Ernesto Medina ReyesHistory 140 – Section 71183

The Power of the Spanish Empire

1400 - 1800 A. D.

The Spanish Empire• One of the first global empires originating in the Age of Exploration.• From the beginning of the 15th century, Spain regularly engaged in

disputes with Portugal over newly explored territories resulting in a war near the end of the century and Spanish sovereignty over the Canary Islands.

• Finally in 1494, the Treaty de Tordesillas divided the world outside of Europe equally between Spain and Portugal.

• In Spain’s attempt to overpower France, they adopted a policy of creating allies through marriage and ultimately went up against France in a battle for Venice to try and control Italy establishing the supremacy of the Spanish Tercios.

• Christopher Columbus discovery of the New World on behalf of Spain led to the settlement of Hispanola at the end of the 15th century.

• Around the same time Spain pushed its expansionist policy in Africa conquering several towns and outposts along its north coast.

• Golden Age of Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries came under the rule of the Habsburg dynasty

• In the mid 1500s Spain began to greatly benefit from the silver and gold mines in Mexico but later began to hurt them as they became overly dependent on foreign raw materials

• In the New World Spain was colonizing through a group called the Conquistadores

• They met up with different indigenous tribes, some of whom were willing to become allies while others took to battle

• In the early 15th century Hernan Cortes landed in the Yucatan peninsula in Veracurz and forced the local indigenous leader of the Totonacs to become his ally against the Aztecs

• On his route to Tenochtitlan Cortes made allies with the Tlaxcalans introducing them to Christianity and respecting their culture and people marching with them to Cholula

• Cortes troops massacred the entire city of Cholula and sent a message to Montezuma, the Aztec chief, that he would need to respect Cortes and bear gifts of gold to avoid the same fate

• Cortes arrived in Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519 and was welcomed and honored by Montezuma, however, Cortes took him as a prisoner to prevent Aztec revolt

• The Aztecs, forced to feed and please the Spaniards and angry at the way their chief was being treated, rebelled against the Spaniards forcing them to flee the city using a makeshift bridge on July 1, 1520. Meeting many Aztec warriors or drowning from the weight of their armor, many Spaniards and natives died. This day is now know as La Noche Triste

• Defeated Cortes allied with the Tlaxcala promising them territories and the spoils of war. Together they took Mexican cities and finally marched on Tenochtitlan in a siege that lasted eight months.

• Ravished from smallpox and suffering because Cortes cut of the water supply to the city, Tenochtitlan fell on August 13, 1521 when Cuauhtemoc surrendered to Cortes.

Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire

• Spanish arrived at the Incan empire in 1528 when they were in the midst of an Incan civil war

• Francisco Pizarro established the first Spanish settlement in Peru calling it San Miguel de Piura with 168 men under his command

• Pizarro’s first battle with the Incas was the Battle of Cajamarca on November 16, 1532 where the small Spanish army was able to defeat thousands of Inca warriors through use of horses, guns, and canons

• During this battle Pizarro captured Atahualpa and held him for ransom receiving gold from Cuzco which he melted into bars but Atahualpa was assassinated by the Spaniards and left the Incas without a leader

• The Incan empire fell apart in a serious of revolts sometimes against the Spanish, and sometimes against their own leaders.

• Pizarro was able to bring calm in the southern regions but Atahualpa’s generals still attempted to strategize against the Spaniards. There rebellion was quelled in Quito

Spanish Conquest of the Inca Empire

Sources

• Wikipedia.com – History of Spain• Wikipedia.com – The Spanish Empire• Wikipedia.com – Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire• Wikipedia.com – Spanish Conquest of the Inca Empire