ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the dominant political power and influence of Spain on the European and global stage in the long sixteenth century from roughly 1492 to 1640 justifies viewing this period as the Spanish Century in Europe and the Atlantic world. With increasingly disproportionate economic and military power, the Spanish Empire reshaped the political order and culture of Iberia, much of Europe, and significant parts of the New World to an extent that was unmatched by any other European power. Inspired by Renaissance political ideals that emphasized warfare and conquest in pursuit of empire, and using material cultural accomplishments to both celebrate and promote imperial civilization imitating the ancient Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire created the master political narrative that other European powers would strive to follow.
