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1519
Charles V Inherits Two Crowns
Charles V became king of Spain and also became heir to the Hapsburg empire. This included the Holy Roman Empire and the Netherlands. With all this power, he was very hard-working. He also came along with constant warfare as it is the price of ruling two empires. During his 37-year reign, Spanish power grew. -
1554
Philip II's Marriage to Mary Tudor
Philip II married to Mary Tudor in 1554. This created an alliance with England until Mary's death four years later. -
1556
Charles V Abdicates
Later on Charles V found out that ruling two empires was exhausting and tiring for his old age. After his reign for 37 years, he gave up his titles and divided his empire. He left the Hapsburg lands to his brother Ferdinand who became Holy Roman Emperor. Then he gave Spain, the Netherlands, some southern Italian states, and Spain's overseas empire to his 29 year old son Philip II. -
1556
Philip II's reign
During Philip II's 42-year reign, he expanded Spanish influence. This was when Spain was at it's peak. He strengthened the Catholic Church and mad his own power absolute. -
1559
Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis
This agreement marked the end of the 65-year conflict between France and Spain for the control of Italy. In result, left Spain the dominant power for the next 150 years. -
1579
Spain's Golden Age - El Expolio
El Greco is one of the famous painters during Spain's golden age. He is considered to be a master of Spanish painting. He produced religious pictures and portraits of Spanish nobles. One of his famous works is El Expolio which in translation means the Disrobing of Christ. -
Elizabeth I Sides With The Protestants
England's Queen Elizabeth I wanted to help protestants against Philip II and the Catholic Church. This led to the armada in 1588. -
Spanish Armada Sails Against England
Philip II had many conflicts, one of which is the conflict against England and Elizabeth I. To strike back and end English attacks, Philip II prepared a Spanish armada to invade England.The armada had more than 130 ships, 20,000 men, and 2,400 pieces of artillery. The Spanish's morale was high and were confident of victory. But in the end, they failed and the battle favored England. -
Spanish Empire Declines
Throughout the 1600's, Spain's strength decreased. After Philip II's reign, his successors failed to rule as well as he did. Economic problems also arose. Overseas wars drained the wealth out of Spain and Spain also neglected farming and commerce because of treasure. There was heavy taxing on the middle class. The American gold and silver led to inflation. The expulsion of Muslims and Jews led to the Economy to be deprived of skilled workers. -
Spain's Golden Age - Don Quixote
During Spain's golden age many new artists and important writers came to rise. One of these important writes is a person named Miguel de Cervantes. One of his famous pieces is the Don Quixote. It is considered Europe's first modern novel. The story is with the heroic idealism as the main character and with his sidekick.
