Iberian Union: Map & History
The Iberian Union, or the Hispanic Monarchy, describes the period from 1580 to 1640 in which the Monarchy of Spain under the Habsburg dynasty, then the personal union of the crowns of Castile and Aragon, brought in personal union also the Kingdom of Portugal.
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The Iberian Union, or the Hispanic Monarchy, describes the period from 1580 to 1640 in which the Monarchy of Spain under the Habsburg dynasty, then the personal union of the crowns of Castile and Aragon, brought in personal union also the Kingdom of Portugal. It incorporated the entire Iberian Peninsula, except Andorra and French territory, as well as Portuguese and Spanish overseas possessions, under the Spanish Habsburg monarchs Philip II, Philip III, and Philip IV. The union began after the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 and the ensuing War of the Portuguese Succession, and lasted until the Portuguese Restoration War, during which the House of Braganza was established as Portugal's new ruling dynasty with the acclamation of John IV as the new king of Portugal.
Modern Countries Once Part of Iberian Union
At its mapped extent, Iberian Union covered territory in 10 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Luxembourg1582–1639 CE · nearly all
- Andorra1582–1639 CE · nearly all
- Bahrain1582–1608 CE · nearly all
- Portugal1582–1639 CE · most
- Belgium1582–1639 CE · most
- Spain1582–1639 CE · most
- Netherlands1582–1631 CE · a large part
- Italy1582–1639 CE · a large part
- Oman1582–1639 CE · a small part
- France1582–1639 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Iberian Union's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Iberian Union in Depth
Decline of the Union and revolt of Portugal
When Philip II of Portugal (and III of Spain) died, he was succeeded by Philip III (and IV of Spain), who had a different approach on Portuguese issues. Taxes raised affected mainly the Portuguese merchants (Carmo Reis 1587). The Portuguese nobility began to lose its importance at the Spanish Cortes, and government posts in Portugal were occupied by Spaniards. Ultimately, Philip III tried to make Portugal a royal province, and Portuguese nobles lost all of their power.
Several other problems also damaged Portuguese support of their union with Spain. One of these was certainly the pressure from the center, especially from Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares, towards uniformity and sharing the financial and military burden of Castile's wars in Europe.
Legacy
In the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain, the Valdegovía adopted the royal coat of arms during the Iberian Union period with the Navarre arms and the Portuguese arms added on the honor point.
The Spanish city of Ceuta was a part of the Portuguese Empire until the end of the Iberian Union in 1640, after which it decided to remain with Spain. Thus the coat of arms of the city is nearly identical to that of the Kingdom of Portugal, showing the seven castles over the red bordure and the five escutcheons with silver roundels, and the gyronny field of its flag is identical to that of the flag of Lisbon, to commemorate the fact of that flag having been the first raised in Ceuta by the Portuguese when they conquered the city in 1415.
Background
The unification of the peninsula had long been a goal of the region's monarchs with the intent of restoring the Visigothic monarchy. Sancho III of Navarre and Alfonso VII of León and Castile had both taken the title Imperator totius Hispaniae, meaning "Emperor of All Hispania". There were many attempts to unite the different kingdoms after Alfonso VII's death in 1109, especially through a policy of intermarriage. Some of the most famous attempts are those of Miguel da Paz, who would inherit the crowns of Portugal, Leon, Castile, and Aragon, but who died at a young age; and those of Afonso, Prince of Portugal, who was to marry the eldest daughter of the Catholic Monarchs, if not for his untimely death by an accident in which he fell off his horse.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Iberian Union (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Iberian Union: Key Facts
| Form of government | polysynodal monarchy |
|---|---|
| Founded | 12 September 1580 |
| Dissolved | 1 December 1640 |
Preceded by
- War of the Portuguese Succession
Succeeded by
- Portuguese Restoration War
Facts from Wikidata Q377350 (CC0).
Iberian Union Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Iberian Union appears, with the other states of the time.
Iberian Union Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 814,268 km² in 1591 CE.
Iberian Union: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Iberian Union exist?
Iberian Union is dated to 1582 CE – 1639 CE, in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
How large was Iberian Union at its peak?
At its peak in 1591 Iberian Union covered about 814,268 km².
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