History UsefulNotes / TheKingdomOfSpain

His mind collapsed pretty yearly and he went completely insane, in colourful and tragicomical ways. He seemed to recognize this, so in 1724, he abdicated to his seventeen-year-old son Luis. But Luis wound up dying within a few months (see below), and his second son, Fernando, was only ten years old, so a reluctant Felipe was restored to the throne for another twenty-two years.

!!Felipe V

At the end of his life, his mind finally collapsed and he went completely insane. He seemed to recognize this, so in 1724, he abdicated to his seventeen-year-old son Luis. But Luis wound up dying within a few months (see below), and his second son, Fernando, was only ten years old, so a reluctant Felipe was restored to the throne for another twenty-two years.

Although he has some triumphs in his resumé, he is generally considered a clueless, ineffectual king who was handed a job way over his head. His 45-year reign remains the longest of any Spanish monarch.

This behemoth of a state, the originator the nickname "the empire where the sun never set" for its global reach, was the largest non-continuous empire in the world until its disintegration and remains one of the biggest in history, even without counting a period when the Portuguese Empire was dynastically assimilated to it. Some consider it the first truly global empire for controlling significant amounts of land in all of the populated continents.[[note]]Technically, the Portuguese Empire was the first to control land in Europe, Africa, America, Asia and Oceania, but much of its territorial control was limited to small trade posts or coastal cities.[[/note]]

Another common misconception is that of the very adjective of Colonial, something that was spoken by the English, Dutch and French about the Spanish Empire in its overseas possessions and became internalized for the next centuries until today. The proper term of colony (which had changed its meaning from a neutral term to the derogative and negative conception of now) was never given to the territory in America, instead they were referred to as viceroyalties and kingdoms, essentially extensions from mainland rather than lands subjected to it, hence the need of Viceroys to administrate the territory. European territories of the empire, like Naples and later Portugal, were ruled by Viceroys the same exact ways.

The very term "Spanish Empire" is actually a popular exonym given by the English and French, which was adopted informally and very late into its history (for most of its tenure, the title of empire was reserved for the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire, which coincidentally was briefly co-ruled with Spain). Its official term was the Kingdom of Spain, as referred in this article, although in recent times the alternate name of "Hispanic Monarchy" has become fashionable too on account on the role played by its Hispanic-American lands and subjects in its history.

Historically, the Spanish Empire could be considered the public enemy of the Early Modern Age, having warred against almost every nation and culture in the world worthy to war against at the time. It was in pretty much unending conflicts against France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and ultimately itself, which expanded to Portugal and the Netherlands after those seceded from Spain, and then expanded further to Sweden and several German and Italian states during the various European Wars, not to mention Spain's own colonial battles, which included motley clashes against Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asians and many American indigenous tribes. France eventually became an ally with the rise of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty, so the longest and most regarded archnemesis was ultimately UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire, which in its beginnings also meant to try to divest Spain of its American gold and later expanded to multiple attempts to snatch land of their overseas territories.

Despite this long history of conflicts, the Spanish Empire was mostly capable to defend its lands and colonies, balancing minimal territorial losses with steady expansions, but a mix of inner and outer troubles shattered it almost completely during the Napoleonic Wars. It held onto Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and a set of islands until the end of the 19th century, when they were taken by the United States, much to the depression of Spanish academics of the time (the popularly called Generation of '98).

After becoming king, Philip turned out to be even more of a Catholic zealot than his father, only without his diplomatic abilities. He involved himself in multiple wars of various levels of avoidability against the Dutch, the English and the French, all while keeping the front against the Ottomans. In the process, he made Habsburg Spain a pariah state among Protestants and Catholics alike, resulting in the stigma of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Legend_(Spain) Spanish Black Legend]], and initiated a national decline whose effects similarly lasted centuries.

A deeply brainy individual, as well as a sort of amateur religious mystic, he had the biggest private library in Europe, practiced alchemy, collected holy relics as his personal totems, and allegedly built his massive Escorial Palace to seal a {{hellgate}}, filling it with Catholic art (incidentally, all kings of Spain after him are buried there). Unlike his father, he never went to war personally and preferred to get the work done by people with the right talents, and he truly had an impressive cadre of those, including names like UsefulNotes/TheDukeOfAlba, UsefulNotes/AlvaroDeBazan and UsefulNotes/AlexanderFarnese -- all of whom he squeezed to death with his obsessive war efforts.

