-
Period: Jul 1, 1550 to
Silver
16,000 tons of silver bullion were unloaded from Spanish ships. A large army of 50,000 soldiers is supported with the money -
Jul 1, 1555
Peace of Augsburg
Charles V signs the Peace of Augsburg unqillingly. -
Jan 26, 1566
Protestant Mobs
Philip raised taxes in the Netherlands and took steps to crush Protestantism. In response, angry Protestant mobs swept through Catholic churches. Philip then sent an army under the Spanish duke of Alva to punish the rebels. -
Jan 26, 1568
Execution
On a single day, the duke executed 1,500 Protestants and suspected rebels. -
Jul 1, 1571
Pope Calls to Catholic Princes
The pope called on all Catholic princes to take up arms against the mounting power of the Ottoman Empire. -
Jan 26, 1579
Independence
Finally,the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands, which were largely Protestant, united and declared their independence from Spain. They became the United Provinces of the Netherlands. The ten southern provinces (present-day Belgium) were Catholic and remained under Spanish control. -
Jul 1, 1580
King of Portugal
The King of Portugal dies without an heir. Philip, the king's nephew, takes the Potuguese kingdom. -
Spain goes to war with England
Philip launched the Spanish Armada in an attempt to punish Protestant England and its queen, Elizabeth I. However, he was defeated. -
Gold
American mines supply Spain witg an estimated 339,000 pounds of gold. -
Novels in Europe
The publication of Don Quixote de la Mancha is often called the birth of the modern European novel. -
Dutch Fleet
The Dutch had the largest fleet of ships in the world perhaps 4,800 ships.