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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > International relations
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Kings and Conquistadors - The Birth of Spain’s American Empire (Hardcover)
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Kings and Conquistadors - The Birth of Spain’s American Empire (Hardcover)
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Spain’s American empire began as the serendipitous outgrowth of
the search for a shortcut to China. That search derived from two
mid-fifteenth-century developments: the Ming Dynasty’s decision
to adopt a silver standard for its medium of exchange and the
Ottoman Turks’ capture of Constantinople in 1453. China’s great
demand for silver and the disruption of the Silk Road drove the
need to find alternative access to China. King John II of Portugal
sent explorers southward along the coast of Africa and thence to
the Orient, but Ferdinand and Isabella sent Christopher Columbus
westward, believing he would find a shorter route. A persistent if
disorderly push by Spanish conquistadors led to the discovery of
previously unknown civilizations, including the empires of the
Aztecs and the Incas. The search for a short-cut to China became
bound up with the seizure of the riches held by native populations.
Although the conquistadors were vastly outnumbered, their superior
technology—steel swords, armor, war horses, and
firearms—concomitant with diseases that accompanied them, enabled
them to subdue native American peoples and confiscate their wealth.
The aftermath was fraught with complications and strife. Crown-
appointed governors came into conflict with the conquistadors.
Distances were great, and the governors tended to place their
interests over those of the King. Cortez conquered the Aztecs
despite the governor’s attempts to prevent his campaign.
Bureaucratic interference bedeviled Francisco Pizzaro’s campaign
against the Incas, which, nonetheless, contributed more to the
wealth of his country than any other conquistador’s exploits.
Ultimately, the vast wealth of the Americas would fuel Spain and
its Empire for nearly two centuries.
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