Spanish Empire History

From one of the greatest historians of the Spanish world, here is a fresh and fascinating account of Spain's early conquests in the Americas. Hugh Thomas shows Spain at the dawn of the sixteenth century as a world power on the brink of greatness. For Spain and for the world, the decision to send Christopher Columbus west was epochal—the dividing line between the medieval and the modern.

The Spanish Empire was the first truly global empire and the first to be described as one on which “the sun never sets.” It rapidly grew to become one of the largest and most powerful empires in the history of the world and brought us goods such as potatoes, chocolate, and chewing gum.

Throughout the centuries, Spain has been subject to the lordship of other countries. It was occupied by the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Visigoths, the French, and the Muslims. It has been the playground of both the respectful and the ruthless. The Spanish coasts have been occupied by the trading empires of Carthage and Rome. All that time, Spain was told by others how to run their country, how to fight, whom to fight, and where to fight.

The Spanish Empire stands as one of the most magnificent empires in the history of the world. It unfurled its might across multiple continents, conquered all who stood in its way, and left an indelible impact on cultures around the globe. For over four centuries, its dominance remained unchallenged, casting a vast shadow across Europe and beyond.

An impossible city. A conqueror willing to risk everything. A woman caught between two worlds. In 1519, Hernán Cortés lands on the shores of an unknown territory. His ambition drives him to defy the gods, destiny, and the mighty Aztec Empire itself. Through jungles, volcanoes, and lakes, he will fight wars, endure betrayals, and witness human sacrifice. Amid the storm rises Doña Marina—La Malinche—his interpreter and ally, a woman capable of building a bridge between two civilizations. Across the seat of power, Moctezuma, the huey tlatoani, watches the arrival of the bearded men as a...

In the heart of modern-day Mexico City once stood a floating city of stone and water—Tenochtitlan, the radiant capital of the Aztec Empire. It was a metropolis of shimmering canals, whitewashed temples, bustling markets, and thousands of engineers, warriors, artisans, and poets who believed their city was the axis of the universe. The Aztec Empire: Rise and Fall of the Fifth Sun is a sweeping narrative of that world—its creation, glory, and destruction. Drawing from archaeology, primary sources, and newly uncovered research, Julian Reyes-Martell reimagines the Mexica not as bloodthirsty...

In the sixteenth century, the Spaniards became the first nation in history to have worldwide reach--across most of Europe to the Americas, the Philippines, and India. The Golden Age of the Spanish Empire would establish five centuries of Western supremacy across the globe and usher in an era of transatlantic exploration that eventually gave rise to the modern world. It was a time of discovery and adventure, of great political and social change. Robert Goodwin delves into previously unrecorded sources to bring this tumultuous and exciting period to life

In 1898, the ancient Spanish Empire, weak but proud, clashed with a young, ambitious United States, a nation brimming with industrial power and a new sense of destiny. This swift and brutal conflict was not just a splendid little war, but a violent changing of the guard that redrew the map of global power. From the halls of diplomacy to the front lines, the world held its breath as a new century was about to be born in gunfire. "Remember the Maine!" became the rallying cry that sent American sailors and soldiers into battle, igniting theaters of war thousands of miles apart. Witness ...

A Clash of Empires: The Spanish American War" is a comprehensive exploration of the historical events and factors that led to the outbreak of the war. The book delves into the causes of the conflict, including the Cuban Revolution, the role of yellow journalism in shaping public opinion, the explosion of the USS Maine, and the infamous De Lôme Letter. It examines the key figures and leaders involved, such as President William McKinley, Queen Regent Maria Christina of Spain, General Valeriano Weyler, and José Martí and the Cuban rebels. The book provides a detailed account of the war ...

Did you know that as of 2018, Argentina has a literacy level of 99 percent? Are you curious to find out how it achieved this? Argentina has a long and complex history. For hundreds of years, Argentina was inhabited by hunter-gatherer groups. In time, the Inca Empire rose to prominence and took over the Argentinian communities one by one. The Spanish arrived about 20 years later, bringing a new wave of invasion to the native inhabitants. The people of Argentina wouldn’t declare their independence until 1816, and after that, they faced civil war after civil war.

In this grand and thrilling narrative, the acclaimed biographer of Magellan, Columbus, and Marco Polo brings alive the singular life and adventures of Sir Francis Drake, the pirate/explorer/admiral whose mastery of the seas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I changed the course of history...

En este volumen podemos entender qué tienen en común los imperios y las leyendas negras que irremediablemente van unidas a ellos, cómo surgen creadas por intelectuales ligados a poderes locales y cómo los mismos imperios la asumen. El orgullo, la hybris, la envidia no son ajenos a la dinámica imperial. La autora se ocupa de la imperiofobia en los casos de Roma, los Estados Unidos y Rusia para analizar con más profundidad y mejor perspectiva el Imperio español.

This immersive epic reveals the origins of the American empire and the lives of those who promoted it and those who resisted it. In 1898, the United States won an empire, and—many allege—lost its soul. In Splendid Liberators, Joe Jackson offers an epic narrative of the Spanish-American War...

This audiobook tells the story of how Spain managed to conquer the Americas in the span of half a century, from the late 1400s to the mid-1500s. Although exploitation and warfare continued between the colonizers and the colonized after this period, the largest campaigns against the indigenous peoples were undertaken in this short time span, which is the focus of this audiobook.

The riveting true story of a legendary Spanish galleon that sunk off the coast of Colombia with over $1 billion in gold and silver—and one man’s obsessive quest to find it—from the New York Times bestselling author of Madhouse at the End of the Earth Roger Dooley wasn’t looking for the...

Grab your investigative tools, and get ready to meet the Inca people. They were the biggest civilization in the Americas during their time, so how did they fall so quickly to the Spanish conquistadors? Dive into this audiobook to learn more about the Inca Empire in a fun, up-to-date journey through its history.

Previous accounts of the fall of the Inca empire have played up the importance of the events of one violent day in November 1532 at the highland Andean town of Cajamarca. To some, the "Cajamarca miracle" - in which Francisco Pizarro and a small contingent of Spaniards captured an Inca who led an army numbering in the tens of thousands - demonstrated the intervention of divine providence. To others, the outcome was simply the result of European technological and immunological superiority.

A TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR From the preeminent historian of 20th century Spain Paul Preston, Architects of Terror is a new history of how paranoia, conspiracy and anti-Semitism was used to justify the military coup of 1936 and enabled the construction of a dictatorship built on violence...

A forgotten clash that shaped empires — brought vividly to life. In the spring of 1741, the fate of the New World hung in the balance. At the height of the War of Jenkins’ Ear, one of the largest amphibious military campaigns in history descended upon the Caribbean coast. British forces—nearly 200 ships and over 25,000 men—set their sights on the fortified Spanish stronghold of Cartagena de Indias. Their goal: to break Spain’s grip on the Americas. What followed was a brutal and awe-inspiring siege filled with strategic brilliance, devastating miscalculations, tropical disease, ...

Antes de que el país moderno naciera en 1821, el territorio que hoy comprende 32 estados y algunas islas pequeñas estaba habitado por antiguas dinastías y reinos de guerreros, astrónomos, sacerdotes, templos para sacrificios humanos y, sorprendentemente, algunas de las ciudades más grandes del mundo. Se estima que la sagrada ciudad de Chichén Itzá, en la península de Yucatán, en su máximo esplendor fue más grande que París.