Spain, England, France, German States, And Russian during the 1700s

Section 1: Spain - The Spanish Empire reached its height during the reign of Charles's son, Philip II, who became king in 1556. - In 1580, Philip II of Spain enforced his claim to the Portuguese throne by invading and conquering the country. - Spain gained control of the Philippine Islands during the late 1500's. - Spain also fought to defend western Europe from the expanding Ottoman Empire. Philip's rule brought the beginning of the Golden Age of …

…tightened the landowners' control over the serfs. - Under Catherine the Great, Russia rose to new importance as a major world power. In the late 1700's, Austria, Prussia, and Russia gradually divided Poland among themselves. - Russia gained nearly all of Belarus, Lithuania, and Ukraine from Poland. In wars against the Ottoman Empire (based in present-day Turkey), Russia gained the Crimea and other Ottoman lands. Catherine died in 1796. She was succeeded by her son, Paul.