The archipelago of the UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}} was named in his honor and [[UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfThePhilippines conquered]] during his reign, becoming a point of contact and trade with China and Japan. A plan to ally with the Japanese to conquer China and expand throughout Asia was considered, but in a rare moment of pacifism (and common sense), he discarded it.

Not the son Felipe II would have desired. Being weak-willed, slow in decision-making and with little interest in governing affairs, he re-popularized the custom of the ''valido'', in which command was delegated in a (badly) handpicked minister while the king went around partying. Clearly had issues and was probably a ludomaniac.

No large-scale wars were waged by Spain during most of his reign, giving birth to the term ''Pax Hispanica'', although the lack of a strong leadership caused some mess anyway. Less nicely, he expelled ''moriscos'' or Christianized descendants of Muslims, which was sort of an overreaction against secret collaborators of the Ottomans that hid among them.

Highly cultured and ambitious, he saw himself as a reformer and dreamed of giving Spain back the status it had lost with his grandfather's wars and father's mismanagement. For the better part of his reign, he was in a tremendously complicated relationship (no, they were both straight, so far as we know) with his own ''valido'' the Count Duke of Olivares, which historians still debate whether it was ultimately a good or a bad thing.

A king of many contrasts. He cultivated a stoic image for himself, although it backfired and gained him the derisive nickname ''el Rey Pasmado'' (roughly "the Stunned King"). He was also famous for being a lover of the arts, befriending writers and painters, and not any less of women, having about 40 lovers. He was also somehow a fervent Catholic, and towards the end of his life suffered a existential crisis for having failed in his life dream.

At war, Felipe was a bit of a LeeroyJenkins and had a rather mixed record, although one thing he had in his favor was the upgrade of their naval resources, including commanders like the mythic UsefulNotes/BlasDeLezo and monumental privateers like Miguel Enríquez and Amaro Pargo.

Although he has some triumphs in his resumé, he is generally considered a clueless, ineffectual king who was in way over his head. His 45-year reign remains the longest of any Spanish monarch.

Even after its disappearance, its cultural influence is still very much alive, with Hispanic culture forming the basis of Latin America (and part of the United States) and UsefulNotes/SpanishLanguage being the second most widely spoken native language in the world. The massive amounts of racial intermarrying happened during the Spanish expansion in America (historically called ''mestizaje'') also resulted in a relative majority of modern Latin Americans carrying at least some fraction of Spanish genetics, and to a lesser degree African and Italian genetics too.

Historically, the Spanish Empire could be considered the public enemy of the Early Modern Age, having been in pretty much unending wars against France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and itself, which expanded to Portugal and the Netherlands after those seceded from Spain (not to mention its various colonial scuffles, which included battles against Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asians and many American indigenous tribes). France eventually became an ally with the rise of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty, so the longest and most regarded archnemesis was ultimately UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire, which in its beginnings also meant to try to divest Spain of its American gold and later expanded to multiple attempts to snatch land of their overseas territories.

Despite this long history of conflicts, the empire was mostly capable to defend its colonies, balancing minimal territorial losses with steady expansions, but a mix of inner and outer troubles shattered it almost in a single strike during the Napoleonic Wars. It held onto Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and a set of islands until the end of the 19th century, when it was finally divested from them by the United States, much to the depression of Spanish academics of the time (the popularly called Generation of '98).

The archipelago of the UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}} was named in his honor and [[UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfThePhilippines conquered]] during his reign, becoming a point of contact and trade with China and Japan. A plan to ally with the Japanese to conquer China and expand throughout Asia was considered, but in a rare moment of pacifism (and common sensei), he discarded it.

-->Quote attributed to the Conquistadores (actually a misquote of Creator/BernalDiazDelCastillo)

A common misconception is that of the very adjective of Colonial, something that was spoken by the English, Dutch and French about the Empire in its overseas possessions and became internalized for the next centuries. The proper term of colony (which had changed its meaning from a neutral term to the derogative and negative conception of now) was never given to the territory in America, instead they were referred to as viceroyalties and kingdoms, hence the need of Viceroys to administrate the territory.

The Spanish Empire could be considered the public enemy of the Early Modern Age, having been in pretty much unending wars against France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and itself, which expanded to Portugal and the Netherlands after those seceded from Spain. France became an ally with the rise of the Bourbons, so the longest and most regarded archnemesis was ultimately UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire, which in its beginnings also meant to try to divest Spain of its American gold and later expanded to multiple attempts to snatch land of their overseas territories. Spain was mostly capable to defend its colonies during those conflicts, but a mix of inner and outer troubles shattered the empire during the Napoleonic Wars.

