Habsburg Rule: Spain And Austria's Shared History

The Habsburgs, also known as the Austrias, were the reigning Spanish monarchy in the 16th and 17th centuries. The dynasty began with Philip I, known as Philip the Beautiful, and was comprised of five kings: Charles I, Philip II, Philip III, Philip IV, and Charles II.

Under the Habsburgs, Spain dominated Europe politically and militarily. During the 17th century, the Habsburg monarch Philip IV of Spain ruled over much of Western Europe, as well as the New World. The Habsburg crown also held influence over several other territories, including the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, and the duchy of Milan.

However, the Habsburgs' rule was not without challenges. In the 1500s, the arrival of Charles I, who did not speak the local language, in Spain sparked the Commune Wars led by Padilla, Bravo, and Maldonado. Additionally, the Habsburgs experienced several state bankruptcies and wars with other European powers, including England, France, and the Netherlands.

The Habsburg dynasty in Spain came to an end in 1700 with the death of Charles II, the last ruler of Spain from the Habsburg dynasty. This marked the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession, in which other European powers vied for control of the Spanish monarchy. Ultimately, the Bourbon dynasty gained control of Spain.

The Spanish Habsburgs were the major branch of the dynasty, ruling from the 16th to 17th centuries

The first Habsburg ruler of Spain was Charles I, who became king in 1516. Charles was also known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and because of his widely scattered domains, he was not often in Spain. As he approached the end of his life, he made provision for the division of the Habsburg inheritance into two parts: Spain, its possessions in Europe, North Africa, the Americas, and the Netherlands; and the Holy Roman Empire. This was to create enormous difficulties for his son and successor to the Spanish throne, Philip II.

Under Philip II, the Spanish empire included territories on every continent then known to Europeans. During his reign, Spain reached the height of its influence and power. However, economic and administrative problems multiplied in Castile, and the weakness of the native economy became evident in the following century. Rising inflation, financially draining wars in Europe, the ongoing aftermath of the expulsion of the Jews and Moors from Spain, and the country's growing dependency on gold and silver imports combined to cause several bankruptcies that caused an economic crisis. Faced with wars against England, France, and the Netherlands, the Spanish government found that neither the New World silver nor steadily increasing taxes were enough to cover their expenses, and they went bankrupt again in 1596. Furthermore, the great plague of 1596–1602 killed 600,000 to 700,000 people, or about 10% of the population. Altogether, more than 1,250,000 deaths resulted from the extreme incidence of plague in 17th-century Spain.

Philip III succeeded his father in 1598 but had no interest in politics or government, preferring to engage in lavish court festivities, religious indulgences, and the theatre. His government resorted to a tactic that had been resolutely resisted by Philip II, paying for the budget deficits by the mass minting of increasingly worthless vellones, causing inflation. In 1607, the government faced another bankruptcy.

Philip IV of Spain succeeded his father in 1621. Much of the policy was conducted by the minister Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares. In 1640, with the war in Central Europe having no clear winner except the French, both Portugal and Catalonia rebelled. Portugal was lost to the crown for good; in Italy and most of Catalonia, French forces were expelled, and Catalonia's independence was suppressed.

Charles II, the last of the Habsburgs in Spain, was three years old when his father, Philip IV, died in 1665. The Council of Castile appointed Philip's second wife and Charles's mother, Mariana of Austria, regent for the minor king. As regent, Mariana managed the country's affairs through a series of favorites, whose merits usually amounted to no more than meeting her fancy. Spain was essentially left leaderless and was gradually reduced to a second-rank power.

The Spanish branch of the Habsburg royal family was noted for extreme consanguinity. Well aware that they owed their power to fortunate marriages, they married between themselves to protect their gains. Charles's father and mother were actually uncle and niece. Charles was physically and mentally disabled and infertile, possibly as a consequence of this massive inbreeding. Due to the deaths of his half-brothers, he was the last member of the male Spanish Habsburg line. He did not learn to speak until the age of four nor to walk until the age of eight, and he was treated as virtually an infant until he was ten years old. His jaw was so badly deformed (an extreme example of the so-called "Habsburg jaw") that he could barely speak or chew.

The Habsburg dynasty became extinct in Spain with Charles II's death in 1700, and the War of the Spanish Succession ensued, in which the other European powers tried to assume power over the Spanish monarchy. The control of Spain was allowed to pass to the Bourbon dynasty.

Spain's first Habsburg ruler, Charles I, became king in 1516

The Habsburgs controlled both Spain and Austria at various points in history. Spain's first Habsburg ruler, Charles I, became king in 1516. Charles I, also known as Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, inherited the Spanish crown from his grandfather, Ferdinand II of Aragon. Charles's election as Holy Roman Emperor in 1519 and his vast empire across Europe, the Americas, and Asia led to a power struggle with Francis I of France. Charles's empire included territories in modern-day Spain, southeastern France, Portugal, the Low Countries, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, North Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Charles's rule in Spain was marked by the comunero movement, a revolution led by the towns of Castile, which had been discontent with Charles's foreign councillors and the increasing tax burden. The revolt was eventually suppressed by the nobility in 1521, but it highlighted the complexities of governing the various kingdoms and territories within the empire.

