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THE SPANISH HABSBURG DYNASTY - Coggle Diagram
THE SPANISH HABSBURG DYNASTY
THE RELIGIOUS WARS
In the 16th century, the Spanish Monarchy became the most powerful in Europe
Carlos V, or Carlos I of Spain, reigned from 1516 to 1556
His son Felipe II took over the throne from 1556 to 1598
Both monarchs belonged to the Habsburg dynasty
They attempted to exert absolute political authority over Europe and pursued similar political objectives:
To retain their territorial patrimony through numerous wars against other kingdoms
The riches obtained from the Americas were not sufficient to finance their foreign policies
So they became indebted to Italian and German bankers
To defend Catholicism
They took measures to preserve religious unity both in their territories and the whole of Europe
Their domestic policy continued to be discriminatory
Those who questioned Catholicism were repressed and they published the Index of forbidden books
Outside Spain, they waged religiously motivated wars against the Protestant states.
ECONOMY AND SOCIETY IN THE 16TH CENTURY
At the end of the 16th century
the Spanish economy went into decline
Only small local craft industries, which supplied the limited domestic demand, were able to survive
The major industries, such as the Castilian wool industry and the Crown of Aragón's textile industry, could not compete with those from abroad
This fall in production also affected trade
As fewer raw materials were bought and sold and the number of products manufactured decreased
The port of Sevilla monopolised trade with the colonies through the Casa de Contratación.
Consequently, the population increased and the cities grew
To protect the ships from pirate attacks
, Felipe II organised a fleet system so the voyages
The arrival of precious metals on the Peninsula affected the Spanish Monarchy in the following ways:
The craft industry began to grow due to an increase in demand from the American territories
The rise in prices made Spanish products more expensive and it became cheaper to buy them abroad
As they had more resources, the monarchs were able to begin more expensive projects
when these resources ran out they resorted to increasing taxes
These were collected from the peasants and the bourgeoisie, as the privileged classes
The arrival of metals enriched the nobility
They used the silver and gold to buy luxury products, but did not invest in production
Therefore, the majority of the population became poorer
The economy continued to be based on agriculture
This meant that the majority of the population became extremely vulnerable when harvests were bad
It enabled the kings to finance the numerous wars they were involved in throughout Europe