Good times rarely last forever, and following the line of Philips after Charles V's son was the decline and the eventual extinction of the Habsburg line in Spain, thus nullifying Spain's marriage to Austria and her place in the Holy Roman Empire. Even as she fought to keep her family in Europe intact, dissolution was inevitable, and following the War of the Spanish Succession was the loss of her territories in Europe.
Despite its name, the Age of Enlightenment and the following years were not kind to Spain. A Seven Years' War saw her at arms against her sibling Portugal, and lead to a few uneasy alliances with her other sister nation France before going to war with her in the Peninsular War, Spain's first War of Independence. To top it all, her children territories in South America rebelled against her monarchy; Spain's hands were constantly stained with the blood of both her people and her children's people during the Spanish American Wars of Independence, and as reluctant as she was to let her children go, their independence was inevitable.
Mid-19th century, and still Spain continued to struggle to keep herself sane as war continued to break out amongst her people. Her country was never stable; the First Spanish Republic and the Restoration (and in between came World War I) tested her sanity and temper, but she managed to pull through by helping her people out whenever needed, be it first aid, rationing or even weapon handling.
Even so, of all the wars her country fought in, none could compare to the Civil War. The conflict between the Republicans and the Nationalists almost broke her in two, but she refused to take a side, and offered her services to anyone who was injured, despite the torturous days and sleepless nights she went through due to the bond she had with her people and her land.
Things were looking up when Francisco Franco took power. As Franco rebuilt the nation, Spain took that time to recover both physically and mentally, putting her past sufferings behind her and looking forward to the future Franco promised her. She supported Franco's decision to stay out of World War II, though she wasn't all pleased with the constant side switching he made to keep his country from appearing too biased to either the Axis or the Allies.
At the end of the War, Spain was isolated because of her ties with the Axis, but support from Portugal and some of her South American children, and eventually the US due to her anti-Communist stance helped her pulled through, eventually leading to the Spanish Miracle. Of course, there were a few drawbacks along the way, but after the death of Franco and the accession of King Juan Carlos I to the Spanish Throne, Spain was finally able to enjoy a safer life as well as her booming economy.
Despite its name, the Age of Enlightenment and the following years were not kind to Spain. A Seven Years' War saw her at arms against her sibling Portugal, and lead to a few uneasy alliances with her other sister nation France before going to war with her in the Peninsular War, Spain's first War of Independence. To top it all, her children territories in South America rebelled against her monarchy; Spain's hands were constantly stained with the blood of both her people and her children's people during the Spanish American Wars of Independence, and as reluctant as she was to let her children go, their independence was inevitable.
Mid-19th century, and still Spain continued to struggle to keep herself sane as war continued to break out amongst her people. Her country was never stable; the First Spanish Republic and the Restoration (and in between came World War I) tested her sanity and temper, but she managed to pull through by helping her people out whenever needed, be it first aid, rationing or even weapon handling.
Even so, of all the wars her country fought in, none could compare to the Civil War. The conflict between the Republicans and the Nationalists almost broke her in two, but she refused to take a side, and offered her services to anyone who was injured, despite the torturous days and sleepless nights she went through due to the bond she had with her people and her land.
Things were looking up when Francisco Franco took power. As Franco rebuilt the nation, Spain took that time to recover both physically and mentally, putting her past sufferings behind her and looking forward to the future Franco promised her. She supported Franco's decision to stay out of World War II, though she wasn't all pleased with the constant side switching he made to keep his country from appearing too biased to either the Axis or the Allies.
At the end of the War, Spain was isolated because of her ties with the Axis, but support from Portugal and some of her South American children, and eventually the US due to her anti-Communist stance helped her pulled through, eventually leading to the Spanish Miracle. Of course, there were a few drawbacks along the way, but after the death of Franco and the accession of King Juan Carlos I to the Spanish Throne, Spain was finally able to enjoy a safer life as well as her booming economy.
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