Causes the rise of Spain
Today, Spain is comparatively one of the politically and economically backward countries of Europe, but in the early modern period it was considered one of the most powerful and advanced countries in Europe. Spain's past has been inspirational, but only for a short time because the material sources of Spain's greatness were not in that country. The reasons for the progress of Spain were as follows –
- Nothing special was produced there except in the coastal region of Spain. No significant minerals have been discovered so far. But this poverty came in handy for them. This was also one of the reasons behind the Spaines becoming sailor.
- When the power of the Arabs increased, they came to Spain while conquering North Africa, they remained in Spain for centuries. They built beautiful cities, built mosques, opened universities, even when they left after defeat, they left behind a hardworking successor in the form of 'Moors'.
- Castile and Aragon were the two big kingdoms in Spain in the fifteenth century. Isabella and Ferdinand ruled there respectively. When Isabella and Ferdinand were married, the unification of the kingdoms of the husband and wife was natural.
- In the fourteenth-fifteenth century, the Christian world was beset by the increasing influence of the Turks. In the west, Spanish troops ended the centuries-old Muslim influence and reestablished Christian influence. In this struggle, the Spanish society especially the soldiers had flourished.
- Due to fanatical Christian policies, the two biggest productive elements of the Spanish society, the Moors (Muslims) and the Jewish people were running away in terror, but only then the New World (America continent) was discovered. Other countries in Europe were not fully organized or engaged in mutual conflicts. In such a situation, Spain got a chance to take the initiative and Spain's dominance was established over most of America. There was abundance of gold and silver in these territories. Thus Spain got a chance.
- In the growing period of nationalism, every state was increasing its influence. The political use of marriage at this time has probably never happened. The royal houses of all Europe were ready to join each other. Trapped in the matrimonial, such a coincidence happened in the royal houses of Europe that the rulers kept dying and the nearest successor was declared Charles. Before becoming an adult, he became the master of Spain, the Netherlands, all the territories ruled by the Hapsburg family, and all the colonies in America. Hardly anyone got such a big state in succession. For this reason the historian Hayes has even said that 'it started raining like this on him the kingdoms and empires'. As the ruler of this vast empire, he ruled till 1556 AD.
Problems facing Charles V
1. Wide Empire
Charles did not even know the languages of his entire kingdom. There were four major languages and many dialects in his kingdom like Spanish, Dutch, German, Italian. Different regions had their own traditions. It had its own system of governance. Everyone's economic condition was not the same. Not everyone was equally happy with Charles as ruler. In such a situation, he was suppressed by the burden of his succession.
2. Other succession rivals
In the election of the emperor of the Roman Empire, he won from his rivals, but Francis wanted to settle the wars by losing the election and he was such a big fighter that he was not ready to accept defeat.
3. Problem of the Turks
The area of influence of Turks was increasing. With the breaking of the constantinople Obstacle, now the power of the Turks was increasing at an uninterrupted pace. Under the leadership of an able ruler like Suleiman the Great, the Turks started reaching Central Europe. Who can say to beat them, it was difficult to stop them.
4. Martin Luther
Coincidentally, in Charles's empire, Martin Luther also raised the voice of rebellion, due to which not only the church, but also the throne of the empire started shaking.
5. Revolt of the national units of the empire
The national units in the empire had developed enough to oppose Charles's empire. Various states began to rise, especially in Germany. Sometimes the feudal lord raised his head and sometimes the king.
6. New Economic Order
In this, efforts to establish economic unity also failed. The emerging capitalist system was not ready to accept any disruption. The rich people had become so powerful that the entire economy was in their hands, so that they could not even be suppressed.
7. Administrative Weakness
The administrative problems of the state were raising their heads separately. The different states of Germany had different governing traditions and that of Castile and Aragon. Even in the Netherlands there were local traditions. To violate them was to invite rebellion and to follow them meant to weaken the central authority. In this upheaval, he kept calling for some area, suppressing some, giving some exemption to some, snatching the rights of some and the problems were increasing.
