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Treaty of Tordesillas
The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas (Tordesilhas) was an agreement between the monarchs of Spain and Portugal to divide the world between them into two spheres of influence. The imaginary dividing line ran down the centre of the Atlantic Ocean...
Definition
The Conquest of New Spain
The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492 to c. 1580) is an account written in 1568 of the early Spanish colonization of Mesoamerica, specifically the conquest of the Aztec civilization in Mexico from 1519 to 1521 when Díaz...
Definition
Repartimiento
The repartimiento system was a distribution of rights to Spanish colonialists and municipalities, which allowed them to extract forced but low-paid labour from local communities in conquered territories. Designed to replace the inefficient...
Definition
Adelantado
Adelantado was an office awarded by the Spanish Crown to conduct military campaigns in the medieval period but then repurposed during the Age of Exploration to grant an individual the right to privately fund expeditions of discovery and conquest...
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The Spanish Singer by Manet
An 1860 oil on canvas painting, The Spanish Singer, by Edouard Manet (1832-83), the French modernist painter. The subject is here painted in a conservative style and, consequently, it was accepted by the Salon of Paris in 1861 and won a commendation...
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The Gold of the Conquistadors
The staggering quantity of gold the conquistadors extracted from the Americas allowed Spain to become the richest country in the world. The thirst for gold to pay for armies and gain personal enrichment resulted in waves of expeditions of...
Definition
Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola (l. 1491-1556) was a Basque soldier who became a Catholic priest and theologian after a mystical experience convinced him he was called to the service of Christ. He founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) to defend the Church...
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Spanish Attack on a Flemish village
Spanish attack on a Flemish village, oil on canvas by Peter Snayers (1592-1667).
Friedenstein Castle, Gotha.
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Spanish Gypsies
Spanish Gypsies, painting by Evgraf Sorokin (1821-1892), 1853.
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Proclamation of the Spanish Constitution of 1812
Proclamation of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 by the Cortés de Cádiz during the Peninsular War, image by Salvador Viniegra, 1912.