THE HABSBURG DYNASTY

THE EMPIRE OF CHARLES I.


1.1. HEIR TO AN EMPIRE.

   Charles I of Spain, who was also CHARLES V of Germany, was the son of Joanna of Castile (daughter of the Catholic Monarchs) and the German prince Philip of HASBURG. His inheritance included:

   - From his mother's side, the Kingdom of Castile, Navarre, the Crown of Aragon and territories in America and Italy.

   - From his father's side, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and Franche-Comté.

 
 1.2. PROBLEMS WITHIN THE EMPIRE.

Charles I ruled from 1516 to 1559 but took little interest in the Iberian Peninsula. Several revolts took place during his reign:

- The Revolt of the Comuneros (1520-1521) was an uprising of nobles, the bourgeoisie and the peasants of Castile against the king's economy policy.

- The Revolt of the Brotherhoods (1521-1523) was an uprising of artisans and peasants in Valencia and Mallorca. The artisans wanted access to government office and the peasants wanted better rental conditions. 

Juan Bravo was a leader of the

Comunero rebels. He was executed 

after their defeat in the Battle of Villalar in 1521.  

1.3. PROBLEMS ABROAD.

   Charles I also fought again foreign powers to defend his authority and the Catholic religion:

- He went to war with France (1525-1544), his great European rival, and defeated the French army in the Battle of Pavia.

- He fought the Turchs (1529-1541).

- He confronted the German princes, who supported Lutheran reform.

 

 A painting by Titian of

Charles I in the Battle of Mühlberg.

2- THE SPANISH EMPIRE OF PHILIP II.

2.1. PHILIP II'S GOVERNMENT.

   In 1556, Charles I gave the title of Emperor of Germany and his Austrian territories to his younger son Ferdinand. He gave the rest of his territories, which included Spain, to his older son Philip.

   Philip II governed very differently from his father. He paid the special attention to the interests of the Spanish monarchy and issued political orders from Madrid, which became the state capital in 1561.

   The power of the monarchy increased as Philip II made all political decisions with the help of an army of civil servants.

      Philip II extended the system of advisory councils. He also established royal officials called corregidors to represent royal authority in local areas.

   Philip II continued his father's fight against Protestantism. He used the Inquisition to persecute people suspected of not being true Catholics. Philip's repression of Muslim converts in Andalusia led to the Morisco Revolt of 1586, which was suppressed in 1571.

2.2. FOREIGN POLICY.

    Philip II tried to maintain Spanish power in Europe and impose the Catholic religion. This policy led his forces into several armed conflicts:

   - Against the French, in 1557.
   - Against the Turks, in 1571.
   - Against England, which supported the Protestants and attacked Spanish ships trading with America. He sent the Spanish Armada to invade England, but the fleet was destroyed in a storm.
   - Against Flander. Philip II sent tercios (infantry formations) to the area, but they were unable to resolve the problem.

   When the king of Portugal died without an heir, Philip II annexed Portugal.

 THE SPANISH ARMADA IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL.
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3- SPANISH ECONOMY AND SOCIETY IN THE 16th CENTURY.

3.1. THE ECONOMY.

   During the 16th century, large amounts of gold and silver were brought to Spain from America. This caused price rises, reducing the purchasing power and standards of living of ordinary people.

   An increase in the demand for goods from America led to growth in trade and commerce. 

   Most trade took place in Castilian cities and Atlantic ports, such as Seville.

   Traders then distributed American goods such as cocoa, sugar and coffee across the European continent.

   Spain could not meet the domestic demand for agricultural products. Most of the land belonged to the aristocracy or the Church and was used mostly for livestock farming.

 
 SEVILLE AND ITS PORT.

3.2. SOCIETY.

   In the 16th century, the population of Spain increased, especially in Castile. 

   The privileged class was made up of nobles and clergy, who owned most of the land. Eighty percent of the population were peasants, who paid taxes and had limited rights.

   Other groups in Spanish society included Moriscos (converted Muslims) and converted Jews. These groups were the constant targets of religious and ethnic persecution.

PORTRAIT OF ANDREA DORIA, ÁLVARO BAZÁN AND LUIS THE REQUESENS, THREE 16th CENTURY NOBLES.
 
  
4- THE DECLINE OF THE EMPIRE IN THE 17th CENTURY.

4.1. PHILIP III: THE GOVERNMENT OF FAVOURITES.

   Monarchs in the 17th century left governing to favourites, who became very powerful ministers. 

   In 1609, Philip III ordered the expulsion of the Moriscos from the Peninsula. This made the shortage of agricultural products worse because the majority of Moriscos were peasants and many rural areas were left almost unpopulated.

THE EXPULSION OF MORISCOS.









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4.2. PHILIP IV: THE END OF EUROPEAN DOMINANCE.

   Philip IV appointed the Count-Duke of Olivares as his favourite. He wanted to maintain Habsburg dominance in Europe.

   This policy led to a war with France known as the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). The war ended with the singing of the Peace of Westphalia treaty in 1648 in which Spain recognised the independence of the Netherlands.

   In 1640, there were popular uprisings in Andalusia, Portugal and Catalonia against Olivare's demand for soldiers and taxes to support the war. 

   In Andalusia the revolt was suppressed, but Portugal managed to separate from the Spanish Crown with support from England and France.

   Catalonia also received help from the French and the ensuing conflict continued until 1652. The war between Spain and France finally ended with the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, in which Roussillon and Artois became part of France.

THE PEACE OF WESTPHALIA AND THE TREATY OF THE PYRENEES.

4.3. CHARLES II: CRISIS IN THE HABSBURG MONARCHY.

   Spain experienced a period of crisis during the reign of Charles II, Spain's last Habsburg monarch. 

   When Charles II died without an heir in 1700, the War of the Spanish Succession broke out between Philip of France's Bourbon dynasty and Charles of Austria. The victory of the French brought an end to the Habsburg monarchy in Spain.

WAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION.

 

5- ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CRISIS IN THE 17th CENTURY.

5.1. CRISIS IN THE CROWN OF CASTILE.

   In the 17th century, there was a sharp decrease in the population of Castile because of emigration to America, wars, epidemics and the expulsion of the Moriscos.

   As agriciultural conditions worsened, many peasants moved to cities. Livestock farming also suffred, after years of war and drought had destroyed pastureland.

   During this period, industry and trade decrease significantly because of foreign competition, powerty and limited demand for goods from America.

   While the nobles acquired more new property and other luxuries, the peasants, artisans and hidalgos struggled to survive the economic crisis.

THE PLAGUE AFFECTED SEVILLE IN 1649.

 

5.2. THE CRISIS AND THE CROWN OF ARAGON.

   

   In the 17th century, Aragon's more stable economy allowed new trading companies to appear, and a silk textile industry also began. 

THE CRISIS AND THE CROWN OF ARAGON.

 

REALIZADO POR: José Manuel Pecero Morgado

y Malena Rodríguez VIdal.