Around the year 1500, human history underwent a tremendous transformation. The social system, politics and economy all entered an era of change, mainly thanks to the great geographical discoveries and other activities that explored the New World, as well as the beginning of colonial expansion.
Spain took the lead at this turning point in history. However, the good times were short-lived, and this advantage did not last long.
After the death of Philip II in 1598, Spain's status as a world-class power ceased to exist and began to decline.
So, why is that? There are many reasons for this.
In 1492, Spain rose to prominence with the Reconquista. Later, through marriage and expansion, Spain possessed a large number of European territories and American colonies, and by the time of Charles V, it began to dominate the European continent.
Spain went through a long journey from weak to strong, but the hidden contradictions did not disappear, and finally erupted at the end of the reign of Philip II.
Prince Fernand's marriage to Ilibella was once seen as a symbol of the union of Aragon and Castile. True unity, however, has not been achieved.
Despite the couple's rule over the country, the unity between Castile and Aragon was not as solid as it seemed.
This situation also did not change during the reign of Philip II.
During this period, there were internal problems in Spain, the most obvious of which was that Philip II, king of Castile, had no rival in the kingdom of Castile, but in the kingdom of Aragon his power was resisted.
His ability to rule in the Kingdom of Aragon was rather weak from the start, relying mainly on the local governor and the Aragonese Council.
1.Spain's European territories were independent and their internal structures were intricate and not entirely aligned with their interests. The Netherlands, for example, has more than 200 towns, 19 of which have a population of more than 10,000, more than half of the population of the Dutch province live in towns, which is very rare in Europe.
However, this local autonomy also made it difficult for Spain**, especially when these towns had their own military defenses.
2.Spain's dominance over its overseas colonies was weak.
Due to the geographical dispersion of the colonies, the distance and the inconvenient transportation, the speed of information transmission was extremely slow, and the management was difficult.
The king's orders to the Americas took at least seven months to arrive, while the correspondence between Spain and the Americas took more than a year.
This delay was undoubtedly detrimental to Spanish ** control of the colonies.
The strength of the economy is one of the important indicators to measure the national strength of a country.
In the first half of the 16th century, agriculture in Spain developed significantly, but because the aristocracy and the church owned a large amount of land, the peasants could not benefit materially from the development of agriculture.
This irrationality of the economic structure made agriculture vulnerable to the impending recession, and from the second half of the 16th century, agriculture began to decline generally.
The preference of the Spanish rulers for animal husbandry further hindered the development of agriculture, and many good arable land was used for grazing.
At the same time, in the second half of the 16th century, the livestock industry in Spain also declined rapidly. The impact of the Revolution on Spanish exports also spread to animal husbandry.
In the second half of the 16th century, Spain's history underwent major changes, with domestic turmoil and increasingly tense international tensions.
As soon as the new king Philip II took over, he was confronted with a wave of revolution in northern Europe, while at the same time the British provocations against Spain in the Atlantic and American colonies never stopped.
More worryingly, in France, the possibility of the Protestants overthrowing Catholic rule necessitated a large-scale military campaign in Spain.
Domestically, Spain imposed harsh repressive measures, while abroad, it unfolded fierce wars.
First, the Dutch bourgeoisie rose in the midst of economic development and social change. Many of them were influenced by Calvinism and opposed the Roman Catholic Church, demanding the breaking of the feudal shackles and the development of capitalism.
During the reign of Philip II, he adopted a series of policies to strengthen his control over the Netherlands.
In order to protect Spain's own interests, he sent Spanish troops to garrison the Netherlands and forbade Dutch merchants to go to Spain and the American colonies for freedom**.
However, these policies took a toll on the people of the Netherlands, deepening their contradictions with the Spanish rulers. Subsequently, in order to fight for control of the Mediterranean, Philip II fought a fierce war with Turkey.
However, the rulers of Spain did not find peace as a result, and they went to war with the British. With the accession of Queen Elizabeth of England, Britain began to grow stronger.
Despite the attempts of the rulers of the two countries to maintain friendship, the status conflict remained. After the Dutch Revolution, England gradually became an enemy of Spain, culminating in the Anglo-Spanish War in 1588.
February**Dynamic Incentive Program The shift in religion and social dimensions has had a profound impact on Spain. The history of the Spanish Empire cannot be understood without Catholicism. Catholicism was not only supreme in Spain, but was also a fundamental principle for the development and consolidation of the Spanish empire.
Catholicism played an important role in unifying the country and sustaining the empire. However, the influence of Catholicism also had negative consequences, posing a threat to the rule of the empire.
In addition, there were a series of undesirable phenomena in Spanish society at that time, such as aristocratic vanity, waste and luxury, etc. All of these posed challenges to the stability and development of the Spanish Empire.
During the long war, the Spaniards developed the idea that they did not value labor and preferred poverty. At the same time, the discovery of the Americas sparked a gold rush in the frenzied pursuit of gold and silver, which led to the decline of the Spanish Empire.
Therefore, a country must maintain political unity, strengthen internal management, and coordinate internal economic development. Rulers should formulate correct and reasonable national policies and development strategies that suit their national conditions in light of the development and changes of the times.