At the moment of his ascension, the Spanish conquistadores began to enter into the territories held by the Aztec Empire and the Inca Empire. They then took advantage of the fragmentary state of the two empires and managed, by turning the very native population against their overlords, to conquer most of modern México and Perú in [[UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire two]] [[UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheIncaEmpire campaigns]].

An unprecedentedly powerful king in European history, thanks to his Mediterranean, Germanic and Amerindian inheritances, Charles's ambition was to unify Europe against Islam like in the good old times, but failed because he was just about the only European ruler who actually wanted that (even the Popes were comfortable with the status quo). His biggest adversary was Francis I of France, the second most powerful person in Europe, whom Charles defeated many times without ever making him understand the necessity to join forces. At one point he had Francis captured and let him out naively with the promise of teaming up, but Francis didn't fulfill it; the King of France would rather join the Ottomans.

Protestants became an even bigger problem when Martin Luther nailed his theses under his nose, as like most Habsburgs, Charles was a devout Catholic. Cue the beginning of the [[ForeverWar endless religious wars funded with the extensive resources of the Spanish Empire]]. To his credit, he eventually came to realize that the Protestants were there to stay, and [[KnowWhenToFoldEm let them be, conceding some religious freedoms to prevent future wars]], but it didn't work, and this attitude didn't stick with his descendants (nor with the Protestants').

At the end of his life, completely burned out and tired of watching dreams shatter, he abdicated his (many) thrones to his son and brother and retired to a monastery.

He still won the Italian Wars, annexed the Portuguese Empire (forming what some academics call the Iberian Union), dealt a [[UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto massive naval blow]] to the Ottomans, was kind of a humanist who ruled fairly his overseas territories, and gave a big push to culture and science all around the Spanish Empire, thanks to which he is not completely remembered as a hack in Spain. Rather on the opposite, many Spaniards have recently romanticized him as a timeless symbol of the empire, as strongly as media from Protestant countries pictures him as an evil, ignorant tyrant.

At peace, he unified the various states of the empire in a single nation. But in doing so, he famously suppressed medieval rights in Aragon (namely, in Catalonia and Valencia) as punishment for siding with Charles IV and the Holy Roman Empire during the war, which started a long tradition of animosity between the Bourbons and those regions. The town of Xàtiva in Valencia, for instance, was besieged and burned by Felipe during the war and for a time renamed [[{Egopolis}} San Felipe]], so to this day, his portrait hangs upside-down in a local museum.

At peace, he unified the various states of the empire in a single nation. But in doing so, he famously suppressed medieval rights in Aragon (namely, in Catalonia and Valencia) as punishment for siding with the Habsburgs during the war, which started a long tradition of animosity between the Bourbons and those regions.

Although he has some triumphs in his resumé, he is generally considered a clueless, ineffectual king who was way in over his head. His 45-year reign remains the longest of any Spanish monarch.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/felipe_v_de_espana_rey_de.jpg]]

The War of the Spanish Succession ended with the Peace of Utrecht, in which Philippe of Anjou was recognized as King of Spain and Habsburg rule in Spain came to an end. But in exchange, Philippe forfeited his and his descendants' places in [[UsefulNotes/LetatCestMoi the French royal line of succession]], and his French relations likewise renounced any claims they had to the Spanish throne. Thus the Bourbons would rule both lands, but a union of the Spanish and French crowns would be off the table for good (the Bonapartes' attempts notwithstanding).

And so [[ThisIsMyNameOnForeign Philippe, now King Felipe V]], arrived in a Spain ruined by the war. He hoped to revive the country and managed some effective reforms, but he was prone to manic depression and was not a terribly skilled ruler, so he tended to be steered around by either his ministers or his ambitious wife, Isabel de Farnesio, none of whom had always Spain's best interests in mind.

Protestants became an even bigger problem when Martin Luther nailed his theses under his nose, as like most Habsburgs, Charles was a devout Catholic. Cue the beginning of the [[ForeverWar endless religious wars funded with the extensive resources of the Spanish Empire]]. To his credit, when he understood that the Protestants were there to stay, [[KnowWhenToFoldEm he let them be and conceded some religious freedom to prevent future wars]], but it didn't work, and the attitude didn't stick in his bloodline either (nor in the Protestants).

