imperial spain and the reign of philip ii by lara goldstein, dan lee, and dan zhu

Imperial Spain and the Reign of Philip IIBy Lara Goldstein, Dan Lee, and Dan Zhu

Riches in the New World• Castile

• Regular arrival of gold and silver bars from the Spanish colonies in the New World in Seville

• Silver mines in Potosi and Zacatecas

• Debts from his father

• No new foreign adventures

• Bankruptcy of the Fuggers

Population● As Europe’s wealth increased, population increased - pop. >70 million by 1600

● Increased wealth + population = inflation -> less food and fewer jobs; wages stagnate but price of goods increase

● Spain was epitome of inflation

○ gap b/t haves (rich) and have-nots (poor) widened

○ the Castilian peasantry was the most heavily taxed people of Europe

● The peasants were the backbone of Spanish Empire - Spanish hegemony benefitted more from suffering peasantry

• Philip II organized the lesser nobility into loyal and efficient national bureaucracy

• He controlled kingdom using paper and pen rather than personal presence

• Philip was a pious Catholic - however, popes suspected he used religion for political purposes

Bureaucracy and Military

• This exemplifies how during the current time period was influenced more on politics disguised as religion.

Supremacy in the Mediterranean➢ Spain historically the champion against Islam

➢ Focus in the Mediterranean against the Turkish threat

➢ Don John, Phillip’s ½ brother, was sent to disperse Moors

➢ 1571- Battle of Lepanto (Holy League of Spain, Venice and Pope under Don John)

➢ Spain showcased its naval power-> annexation of Portugal

Fernand Braudel• French historian

• The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip I

• Not one Mediterranean Sea but many in which men could operate.

• Interconnected land masses and bodies of water

• Policies of Philip II in the form of a conventional diplomatic history

Impact ➢ Increased the power of Spain as a nation significantly

➢ Split society even further, politically and economically

➢ Religion isn’t the main focus, used as a scapegoat for political interests