Explain the process of state building and expansion.

Question

How did Spain build and manage their empires? Who was in charge? What type of government?

Answer 1

Good day, Jehtia.

This is Francis Kahura, a recently hired Wyzant tutor who is available to answer your questions. As indicated in this message, your question about the Spanish Empire cannot be answered via video chat. So I'll explain it in greater depth without it. To begin, the Spanish Empire was founded in 1492, when Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus petitioned King Ferdinand of Aragon and his wife, Queen Isabella of Castile, for assistance in his voyage to find new trading routes by sea from Spain to Asian ports such as Calicut in modern-day India. Columbus believed the world was flat, so after sailing west and discovering land, he assumed he had arrived in India. He was mistaken, however, because Columbus and his men landed in what is now the Dominican Republic, not India. As a result of Columbus' discovery of the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean Sea islands, the Spanish Empire was born. Thanks to conquistadors such as Cortes, Pizzaro, De Leon, and others, it expanded in the 16th century to include the modern-day Southwestern United States, Mexico, the Philippines, and Latin and South America. To answer your question about who was in charge of the empire Spain controlled all over the world, it was initially the Spanish Crown. However, as the centuries passed, the Habsburg dynasty took over Spain through marriage, and the empire became increasingly decentralized with this royal family. Instead of the King of Spain, the Empire was ruled by Spanish governors who were expected to be loyal to the Royal Family. In the nineteenth century, their colonies in the Americas and the Philippines fought independence wars that ended in defeat for the Spaniards. As a result, the Spanish Empire has begun to disintegrate, with more Spanish colonies either fighting for independence or being taken over by other imperial powers. Morocco was the last of the Spanish colonies to gain independence.

I hope this answers your question, Jehtia.

Francis.