Colegio Bilingüe La Asunción Social Science 5º prim. Unit 8 Unit 8 SPAIN IN THE 15TH AND 16TH CENTURIES The Catholic Monarchs SPAIN IN THE 15TH AND 16 TH CENTURIES Isabel I of Castilla and Fernando II of Aragón received the title of Catholic Monarchs from the Pope after conquering the Kingdom of Granada. During their reign, they unified the Iberian Peninsula, reinforced royal authority and imposed the Catholic religion. Social Science Primary 5 Colegio Bilingüe La Asunción Estefanía López Santos 1
The Catholic Monarchs The monarchy took control of the army, economy and government. Power was centralised. The monarchs took privileges away from the nobility and the Church. A strong, modern army was built to fight for the country and control its economy. There was an increasing interest in territorial expansion and exploration. Strong alliances with other European countries were established. The Spanish Inquisition was established. Its aim was to punish people who didn t follow the rules established by the Catholic Church. The Spanish Monarchs ordered Jews and Muslims to convert to the Catholic religion. The Muslims who did so were called Moriscos. Then the Catholic Monarchs ordered the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. Estefanía López Santos 2
1492 CONQUEST OF THE KINGDOM OF GRANADA It was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492. The Kingdom of Granada was the last Muslim Kingdom in Spain. (It included Granada, Málaga and Almería). It was weakened by internal disputes. DISCOVERY OF AMERICA After the conquest of Granada, the Catholic Monarchs focus their attention to exploration. They finally accepted Christopher Columbus proposal asking them to sponsor his trip to find a new route to India and China. ** The Catholic Monarchs ordered the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. ** The first Spanish gramar book was published in 1492 by Antonio de Nebrija. Estefanía López Santos 3
The discovery of America ü Christopher Columbus wanted to find a new route to Asia. ü He decided to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean. ü The Catholic Monarch financed his expedition, Columbus promised to bring back gold, spices and silks. ü On 3 August 1492 the three caravels (the Santa María, the Pinta and the Niña) left Palos de la Frontera (Huelva) and on 12 October 1492 arrived in San Salvador (island in the Bahamas). ü Columbus made this first voyage and three more, but he died not knowing the the continent was not Asia but America Estefanía López Santos 4
Colegio Bilingüe La Asunción Social Science 5º prim. Unit 8 SPAIN IN THE 15TH AND 16TH CENTURIES Spanish expeditions When the Spanish arrived in America, they found a great variety of people. MAYAS AZTECS INCAS They lived in Central America. They lived in Central America too. They lived in South America. Powerful city-states. Temples in the shape of a pyramid. Their language was Quechua. Advanced writing system. Very advanced in Sciences. Estefanía López Santos They cultivated corn, vanilla and tomatoes. System of roads. Llamas to transport goods. 5
Exchanges between the continents tomato pineapple pumpkin sweet potatoes beans tobacco turkey tobacco cocoa corn potato vanilla peanuts banana hen grape onion honeybee coffee wheat cow citrus fruit horse rice pig Estefanía López Santos 6
The Spanish Empire Throughout the 16th century, Carlos I and Felipe I, descendants of the Catholic Monarchs, ruled the most powerful empire in the world, with territories in Africa, America, Asia and Europe. THE EMPIRE OF CARLOS I Ø Carlos I became king in 1516. Ø He was the first king of the Habsburg dynasty. Ø He ruled over Spain and his territories in America. Ø He also inherited the German Empire from his father s family. Ø His personal and national motto was Plus Ultra (means Further beyond ). Ø Before he died, he divided his empire into two kingdoms: He gave his German Empire to his brother, Fernando. His son, Felipe II, inherited his Spanish Empire. Estefanía López Santos 7
The Spanish Empire THE EMPIRE OF FELIPE II Ø Felipe II became king in 1556. Ø He established his residence in Madrid. Ø The Spanish empire expanded under his reign (especially in America). Ø In 1580, he conquered Portugal. Ø His reign was a period of wars and conflicts. Ø In 1571, in the Battle of Lepanto, the Spanish fleet stopped the Turkish Empire from taking control of the Mediterranean Sea. Ø These wars were very expensive and the Spanish population became poorer. Estefanía López Santos 8