17th-Century Spain: Habsburg Rule & Internal Conflicts
17th-Century Spain: The Minor Habsburgs and Internal Conflicts
Philip III, Philip IV, and Charles II, Habsburgs called the Juniors, reigned in the 17th century. It was a century of decline, both politically and economically, inseparable from the general European crisis.
Philip III (1598-1621)
Philip III left power in the hands of his favorite, the Duke of Lerma, who became rich and distributed offices among relatives. The court moved to Valladolid in 1600 for six years. The expulsion of the Moors (
Read MoreWorld War I: Trench Warfare, Stalemate, and Armenian Genocide
Western Front: Stalemate
By early 1915, opposing armies on the Western Front had dug miles of parallel trenches to protect themselves from enemy fire: trench warfare. The space between the opposing trenches was called “no man’s land.” When the officers ordered an attack, the soldiers went to the top of the trench and had to face rounds of machine-gun fire and shells of all calibers. Most of the offensives, most of the attacks on the enemy trenches, failed, and tens of thousands of soldiers died
Read MoreAlfonso XIII’s Reign: Modernization Attempts and Crisis
Reign of Alfonso XIII: Modernization Attempts
At the beginning of Alfonso XIII’s reign, the fundamentals of the Restoration, the 1876 Constitution, political parties, and caciquismo were still in force. However, his accession to the throne coincided with the impact of the Disaster of ’98 and the rise of Regenerationism, the advance of socialist and nationalist Republican parties. The new king decided to intervene in politics and exert military power.
Conservative Regenerationism: “Revolution from
Read MoreSpanish Restoration: Political System and Key Events
The Spanish Restoration: A Conservative Era
The stage of affirmation of the liberal revolution was, in its most conservative form. The ideological bases of the restorative system were those of the creator Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, taking into account: the Constitution of 1876, the Pacific Time party, the oligarchies, the chieftaincy, and the creation of the King-Soldier, as a means to end interference with the military in political life.
Cánovas’s Presidency (1876-1881)
Cánovas’s presidency
Read MoreThe Cortes of Cádiz: Spain’s First Liberal Revolution
The Cortes of Cádiz
The Provincial Boards and the Central Board
The abdication of Bayonne had created a vacuum of authority in occupied Spain. Although the Bourbons had ordered the authorities to obey the new king Joseph I, many Spanish people refused to obey an authority that was seen as illegitimate. To fill this vacuum and organize spontaneous uprisings against the French, Provincial Boards were organized to assume sovereignty.
The Provincial Boards felt from the outset the need for coordination.
Read MoreSpain in the 16th Century: Economy and Society
16th Century Spain: Economy and Society
Economic developments in sixteenth-century Spain were marked by growth and a price revolution. Both Castile and Aragon experienced a major boom in all economic sectors, especially those related to urban and commodity production, international trade, and port activities. Population growth and the demand from America for all types of products increased demand.
The Price Revolution
Another important factor was the price revolution. Since the beginning of the century,
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