The Spanish colonial empire is, with the colonial Empire Portuguese, the first of the great empires world appeared in the Histoire. During 16th century and 17th century, the Spain assumed a wide territory covering all the parts of the world. The Castille, just like the Portugal, were with the avant-garde of the voyages of Exploration and colonization carried out by the Européens. Incorporation of the colonial Empire Portuguese in 1580 with the loss of the South American colonies starting from 1800, Spain was one of largest the States of planet in term of territory, although the country had suffered from economic and military risks as of the Années 1640.

The maximum extension of the empire coincided with the advent of the Siècle of Spanish gold, at the 16th century and 17th century under the reigns of Charles Quint with Philippe IV.

Preludes

The first stage of the Spanish expansion overseas was the Canary islands. Allotted at the time of the treaty of Alcaçovas against the Portuguese in 1479, they are conquered in 1491 - 1496, the Guanches being the indigenous population. The second phase was the occupation and the colonization of Melilla in Moroccan territory in 1497. The kingdom of Castille invests in the expansion in the Atlantic Ocean only when the Reconquista against the Moslems of Spain is completed, after the fall of the Émirat of Grenade in January 1492.

See also: Spanish Africa

Great discoveries

See also: Spanish Colonization of Americas

After a refusal of the king of Portugal, the Génois Christophe Colomb manages to convince the catholic Kings, Isabelle de Castille and Ferdinand d' Aragon, to finance a forwarding which must make it possible to reach the the Indies and its richnesses by the West. In October 1492, Colomb reaches the island of San Salvador (the Bahamas), then founds the first colonial establishment of the Nouveau World with Hispaniola. It is named " viceroy of Indes" (1493 - 1500) by the Spanish kings with very important privileges; its government appears disastrous, for the colonists who clash between them, but especially for the autochtones of Hispaniola whose population crumbles because of the exactions of the conquerors. During three other voyages until in 1504, Christophe Colomb explores the the Antilles and the littoral of the Central America, but it is with another Génois, Amerigo Vespucci which is allotted, in 1507, the discovery of a new continent, the America, after three voyages between 1499 and 1504. In XVIe century, the Spaniards discover the grounds which extend from the California and the Florida until the Ground of Fire, and the Pacific Ocean, until the Filipino and with the the Solomon Islands.

The Conquistadores

The conquest of the New World by the Conquistadors is fast. In 1511, the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico) are conquered. Certain legends, in particular that of the Eldorado, push adventurers often resulting from the minor nobility poor Castilian of Estrémadure, to risk itself in perilous the, remote ones and frequently mortals forwardings. It is with a few hundreds of men that Hernán the Cortes conquers the Mexico on the Aztèques in 1519 - 1521, and that Francisco Pizarro conquers the Peru on the Incas in 1532 - 1534. The technological superiority and the audacity of the Spaniards, as well as demoralization (in which take part of the beliefs like the myth of Quetzalcoatl) and them divisions of the Amerindian allowed these exceptional conquests. Starting from Mexico, the Spaniards colonize the Filipino (years 1560), where they run up against the Eastern limits of the colonial Empire Portuguese.

Exploitation of the New World

In 1503, the authorities Castilians create, with Seville, the Casa of Contratación, an organism in charge to regulate the traffic between Spain and the new colonies. It is charged to take a tax corresponding to the fifth commercial with the the Western Indies (Quinto Real) and to collect information on the discoveries of the explorers. In 1524, the Conseil of the Indies ( Consejo de Indias ) is equipped with the capacity of administration, relayed on the spot by eleven audiencias (courts), the first having been established with Saint-Domingue in 1511.

Sight the extent of the New World, it becomes clear as of the first part of XVIe century that it is necessary to subdivide the new territories conquered in order to be able to manage them. The Crown of Spain decides to create viceroyalties with at their head a Vice-roi. The first is the Vice-royauté of News-Spain (1535), then come those from the Peru (1544), from News-Grenade (1717) and from the Río of Plata (1776).

The Spanish colonists grow rich with the system by the Encomienda (right of seigniory on the Indian communities). The great agricultural properties ( Latifundia ) develop especially as from the XVIIe century. In parallel, the metropolis intensively exploits the rich person layers of Or (in Colombia) and of money (Zacatecas in Mexico, Potosí in Bolivia).

