The Spanish people (or Spaniards) represent the Spanish Empire, an Exploration Age civilization in Civilization VII.
The Spanish civilization ability is Siglo de Oro, which grants +2 
Food, 
Gold, and 
Production in 
Settlements following your Religion or adjacent to Coast (+4 if both), doubled in distant lands. Their associated 
Wonder is El Escorial, and their unique assets are as follows:
Intro[]
The white foam gathers as the galleons set forth, and Spain emerges on the world. As conquistadors set their gaze upon the horizon, a glint arises in their eyes - they sail to claim the world – for glory, for God… or for gold.
Tips and hints[]
Spain can thrive in Distant Lands with the New World Riches Civic and Plaza Unique Quarter... or conquer them with the Conquista Tradition.
Strategy[]
|
Share your wisdom!
How do you use Spain? |
Civilopedia entry[]
Hispania was the name of the Roman province at the end of the Iberian peninsula, which Augustus Caesar fully incorporated into the Empire. As the Roman Empire collapsed under the weight of barbarians, so did Hispania. Gothic tribes – Germanic peoples from the Baltic region – moved into Spain, setting up monarchies in much of the Mediterranean, which quickly became Catholic. These largely fell to expanding Muslim powers, namely the Umayyad Caliphate in 711 CE. Spain’s Muslim rule lasted for many centuries, but it was almost constantly at war with the Gothic kingdoms who were eventually pushed back to the northern shore.
After the Umayyad height in 719, a few groups made gains against the Muslims and formed the new kingdoms of Castile and Aragon (the modern Madrid and Barcelona regions, respectively). These two polities were central to the medieval ideas of Spain – it was not yet a cohesive state but more of a region. The territory really came into its own in 1469 with the union of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. This was the beginning of one of the greatest empires the world had seen, one defined by conquest. Castile had always been in the process of taking over its neighbors, so the conquest of the New World came on the heels of other Spanish conquests. For instance, the occupation of Muslim Granada happened in 1492, the year of Columbus’s voyage. Just as Spain had invaded Granada in the name of Christianity, it would also bring its light to the New World.
The Spanish Empire was built on a couple of contradictory impulses. The first was to secure the flow of gold to its center. The second was the conversion of subjects. The conflict between these two goals is evident in the empire’s experience with the Emirate of Granada. This final Muslim outpost, on the southern tip of Spain, was economically vital as a pipeline into African gold resources. Spain was able to tap into this flow of wealth by demanding tribute from Granada; in exchange, they would not invade. The tribute system allowed Granada to remain Muslim – but eventually the Catholic monarchs launched war to convert the emirate. Once Christianized, Granada was cut off from the gold trade of Muslim Africa, and so too was the Spanish throne.
With such a strict anti-Muslim perspective, Spain’s prospects for trading through Ottoman lands were dim. Everyone wanted access to the riches of China. As the Silk Road closed off to Spain, the Spanish embarked on a quest to circumvent it – or circumnavigate it. Columbus’s discovery of a barrier on the way to China – the Americas – was an obstacle, but it was also an opportunity.
The New World offered several opportunities. The Portuguese had discovered rich sources of gold in West Africa, along with ivory, spices…and people they could enslave. Spain eyed their network carefully. In the War of Castilian Succession, they seized control of these trades (significantly, this did not necessarily mean they were establishing colonies).
After funding Columbus and “discovering” the New World, the Spanish Empire, along with Portugal, began carving up this new land. Spain was “granted” dominion over lands west of a particular line, while Portugal managed the east. This line seemed to greatly benefit Spain until one realizes that Africa was also included on the Portugal side. By 1511, the Americas (with a power center in Santo Domingo in what is now the Dominican Republic) had become a vital part of the Spanish Empire. The rights initially promised to adventurers like Columbus were quickly revoked and placed in the hands of the Crown. This was a venture for the Catholic monarchs.
But Spain was split on how to handle the empire’s new lands. In 1516, the powerful royal family, the Hapsburgs, took over the dynasty, and Spain became concerned with Old World issues; it viewed the New World as a venture for conversion. Only after the Aztec and Inca conquests were the Americas seen as a source of vast wealth. And when this wealth arrived in Europe, it was in the form of a flood, fueling inflation and wars in Spain. By 1556, the Hapsburgs controlled, in addition to Spain, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Milan, Naples, Austria, and parts of Hungary, Bohemia, and Transylvania.
