Spain after 1492

1. CEIP Almirante Laulhé
San Fernando
Curso 2015-16

2. The Spanish population
The reign of the Catholic
Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs, Queen
Isabella I of Castille and King
Ferdinand II of Aragon, unified
Spain geographically, and expanded
its territories. They conquered the
Kingdom of Granada, the Canary
Islands, and territories in North
Africa.
They also financed Christopher
Columbus’ expedition, which lead to
the discovery of a new continent,
America.
Isabella I and Ferdinand II

3. In 1516, Charles I,
Isabella’s grandson,
became prince of
Spain.
He ruled over a great empire, which included the Catholic Monarchs’
territories, the Netherlands and other lands in Central Europe.
Charles I faced serious problems during his reign. There were revolts
in Spain, and wars in Europe for political, social and religious reasons.
The Spanish Empire

4. Charles I’s heir, Philip II, became king in
1556. His enormous empire included the
Iberian Peninsula, The Netherlands and
territories in southern Italy, America, Asia
and Africa.
Philip II was involved in many wars. His
army won victories against France in
1557, and the Turks at the Battle of
Lepanto in 1571. However, the
Netherlands started a long rebelion
against Spanish rule during this period.
The wars were very expensive.
The population of Spain became
poorer because prices increased.
In addition, less gold and silver
was sent from America.
Charles I
Philip II

5. Cultural splendour and political decline
Culture in the Golden Age
The Spanish Golden Age was a period of great artistic activity which
lasted from about 1560 to 1680.
Architecture
The Monastery of El
Escorial was built in a
simple, austere style in
the 16th century. The
Baroque style of rich
ornamentation
developed in the 17th
century. A good
example is the
Cathedral of Seville.

6. Cultural splendour and political decline
Literature
Miguel de Cervantes wrote Don Quixote, one
of the world’s greatest books. Other
important writers of this period included
Lope de Vega, who wrote plays and poetry,
and Luis de Gongora, who wrote poetry.

7. Cultural splendour and political decline
Painting
In the 16th century, El Greco became famous
for his characteristic elongated figures. In the
17th century, Diego Velazquez painted his
masterpieces.
Adoration of the
shepherds. El Greco
Some of Velazquez
masterpieces

8. Three Habsburg kings reigned in
the 17th century:
- Philip III (1598-1621)
- Philip IV (1621-1665)
- Charles II (1665-1700)
These kings chose ministers to
help them govern the country.
Some of these ministers became
extremely powerful.
After many years of confrontations,
Spain lost the Netherlands.
There were revolts in Catalonia and
Portugal, and Spain also lost Portugal.
The economy was stagnant, and
people were hungry in many parts of
the country.
The 17th century crisis
The 17th century was a period of political and military decline.

9. Between 1701 and 1714, European
countries fought the Spanish War of
Succession. When the war ended, the
French claimant Philip V became
king of Spain, and the Bourbon
dynasty replaced the Habsburgs.
Bourbon Spain
The Spanish War of Succession
Charles II died in 1700 without descendants. Consequently, there was
a dispute over the Spanish throne, which was claimed by two royal
families:
French Bourbons Austrian Habsburgs
Philip V

10. The Bourbon monarchy
Philip V established an absolute monarchy.
In this form of government, the monarch has all the power.
During the reigns of Philip V, Charles III and Charles IV, the first
Bourbon kings, many reforms were introduced.
Charles III
Charles IV

11. Science and culture in the 18th century
In the 18th century, science and culture became
prominent.
Academies, such as the Royal
Academy of Language, were
founded.
And daily newspapers appeared...
Many museums and
botanical gardens were
created.
Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid

12. 6th graders are showing their amazing works!
Great job!
The oldest pupils in our school
have been working in a school
project called “Middle Ages”.
In the exhibition you can see a
lot of lapbooks explaining
about Medieval costumes,
feudal society, the inside of a
Medieval Manor, knights, code
of chivalry, heraldry, armors,
gothic art, culture and other
Medieval features.
You can also learn about how
people spared their time in
those centuries: they played
chess, or enjoyed fighting in
tournaments.
They also created their own
helmets and swords in a very
creative way.
In the exhibition there is a wide
range of stained-glass
windows to offer the visitor an
actual view of the very
colourful gothic architecture
from past times.
If you visit our school, you can
see our shields, too.
So, please, feel free to visit us
and enjoy our exhibition in the
same way we enjoyed creating
it.
Laulhé news
HAVEN’T YOU SEEN OUR EXHIBITION? Since 2016