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The Spanish Empire, [b] sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy [c] or the Catholic Monarchy, [d] [4] [5] [6] was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. [7] [8] In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery.
Spanish men and women settled in greatest numbers where there were dense indigenous populations and the existence of valuable resources for extraction. [1] The Spanish Empire claimed jurisdiction over the New World in the Caribbean and North and South America, with the exception of Brazil, ceded to Portugal by the Treaty of Tordesillas. Other ...
Religious zeal played a large role in Spanish and Portuguese overseas activities. While the Pope himself was a political power to be heeded (as evidenced by his authority to decree whole continents open to colonization by particular kings), the Church also sent missionaries to convert the indigenous peoples of other continents to the Catholic faith.
Echoing the prevailing ideological perspectives regarding colonialism and imperialism embraced by Spain's European rivals during the colonial era, including the English, French, and the Dutch, the Spanish used colonialism as a means of expanding imperial geopolitical borders and securing the defense of maritime trade routes in the Caribbean basin.
The influence and imperialism of the West (Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, France, United Kingdom, United States) and associated states (such as Russia and Japan) peaked in Asian territories from the colonial period beginning in the 16th century and substantially reducing with 20th century decolonization.
Spanish decline can trace its direct causes to the long-term inflation and hyperinflation caused by the New World silver pouring into the Spanish economy after 1530 or so. This one economic problem caused a cascade of events in Spain's economy that ultimately destroyed its prosperity and led to Spain's long-term decline.
Spanish explorers, conquerors, and settlers sought material wealth, prestige, and the spread of Christianity, often summed up in the phrase "gold, glory, and God". [18] The Spanish justified their claims to the New World based on the ideals of the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims, completed in 1492. [19]
The Spanish American wars of independence (Spanish: Guerras de independencia hispanoamericanas) took place across the Spanish Empire in the early 19th century. The struggles in both hemispheres began shortly after the outbreak of the Peninsular War , forming part of the broader context of the Napoleonic Wars .