1. How Did Social Change In Europe Contribute To European Expansion Abroad?

Many people have heard of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. However, only some know of all the things they accomplished. They might be best known for funding the voyages of Christopher Columbus, but they also greatly contributed to the unity of Spain (“Isabella l”). Together, they brought many kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula together to form what Spain is today. Through Spain’s unification, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella strengthened Spain into an economic and dominant world power, enabling the spread of Christianity and the colonization of a New World.

During the period of 1492 to 1750, Europe experienced drastic changes during their Age of Discovery. As a result of contact and colonization, Western Europe’s economy, political, social, and military systems changed, but also maintained certain aspects that enabled them to build strong civilizations. Such changes include increased (international) trade routes, more centralized governments such as monarchies, decreased unifying influence of the Catholic Church, and increased interest in military conquest and expansion.

Although the Spanish and the British started colonizing the new world relatively at the same time their colonization efforts we’re extremely different but had some overlapping similarities. The differences include the two nations different reasoning to explore the New World, their relationship with the Natives, and it types of governments that they attempted to set up. Although some of these differences might not seem as if they are very important, they helped one nation do you better than the other one when it came to colonization efforts.

The economies of Spanish and French colonies differed from one another, considering their geography. For example, the Spanish established colonies in the south, while the French mainly established colonies near present-day Canada. The differences in

In the 17th century England and Spain were both in a race to settle the New World. After Christopher Columbus had reached this New World Spain almost immediately sent people over to explore and colonize. After the Treaty of Tordesillas secured their land, Spain’s empire quickly expanded across The Americas. England had a bit of a late start when it came to colonization. Even though their first few attempts such as Jamestown, and Roanoke were not very successful England kept at it. Eventually, England and Spain became the two most powerful nations in the Americas. Even though both nations had the same goal, their political, religious, and economic development were very different.

It was not just a war between kingdoms, but a crusade against infidels. The Reconquista became a brutal conflict inspired to be in part of devotion to Christianity. Spain was reconquered, Muslims and Jews were forced to convert to Christianity or be expelled from Spain.

1). The Nations of Europe sought to expand their empire because they were on the verge of overpopulation.Between 1550 and 1600 the population grew from three million to four million people. Also, England and Spain were at a war for power. The Spanish attempts at colonizing the New World had been extremely successful, for they had gained both wealth and power. The English did not see such success, as their ships would crash, be lost to the seas, or their colonization efforts would cease to be useful. Through the Spaniards control over the Americas they had gained a massive naval army, noted as the Spanish Armada. The Spanish attempt to invade England in 1588 failed which lead to the beginning of the fall of the Spanish empire in the New World.

Europeans were in a much closer proximity to the Americas than they were to asian countries. European societal groups, which included the competing merchants, impoverished nobles, monarchs, and commoners, Christian missionaries, and minorities different yet very strong motivations for having participation in empire building. European trading companies enabled the mobilization of both material resources like wood and crops as well as humans. The Disease in the Americas that had been brought by spanish conquerors made the natives weak and unable to stop the European invasion

Britain and Spain shared similar motivations for colonization, but their colonies were vastly different in many aspects due to differences in their own government and policies. Both countries created colonies to increase their wealth and expand their economies, but religious freedom played a factor in British colonization. The fundamental differences between the two countries led to a difference in the way the colonies of each country interacted with its government. The relationship of British and Spanish colonists with Native Americans also reflected the differences in the motives and the government of Britain and Spain.

The renaissance is defined as the “rebirth” of civilization in Europe from the 14th to 17th centuries (General Characteristics of the Renaissance). A renewed interest of classical world spread from its beginning in Italy, north to Germany and

During the times the Iberian Peninsula was ruled by the Muslims and was called Al-Andalus, Christians, Jews and Muslims coexisted in harmony in the Caliphates. However, the understanding of Spain as it is understood today did not exist. It was because of the Christianisation of the peninsula and the Reconquista that Iberia was reimagined as something more similar to what we understand today as Spain and Portugal. In this essay I intend to explain how this happened, which historical figures were key to this event and

"The Renaissance was a rebirth that led to new ways of thinking in the sciences, philosophy, and architecture, as well as painting and sculpture" (Spence 6). This period of European history, beginning in the fourteenth-century, saw a renewed interest in the arts. It has been characterized by

The Treaty of Tordesillas divided the “New World” into land, resources, and people claimed by Spain and Portugal. Pope Alexander VI issued and official order which divided the “New World” lands between Spain and Portugal. A north-south line of separation would be placed west of the Cape Verde Islands. The Treaty of Tordesillas was signed on June 7, 1494 and authenticated at Setubal, Portugal.

The Treaty between Spain and Portugal was signed on September 4th in 1479 between the Catholic Monarchs of Castile and Aragon on one side and Afonso V and his son, Prince John of Portugal, on the other side. It put an end to the War of the Castilian Succession, which ended with a victory of the Catholic Monarchs on land and a Portuguese victory on the sea. The peace treaty was signed at Alcáçovas. The audience for the Treaty between Spain and Portugal was the people of higher power. In Spain the higher power that the treaty applied to was king and queen of Castile, Leon, Aragon, Sicily, Toledo, Valencia, Galicia, Majorca, Seville, Sardinia, Cordova, Corsica, Murcia, Jaen, the Algarves, Algeciras, and Gibraltar; count and countess of Barcelona; lord and lady of Biscay and Molina; duke and duchess of Athens and Neopatras; count and countess of Roussillon and Cerdagne; marquis and marchioness of Oristano and Gociano. The higher power in Portugal was the King and Queen of Portugal and the Algarves. The Treaty between Spain and Portugal was also for anyone in the council of both parties and the Catholic Monarchs. The overall argument for the treaty between Spain and Portugal was Joanna la Beltraneja, Queen of Portugal, and Alfonso V, King of Portugal, gave away their rights to the Castilian throne in favor to the Catholic Monarchs, who gave Joanna and Alfonso the throne of Portugal. Another agreement in the treaty was the sharing of the Atlantic territories between the two countries. The treaty also was made to manifest who gets what land. Portugal recognized Castile's rights over the Canary Islands but Portugal was able to win the navigating, conquering and trading in all the Atlantic Ocean south of the Canary Islands. To this day, The Treaty between Spain and Portugal can be seen as a landmark in the history of colonialism. It is one of the first international documents that shows how the European’s purpose was to separate the world and colonize the territories located within their areas, and that any indigenous peoples living there are not asked for their consent. This could be seen as a general accepted principle in the ideology and practice of European powers up to the 20th century decolonization. The treaty

Throughout the course of human history there are countless manifestations of conflicts that prolonged decades, let alone centuries. When one first hears of drawn out European conflicts the foremost one that comes to mind is the Hundred Years War between England and France. However, the Reconquista, or the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain) fought between Christians and Muslims, was considerably lengthier, spanning 770 years from 722 at the battle of Covadonga and ultimately ending in 1492 with the expulsion of Muslim forces from Granada. The Reconquista began in response to an invasion of the peninsula in April of 711 by the Moors. Generally the Reconquista is thought to be a 700-year of ideology, “but it would be