Spanish Empire

Originally named Hispania by the Romans, the creation of Spain began in 1230 with the joining of the kingdoms of Leon (established 910) and Castile (established 1065). In 1469 Ferdinand, king of Aragon, married Isabella, future queen of Castile and Leon. They became joint monarchs of Castile in 1474 and in 1492 expelled the Moors from Granada. Already king of Sicily, in 1504 Ferdinand also became king of Naples, then in 1512 he annexed Navarre, gaining control of the whole Iberian peninsula, except Portugal.

Their daughter married Philip, son of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian Habsburg. From his mother, duchess of Burgundy, Philip had inherited the Netherlands and he briefly ruled Spain as king of Castile. His son Charles I became both king of Castile, ruling Spain and the Spanish Empire from 1516, as well as Holy Roman Emperor from 1519, ruling much of the rest of Europe, until his abdication in 1556 when the two empires were divided between his son and his brother.

Ferdinand and Isabella sponsored maritime exploration in competition with neighbouring Portugal, commencing with the voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Following his discoveries in the Caribbean, the 1494 treaty of Tordesillas and the 1529 treaty of Zaragossa divided the globe between Spain and Portugal.

The kingdom of Portugal was created in 1139 and the Moors were expelled from the Algarve in 1249. Following a treaty with the English in 1386 (an alliance that is still in force), Portuguese navigators commenced their maritime exploration of the world in 1415. In 1580, the Spanish seized Portugal and combined the Portuguese and Spanish empires, until Portugal regained its independence in 1640.

In 1700, Charles II died childless and the crown of Castile was disputed between potential heirs of both the Bourbon royal family of France and the Habsburg imperial family of Austria. The War of Spanish Succession ensued, with the Dutch, English, Portugal, Prussia and Hanover as allies of Aragon and the Habsburgs, against the French and Bavaria as allies of Castile, Naples and Sicily.

It became a war about territorial control and global trade of the Spanish Empire and was fought variously in Europe, North and South America and the Caribbean. The Bourbons won control of the Spanish crown, but in return much of Spain's territory in Europe was ceded to their opponents. The Dutch Netherlands had declared independence as a republic in 1581, but the Spanish Netherlands (modern Belgium and Luxembourg) remained under the Spanish crown until 1714, when the territory was returned to Austria. Much of the Spanish empire in the Americas was lost during the early 19th century reign of Ferdinand VII.

Spanish empire extracted from "Daddy Why…..?" © David Foster 2016 Page 1 of 8 Monarchs of Castile

1474-1504 Isabella I Trastamara queen of Castile 1475-1504 Ferdinand V Trastamara cousin of Isabella also king of Aragon 1504-1516 Joanna Trastamara daughter of Isabella queen of Castile 1506-1506 Philip I Habsburg husband of Joanna king of Castile 1508-1516 Ferdinand V Trastamara father of Joanna regent 1516-1556 Charles I Habsburg son of Joanna king of Castile 1556-1598 Philip II Habsburg son of Charles I king of Castile 1598-1621 Philip III Habsburg son of Philip II king of Castile 1621-1665 Philip IV Habsburg son of Philip III king of Castile 1665-1700 Charles II Habsburg son of Philip IV king of Castile

1701-1715 War of Spanish Succession kingdom of Spain created 1716

Monarchs of Spain

1700-1724 Philip V Bourbon grt-grandson of Philip IV first king of Spain 1724-1724 Louis I Bourbon son of Philip V 1724-1756 Philip V Bourbon father of Louis I 1746-1759 Ferdinand VI Bourbon son of Philip V 1759-1788 Charles III Bourbon son of Philip V 1788-1808 Charles IV Bourbon son of Charles III 1808-1808 Ferdinand VII Bourbon son of Charles IV 1808-1813 Joseph I Bonaparte brother of Napoleon 1813-1833 Ferdinand VII Bourbon son of Charles IV 1833-1868 Isabella II Bourbon daughter of Ferdinand VII

1868 Spanish Revolution followed by provisional government and regency

1870-1873 Amadeus I Savoy elected

1873-1874 First Republic

1874-1885 Alfonso XII Bourbon son of Isabella II 1886-1931 Alfonso XIII Bourbon son of Alfonso XII

1931-1939 Second Republic Spanish Civil War 1936-1939

1936-1975 Franco Francisco head of Spanish State

1975-2014 Juan Carlos I Bourbon grandson of Alfonso XIII king of Spain 2014- Philip VI Bourbon son of Juan Carlos

------Spanish empire - brief history of Spain and Portugal, table of Spanish heads of state, maps of Spanish and Portuguese empires

Spanish empire extracted from "Daddy Why…..?" © David Foster 2016 Page 2 of 8 Acknowledgements - Map extracts which follow are taken from "Mapa Diacrónico del Imperio" created by Nagihuin, March 2015 and made available through Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Empire#/media/File:Spanish_Empire_Complete.svg