The Dutch Revolution is a truly complicated aspect of early modern European history. The Netherlands was Spain's meal ticket. Spain relied heavily upon the economic power that the Netherlands supplied them with. However, how is it that when the Dutch revolted that the much more powerful Spa...

The Up and Coming against the Established Britain had the greatest naval fleet in the world. Even when challenged by the best Spain had to offer, she was able to uphold her reputation. Now this was a lot to say since, "Spain in the sixteenth century was at the height of her power."(Marx...

The Spanish Armada is one of the most famous wars in history. It was between the Spanish and English. It lasted from 1588 until 1604. The Spanish captains were the Duke of Medina Sidonia and the Duke of Parma. The English captains were Lord Admiral Howard and Sir Francis Drake. At the time of the...

The Spain Cervantes Lived In Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra, writer of the world famous novel Don Quixote, was born in Spain in 1547. He was the son of a practical doctor, and although they were "hidalgos," a title of lesser nobility, they were relatively poor. Cervantes' life can be describe...

In the Elizabethan age the Spanish Armada controlled the seas with an iron fist. The Armada was extremely rich and incredibly powerful. Throughout all of the years Spain's Armada won countless battles, most of the battles were with the country of France (Easton 221). But France wasn't t...

Throughout this world's great history there have been many great rulers. Some of these great rulers to note would be Philip II of Spain, Louis XIV of France, Catherine the Great of Russia, and Peter the Great of Russia. These monarchs can be compared in various areas including domestic polic...

Introduction Within the annals of history, there are few leaders who were as powerful, as well known, and as mysterious as Alexander the Great. In his short but glorious life, he conquered what was then the known world and is now considered one of the most powerful military leaders of all time. In...

Religious leaders in France were deeply affected by the politics of the land. An example would be the French leader, Catherine de Medici's. She became a regent for her son, Charles IX and also based her decisions on the possible political gains of her monarchy. She first tried to reconcile pro...

Emperor Charles V was one of the most important ruling personalities in European history. The lottery of birth placed Charles at the center of a genealogical network that covered half Europe. His father, Philip, was Duke of Burgundy. His grandfather was Emperor Maximilian of Austria. His m...

Emperor Charles V was one of the most important ruling personalities in European history. The lottery of birth placed Charles at the center of a genealogical network that covered half Europe. His father, Philip, was Duke of Burgundy. His grandfather was Emperor Maximilian of Austria. His m...

Kyriakos Theotokopoulos (El Greco) was trained as a post Byzantine religious icon painter in Crete and was influenced by the Cretian hagiographic school. He eventually abandoned this style. El Greco was a Spanish mannerist painter. In 1566 he went to Venice, Italy, where he remained until 1570 u...

In the very late 16th and early 17th century Spain went from being a leading power in Europe to having England, France, and the Dutch surpassing them. This was mostly due to a single event, the failed attack of the Spanish Armada in 1588 (Ulm). King Philip the II ordered the armad...

Sir Francis Drake Francis Drake was born sometime between 1540 and 1545 on a farm near Tavistock in Devon, a country in southwest England. Drake was born to his father Edmond who was a sailor and married woman of the Mylwaye whose first name was lost to history. Despite not knowing her name, we...

In Mary Louise Pratt's "Arts of the Contact Zone", she discusses the association of a less powerful civilization, the Andean's, and a powerful, dominant civilization, the Spanish. The Spaniards' lack of knowledge of the Andean civilization prevented them from realizing thei...

The Spanish Armada was a powerful navy that attempted to enter England by force in 1588. This navy had been called previously "The Invincible Armada", because the Spaniards thought that it could not be defeated (The History of...). Philip II of Spain had many reasons to want to get rid o...

In Arts of the Contact Zone, Mary Louise Pratt discusses a conflict, which she has labeled the "contact zone". Pratt defines the contact zone loosely as the social spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other. In 1613 Guama Poma, a native Andean of Incan descent, wrote a twelve-h...

El Greco Biography In 1541, Domenikos Theotokopoulos, was born on the island of Crete in Greece. He became a master draftsman in Greece. In 1559, at the age of 18, he left Crete to study in Venice. There he studied for 10 years, and for 7 more years he studied in Rome. In 1577, after 17 years...

In 1490 there was no such country as Spain, yet within a century it had become the most powerful nation in Europe and within another had sunk to the status of a third-rate power. Describe and analyze the major social, economic, and political reasons for Spain's rise and fall. "In 14...

Queen Elizabeth & Her Explorers (1558-1603) Princess Elizabeth, a slender, athletic, extremely intelligent young woman, recieved an ideal Rennaissance education in Latin, Greek and modern languages, in history and Scripture. As Henry VIII's second eldest child, shunted ...