See also: Economic relations between the Spanish America and Europe

Relations with the Amerindians

The human costs of this expansion are very heavy. The Amerindian population crumbles, passing from approximately 80 million inhabitants at the beginning of the 16th century with approximately 12 million hundred years later. The massacres, the forced labor, the deportations, the destructuration of the indigenous companies, and especially the diseases brought by Europeans are responsible for this disaster.

The exactions of the Spanish Conquistador S were denounced at the time by the monk Dominicain Bartolomé de Las Put. In 1550, at the time of the Controverse of Valladolid which opposes it to the Théologie N Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, it manages to impose the idea that the Amerindian have a heart. The king of Spain Charles Quint had in addition started to restrict the system of the Encomienda .

At the 18th century, the Jésuites establish missions or Reducciones , in particular with the Paraguay with the Guaranis, in Bolivia, with the Peru or the Brésil. These are true small republics, of which the goal is of évangéliser the Amerindians. With this intention, the Jesuits reproduce the organization of the Spanish cities, but adapt to the lifestyle and accommodate the Amerindians who flee slavery. Their presence thus irritates strongly the colonists, who through intrigues manage to make them prohibit by the pope, Spain and Portugal in the Années 1750 - 1760.

The strong demographic fall of the Amerindian results in to deprive the colonists of a major part of their labor. The Spaniards then turn to the Traite Blacks, practiced by the Portuguese.

In spite of the ill treatments inflicted to the Amerindians and with the Blacks, the Latin America, including Portuguese Brazil, becomes a single example of métissée colonial company.

Decline of the empire

The decline of the Spanish colonial power is perceptible at the beginning of the XVIIe century, in spite of (or because of) the military domination under development Europe and of colonies of settlement. The policy of accumulation of Noble metals, at once spent to honor the debts towards the suppliers and Banking S with Germany (Fugger, Welser) or with Italy (banking génois), does not support the development of the metropolis. This one, not only suffers from the lack of investment which is combined with strong a Inflation, but tends also to be depopulated for the benefit of the New World. The choice of one domination at the same time overseas and in Europe (against the Protestant , in Italy and with the Netherlands) generates expensive military expenditure. In 1627, Spain cannot avoid a Banqueroute.

The independence of the American colonies

See also: Spanish Colonization of Americas

Economic domination of the dissatisfied metropolis the elites creole S (white born in the colonies). Following the example Simón Bolívar, they take as a starting point the French revolution, and benefit from the occupation of Spain by Napoleon I {{er}} in 1808 to proclaim the independence of the countries of Latin America. Those intervene in spite of Spanish repression and after several military confrontations, between 1811 and 1825. The New Mexico becomes independent in 1821.

End of the empire and colonies African

In 1898, during the War Spanish-American, the imperialism of the the United States attacks the Spanish colonial empire, which loses Cuba, Guam, Filipino Puerto Rico and the .

Spain controls nothing any more but some African possessions, of which the Moroccan Rif, asset at the beginning of the 20th century, and preserved at the prices of bloody fights counter insurgency against Abd el-Krim, in 1921 - 1926, with the assistance of French troops ordered by the marshal Pétain. Spanish Morocco is after the Canaries, the first base of the insurrection Franquiste in July 1936, and provides with the troops (colonial Moors, and troops, the Banderas del Tercio or foreign legion), of which the use appears decisive in the Guerre of Spain. This colony is reassigned with the Morocco in 1956, but Ceuta and Melilla will not be decolonized and remained Spanish. In 1975, after the death of Free, Spain leaves the the Western Sahara which will be annexed by the kingdom of Morocco.

The role of the Catalans

Third State resulting from the Reconquista, allied Catalonia in Aragon, leaving the catch of Valence, does not take part initially in this expansion, and turns to projects of hegemony on the Mediterranean basin. They is well later that the Catalans take part in the Spanish colonial empire, by developing rum distilleries with Cuba, which will generate the empire Bacardi. They return from there with the folklore of the Havanas.

Territories of the Spanish empire

Random links:Opto-electronic | India | NMR multidimensional | List French ministers in charge of the family questions | 1911 in France

© 2007-2008 speedlook.com; article text available under the terms of GFDL, from fr.wikipedia.org