Dios es Español

Dios es Español is an expression dating back to the Mid-19th Century. The usage of the phrase "God is Spanish" on the surface suggests an expression of awe for the dominance of the Spanish State, and indeed reclamation efforts have gone some length to shift to this usage. But its origins come not from Spain but from France where it was used to dismiss Spain's dominance over France due not to the hard work and rigours of Spain and her people, but rather dumb luck. The increasingly secular nature of French society contrasted at the time strongly with the much more pious Spain, and France was use to involving God for lucky events. It is also vital to not overlook that to many in Spain, such an utterance was blasphemous, so using it actually insults Spain further. However today Spain, despite being a shadow of her former self, has seen the phrase used politically with positive connotation; perhaps most famously with the Centre Right's famous declaration in their 2008 patriotic advert ending with "After All, is God not Spanish?"

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Spain, officially the United Kingdom of Spain, is a transcontinental Sovereign State principally in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. The Official State Religion is Catholicism but most citizens are non-practising. Atheism is the second most common statement of faith but communities of Islam continue to practise, especially in Spain's Southern Provinces. It is a member of the unofficial E5, the 5 most powerful European Powers, and considered one of the key players in international affairs and the maintenance of world peace.

Spain is a Parliamentary Democracy with a Federal structure and a Constitutional Monarch. The Prime minister is elected by an absolute majority in the Cortes, the unicameral legislative body, who leads the Government, the executive who serves by the Cortes' consent is appointed by the Monarch.

Spain's rich history and cultural diversity makes it a primary tourist destination and is home to much human heritage. It is also considered one of the great sporting nations of the world. It regularly posts high scores internationally in Healthcare and Education and militarily has the second largest navy and fourth largest army in the world.
 
The History of Spain

Spain begins her history in the Iberian Peninsula. Rome conquered the Peninsula over two centuries, uniting the diverse land of Phonetician trading ports and Iberian and Celtic tribes under the Empire. They gradually Romanised and the area gained the name Hispania. Christianity was introduced and spread rapidly in the first century CE. However with the fall of the Western Roman Empire the area became overrun with German tribes. The Visigothic Kingdom was the closest Hispania ever came to being a united independent state before the modern Kingdom of Spain.

The invasion of the Moors from Africa lead to Islam displacing Catholicism in the 8th century. Only the very North of Spain remained Catholic. Islamic Spain was prosperous and rich but divided between native Iberians, Jews, Berbers and the Arab rulers. Tensions lead to the breaking of Moorish Spain into weak kingdoms by the 11th Century. The Northern Kingdoms took their chance and slowly pushed South, reconverting the Peninsula to Catholicism. By the time of the late 1400's the last Muslim lands of Granada fell to the Spanish. The Reconquesta of Iberia was over. But it also marked a unification of Spain's Christian Kingdoms. This is why Spain's origin is so heavily linked to Catholicism.

And so begineth Spain

The most powerful Kingdoms at the end of the Iberian Reconquesta were Portugal on the Atlantic Coast, Castile in the Middle, and Aragon who looked to the Western Mediterranean Coast. Castile and Argon were already under the rule of the two Catholic Monarchs of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. They worked hard to centralise their states and they were those who brought down the walls of Granada. Isabella died first passing the crown to their eldest daughter who was married to the young Afonso VI of Portugal of House Avis. He would then inherit the thrown of Aragon too following Ferdinand's death in 1514. Only at this point were all three kingdoms brought into personal union. But plans had long been made for the event, with nobility making preparations years before.

Afonso invaded and annexed Navarre shortly after, declaring the unification of the Peninsula and announcing the creation of the Kingdom of Spain with himself styled as Afonso I. His wife Isabella (though whom he claimed Castile) became Isabella I and they actually ruled together. Their first born was called Juan who would be the first person to truly rule all the Kingdom alone. The luck with time in which the Kingdom formed should not be dismissed. The Portuguese traders (for they would still be considered Portuguese) had discovered the coast of Brazil and the islands in the Caribbean were found shortly after and Spain held an early and important monopoly.

The many faces of Spain

Often dismissed and overlooked at this stage was the skill with which Afonso and Isabella negotiated with the nobles of the various Kingdoms of Spain. Portugal was crying out for more funds and resources to explore the new lands across the Atlantic. But the Aragonese were desperate for more attention to the plight of Italy where they held the Kingdom of Naples. Italy was in chaos and had been for some time though its lands were rich and prosperous. Afronso split the difference hoping to appease both sides. He got lucky.

The Treaty of Rousillon was signed in 1519 establishing respect for the current French Spanish border across the Pyrenees with Roussillon being Spanish but Spain giving up any claim to other areas beyond like Bearn. France was desperate. England was threatening France in the North after overcoming their own nasty Civil War and several internal rebellions wasted precious resources. The Treaty was most influential in Italy where France recognised Spain's inherent right of Naples, and stop interfering in the affairs of many Northern Italian States.

France entered a period of instability and war with England and Austria. The Aragonese Nobility were satisfied and Aragonese foreign policy (as it would be called) dominated Spain's international relations for years. Peace but hostility with France. Focus on keeping France out of Italy. Friendly relations with the Papal States and a maintenance of the Status Quo favouring Spain and Austria in Northern Italy.

Castile wasn't overly concerned about the situation in Italy. Though they recognised the value of their Control of the situation. They had their minds focused on North Africa. The great sink into which Spain dump so much of their wealth and human life in the reconquesta of the Maghreb. Important Coastal cities like Tangiers and Oran were the initial focus but Isabella was intent on more. Spain would liberate Africa like it liberated Iberia. Resources from the New World funded these adventures. The benefit was it kept Spain from getting herself involved in the Great conflicts of Northern Europe as the Reformation took hold.

While Isabella looked to North Africa, Afonso looked across the ocean, as befitting his Portuguese background. He had wanted to invest heavily in the new lands but was held back with struggles in Italy with France and in Africa with Berbers and Arabs. If other nations had been up to the tasks they could have used the divided resource allocation to deprive Spain her advantage. But in a twist of good fortune they did not. Spain was slowly able to control every island in the Caribbean and the coasts of Brazil and took out the Aztec and Inca Empires. And so the wealth began to flow into Spain from all sides. The coasts of Guinea and the Atlantic islands all were claimed by Spain. And the Pope (who loved Spain) basically declared all of the New World and Africa as Spanish by Right.

Afonso outlived Isabella. But he would go down as Spain's first King and one of its greatest. His son Juan was reasonably old when he took the throne in 1555. He inherited the strongest Country in Europe. But its armies were bleeding in North Africa and its population stressed due the never ending conflict. The economy was struggling too with increasing inflation from the wealth of the new world. Costs of state were expanding too. There was the large and brand new navy. While Britain and France were still weaker and less stable they were growing in strength. And there were pirates and natives. Spain had to protect all her trade routes. From the Spice Islands and India around the whole of Africa and across the new world. They could afford it for now. But there was always the risk that her enemies would cease their internal conflicts and focus on her. Can Spain be everywhere at once?

With so many challenges many pitied the poor king.
 
Spanish Colonies

Juan cam to the throne after a significant wait and had been trained in the proper art of state management. He would prove an able administrator. In the minds of the modern historian he had one big flaw and one big advantage and unfortunately they are the same thing. Juan represents a solid continuation of Afonso and Isabella. He provides a stable government. The same generals lead the wars in Africa, the same Treasury is maintaining the economy. Juan had been heavily involved for decades and saw no need to change course and this stability was indeed welcome. But at the same time Afonso's biggest problem was Juan's in that they refused to commit to a path and future for Spain and believed they could split the difference. We see this perhaps most clearly in Spain's colonial Empire.

By the time of Juan's reign, Spain had the largest navy in the world and certainly the largest global navy. Ships patrolled the Spanish Colonies in the new world, and guided trade around Africa from the Spice Islands of Indonesia (called The Afonsos) and India. They built settler colonies on every island, several on the big islands, and constantly needed more colanists. The men of Spain were dying in the Atlas mountains and not crossing the seas to seek glory. Instead, West African manual slave labourers were bought with New World and East Asian wealth and shipped to the Caribbean and the America's. Natives were also co-opted into the colonies, though they had a habit of dying from disease. This led to the high diversity of the Spanish colonies we see today and was birthed from necessity than anything else.

The refusal of Spain to acknowledge the presence of other European colonies was deeply problematic as it allowed other nations to put aside differences and focus on the big threat that was Spain. Her dominance simply had to be broken. Juan was by all accounts a man of peace. Yes the never ending war in North Africa continued apace and the natives of South America were enslaved and made to work in the Silver mines but he worked tirelessly to prevent Spain entering into a European conflict. The key was Austria. Juan's mum's sister's husband was the Emperor of Austria and the alliance against France was strong. Austria was having problems both with the reformation in the Holy Roman Empire and her lands in the low countries and Northern Itlay which France deeply desired.

Juan firmly believed France was ready to invade at any moment and built up a strong defence along the French-Spanish border. It was expensive and deprived the Spanish of the men they needed in Africa. They were in luck that the Pope, a strong and important ally of Spain, declared the war a holy war which attracted other men of other nations to fight for t he restoration of the land to Christendom but the Pope's power was on the wane even now with German States and Britain already in flames with internal religious conflict over the very infallibility of the role.

Africa

The land of Africa which faced the Mediterranean was not exactly prosperous. Yes there was farmland to be found and wealth in the hills but it was a brutal battle for very little. Spain had long held the large major coastal cities and late in Juan's reign stormed the gates of Constantine, representing the capture of the first non-coastal city. But the rural areas and the mountains were full of enemy troops which attacked the Spanish forces and depleted their number through continued attrition. Spain's response was a brutal suppression of these rural populations and this only enraged the North African populations. Neither side would back down.

Along the Saharan coast Spain maintained a string of forts and important settlements including Dakar. Spanish explorers had pushed some way into the Sahel but couldn't penetrate the deep jungles of West Africa and instead hugged the coast. Their colonies on the West African coast suffered from disease but were vital in both trade routes and a source of important goods for example slaves. Spain held the islands at the Gulf on Guinea and nominal control of thencoast of Africa including the Congo but were much more solid at the Cape of Good Hope. This was a vital strategic area which served as the hub for all Spanish trade. They also controlled the small Indian Ocean islands and the island of Zanzibar and were working to bring the coastal regions on the Eastern coast to order.

Spain also formed a strong and important alliance with Ethiopia who they helped to expand further into the horn of Africa. While they were not Catholic they were vital Christian allies and a completely overstretched Spain needed whatever help they could get. The Ottomans were watching the war in North Africa with some alarm. They watched Spain completely bypass the silk road by rounding Africa with outright terror. Their revenues were falling and just when they needed further support. Conflict with Spain seemed just round the corner.

Juan the Jew Lover

The Spanish state had a powerful Catholic clergy who offered massive influence in the affairs of State. Afonso stuffed their mouths the gold. The pope and the clergy loved the idea of converting Africa to the Christian faith and they really loved the idea of converting the new world. The Catholic Church however found the tables turned as the reformation took hold. Afonso was a good Catholic Monarch and they needed his strong support. This gave Afonso some leaway. He was as not rabidly anti-Jew as his parents and while both had came close to thie r expulsion from Spain, Afonso wasn't keen and once he took the throne the matter came to a head in his favour.

Juan had been brought up therefore in a court that wasn't welcoming to Jews but certainly less hostile. And indeed Juan had councillors of the Jewish faith who listened to him. The rumours used to discredit the King included the mockier of "Jew Lover" which was hardly accurate. He just didn't really think it mattered. He was far most hostile to Muslims, though also far more willing to believe in their conversion than others. The innocent and trusting Juan he was often dubbed.

Either way, he entered the end of his reign merely continuing his parents conflicted and divided trajectories and never committing to one course of action. France and England (and others) began to grow more assertive on the open seas and even setting up illegal (according to the Pope) trading stations. The Ottomans were funnelling support to the North Africans. The Indians were demanding a bigger cut from their trade with Spain and threatening to allow other nations in. Austria was internally struggling and North Italy looked like it was about to explode. At least the Spanish had managed to hold back inflation. By taxing the Spanish more. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, even though the Spanish had never been so powerful their was deep dissent brewing on Iberia.

The Heir

Juan had married a Northern Italian princess and fathered several children. The oldest was Carlos. He demonstrated less of Juan's calm and methodical nature and more of Afonso's impulsiveness. He had been sent to Tangier to monitor the local area and had grown a reputation for ruthless efficiency. North of Morocco was perhaps the best integrated part of North African Spain as Mosques were converted (in some cases re-converted) to churches and soldiers settled down often marrying a local girl to start a family. The area was also a hotspot for violent insurrection. Carlos was brutal in what he saw as treason.

For Carlos Spain could never be safe while North Africa remained Muslim. He took literally the Pope's declaration of holy war. And he believed Spain was God's act to bring the word to the world. Finally Spain had a leader with a goal. Unfortunately this goal would push Spain to breaking point. Juan died in 1587.
 
Nice. Perhaps Spain will be disillusioned with the clergy faster this time around. It'll save them a lot of trouble. Allying with West African Nations against North Africans is also a nice way to deal with the problem. Converting the population to Sufism will be easier to swallow than Christianization.
 
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