UNIT 8 SOCIAL SCIENCE: 17th AND 18th CENTURIES IN SPAIN

THE 17th CENTURY: THE DECLINE OF THE SPANISH EMPIRE

THE FRAGMENTATION OF THE SPANISH EMPIRE

In the 16^th century, under Carlos I and Felipe II, Spain lost much of its power in Europe. This was caused by several factors:

• Spain was  constantly at war. It suffered important defeats and lost part of its territories.
• Spain was financially weaker. There was less gold and silver arriving from America.

THE REIGN OF FELIPE III

When Felipe II died in 1598, Felipe III became King of Spain. Felipe III was not very interested in governing the country. His royal favourites governed the country from him. They were people the king trusted. Felipe III’s most important favourite was the Duque of Lerma.

One of the most important events in his reign was the expulsion of the Moriscos. The Moriscos were Muslims who had been forced to convert to Christianity during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs.

THE REIGN OF FELIPE IV

Felipe IV became king in 1621. His royal favourite was the Conde Duque de Olivares. Olivares government Spain was continually at war.

Spain fought in the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). This was a religious war between Catholics and Protestans in Central Europe.

Spain was badly defeated in this war. Spain lost the Netherlands and other territories in Europe.

THE REIGN OF CARLOS II

Carlos II became king in 1665 when he was only 4 years old. His mother governed whilst he was a child. When he was old enough to rule, Carlos II was ill. His royal favourites governed for him.

Carlos II died without having any children. Many European monarchies fought to take over the Spanish Empire. This was called the War of Succession. After the war a new dynasty ruled in Spain: the Bourbon dynasty.

THE GOLDEN AGE

The Golden Age was a period of artistic and literaty splendor in Spain during the Habsburg dynasty. Some artists were: Velázquez, El Greco, Miguel de Cervantes and Fray Luis de León.

THE 18 TH CENTURY: THE BOURBON DYNASTY

THE BOURBONS IN SPAIN

The War of Succession had 2 important consequences:

- A new royal dynasty ruled Spain: the Bourbons, from France.

- The Tratado de Utrecht was signed in 1713. It confirmed Philip V as king of Spain. As part of the treaty, Spain lost territories in Europe and Spain, for example Gibraltar and Menorca became English colonies.

FELIPE V AND FERNANDO VI

In 1700, Felipe V became king. He was the grandson of the French king Lous XIV. Felipe V estabilished an absolute monarchy. This meant he had all the powers of State. He made important reforms, for example: he made Spanish the only official language and he introduced the Salic Law of succession which excluded women from the Spanish throne.

Fernando VI became king after Felipe V. He continued the reforms. He also built roads and canals.

CARLOS III AND CARLOS IV

Carlos III and his ministers tried to modernize the country. They tried to improve agriculture, industry and trade. They reformed education and built libraries and museums such as the Prado Museum. Under his rule, Menorca became part of Spain again.
At the end of 18^th century, Carlos  IV became King of Spain. He was an unpopular king who left the government of the country in the hands of his minister Manuel Godoy.

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

In the 18 th century, there was a new cultural movement called the Enlightenment. This movement came from France and spread during the Bourbon dynasty. The most famous thinkers were French philosophers Montesquieu, Voltaire and Rousseau.

An important work of the Enlightenment was the ENCYCLOPAEDIA. It represented the thoughts of the Enlightenment.