The Spanish Empire: Charles I and Philip II

     In the 16th century, Spain became a powerful empire, the largest that had ever existed. However, near the end of the following century, the empire broke apart. Spain lost its superiority in Europe, and was attacked by other European countries.

     In 1516, Charles I became the king of Spain. He was the grandson of the Catholic Monarchs and he was educated in Flanders in the Netherlands. His empire included the Catholic Monarchs' territories, the Netherlands, territories in Central Europe, territories in America and the Philippines.
During his reign there were revolts in Spain and wars in Europe for different reasons.

     When Charles I decided to abandon the throne, he divided his empire between his brother and his son, Philip II. 

     In 1556, Philip II became the ruler of the largest empire of his time. He lost territories in Central Europe but he added territories in America, Asia and Africa. However, he also inherited many problems and had to fight to maintain the empire. He was involved in wars against France and against the Turks (Battle of Lepanto, 1571) and the Netherlands started a long rebellion against Spanish rule during this period.
     These wars were very expensive. Most of the money came from the gold and silver mines in the Americas. The population of Spain became poorer because the prices of certain products increased and less gold and silver were sent from America.