Habsburg Spain

Habsburg Spain, also known as the Catholic Monarchy, was the period of Spanish history from 1516 to 1700 when it was ruled by kings from the House of Habsburg. In this period the Spanish Empire was at the zenith of its influence and power. During this period, Spain held many territories, including Pan-American continental holdings and the West Indies; European territories like the Low Countries, Italian territories, Portugal and parts of France; and the Philippines and other possessions in Southeast Asia. The period of Spanish history has also been referred to as the "Age of Expansion".

The Habsburg name was not always used by the family members, who often emphasized their more prestigious princely titles. The dynasty was long known as the "House of Austria". Calling this era "Habsburg", is, to some extent, a convenience for historians.

The marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1469 united the two main crowns, Castile and Aragon, which eventually led to the de facto unification of Spain after the culmination of the Reconquista with the conquest of Granada in 1492 and of Navarre from 1512 to 1529. Isabella and Ferdinand were given the title of "Catholic Monarchs of Spain" by Pope Alexander VI in 1494. With the Habsburgs, the term Monarchia Catholica (Catholic Monarchy, Modern Spanish: Monarquía Católica) remained in use. Spain remained one of the greatest political and military powers in Europe and the world for much of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Habsburg period ushered in the Spanish Golden Age of arts and literature, producing some of the world's most influential writers, painters, and intellectuals, including Teresa of Ávila, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Miguel de Cervantes, Francisco de Quevedo, Diego Velázquez, El Greco, Domingo de Soto, Francisco Suárez and Francisco de Vitoria. The death of Charles II, the last Habsburg king of Spain, in 1700, led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the ascension of Philip V of the Bourbon dynasty.