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THE SPANISH HABSBURG DYNASTY, image, image, image, image, image, image,…
THE SPANISH HABSBURG DYNASTY
The religious wars
In 16th century, the Spanish Monarchy became the most powerful in Europe. Felipe II took over the throne from 1556 to 1598.
Political objectives
To retain their territorial patrimony through numerous wars against other kingdoms. 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
Outside Spain, they waged religously motivated wars against the Protestant states.
Economy and society in the 16th century
The economy prospered due to the riches obtained from the Americas, especially silver and gold
The port of Sevilla monopolised trade with the colonies though the Casa de Contratacion
The arrival of precious metals on the Peninsula affected the Spanish Monarchy in the following ways
The arrival of metals enriched the nobility, the mayority of the population became poorer
The craft industry began to grow due to an increase in demand from the American territories
It enabled the kings to finance the numerous wars they were involved in throughout Europe
The monarchs were able to begin more expensive projects
The economy continued to be based on agriculture
This fall in production also affected trade
