

Obtain sufficient financial resources to invest in the religious struggle against the Protestant Reformation, that is, the Counter-Reformation, through the defense of Catholicism in Germany.The need to find new trade routes to China and other eastern territories, which did not subject Spain to transit through the territories of other rival powers, pushed them to explore unknown seas, thus stumbling over the American continent in a fortunate mistake.The fight against Islam, initially to recover the Spanish territory occupied by the Moors, and later to expand European rule in Mediterranean Africa, securing the Christian borders of Europe.In the case of Spain, in particular, some of the causes of its colonial expansion have to do with: The European colonial expansion was due to numerous reasons, summarized in the fierce competition between the powers of the continent to accumulate resources, to the extent that the mercantilism built by the bourgeoisie laid the foundations for the coming capitalism several centuries later. See also Hill - Concept, characteristics, training and examples Causes of Spanish colonization Likewise, the African coasts and especially the Canary Islands were a key point of communication between Europe and America.



Characteristics of the Spanish colonization Viceroys were born in Spain, never in the colonies they ruled. They were ceded to other powers of greater military capacity, negotiated as part of the payment of debts, or finally lost through bloody wars of independence in the 19th century. However, the Spanish colonies in the world did not last long. Not content with expelling Muslims from their lands, the Spanish continued to expand over Mediterranean Africa (Oran, Tunisia, Algeria) at least until the reign of Carlos of Austria (Carlos I of Spain), who preferred to focus his efforts on the recently discovered America.ĭuring later times, Spain controlled an immense portion of the American territories, along with the Philippine Islands, its surroundings and some specific regions of Africa. In the case of Spain, it took its first steps after the unification of the nation and at the end of the reconquest of the territories occupied by the Moors, both in the 15th century. Imperial expansion and colonialism were a common phenomenon in late medieval and modern Europe.
