The Country that Influenced Hisotry Around the Wolrd

Recently in history class we learned about the rein of King Charles I. Charles ruled Spain from 1516 to 1556 and he was also the Holy Roman Emperor and ruled Germany as Charles V.  Ultimately his empire spanned for over 4 million kilometers of land; from Europe across the ocean to the Americas.  Learning about the Spanish empire in history and Spanish classes helped me realize how influential Spain was to world history and culture around the world.

Under Charles, Spain conquered much of the New World.  Spain controlled much of South and Central America and portions of North America. The influence of Spain can still be seen today in names around the United States. Places such as Florida and Santa Fe can trace their names back to Spain and the conquistadors. Charles even provided ships for Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation of the Earth which spread the Spanish influence around the entire globe. This influence is most prominent today in the Philippines which were under Spanish rule until they lost control in the Spanish-American War.

 

We learned about the Spanish influence on world language as it is the primary language in much of the world. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world today with over 400 million speakers of the language. This includes much of the new world including South and Central America as well as Mexico. This is largely due to the expansion of the Spanish empire under Charles.

 

Lastly, the Spanish influence can be seen on the world’s religion. Once again, the influence of Charles comes into play. As holy Roman Emperor, Charles fought against the spread of Protestantism.  The conquistadors he sent throughout the world spread Catholicism throughout the world much like the Spanish language. In many parts of the new world, Catholicism and Spanish influence go hand in hand.  It is truly amazing that something taught in history class can relate and connect to many different countries and places around the world.

Citations:

Picture One:

 “King of Spain.”Photograph.http://www.greatthoughtstreasury.com/author/charles-v

Picture Two:

“Holy Roman Empire.”Map. http://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/holy-roman-empire1.htm