The Rise of the Spanish Empire: From Charles V to Philip II
I. The Empire of Charles V (1517-1556)
The Formation of the Empire
Charles V’s imperial vision, driven by strategic marriages and an expansionist policy, led to a vast territorial empire. His inheritance included:
- 1516: From Ferdinand, the Crown of Aragon, Sardinia, Sicily, Naples, and the Canary Islands.
- From Isabella, Castile, the Americas, and North African territories.
- 1517: Netherlands, Flanders, Artois, and Burgundy (through his grandmother, Mary of Burgundy).
- 1519: The title of Holy Roman Emperor (from Maximilian I).
This consolidation of power resulted in the isolation of France and positioned Charles V as a dominant force in Europe, controlling key economic resources. He viewed himself as both Emperor and defender of Christendom, spending much of his reign in European territories.
Imperial Instruments
Maintaining the empire required effective tools:
- Royal Treasury (Hacienda Real): Established in Castile in 1523 to manage revenues, but faced chronic deficits due to high imperial costs. American gold and silver, though flowing through Castile, did not solve the financial issues.
- Imperial Army: Composed of soldiers from across the empire’s territories.
- Diplomacy: Ambassadors were stationed in major European cities.
Domestic Affairs
: Communities and Communities of Castilla Germanías .-. After the death of Elizabeth will be Fernando who acts as regent of Castile until 20 June 1506que gave the kingdom to Juana and Philip. Death of Philip and inherits the throne by his son Charles age 6, Joan retired to Tordesillas and stops his bastard son regent and Cardinal Cisneros Alonso. In 1517 Carlos Castilla reached where it gets to act as jury rey.Entre 1518-1519 is king by the Cortes of Castile and the Crown of Aragon. In June he became Emperor of Germany. Summons is Santiago de Compostela courts asking that representatives of cities from coming with full powers to approve a special allowance to cope with their gastos.Se produced the revolt of the Castilian ComunidadsThe movimietno started in all cities participating in the Castilian and the urban nobility and the bourgeoisie to the clergy and many peasants.
Their demands are:-refusal to pay the subsidy and the sales tax increases. -the rejection of the Flemings and their output charges públicos.-the desire that the king lives in defense of Castile .- textiles Castelano against foreign competition .- deletionof by the mayor. Members of the urban nobility: Padilla, Bravo and Maldonado. Communal leaders decide on the relocation of the Juanta to Tordesillas and recognizes only as Queen Juana. The center of the discussion is now focused on the board was to be a mere consultative assembly with no real power or being a caretaker government. The aopoyo of the great nobility to the king, the Revolution makes join a social revolution by commoners. The interpretation of the revolt of the Communities of Catilla is very uneven both in later centuries and in recent historiography. Maravall and highly regarded works Perez wanted to see the conflict as an example of modern democracy uprising uan in urban liberties against royal authority, Gutierrez Nieto, however, considers it a noble anti riot episode. “The Germanias in Valencia: movimietno also emerged from the Valencia Agermanats. Declared a plague in the city, and the Viceroy losnobles Diego Hurtado de Mendoza flee the city, causing a power vacuum that was aprobechado by agermandos to establish a collegial governance: the Board of Thirteen Mennecke. “International politics: The struggle against France for European hegemony: the Milanese, is the resumption of the wars in Italy against Francis I of France. Anti-Protestant: After the 95 theses Luther and his excommunication of the emperor also politically condemned at the Diet of Worms. Protestantism was spreading to Germany. -Fight against the Turks: From 1525 there is a large Turkish expansion in the Balkans. In the Mediterranean made two expeditions against the pirate Barbarossa, defeated in Tunisia (1535) and failing to Algiers (1541). III – The Hispanic Monarchy of Phillip II.La Iberian unit. “The legacy of Philip II: the Hispanic monarchy idea: His empire was divided between his brother Ferdinand and his son Philip II. The distinctive feature in the view of Antonio Dominguez Ortiz was that it would be ruled by a Spanish king, who lives in Spain and surrounded by Spanish directors Philip II creates a cut set at El Escorial and faces the problems inherited and new ones. “The domestic politics. “The crisis of the Royal Treasury: When Charles V retired debt amounted crown, an amount equal to all fixed rents of the crown. Apart sized debts were also prominent bankers. Philip therefore launched an ambitious reform of Hciedna to rubustecer their income: