The New World and Europe

The New World and Europe The sixteenth century was considered the Golden Age of Spain. Using the vast wealth of New Spain, King Charles I fought dynastic and religious battles in Europe and used bribes to have himself selected as the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. But still another challenge confronted the Catholic king in the form of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation and the European Order In 1517, Martin Luther started …

…of years, the Atlantic Ocean no longer constituted an unbridgeable barrier separating the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. After almost a century of unchallenged dominion over the New World, the Spanish would find themselves having to contend with other European interlopers. In the seventeenth century, as Spain's new rivals began to challenge its hegemony and to make colonial forays of their own, they would have to learn how to differ from and improve on Spain's example.