The War of the Spanish Succession ended with the Peace of Utrecht, in which Philippe of Anjou was recognized as King of Spain. But in exchange, Philippe forfeited his and his descendants' places in [[UsefulNotes/LetatCestMoi the French royal line of succession]], and his French relations likewise renounced any claims they had to the Spanish throne.
Thus the Bourbons would rule both lands, but a union of the Spanish and French crowns would be off the table for good (the Bonapartes' attempts notwithstanding).

And so [[ThisIsMyNameOnForeign Philippe, now King Felipe V]], arrived in a Spain ruined by the war. He desired earnestly to refloat the country and did some effective reforms, but the man was prone to manic depression and was not a terribly skilled ruler, so he tended to be steered around by his ministers and his ambitious wife Isabel de Farnesio, none of whom had always the best interests in mind.

At peace, he unified the various states of the empire in a single nation, in whose process he famously suppressed medieval rights as a punishment for supporting Archduke Charles in Aragon (namely, Catalonia and Valencia), which started a long tradition of animosity between the Bourbons and those regions. At war, Felipe was kind of a LeeroyJenkins and had a rather mixed record, although one thing he had in his favor was the upgrade of their naval resources, including commanders like the mythic UsefulNotes/BlasDeLezo and monumental privateers like Miguel Enríquez and Amaro Pargo.

At the end of his life, his mind finally collapsed and he went completely insane. He seemed to recognize this, so in 1724, he abdicated to his seventeen-year-old son Luis. But Luis wound up dying within a few months (see below), and his second son, Fernando, was only ten years old, so a reluctant Felipe was restored to the throne.

Although he has some triumphs in his resume, he is generally considered a clueless, ineffectual monarch who was handed a task way over his head. His 45-year reign remains the longest of any Spanish monarch.

An unprecedentedly powerful king in European history, thanks to his Mediterranean, Germanic and Amerindian inheritances, Charles's ambition was to unify Europe against Islam like in the good old times, but failed because he was just about the only European ruler who actually wanted that (even the Popes were comfortable with the status quo). His biggest adversary was Francis I of France, the second most powerful person in Europe, whom Charles defeated many times without ever making him understand the necessity to join forces; Francis would rather join the Ottomans.

Protestants became an even bigger problem when Martin Luther nailed his theses under his nose, as like most Habsburgs, Charles was a devout Catholic. Cue the beginning of the [[ForeverWar endless religious wars funded with the extensive resources of the Spanish Empire]]. To his credit, when he understood that the Protestants were there to stay, [[KnowWhenToFoldEm he let them be and conceded some religious freedom to prevent future wars]], but it didn't work, and the attitude didn't stick in his bloodline either.

A deeply brainy individual, as well as a sort of amateur religious mystic, he had the biggest private library in Europe, practiced alchemy, collected holy relics as his personal totems, and allegedly built his massive Escorial Palace to seal a {{hellgate}}, filling it with Catholic art (incidentally, all kings of Spain after him are buried there).

An [[UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}} archipelago in the Western Pacific]] was named in his honor and [[UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfThePhilippines conquered]] during his reign, becoming a point of contact and trade with China and Japan. War enterprises were also considered around the zone, among them a plan to ally with the Japanese to conquer China and expand throughout Asia, but it never realized.

And so [[ThisIsMyNameOnForeign Philippe, now King Felipe V]], arrived in a Spain ruined by the war, yet never seemed to get what exactly he had to do to fix it. He famously suppressed medieval rights as a punishment for supporting Archduke Charles in Aragon (namely, Catalonia and Valencia), which started a long tradition of animosity between the Bourbons and those regions.

Prone to manic depression, at the end of his life he went completely insane. He seemed to recognize this, so in 1724, he abdicated to his seventeen-year-old son Luis. But Luis wound up dying within a few months (see below), and his second son, Fernando, was only ten years old, so a reluctant Felipe was restored to the throne.

He is considered a clueless, ineffectual ruler, worsened by being handed a task way over his head. His 45-year reign remains the longest of any Spanish monarch.

Duke of Parma turned King of Naples turned King of Spain. Competent and pragmatical, he continued his brother Ferdinand's work and revitalized the empire in the style of UsefulNotes/TheEnlightenment. He also followed a policy of defensive neutrality, if less strenously, and endured a couple of failed war enterprises he was forced to wage, although he managed to bounce back every time.

