Spanish Empire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the use of the imperial title in medieval Spain, see Imperator totius Hispaniae.

Imperio espaol
Spanish Empire

Flag

The areas of the world that at one time were territories of the Spanish
Monarchy or Empire.
Portuguese Empire during the Iberian Union (15811640).
Territories held before the Treaties of UtrechtBaden (17131714).
Territories held before the Spanish American wars of independence
(18081833).
Territories held before the SpanishAmerican War (18981899).
Territories granted independence during the Decolonisation of Africa
(19561976).
Current territories administered by Spain.

The Spanish Empire (Spanish: Imperio espaol) comprised territories and colonies
administered by the Spanish Crown in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It
originated during the Age of Exploration after the voyages of Christopher Columbus as one
of the first global empires. Under the Spanish Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its
political and economic power,[1] becoming the foremost global power of the time. Spain's
territorial reach beyond Europe included the Greater Antilles, half of South America, most
of Central America and much of North America (including present day Mexico, Florida and
the Southwestern and Pacific Coastal regions of the United States), as well as a number of
Pacific Ocean archipelagos including the Philippines.
The bulk of Spain's Empire was held for over three centuries, starting in 1492 with the
Spanish colonization of the Americas and lasting until the early 19th century Spanish
American wars of independence that left only Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines as
Spanish. Following the SpanishAmerican War of 1898, Spain ceded its last colonies in the
Caribbean and the Pacific to the United States. Its last African colonies were granted

independence in 1975. In conjunction with the territories of the Portuguese Empire, which
Spain controlled from 1580 to 1640, the Spanish Empire started the European dominance in
global affairs.
The Spanish Empire left a cultural and linguistic legacy, particularly in the Western
Hemisph