Charles's foreign policies entangled Spain in conflicts with the Ottoman Empire, the French, and other European powers. The struggle against the Ottoman Turks and the defence of southern Italy and North Africa became a long-standing issue. Additionally, Charles's claim to the kingdom of Naples brought him into conflict with the Angevins, cousins of the French royal family. These conflicts, along with the ongoing religious wars and the need to defend Spanish territories, placed a significant burden on Castile, which provided much of the financial and military support for Charles's empire.

Charles spent only 16 years of his 40-year reign in Spain, but during his rule, the Spanish upper classes began to embrace their monarch's position as one of the most powerful rulers in Europe. Despite the complexities and challenges of his reign, Charles's empire marked the zenith of Spanish influence and power.

The Habsburgs established Spain as the first modern global empire, colonising large parts of the Americas

Under Charles I, the first Habsburg ruler of Spain, the Aztec and Inca Empires were conquered, and Spanish settlements were established in Mexico City, Florida, Buenos Aires, and New Granada. The Spanish Empire in the Americas became a source of great wealth and power for Europe, and Spain became central to the dynastic struggles of the continent.

Under Philip II, the Spanish Empire included territories on every continent then known to Europeans, and it reached the height of its influence and power. During his reign, the inflow of New World silver, the reputation of the Spanish infantry, and the recovery of the navy from the Armada disaster positioned Spain as the leading European power.

Under Philip III, Spain experienced economic turmoil, and under Philip IV, Portugal was lost to the crown. The last of the Habsburgs in Spain, Charles II, was physically and mentally disabled, and Spain was essentially left leaderless, gradually becoming a second-rank power.

The Habsburg years were a Golden Age of cultural efflorescence in Spain

The Habsburg years in Spain, from 1516 to 1700, were a Golden Age of cultural efflorescence. This period saw a flourishing in arts and letters, with some of the world's most outstanding writers, painters, and intellectuals emerging from Spain.

The Habsburgs' rule over Spain, also known as the "Catholic Monarchy", saw the country become a global empire, dominating Europe politically and militarily. Under the Habsburgs, Spain colonized large parts of the Americas and established itself as the first modern global empire.

During this period, Spain produced some of the world's most outstanding artists and intellectuals, including Teresa of Ávila, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Miguel de Cervantes, Francisco de Quevedo, Diego Velázquez, El Greco, Domingo de Soto, Francisco Suárez, and Francisco de Vitoria.

The Spanish Golden Age of arts and letters is considered to have spanned roughly from 1550 to 1650. One of the most famous works of this period is Cervantes' "Don Quixote de la Mancha", a parody of the romantic, chivalric aspects of knighthood and a critique of contemporary social structures and norms.

The Habsburgs' rule in Spain also saw the emergence of the School of Salamanca, an intellectual movement that produced thinkers who were studied throughout Europe.

In addition to the flourishing of arts and letters, the Habsburg years in Spain were also marked by significant political and military developments. Under the Habsburgs, Spain reached the zenith of its influence and power, with territories on every continent then known to Europeans. The Spanish Empire included modern-day Spain, parts of France, Portugal, and territories in the Americas, Asia, and Africa.

However, despite the cultural and political successes of the Habsburg years, Spain experienced a gradual decline in influence during the second half of the 17th century under the later Habsburg kings. Economic problems, such as inflation and budget deficits, as well as military conflicts, including the Thirty Years' War, contributed to this decline.

The last Habsburg ruler of Spain was Charles II, who died in 1700

Charles's reign opened with a ten-year regency under the queen mother, which was preoccupied with combating the ambitions of the French king, Louis XIV, in the Low Countries. The Spanish Empire remained an enormous global confederation, but its economic supremacy was increasingly challenged by the Dutch Republic and England, and its position in Europe was destabilized by Louis XIV's expansionist policies.

Charles suffered from various physical and mental health issues, including disfigurement, epilepsy, and depression. He was prone to illness throughout his life, although he was physically active and spent much of his free time hunting. The extent of his disabilities is hard to assess, as little is known for certain, and many claims are either unproven or incorrect. One often-cited example of his alleged mental incapacity is the period he spent sleeping with his father's disinterred body, which was done under instructions from Mariana, whose doctors advised this would help him produce an heir.

Charles was married twice in his short life. His first marriage was to Marie Louise d'Orléans, but she died in 1689, and he was soon married again to Maria Anna of Neuburg in the hopes that she could produce an heir. However, Charles was impotent and unable to have children, which inevitably led to questions over the succession of his throne and ultimately to the War of the Spanish Succession.

Charles's autopsy revealed that his body "did not contain a single drop of blood; his heart was the size of a peppercorn; his lungs corroded; his intestines rotten and gangrenous; he had a single testicle, black as coal, and his head was full of water." His death at the age of 38 on November 1, 1700, marked the end of the Spanish Habsburg line and sparked a 13-year conflict over the succession of the Spanish throne.

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