Spain

After the Moors conquered the Iberian Peninsula in 711, the region became known as Al-Andalus, which was ruled by Independent Muslim states for 750 years. Immediately following the Moorish conquest, several Christian kingdoms from the north started the long, slow recovery of the peninsula, known as the Reconquista. The Reconquest was successful with the fall of Granada in 1492, and the Kingdom of Spain was created by the unification of the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. A daughter of that union, Catherine of Aragon, was Henry VIII’s first wife and mother of Mary , future Queen of England. That same year, Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World, the Inquisition began, and Jews and Muslims who refused to convert to Christianity were expelled from the country.

Over the next three centuries, Spain became the most important colonial power in the world, establishing a vast empire in the Americas and western Pacific. However, Spain became involved in court intrigue in other European countries, finding itself in numerous wars that led to economic ruin.

The English defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and the war that continued until 1604 nearly destroyed the national treasury of Spain.