8. Economic Weakness
The economic side was weak for several reasons. One, he had to start a war as soon as he took over the rule, the process of which did not break till the end. The battlefield was also not limited, sometimes on the borders of France, sometimes in Italy, sometimes on the eastern borders of the empire, army or traffic was difficult, it was also very expensive. So many expenses could not be met from the revenue because the tax system was not only poor, it could not be fully implemented as it was. In such a situation, colonies spewing gold and silver were a boon. Unearned, looted money kept giving relief for a few days, but it weakened the entire economy.
9. Security of Colonies
Britain's eyes on Spain's colonies lacked the resources and navy to deal with them.
To what extent Charles V was successful in solving these problems, it is clear from his actions. We can divide his efforts into two parts –
Home Policy of Charles V
Following are the details of Charles V's home policy-
1. Rule of Spain
Rebellion :
After the death of Ferdinand in 1516 AD, Charles V was enthroned as the emperor of the Spanish Empire. Here he ruled with absolute autocracy. The autocracy of Charles was unbearable even to the feudal lords and city representatives of Spain. Therefore, from 1520 AD to 1522 there were fierce rebellions in Spain.
Suppression and method:
1. Charles V succeeded in crushing these rebellions by taking advantage of the mutual struggle between the feudal lords and the city representatives. The feudal class now started supporting autocratic administration against the city representatives. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Charles V took away the rights of the city-representatives, their local rights related to city-administration were also limited. Now a state official was appointed to run the administration of the city.
2. Affected by the manner in which the parliamentarians of Aragon and Castile had initially opposed the autocratic rule of Charles, Charles took away the real power of the Parliament, but its duties remained the same. Now the Parliament was a state dependent institution.
Positive Initiatives:
1. By establishing his autocratic administration till 1523 AD, he appointed only Spaniards to most of the government posts for the satisfaction of the residents of Spain.
2. Charles V took steps for the unification and nationalization of Spain.
3. He followed the imperialist policy to establish the importance of Spain in international politics. He succeeded in establishing Spanish colonies in Mexico, Central America, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, New Granada and Venezuela in the Americas.
Result :
1. Due to the limitation of the power of the Parliament, the legal development of Spain came to a standstill.
2. The imperialist policy he adopted to give dominance to Spain in international politics had a deep impact on the Spanish treasury. There was a debt of about two crore pounds on the Spanish treasury.
3. Because of his anti-Moorish policy, the industrious Moors, shrewd in trade, abandoned Spain. Undoubtedly, it proved to be very destructive from economic and industrial point of view.
4. This colonial expansion of his proved fatal for the national development of Spain. The gold obtained from the territories of America made the Spanish public luxurious, due to which Spain's moral decline also came as well as indolence in the Spanish public.
2. Rule of Netherlands
Charles V was born and brought up in the Netherlands. Therefore, there was natural reverence and respect for Charles V among the residents there. Charles successfully ruled the Netherlands by taking full advantage of the sentiments of the people of the Netherlands.
Integration effort:
He established a federation consisting of 17 provinces of the Netherlands. Established a States General (Parliament) and three councils to assist the Union in administrative work.
Non-interference :
He neither interfered in the legal field nor in the economic field. Due to his policy of non-interference, the economic condition of the Netherlands was strengthened even at that time.
Policy of religious intolerance:
Charles V adopted the policy of religious intolerance in the Netherlands. Charles, being a staunch Catholic, repressed the Calvinists of the Netherlands. To fulfill this purpose, courts called 'Inquisition' were established in almost all the provinces of the Netherlands, but due to this policy of Charles, the Protestant community continued to grow in the Netherlands. From this point of view, the administration of Charles V in the Netherlands can only be considered unsuccessful.