After his death, his father annulled Louise's marriage due to her unpopularity and was forced to take the crown again, insane as he was.

Prone to manic depression, at the end of his life he went completely insane. He seemed to recognize this, so he abdicated to his seventeen-year-old son Luis. But Luis wound up dying within a few months (see below), and his second son, Fernando, was only ten years old, so a reluctant Felipe was restored to the throne.

Once Spain had rendered into utter chaos, he arrived with a high popularity to boot, defeating the Carlist Pretender, Carlos VII, in the Third Carlist War. He wound up taking the name Alfonso XII, with his regnal number alluding to eleven kings of Asturias, Léon, and Castile that had been named Alfonso before Spain was united (and thus not appearing in this list).

While he's classified as one of the Trastámara monarchs, Felipe was actually of the prestigious [[UsefulNotes/TheSoundOfMartialMusic Habsburg]] family, being the only son of Holy Roman Emperor UsefulNotes/MaximilianI. However, as Felipe predeceased his father, he never served as Emperor himself.

'''Reigned:''' 14 March 1516 – 16 January 1556\\

That person was Charles, Archduke of Austria, and the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned by the Pope himself. At the moment of his ascension, the Spanish conquistadores began to enter into the territories held by the Aztec Empire and the Inca Empire. They then took advantage of the fragmentary state of the two empires and managed, by turning the very native population against their overlords, to conquer most of modern México and Perú in [[UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire two]] [[UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheIncaEmpire campaigns]].

Prone to manic depression, at the end of his life he went completely insane. He seemed to recognize this, so he abdicated to his secventeen-year-old son Luis. But Luis wound up dying within a few months (see below), and his second son, Fernando, was only ten years old, so a reluctant Felipe was restored to the throne.

And so [[ThisIsYourNameOnForeign Philippe, now King Felipe V]], arrived in a Spain ruined by the war, yet never seemed to get what exactly he had to do to fix it. He famously suppressed medieval rights as a punishment for supporting Archduke Charles in Aragon (namely, Catalonia and Valencia), which started a long tradition of animosity between the Bourbons and those regions.

And so Philippe, now Felipe V, arrived in a Spain ruined by the war, yet never seemed to get what exactly he had to do to fix it. He famously suppressed medieval rights as a punishment for supporting Archduke Charles in Aragon (namely, Catalonia and Valencia), which started a long tradition of animosity between the Bourbons and those regions.

Prone to manic depression, at the end of his life he went completely insane.

Thus, the Bourbons would rule both lands, but a union of the Spanish and French crowns would be off the table for good.

His death [[SuccessionCrisis caused a fracas]], as after much speculation and vacillation in the last years of his life, he tried to to leave his throne to his sister's grandson, Philippe of Anjou, a grandson of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV of France. However, Archduke Charles of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI), a great-grandson of Felipe III, objected on grounds that Felipe IV's will stipulated that the Spanish throne would always stay in Habsburg hands, and tried to claim the throne as "Carlos III." These competing claims resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession, which was fought between Louis XIV's France and his allies and a multinational coalition led by Charles VI which included [[UsefulNotes/BritainVersusTheUK England and Scotland (later the newly formed United Kingdom)]], Portugal, the Netherlands, and Prussia.

The War of the Spanish Succession ended with the Peace of Utrecht, in which Philippe of Anjou was recognized as King of Spain. But in exchange, Philippe forfeited his and his descendants' places in [[UsefulNotes/LetatCestMoi the French royal line of succession]], and his French relations likewise renounced any claims they had to the Spanish throne, thus
the Bourbons would rule both lands, but a union of the Spanish and French crowns would be off the table for good.

!![[UsefulNotes/TheCatholicMonarchs Isabel I of Castile and Fernando II of Aragon]]

By the latter half of the fifteenth century, the then Queen Isabel chose to marry King Fernando, which was reported to be a love match between the two, and with it, the crowns of the kingdom of Castile, largest in Hispania, and the kingdom of Aragon, joint with the kingdom of Naples. This union, while it suffered a rebellion, was able to finish the Reconquista once and for all, annexing the territory of Granada, today southern Spain.

Brief as he was, and never getting to reign alone, is just remembered for being a jerk and totally disregarding the queen in his endless affairs. Also, much to the monarchs' dismay, he made a friendly turn to France, their traditional enemies, which made Fernando his ArchEnemy (Isabel died shortly after) and caused much turmoil.

