MONARCHIES OF EUROPE: SPAIN

THE KING BECOMES EMPEROR During the 1500’s to the

1700’s many kings throughout Europe became absolute monarchs – a ruler whose power was not limited by having to consult with anyone before making decisions

These rulers also believed they had divine right – their power came from God.

How would the idea of divine right affect how a king rules his country?

KING CHARLES I (OR V??) In 1516 King Charles I

became ruler of Spain Charles also ruled

Belgium and the Netherlands, but he wanted to become Holy Roman Emperor as well.

This position was elected and in order to get the job Charles paid people for their votes.

Charles was elected and became Charles V

HAVEN’T WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS GUY??? Yes Charles V opposed Henry VIII’s divorce from

Catherine because Catherine was his aunt Part of the “religious wars” during the

Counter-Reformation Started a holy war against the princes of

Germany that were converting to Protestantism.

CHARLES V In 1555 Charles signed the Peace of

Augsburg that allowed for German princes to decide if their states would be Catholic or Protestant

Thanks to Spanish explorers like Cortes and Coronado Charles V and Spain became incredibly wealthy.

In 1556 Charles stepped down from his thrones and divided his power between his brother Ferdinand I (Holy Roman Emperor) and his son Philip II (Spain, Netherlands, Sicily, and American colonies)

ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENTS The mid 1500’s to mid 1600’s are known as

the Golden Age of art in Spain El Greco – from Greece (surprise!) painted

mostly religious works and focused on Spain’s role in the Counter-Reformation

Diego Velazquez – painted people from all social classes

Miguel de Cervantes – a famous writer, wrote Don Quixote

Sister Juana Ines de las Cruz – wrote poetry, prose, and plays

The Disrobing of Christ-El Greco

SPAIN UNDER PHILIP II The Spanish Empire reached its peak under

Philip II thanks to gold and other riches from the American colonies

However, money does not solve all problems

1) Philip was a devout Catholic who wanted to spread the Counter-Reformation. He married Queen Mary I of England (Bloody Mary, Henry’s daughter) who died before producing a male heir that would keep England Catholic.

2) His subjects in the Netherlands were becoming Protestant and they refused to declare allegiance to Philip. This led to conflict until 1609 when Philip agreed to let the Netherlands form a separate nation.

SPAIN UNDER PHILIP II 3) Conflict between Spain and England once

Elizabeth becomes Queen. English and Dutch ships began to attack Spanish

ships to seize the treasure coming from the New World

Philip decided to invade England to stop the raids and to convert England back to Catholicism

In order to do this Philip built the Spanish Armada – a fleet of 130 ships and over 20,000 soldiers.

Philip thought he was invincible with his armada and in 1588 the Spanish invaded. Due to several mishaps, storms, and the British much of the armada was destroyed.

Spanish Armada...1588

SPAIN UNDER PHILIP II Why did Spain decline in power even though

it was the richest nation in the world? 1) Defeat of the Spanish Armada by England 2) Overspending on military – used up all the

money coming in from the new world 3) Poor government management 4) Spain did not develop industries as quickly as

England and other European nations