Habsburg Spain

The Habsburg Dynasty in Spanish history refers to the family that ruled Spain, the Spanish Netherlands and parts of Italy from 1556 to 1700, and Portugal from 1580 to 1640. The Habsburgs of Spain and the Habsburgs of Austria were of the same origin, and their maternal ancestors were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, both members of the Trastamara family. Those who succeeded to the Spanish throne after 1700 were members of the Bourbon family.

Portugal episode

After the unification of Spain, the Habsburgs gradually penetrated into Portugal. By intermarriage, Habsburg blood was mixed into the Avis royal family in Portugal. After Philip II succeeded the Spanish throne, Portugal experienced a succession crisis. In 1578, Philip II's cousin, Sebastiao I, King of Portugal, launched an expedition against Morocco, but unfortunately after defeat, he drowned while crossing the Mahazan River during retreat (Portuguese nationals said it disappeared). His great-uncle, Cardinal Enrique, who had no children, returned to the throne and became known as the Pure Enrique I. He finally died in 1580 and was temporarily succeeded to the throne by another nephew Antonio. However, Antonio's succession was not recognized by the Pope, and Pope Gregory XIII instead preferred Enrique's nephew, King Philip of Spain, to inherit the throne of Portugal.

In November of the same year, Philip sent Duke Alva to lead his army into Portugal, and soon Lisbon was captured. Antonio was forced into exile in Paris and several outer islands of Portugal. Under pressure from the military and the Pope, the House of Internal Affairs of Portugal allowed Philip to inherit the throne of Portugal conditionally and become King Philip I of Portugal. The condition is that Portugal remains governed by an independent government and is not governed by the Spanish government. The Kingdom of Portugal and its overseas territories may not be incorporated by the King into Spanish territories or provinces. Maintain the status of Portugal as the national language. While Spain annexed Portugal, it inherited Portugal's overseas colonies, making Spain the most powerful country in the world at that time.

However, the Habsburgs 'reputation in Portugal has always been bad, and the defeat of the Armada and the Thirty Years' War brought the Spanish Habsburgs to the brink of bankruptcy. For example, Philip II declared bankruptcy in 1596, two years before his death. In 1609, the Netherlands also had a revolution and became independent from Spain. Amid an anti-Habsburg wave in Europe during the Thirty Years 'War, Portugal finally launched a campaign to restore independence in 1640. On December 1 of the same year, the Court of Space and Secret Affairs of Portugal appointed John, Duke of Braganza, as King Joao IV of Portugal, the great-great-grandson of the late King Manuel I. Portugal regained its independence, and the Habsburg royal family also ended its 60-year rule of Portugal and three generations of monarchs.