Spanish Empire

Spanish Empire in the 18th century

The Spanish Empire was one of the largest empires in history. It was the first to extend its power outside of Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire. Spain became the leader in global exploration and in starting new colonies. They explored and laid claim to large territories in both North and South America. Christopher Columbus made two voyages in the 1490s that became the start of the Spanish Empire. In the 50 years following Columbus' discoveries, there was a great deal of activity in the Americas. They were part exploration, part colonization and part conquest. After the settlement of Hispaniola (now the Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in the early 1500s, they looked for new areas to colonize.

Timeline

15th Century

The timeline of the Spanish Empire includes:

• 1492 Columbus lands in The Bahamas
• 1493 Pope Alexander VI drew a line on a map of the Atlantic dividing discoveries between Spain (west) and Portugal (east)

16th century

• 1508 Juan Ponce de León conquered Puerto Rico
• 1511 Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar conquered Cuba
• 1512, Vasco Núñez de Balboa set up the first Spanish settlement in Panama
• 1513 Vasco Núñez de Balboa claims the Pacific Ocean for the King of Spain
• 1519 The conquistador Hernando Cortes lands on the coast of Mexico with 600 men
• 1519 Cortez is welcomed in Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire. They capture the ruler, Montezuma
• 1525 Spanish settlers begin migrating to the Americas
• 1530 Francisco Pizarro begins the conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru finding they have gold
• 1545 Conquistadors find silver deposits in Bolivia
• 1550s Treasure convoys are formed to take home precious metals found in Latin America
• 1565 Miguel López de Legazpi claims Guam and the Philippines for the King of Spain
• 1571 The Philippines are ruled by the Spanish governor of New Spain in Mexico City

Other websites

• The Rise and Fall of the Spanish Empire; YouTube