Spanish Habsburg Rule: 16th & 17th Centuries
The Habsburgs in 17th Century Spain
10th Century Habsburg Rulers
Philip III (1598-1621): Inherited the world’s largest empire in 1598.
Philip IV (1621-1665): Ascended the throne at sixteen under the guidance of Gaspar de Guzman, Count of Olivares.
Charles II (1665-1700): Ascended as a child, with his mother Mariana of Austria serving as regent.
11th Century: Peace of Westphalia (1648)
Ended the Central European conflict, including Spain’s acceptance of the United Provinces’ independence and the end of Habsburg hegemony.
12th Century: Union of Arms
Established by Olivares to address the crown’s economic and military needs, creating a standing army of 140,000 men supported by all kingdoms.
13th Century: Social Classes
Medieval society divided into privileged (high, medium, and low nobility and clergy) and non-privileged (commoners, including farmers, bourgeoisie, laborers, and the urban lower class).
14th Century: Battle of Lepanto
Spanish victory against the Turks, halting their advance and challenging their invincibility, though the threat in the Mediterranean remained.
15th Century: Philip IV’s Goals
- Restore the crown’s authority in Castile.
- End the corruption from his father’s reign.
16th Century: Philip II’s Objectives
Focused on defending Catholicism and maintaining dynastic hegemony in Europe.
17th Century: Statutes of Cleanliness of Blood
Aristocratic honor based on having no Jewish, Muslim, or converted Christian ancestry.
Charles V (1500-1558)
Foreign Policy
Driven by Habsburg dynastic interests. Charles V maintained an itinerant court, reflecting medieval European organization. His ideal was a universal Christian monarchy with dual spiritual (Papal) and earthly (Imperial) power.
Key Challenges:
- French Opposition: Conflicts with France in Northern Italy and Flanders over Burgundy. The Battle of Pavia (1525) saw the French king captured, but conflict continued until the Peace of Cateau-Cambresis (1559).
- Ottoman Threat: Turkish expansion in the Balkans and the Mediterranean posed a threat to imperial lands and trade routes.
- Protestantism: The rise of Protestantism challenged Catholic unity, exacerbated by German princes accepting Luther’s doctrines. The Schmalkaldic League (1531) was defeated at Mühlberg (1547), but the Peace of Augsburg (1555) granted religious freedom to princes, marking the failure of religious unity.
Domestic Policy
Charles I, son of Philip the Handsome and Joanna of Castile, inherited Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Spanish kingdoms (Castile, Aragon, Navarre), along with territories in Italy, North Africa, and the Americas.
Key Objectives:
- Maintain religious unity under Catholicism.
- Establish a universal monarchy.
Challenges:
- Revolt of the Comunidades (1520): Castilian cities opposed taxes and foreign advisors.
- Germanias Revolts (1519-1522): Social conflict in Valencia and Mallorca.