Spanish History from 16th to 20th Centuries Quiz

Answer: Peru

The Inca Empire (present-day Peru) lasted from 1438 to 1533. It was the largest Empire in America throughout the Pre-Columbian era.

In 1532, Francisco Pizzaro (1478-1541) took advantage of the Incan Civil War to topple its ruler, Atahualpa. The Spanish suppressed several Incan rebellions and achieved complete control by 1572. However, Pizarro was assassinated by his Spanish rivals in 1541 in Lima, the city he had founded in 1535.

On 28 July 1921, Jose San Martin led his forces to liberate Peru and proclaimed its independence from Spain.

Answer: Netherlands

Queen Elizabeth I had restored the Protestant Church of England when she took over the throne from her half-sister, Queen Mary I, in 1558. The turning point was the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, Spain's Catholic ally, in 1587, which increased the religious tensions between the two countries.

The Netherlands were fighting for its independence against the Spanish occupation. Spain was using their religious secret police called the Inquisition to hunt out Protestants. The English were helping the Dutch to fight against the Spanish.

King Philip got the approval from the Pope to attack England to make England Catholic again. The Spanish fleet left Spain in July 1588. On 19th July, the Armada was sighted by the English fleet, led by Sir Francis Drake. The English fleet sailed from Plymouth and utterly defeated the Spanish Armada.

Answer: Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War, fought from 1618 to 1648, was one of the longest and most destructive in Europe. About 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died during this period. The war was a continuation of the conflict started during the 16th century Reformation of the Holy Roman Empire.

Philip IV (1605-1665) ruled Spain from 1621 until his death. He was also called the Planet King. From 1621 to 1640, he also ruled Portugal as Philip III. He was an arts lover who patronized artists such as Diego Velazquez.

After his death in 1665, the Spanish Empire expanded to about 12.2 million square kilometers, but the new king failed to achieve successful domestic and military reform. Philip IV had been succeeded by Charles II as King of Spain and by John IV as King of Portugal.

Answer: Charles II

After the death of childless Charles II in November 1700, the European great powers fought for control of the Spanish Empire. Charles II's nominated successor, Philip of Anjou (grandson of Louis XIV), was backed by France. His rival, Archduke Charles of Austria, was supported by the Grand Alliance, which consisted of the Holy Roman Empire, the Dutch Republic, and Great Britain.

The French held the advantage in the early stages of the war, but they were forced into the defensive after 1706. In 1709, some of the Allied forces had doubts to continue the war after the House of Bourbon (branch of Capetian dynasty) had secured Philip's position as the king.

In 1711, Archduke Charles succeeded his brother Emperor Joseph I as the Holy Roman Emperor. The new British government was not in favor of the union of Spain and Austria. The British withdrawal led to the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, followed by the treaties of Rastatt and Baden in 1714.

Answer: Great Britain

The Seven Years' War in fact lasted 9 years from 1754 to 1763. The war was also known as the French and Indian War. Spain allied with France in 1761 to fight against the British. After Spain's entry into the war, the British captured the major ports of Havana and Manila under Spanish rule in 1762.

The ports were returned to Spain in exchange for Florida, which was under the Spanish rule. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed to end the war. Great Britain emerged as the most powerful naval force in the world after this conflict.

Answer: French

In 1807, Spain and France were allies when the combined armies conquered Portugal by passing through Spain. In 1808, Napoleon occupied Spain after he ousted Ferdinand VII and his father Charles IV, and appointed his brother Joseph to the Spanish throne. Most Spaniards resented the French rule and started a series of wars against the French.

The war ended in 1814, when the Sixth Coalition consisting of Spain, UK, Prussia, Russia, Portugal, Sweden, Austria, Sardinia, and a number of German states defeated France. The Coalition victory ended the Napoleonic Empire. Napoleon was exiled to Elba.

Answer: South America

In 1808, there was a political crisis in Spain after the Spanish king and his son Ferdinand were taken hostage by Napoleon. The Creoles, Spanish who were born in America, took advantage of the situation to start wars of independence against Spain.

The wars of independence between Spain and the South American nations were fought from 1808 to 1825. Led by Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), Colombia (1810), Venezuela (1811), Ecuador (1822), Peru (1821), Panama (1821 as part of Colombia), and Bolivia (1825) gained independence from the Spanish Empire. By 1825, the remaining countries in South America, which were Argentina (1816), Chile (1810), Paraguay (1811), and Uruguay (1825) gained their independence.

Answer: Barcelona

In 1882, the construction of Sagrada Familia began under architect Francisco Paula del Villar. After Villar's resignation in 1883, Antonio Gaudi (1852-1926) took over the construction. When Gaudi died in 1926, less than a quarter of the project had been completed.

As the project relied mainly on private donations, very little progress was made and the construction was hampered by the Civil War from 1936 to 1939. In 1939, Francesc de Paula Quintana, who took over the project, managed to save the materials from Gaudi's workshop. The reconstruction was able to proceed from the published plans and photographs.

At the present time, these plans have been saved with the use of new technologies such as CAD and CNC to enable faster progress. The Roman Catholic Church in Barcelona is still uncompleted. The project managed by Junta Constructora del Temple Expiatori is funded by donations from the public and admission fees from people who visit the site.

Answer: Spain attacked American ports in Florida

In 1895, Cuba started the last of the three liberation wars against Spain. The Philippines also waged the war of independence against Spain to end the 333-year colonial rule.

On February 15, 1898, the U.S.S. Maine in Havana was sunk, killing 266 crew members. On April 11, 1898, President McKinley got the approval from the Senate to declare war against Spain. He listed the nation's humanitarian sympathy for the Cuban independence as one of the reasons.

On December 10, 1898, the war ended with signing of the Treaty of Paris, in which Spain had to renounce all claim to Cuba, cede Guam and Puerto Rico to the U.S., and transfer the sovereignty over the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million.

Answer: 1931

On February 11, 1872, following the abdication of Amadeus I due to lack of popular support, the National Assembly proclaimed the First Republic by 258 votes to 31. The Republic only lasted for two years due to political instability and conflicts. It was quickly overthrown by coup d'état by General Arsenio Martínez Campos in December 1874, after which the Bourbons were restored to power. Alfonso XII became the new Spanish king.

The Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed on April 14, 1931, after King Alfonso XIII was deposed. On April 1, 1939, the Spanish Second Republic was dissolved after they surrendered during the Spanish Civil War to the Nationalists led by General Francisco Franco.