Group of realms · 1516–1931

Spanish Empire

Spanish Empire brings together several realms, from 1516 to 1931. At its greatest recorded extent, in 1806, its lands covered about 11.80 million km².

Spain's empire grew from the union of Castile and Aragon under Isabella and Ferdinand, who in 1492 conquered Granada and sponsored Columbus's first voyage. Within two generations conquistadors toppled the Aztec and Inca empires, and silver from Potosí and Zacatecas paid for Habsburg wars across Europe, where Charles V and Philip II also ruled the Netherlands, much of Italy and, from 1580 to 1640, Portugal. The Americas were run through viceroyalties, royal courts and the Catholic Church, with Indigenous labour forced through the encomienda and mita systems and enslaved Africans shipped in. More about Spanish Empire.

See Spanish Empire on the map in 1806 →

On the map

1516–1931

Greatest extent

1806, about 11.80 million km²

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Wikipedia: Spanish Empire · Wikidata Q80702