3. Rule of the Holy Roman Empire
After defeating Francis I, the ruler of France and Henry VIII, the ruler of England, in election rivalry, in 1520, Charles V was established as the 'Holy Roman Emperor'.
Problem :
The Holy Roman Empire posed terrible problems for him, the entire empire was in disarray. It was divided into small and big semi-independent states. In the empire, princes, independent city-states and feudatories were struggling in mutual wars to fulfill their different objectives.
At the same time, the religious reformation movement of Martin Luther came around. The feudal classes were trying to increase their rights by taking advantage of the religious reform movement. Charles V wanted to maintain the prestige of the Catholic community, so he opposed the religious reform movement. Therefore, Germany got burnt in the horrors of civil war.
Thus it is clear that Charles V could not get success in the efforts he made to establish unity among the subjects by solving the internal problems of his vast empire. He struggled with internal problems throughout his life, but it would not be reasonable to conclude that he was unfit. No doubt he has been facing internal problems because of his patience, perseverance, natural qualities and educational experience. “The reason for his failure was not his ineptitude, but the preponderance of the conflicting interests of the many provinces and castes contained in his vast empire.”
Charles V's foreign policy
Similar to internal problems, Charles V had to face many problems in the context of foreign politics.
1. His vast empire was intolerable to the European rulers.
2. Francis I, the ruler of France, was his strong rival.
3. The continuous expansion of the Turks towards the Danube River in Eastern Europe and the increasing importance of the Turks in the Mediterranean were undoubtedly the main problems of Charles V.
4. The malicious policy of Pope of Rome and Henry VIII also stood in front of him.
Overall, his vast empire had become a thorn in the eyes of other European powers. Charles had to maintain the prestige of the Hapsburg dynasty in international politics by protecting his empire from the vulture eyes of European powers. To fulfill this objective, he also had to fight with the powers of Europe. A brief description of its relations with the major countries of Europe is as follows:
1. Relations with France
Hurt by his internal problems, Charles V was biased towards making cordial relations with France, but he had to face disappointment in this context. Because of the upheaval going on in international politics, he could save the prestige of the Hapsburg dynasty and his empire only by fighting. So he had to fight with France. In fact, the following were the main reasons for his enmity with France:
a. Charles V and the French King Francis I were both claimants to the title of Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Charles V was victorious in this rivalry. Therefore, the defeat of Francis I became the cause of enmity between the two.
b. Due to the vastness of the Hapsburg Empire, the borders of the French Empire were surrounded by the Hapsburg Empire. This was very dangerous from the point of view of the security of France. Francis I wanted to secure his empire by challenging the Hapsburg dynasty.
c. The enmity between the two dynasties was going on traditionally.
d. Both the rulers claimed their rights over Naples and Sicily. Charles V wanted to establish his authority over Milan, which had been taken over by Francis I. Here Francis I wanted to control the southern provinces of Navarre.
It is clear that the war between the two dynastic empires was inevitable under the above circumstances.
First war:
In 1522, when the war between France and the Hapsburg Empire started, Charles, with the help of Henry VIII and the Pope of Rome, expelled the French from northern Italy and established the Sforza family on the throne of Milan. In 1525 AD, France was badly defeated by Spain in the siege of Pavia.
Result :
Francis I, who was exhausted by the war, wrote to his mother, "There is nothing left in the world but my life and my honour." In Hayes's words, "everything seemed to augur well for Charles' purposes." But as soon as he reached France after being released from prison, Francis I gave birth to the war by declaring his promises invalid.
Second war:
When the war between the two started again in 1527 AD, the situation was not the same. The Pope of Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice had formed a union. In fact, the main reason for the kings of these states supporting France was the growing Charles. Charles V acted courageously and as soon as the war started in 1527 AD, Charles's army made a fierce attack on Rome. The army of Henry VIII (Ruler of England) also did not prove effective against Charles.
Treaty of Cambrai:
Francis I was forced to accept the Treaty of Cambrai in 1529 AD.
