Habsburg Spain refers to the history of
Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries (1506–1700), when Spain was ruled by the major branch of the
Habsburg dynasty (also associated to its role in the history of
Central Europe). Under Habsburg rule (chiefly under
Charles V and
Philip II of Spain), Spain reached the zenith of its influence and power, controlling territory ranging from the
Americas to the
East Indies in Asia, the
Low Countries (which included territories now in
France and
Germany), a part of modern-day
Italy in
Europe, and from 1580 to 1640
Portugal, the
Portuguese Empire and various other territories such as
Malta in the Mediterranean basin and small enclaves like
Ceuta and
Oran in North Africa. Altogether, Habsburg Spain was, for well over a century, the world's greatest power. For this reason, this period of Spanish history has also been referred to as the "Age of Expansion."
After dominating Europe politically and militarily for much of the Habsburg reign, Spain experienced a relative decline in influence under the later Habsburg kings, mainly in the second half of the 17th century.
The Habsburg years were also a
Spanish Golden Age of
cultural efflorescence. Among the most outstanding figures of this period were
Diego Velázquez,
El Greco,
Miguel de Cervantes,
Teresa of Ávila,
Pedro Calderón de la Barca,
Francisco de Vitoria,
Domingo de Soto and
Francisco Suárez.
Chronology
The beginnings of the empire (1504–1521)
Spain as a unified state came...
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