ABSTRACT
José Javier Ruiz Ibáñez examines the development of a Spanish monarchical regime from the factionalism and turbulence of the mid-fifteenth century to its consolidation in a new form of governance by the end of the sixteenth century. Thus the construction of the Spanish monarchy needed the subordination and defeat of both internal and external challengers. This process was not smooth and was periodically ruptured by aristocratic and other revolts. As this new form of monarchy consolidated internally, it became capable of ever greater geopolitical influence, including its trans-oceanic expansion in what was to become Latin America. The Spanish monarchy, through internal consolidation and military projection, shifted into a new imperial project. Spanish imperialism became increasingly framed within a religious conflict that expanded in European territories. Yet Spain's dominant position was short-lived and imperial overstretch beckoned.
