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Invasion of England
King Phillip sends a huge armada to try to invade England in order to crush the protestant reformation and to stop the English from interfering in Spain’s business with it’s colony, the Netherlands. The Armada is managed poorly, and suffers numerous problems. Their food rots and they get caught up in numerous storms. This is one of the first signs that the Spanish empire’s power was waning. -
Financial Crisis
By 1590, despite ruling all over the world, and being the most populous empire in the world, Spain faces many many problems. The government is near bankrupt due to spending too much on war and the royal court, the armed forces are out of date, and the government is inefficient in general. -
Truce with the Dutch
Spain forms a truce with the Dutch after years of fighting.This humiliating agreement effectively recognizes the independence of the Netherlands. The Dutch then proceed to harm Spain by capturing their treasure fleets, taking Portuguese trade, and by extension. This ends up hurting the relationship between Spain and Portugal. -
Economic Failure
Spain had become dependent on silver flowing in from the New World and this causes the economy to fail when the mines began producing less. The value of silver imported from the new world dropped from 1.2 million pesos to 14.8 million peso's. -
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Rule of King Charles II
King Charles II was physically handicapped and mentally challenged. He was often ignored in court and his reign accelerated and marked Spain’s fall from the power it once possessed. Despite two marriages, Charles was unable to produce a male heir and his death triggered a war of succession which further cemented Spain’s decline. -
Louisiana Territory
Napoleon seizes the Louisiana Territory as part of the Treaty of San Ildefonso, and sells it to the U.S. This marks the beginning of the end of the Spanish empire, as border disputes, rebellion, and occupation batter the country. -
French Occupation
French forces occupy Spain without firing a single shot. Though the brutal French are ousted by rebellion soon after, arguments over succession and government caused political turmoil for several decades. -
Spanish-American War
A severely weakened Spain loses it’s last colonies in the New World after the Spanish-American war. Called a “Splendid Little War” by American John Hay, the scattered Spanish fleets were no match for the American Armada’s, and their defeats were crushing.