Chapter 75 Decline of Spain

It was already the winter of 1680 when news of the fall of the Luzon colony reached Spain.

King Carlos II of Spain had just presided over the religious trial ceremony of the Inquisition. In this trial, 21 people were sentenced to be burned at the stake.

Before I had time to rest, I heard the news that the Luzon colony was lost.

As a famous sick man, he almost died in one breath.

He quickly ran to his mother Maria Anna for comfort.

Carlos II was a poor man, as a member of the Habsburg royal family.

He was the sole heir to the previous Spanish throne. The Habsburg royal family was characterized by inbreeding, so he suffered from a variety of genetic diseases:-

mentally retarded -

Severe mandibular lordosis -

Weaning at 5 years old

-

lame-

Can't walk until 10 years old

-

Extremely abnormal both psychologically and physically -

epilepsy-

Deaf-

half-blind-

infertile

His main achievements were: ending the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and triggering the War of Spanish Succession.

Such a king is destined to have only his mother Maria Anna to help him regent.

Fortunately, his mother Maria was relatively sober and did not send an army to Asia to fight.

Because she saw from the battle reports the terrifying combat effectiveness of Ming and Zheng, if they wanted to defeat Zheng Kezang in distant Luzon, a large number of fleets and armies would have to be dispatched.

In Naples, southern Italy, poor farmers and unemployed people opposed the Spanish governor's increase in food taxes and revolted, killing Spanish and local dignitaries.

At that time, in Spain in the 16th century, only Barcelona, ​​which had developed trade in the Mediterranean, and Seville, which monopolized trade in the Americas, were relatively developed.

Spain, on the other hand, is due to some unchangeable geographical reasons, such as rugged terrain, many mountains, barren land, and dry climate.

In Aragon, Catalans opposed military conscription and tax increases, and responded in droves.

When the amount of precious metals in the Americas began to decline avalanche after 1630, Spain, with its declining population and shrinking industrial capacity, had already lost all opportunities for revival.

The independent Netherlands became a "sea coachman" by sucking the wealth of Spain.

In Spain at this time, Philip IV broke with Charles V and Philip II's tolerance of local autonomy and cooperative relations with local nobles, and began to try to strengthen centralization and abolish local parliaments and aristocratic autonomy.

Spain cannot afford to be hurt now.

Spain has a total of 65 grand phalanxes distributed in Italy, Flanders and Catalonia, but there is a serious shortage of personnel. For example, there should be 51,000 soldiers in Flanders, but in fact there are only 8,000.

That's all.

In agriculture, it was the nobility, and the church controlled most of the land. Although Isabella abolished serfdom, many farmers had no land and had been working as seasonal workers for a long time, making them very poor.

Spain's sudden strength is indeed due to its local development.

The massive silver in the Americas was not used to improve the country's industrial capabilities. Instead, it was squandered in countless dynastic wars and religious wars, and was devoured by the Netherlands. The most fatal thing was that Spain eventually lost the Netherlands.

The powerful Spanish Grand Phalanx and Armada supported the conquerors' external colonial expansion. They were able to conquer the Aztecs and Incas, acquire huge Latin American colonies, attack France from both sides, win the Italian War, and become the protector of Christendom.

Against the Ottomans, he could fight against the Protestant forces for Catholic authority, suppress the Dutch War of Independence, and send an invincible fleet to try to conquer Britain.

But on the other hand, it was also the arrival of Charles V of the Habsburg Dynasty, which brought the rich Netherlands, part of Germany and other places. Later, the victory of the Habsburg Dynasty over France in the Italian War allowed Spain to dominate Aragon.

Control of southern Italy, as well as Lombardy, Tuscany, Genoa and other places was strengthened.

With the population, wealth and geographical advantages of the peripheral areas, Spain has truly become a powerful country in Europe and the world.

But the decline of Spain really cannot be blamed on Carlos II's incompetence.

What's more, there are more important American colonies to defend, and France and Austria are always coveting Spain's huge territory, which is exactly like the scene in the last years of the dynasty.

In addition, with the strengthening of the power of the landed aristocracy and the church in the late 15th century, the rights of merchants and other citizens were squeezed and excluded, and their status was low.

However, the structure of this empire was loose and not fully integrated. As the main body of the empire, the power of Castile also gradually weakened, and eventually it disintegrated and declined.

In the 1740s, the Braganza family of Portugal launched a war to restore the throne and became independent from Spain with the support of Britain and France.

Thus we see a backward core, Castile, and a rich periphery: Italy, the Netherlands, Germany.

The development of industry and commerce was not taken seriously. People were keen to buy land and envied the nobility. Priests collected land rent and tax exemptions. In addition, Jews and Moriscos who were good at industry and commerce were gradually expelled. Spain, especially the cities in Castile, fell behind in industry and commerce.

.

Forced conscription and taxation were not a bad thing for establishing a unified empire, but when Castilian power gradually declined, it fundamentally disintegrated the loose foundation of the empire.

As for why Spain suddenly declined?

Mainly because the Thirty Years' War intensified existing flaws and contradictions.

These areas have been wealthy places in Europe since the middle ages. They are densely populated and have developed industry and commerce. During the Habsburg Dynasty, they were not only important tax sources, but also the source of various manufactured goods in the empire.

In the early days of the Thirty Years' War, the alliance between Spain and the Catholic Church was progressing smoothly. In the Siege of Breda painted by Spinola, the King of Spain believed that his military strength was unmatched.

Spain once became the most powerful country in Europe, not only due to its own efforts and development, but also a lot of luck.

Especially in the Battle of Rocroix in 1643, the Spanish Grand Square was defeated by the French army led by Grand Condé. In the Battle of the Downs, the Netherlands annihilated the Spanish fleet. Spain's frontline manpower and finances continued to be tight.

However, with the addition of Sweden under the leadership of Gustavus II and dutiful France under Richelieu, the Protestant Church began to become stronger, and the Catholic League began to gradually lose the battle.

As a result, the empire's economic situation deteriorated, the army was exhausted, control over various places decreased, and the Thirty Years' War was ultimately lost.

After the Thirty Years' War, there were many years of war with Louis XIV of France. In 1659, the Franco-Spanish War ended with France's victory. In the Treaty of the Pyrenees, Spain ceded territory and paid compensation, and also betrothed the princess to Louis XIV. From this point onwards, Spain

At the beginning, Spain's status as the first great power was officially transferred to Louis XIV's Bourbon France.

As a result, Louis XIV became the target of a siege network. Spain even had to unite with its old enemies the Netherlands and Britain many times. From then on, the French royal family still led the European trend.

A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Maria has been regent for many years. Losing the Luzon colony is not a big deal. She has a way!
Chapter completed!