The Collapse of an Empire: Spain 1652

The Collapse of an Empire: Spain 1652

The decline of the Spanish Empire began with Philip II. In the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, he put together The Holy League which was an alliance between Spain, Venice, Genoa, and the Papal State. The Holy League captured and took control over the Ottoman Empire in the western Mediterranean. This capture was a victory for the Christian Spain force that held claim to territories in Asia, Africa, and Brazil as a result. Ten years later King Philip II, while other bickering claimants were unable to hold the throne to Portugal, declared himself king of Portugal, uniting Spain and Portugal under the one Iberian Peninsula.

Trouble gradually accumulated for Philip because of his dedication to defending his Catholic empire against the Protestant Reformation. He used the Spanish Inquisition to persecute the Protestant. This led to an open revolt in 1567 that continued for one half century. Eventually the conflict between both religions led to war with England, who was a Protestant power. In this religious war with Spain, the English received support from the Dutch, who raided Spain’s colonies and treasure ships in the Americas. The war between Spain and England continued until 1604. Financing the war for over thirty years while Spain’s primary resource where being pirated overseas in the American colonies began to take its toll on the country.

King Philip III took over after his father’s death and like him cared very little for politics. He was a weak ruler who focused his attention and extravagant spending on court festivals, palaces, and hunting parties. He turned over his political affairs to Francisco de Sandoval, his prime minister. Although Spain made peace with England in 1604 and initiated a twelve-year truce with the Dutch in 1609, they struggled with costly military spending. It was peace-time with King Philip III until he got involved near the end of the Thirty Years’ War.

The Thirty Years’ War began as a religious conflict between the Protestants and Catholics in Germany. Philip III got involve out of the desire to support and advance the Catholic faith. He also wanted the Habsburg to stay in power politically. The Habsburgs refers to lands (presently Germany and Austria), that was inherited by his grandfather Charles I, grandson to Ferdinand V. Ferdinand V had married off his daughter, Joanna the Mad, to a member of the Habsburg royal family, Philip of Burgundy who later became Philip I of Castile, upon marriage. Furthermore, Philip III wanted the Habsburg to recover the provinces the Dutch had acquired. When he died in 1621 his son Philip IV took over the throne.

Spain’s economy, social and political conditions were on a downward spiral. King Philip IV ruled during 1621-1665. He ruled Spain but his leadership was weak. The power of the monarchy was also left to his prime minister, Gasper de Guzman whose ambition was to restore Spain’s power. Guzman ensued direct conflict with the Dutch and involvement in the Thirty Years’ War. Although Spain was fairly successful in their military ambition, at home, revolt uprising resulted as a consequence of increase taxation as well as other demands to support the militia campaigns.

By 1640, the province of Catalonia declared itself independent and Portugal broke away from Spain. Its’ independence was recognized in 1668. In 1665, the British navy captured the Jamaica island colony. It was the first of the many colonies Spain would eventually loss in the Western Hemisphere, due to independence or captivity by other countries. As a result, fewer fleets coming from the Americas brought home less and less silver and treasures. Additionally, Spain reluctantly returned the acquired provinces of Roussillon and Cerdagne to France in 1659. Spain was forced to declare bankruptcy first in 1647, and then in 1652. Charles II, Philip IV son ruled during 1655-1700, a time when the Spanish Habsburg had come to an end and Spain lost its remaining possessions in Europe. Charles is credited to willing his throne to his grandnephew, Philip V, duke of Anjou and grandson to Bourbon King Louis XIV of France. This acquisition of the throne gave France an enormous expansion in French power, introducing the early Spanish Bourbons to Spain.