendants both. Philip II was one of the possible successors and fought for the throne, he was crowned Philip I of Portugal in 1581. -Portugal had many territories over the world, so his empire increased. -Philip II ruled from Madrid, his Court, the centre of his empire -> Hispanic Monarchy.

Philip II's policies -He had two main objectives: 1- Preserve his territories. 2- Defend Catholicism. -These objectives determined his foreign policy and were the reason for many of the wars he fought.

5- What problems did Philip II face? -PROBLEMS DURING HIS REIGN -War with France. -Confrontation with the Turks. -Revolt in the Low Countries -> 80 years war. -Confrontation with England - Invincible Armada. -Bankruptcy.

6- How did Spain organize its empire in the New World? -EXPEDITIONS .Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire, beginning in 1519.

.And Francisco Pizarro led the conquest of the Inca Empire.

.Francisco de Orellana discovered the Amazon rainforest.

.López de Legazpi conquered the Philippines leaving from Mexico.

Organization of the New World .America was considered an extension of Spain at those times, so the same laws were applied. .The Council of the Indies was created as a territorial council to govern it. .American territory (or the Indies) was divided into two Viceroyalties: New Spain and Peru governed by viceroys. .Economically, the American colonies were important due to: .precious metals (mining) .Trade (Casa de Contratación) .Haciendas (agriculture and stockbreeding)

Society Society in America was divided by racial criteria:

7- Why did Spain lose its supremacy? -CRISIS IN SPAIN .16th Century -> economic growth .17th Century -> economic crisis -THE REIGN OF PHILIP III (1598-1621) .His favourite was the Duke of Lerma. .Foreign policy -> pacifist -> peace treaty with England in 1604, and Truce with the United Provinces (12 years) .Economy -> bankruptcy again in 1607. .Domestic policy -> Expulsion of Moriscos in 1609

8- What were the reigns of Philip IV and Charles II like? -THE EARLY YEARS OF PHILIP IV'S REIGN .He ruled from 1621 to 1665. .He chose as his favourite the Count-Duke of Olivares. .Foreign policy -> 1621 Truce ended, so war began again with the United Provinces. In 1618 the Thirty Years War began, and he was the leader of the Catholics. In 1634 he won the Battle of Nördlingen. .Domestic policy -> two main objectives: .Share military expenses among all the territories .Increase the king¡s power These reforms met hard opposition.

The Thirty Years War (1618-1648)

Peace of Westphalia, 1648 -The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the independence of the Dutch Republic. -The Peace of Westphalia treaties involved the Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand III, of the House of Habsburg, the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of France, the Swedish Empire, the Dutch Republic, and the Princes of the Holy Roman Empire.

The revolts of Catalonia and Portugal -CATALONIA -> Revolts began in 1640 against the centralist policy in the Hispanic Monarchy. It was suppressed in 1652 by the king forces. -PORTUGAL -> The rebellion began also in 1640 but the portuguese succeeded and expelled Philip IV's representatives declaring its independence with king John IV of Portugal, officially recognized by Spain in 1668 by the Treaty of Lisbon.

The reign of Charles II -Charles II was named king with just 4 years old, so he need a Regent, she was his mother, Mariana of Austria, until he had 14, in 1675. -However he was an ill king, and can not rule, so several favourites governed in his place. -He died in 1700 with no heirs, and a war of succession began in Spain. This was the end of the Hapsburg dynasty in Spain. -A new Royal House occupied the throne in Spain, the Bourbon dynasty (french origin).

Activities Exercises 1 and 2 on page 102, and 1 on page 103.

9- Why was there a crisis? -POPULATION DECLINE The 17th Century was critical for demography in Europe for several reasons: .Bad harvests .Migrations .The plague .Wars

-ECONOMIC RECESSION Several reasons led to economic crisis as well: .Severe crisis in agriculture. Prices went up. .Craftsmanship declined as a consequence of the competitive northern markets. .Trade declined. Northern countries had the supremacy. .Spanish kings had to declare bankruptcy often. -AN IMPOVERISHED, UNPRODUCTIVE SOCIETY .Inactive life promoted by the nobles was a bad example. .Differences between social classes were increasing, so there were more poor people than before.

10- What was the situation in Europe? -FRENCH SUPREMACY Louis XIV, known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France. His reign as king, of 72 years and 110 days, is the longest in French and European history. Louis began his personal rule of France in 1661 after the death of his chief minister, the Italian Cardinal Mazarin. He continued his predecessors' work of creating a centralized state governed from the capital. He is an example of absolute monarch.

-Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government; his or her powers are not limited by a constitution or by the law. -Louis XIV's foreign policy was aimed at increasing France's power in two ways: .Extending its frontiers. .Creating a colonial empire. -In this way, he came into conflict with many European countries. -The king increased his power at the expense of the nobles, the Church and Parliament.

England and the United Provinces -They replaced Spain and Portugal in the control of trade. The bourgeoisie was important in both due to this growth of trade. -They were Parliamentary states, a system of government in which the power to make and execute laws is held by a parliament. In a parliamentary system, the head of state is normally a different person from the head of government. -The United Provinces was a Republic. Each province had its own Parliament, and they met for common matters in the Estates General. -England became a Parliamentary monarchy after two revolutions. The Declaration of Rights limited the king's power.