Spain Under the Habsburg Dynasty: A Concise History

Posted on Feb 22, 2025 in History

Carlos V (Holy Roman Emperor) / Carlos I (Spain)

  • Inheritance (Maternal): Castilla, Navarra, Aragon, Italian territories
  • Inheritance (Paternal): German lands, Netherlands, Franche-Comté

Domestic Policy

Uprisings against a foreign king:

  1. The Revolt of the Comuneros in Castilla: Nobles, bourgeoisie, and peasants protested increasing taxes. The Battle of Villalar (1521) resulted in the deaths of Bravo, Padilla, and Maldonado.
  2. Germania Revolts in Valencia and Mallorca: The nobility defeated the rebels.

Foreign Policy

  1. The Papacy feared Carlos V’s imperial power.
  2. France, under King François I, was surrounded by the empire’s territories and fought against Carlos V.
  3. Carlos V defended Christianity, capturing Tunis but was defeated in Algiers.
  4. Conflicts with Protestants: Carlos V defeated German Protestant princes supporting Lutheranism. The Peace of Augsburg granted religious freedom, allowing each prince to choose the religion of their subjects.
  5. Financial Problems: Expensive wars and administrative costs led to debt. Gold and silver from the Americas were insufficient.

Felipe II

Domestic Policy

  1. Defense of Catholicism: Resistance to the spread of the Protestant Reformation:
    • Castilians were forbidden to study at foreign universities.
    • The Inquisition became more powerful.
    • The Revolt of the Moriscos in the Alpujarras occurred.
  2. Unrest in Aragon: Antonio Perez, accused of murder, fled to Aragon and sought protection from the Supreme Justice. Aragon refused extradition, leading to a revolt that the king suppressed, reducing Aragonese autonomy.

Foreign Policy

  1. France: The French were defeated at the Battle of St. Quentin, followed by the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis.
  2. The Turks: Felipe II created the Holy League (Papacy, Venice, and other Italian states) and defeated them at the Battle of Lepanto.
  3. Portugal: Felipe II forced the Parliament of Tomar to accept him as king, claiming the throne through his mother, Isabel.
  4. England: Felipe II planned to invade, but the Spanish Armada was defeated.
  5. The Netherlands: Calvinists opposed the king and declared independence as the United Provinces.

Felipe III

He delegated political decisions to a royal favorite, the Duke of Lerma.

Domestic Policy

The expulsion of the Moriscos, a hard-working minority, damaged the economy.

Foreign Policy

Peace with England, the Twelve Years’ Truce with the Dutch, and Spanish support for Austria in the Thirty Years’ War.

Felipe IV

Felipe IV’s valido, the Count-Duke of Olivares, tried to maintain Spain’s leadership in Europe.

Domestic Policy

  • Olivares proposed standardizing the laws and institutions of all the kingdoms.
  • He increased military expenses and established a system for recruiting soldiers, the Union of Arms.
  • Uprisings occurred in Cataluña.
  • Portugal became independent.
  • Aristocratic conspiracies arose in Andalucia, Aragon, and Naples.

Foreign Policy

The Thirty Years’ War: The Spanish Tercios were defeated by the French at the Battle of Rocroi.

  1. By the Treaty of Westphalia, Spain recognized the independence of the United Provinces.
  2. War with France continued until the Peace of the Pyrenees.

The Spanish War of Succession

Carlos II was sick and incapable, causing political instability. He died without an heir, leading to claims from the Archduke Charles of Austria and Philip of Anjou. Philip of Anjou became Felipe V of Spain.