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Spain's rise and fall
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In 1490 there was no such country as Spain, yet within a century it had become the most powerful nation in Europe and within another had shrunk to the status of a third-rate power. Through the influence of reigning Habsburg monarchs, Spain underwent major social, economic, and political issues stimulating its rise and fall. The marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand V of Aragon initiated the developments that made Spain a great power. This marriage associated the two kingdoms and paved the way for the creation of a single Spanish monarchy. Making the church an ally, the devoutly Catholic monarchs introduced to Spain the Inquisition. They reorganized the central government, codified the laws, and replaced the nobles who once performed governmental functions with royal officials. Ferdinand and Isabella won the support of the middle classes by reducing the power of the nobles. The unified Spaniards eventually drove the last of the Moors from the country. After winning absolute control of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella sponsored Columbus’s voyage to the New World in 1492, and later they aroused the formation of the Spanish empire in South and Central America. As we can infer from Carlton Hayes and Frederick Clark, Ferdinand and Isabella set the stage for Spain’s Golden Age, making it one of the richest and most important monarchies. Throughout the Golden Age, the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, Spain was the most influential state in Europe. The Spanish adopted numerous characteristics setting them apart from other peoples of Europe. Struggles with the Moors gave them a fierce pride in their country. Furthermore, they were so devoted to their religion that Spain was little influenced by the Protestant Reformation, remaining a stronghold of Catholicism. Governed by kings who ruled a vast empire in Europe and the New World, the Spanish had the most feared armies, while enriched by the gold and silver of the Americas.
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Paper Information
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Title: Spain's rise and fall
Words: 1569
Rating: None
Pages: 6.3
submitted by: greenie788
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