From the perspective of France and England, Spain was a rival – an aggressive one, married to the most powerful family in Europe, fueled by wealth, and seeking to expand. France allied with the Ottomans while the English faced down the dreaded Spanish armada. This horrifically large Hapsburg fleet sailed to attack Elizabeth I and stop the spread of Protestantism once and for all in 1588. The venture ultimately failed in a spectacular fashion thanks to Spanish incompetence, English and Dutch prowess, and adverse weather. While Spain would rule the seas for another hundred years, the stage was set for Britain’s domination.
By this point, after the fall of the Aztecs and Inca, Spain was receiving a glut of money (and throwing it at its neighbors). However, a population can’t eat silver. A better strategy might have been to trade that silver for valued Chinese goods. Instead, Spain fought with Brunei over domination of the Philippines, which was becoming a major dumping ground for a lot of that New World silver, and a major buying point for Chinese goods.
The Spanish Empire was occasionally gold-rich, but as lottery winners understand, riches come and go. And Spain’s went. Both before and after its Armada was defeated, Spain went into bankruptcy; its wars were growing increasingly expensive. The 17th century marked the steady dispossession of Spanish lands across Europe, as European powers fought the overextended Spaniards. The Netherlands became independent, Portugal revolted, and the English and Dutch established competing colonies in the New World, in violation of the Pope’s decree. (They were Protestant countries – why should they care what the Pope says?)
The 18th century was a low period, as Spain’s new Bourbon dynasty maintained some possessions while other losses were set in stone. The Bourbons also sought to increase revenue – why was Spain constantly bankrupt if their colonies were so rich? These reforms increased the flow of money and solidified the inequality that sparked revolts across the empire.
The story of the Spanish Empire ends at the height of this prosperity. In the 1700s, the Spanish colonies were rich and growing in power, but they were also annoyed at their poor cousins in Europe, who adopted a superior attitude. Things were set to break, which they did when Napoleon invaded and ousted the Bourbons in favor of his own kin. However, that’s a story for a later time.
Cities[]
Age Transition Quotes[]
When age progress reaches 100% or player gets eliminated/retires, one of these quotes will be read depending on the last legacy path completed:
- Culture: "For Spain, one prize was never enough. Its vast treasure houses provoked the world's envy."
- Economic: "The furious pace of Spanish trade energized the people. Upon this bounty, they built an economy that stood the test of time."
- Military: "One hemisphere was their past - the other, their future. Spain seized both to control the fate of all."
- Science: "The Spanish saw their instruments fill every laboratory, and their books every library. Thus their brilliance enveloped the earth."
- Defeat: "Spain's New World was not all it was hoped to be. But more horizons lay in store for its people."
Trivia[]
- The Spanish civilization's symbol is the Castle of Castile, a heraldic castle as depicted on the Castilian flag and coat of arms and the Spanish flag and coat of arms.
- The Spanish civilization ability means "Century of Gold" in Spanish and refers to the Spanish Golden Age which spanned from the late 15th to the mid- to late 17th century.
- The Spanish background art depicts hot air balloons floating about the Alhambra Palace.
Soundtrack[]
| Original Track | № | Based on | Credits | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Kingdom of Spain (Exploration Age)" | 31 | A Este Sol Peregrino | Composed by Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco & Roland Rizzo Performed by Ensemble I Fedeli, with Brandon Acker |
4:31 |
Gallery[]
.jpg "Spanish city in-game (Civ7).jpg (7.43 MB)")
.png "Tercio in-game (Civ7).png (875 KB)")
.png "Plaza in-game (Civ7).png (1.13 MB)")
.png "El Escorial in-game (Civ7).png (4.15 MB)")
.jpg "Spanish Background (Civ7).jpg (71 KB)")
Videos[]
See also[]
- Spanish in other games
External links[]
| Civilization VII Civilizations [edit] | |
|---|---|
| Antiquity | |
| Exploration | |
| Modern | |
| 1 Requires DLC | |