1. According to the terms of the treaty, France had to give up its claims on the territories of Naples, Milan and Netherlands.
2. Francis I agreed to marry Charles V's sister 'Eleanor'.
France's authority over the province of Burgundy was accepted.
The Treaty of Cambrai (1529 AD) raised the prestige of Charles V. France had been defeated. The Pope accepted his power as iron and the prestige of England suffered a blow. Now, in Italy and Germany, there was someone who was all-powerful, then it was Charles V. His reputation can be gauged from the fact that in 1530 AD, the Pope himself crowned him with the golden crown of the Holy Roman Emperor.
But the Treaty of Cambrai did not lead to a complete ceasefire. Francis I started preparing for a struggle again with the aim of taking over Italy. On the question of Milan again in 1536 AD war broke out between Hapsburg Empire and France, in 1538 AD 'Treaty of Nice' stopped the war for some time, but in 1542 the war started again which was similar to the 1559 quotas. It stopped only after the treaty of Cambrai. This treaty ended the long-term wars. In this way, the long-term wars between Charles V and Francis I had very serious consequences. Which complicated the internal problems of Charles V.
2. Relations with Türky
The Turks took full advantage of Charles V being involved in continuous wars with France. Under the leadership of Sultan Suleiman II (1520-1566), the entire African coast from Egypt to Algeria accepted his authority. By 1541 AD, Suleiman took over Hungary. In 1547, Charles V and his brother were forced to accept the authority of the Turks over Hungary.
At the same time Tunis and Algiers came under the authority of the Turkish chieftain, Barbarossa. With help from France, he started gathering the Turkish army in the Mediterranean in such a way that fear arose for the security and business interests of Italy and Spain. Not only this, Barbarossa started plundering the European coastal regions of the Mediterranean by getting the support of the Moors who were driven out of Spain. This was a serious challenge to the Emperor Charles of Christendom. He immediately sent a fleet of three hundred ships and thirty thousand soldiers to suppress Barbarossa. In 1535 AD, Charles got possession of Tunis and rebels and robbers were finished forever. Charles V became proud of his victory as the patron of Christianity.
3. Relations with England
The importance of Spain's relationship with England from the Hapsburg dynasty becomes clear from the marriage of Catherine, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, the ruler of Spain, to Prince Arthur of England. After Arthur's death, Catherine was married to Henry VIII. Catherine was the aunt of King Charles V of Spain.
The most important reason for the change in status was actually the acrimony in the marriage relationship between Henry VIII and Catherine. Henry wanted to divorce Catherine, but Charles V was against it. Here, the Pope of Rome also did not allow Henry to divorce, being afraid of Charles V. Therefore, keeping all relations in check, Henry VIII not only helped France against Spain, but without caring for the Pope of Rome and Charles V, he divorced Catherine and married his girlfriend 'Anne Boleyn', but 1553 AD After Catherine's daughter Mary Tudor became the ruler of England, relations between Charles V and England became sweet. Charles V married his son Philip II to Mary Tudor. The relations between Spain and England remained sweet until the time when the foreign policy of England changed with the ascension of 'Elizabeth Tudor'.
Thus it is clear that Charles V continued to struggle throughout his life. After the death of Francis I and Henry VIII in 1547 AD, when it seemed that now the problems of Charles would end, at the same time after 1550 AD, the wave of problems again broke on Charles. On the one hand there were revolts in Italy and on the other hand the religious reformation movement in Germany had now gained full momentum. Türky's influence was increasing progressively in Eastern Europe. Here Charles's health was also deteriorating day by day. Therefore, in 1555-56, he divided his empire into two parts and handed over the succession of the Spanish Empire and the American Colonies to his son Philip II and retired from politics by handing over the succession of the Holy Roman Empire and the ancestral kingdoms of the Hapsburgs to his younger brother Ferdinand. And spent the last two years of his life in a peaceful environment in Spain. He died on September 21, 1558.
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