His death [[SuccessionCrisis caused a fracas]], as after much speculation and vacillation in the last years of his life, he tried to to leave his throne to his sister's grandson, Philippe of Anjou, a grandson of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV of France. However, Archduke Charles of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI), a great-grandson of Felipe III, objected on grounds that Felipe IV's will stipulated that the Spanish throne would always stay in Habsburg hands, and tried to claim the throne as "Carlos III." These contradictory claims resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheSpanishSuccession, which Archduke Charles and his allies would ultimately lose, definitively ending the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and resulting in the throne passing to Philippe of Anjou, who became…

Having had to renounce his and his descendants' place in the French royal line of succession to assume the Spanish throne, he arrived in a Spain ruined by the War of Succession, and never seemed to get what exactly he had to do to fix it. Famously suppressed medieval rights as a punishment for supporting Archduke Charles in Aragon (namely, Catalonia and Valencia), which started a long tradition of animosity between the Bourbons and those regions.

!!Isabel II

Crowned as a child, Isabel was married to a gay man - who was also her double first cousin - that she had no sympathy for.

While in exile, Isabel was forced to renounce her dynastic rights in favour of her son, the future Alfonso XII. After Alfonso became king, she was allowed back into Spain, but was barred from spending much time in Madrid and spent much of the rest of her life in Paris.

After Isabel II was deposed, debate about who the king of Spain might be started a controversy which even bled [[UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar into the international sphere with a war between France and Prussia]]. The Parliament eventually decided Amadeo, from the family that successfully had united Italy, would be a nice king. This option was strongly supported by prestigious general Juan Prim.

On the subject of lines of succession, at points of its history (as mentioned under Isabel II), Spain had to contend with the traditionalist '''Carlists''', who believed that when Fernando VII died in 1833, the throne should have gone to his brother, Infante Carlos María Isidro and his descendants, instead of Isabel II and hers. Isabel II's unpopularity helped their cause, and the Carlists fought three wars to try and get it done, but they were never quite successful. The movement would last for so long that Carlists would play a role in the Franco regime – albeit a small one. These days, Carlism is a niche interest, and the movement [[WeAreStrugglingTogether suffers a bit from internal squabbles]] as now there are currently no less than ''four'' Carlist pretenders to the throne, based on differing interpretations of the Carlist claim (even Felipe VI has backing from a small group of Carlists – not that he's acknowledged it).

Protestants became an even bigger problem when Martin Luther nailed his theses under his nose, as like most Habsburgs, Charles was a devout Catholic. Cue the beginning of the [[ForeverWar endless religious wars funded with the extensive resources of the Spanish Empire]]. To his credit, when he understood that the Protestants were there to stay, he let them be and conceded some religious freedom to prevent future wars, but it didn't work, and the attitude didn't stick in his bloodline either.

Unlike most of his predecessors, Carlos was a soundly healthy, charismatic and peaceful fellow of many talents, if also ugly and a bit weird. Several points of his life mirror interestingly those of Carlos I, including his devotion to his wife (and grief over her death afterwards), his passage by different thrones, his initiative and political ability, his unusual looks, and his stints as a military leader whenever he needed it. Also, just like Carlos I is seen as the greatest of the Spanish Habsburgs, Carlos III is regarded as the greatest of the Spanish Bourbons.

The first King of Spain to be married to a commoner (journalist Letizia Ortiz), Felipe has worked hard to make sure he can restore the monarchy's popularity in the eyes of the people, pledging "a renewed monarchy for a new time;" whether or not he's succeeding is a matter of debate. ToAt the beginning of his reign, there were calls from some for a referendum to decide whether Spain should remain a constitutional monarchy or become a republic, but they were a minority and it has not come up since.

The first King of Spain to be married to a commoner (journalist Letizia Ortiz), Felipe has worked hard to make sure he can restore the monarchy's popularity in the eyes of the people; whether or not he's succeeding is a matter of debate. At the beginning of his reign, there were calls from some for a referendum to decide whether Spain should remain a constitutional monarchy or become a republic, but they were a minority and it has not come up since.

By the time the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar kick off, Cánovas had been murdered the year before the conflict started and Sagasta took off every responsibility for the humiliating defeat, dying in 1903. Alfonso XII died prematurely and the young king was actually too young to rule over the crisis (as in, when Alfonso XII died, Alfonso XIII was ''still in his mother's womb'').