the spanish conquisador
Conquistador:Are soldiers, explorers, and adventurers at the service of the Spanish Empire.[1][2] The name derived from the Reconquista (completed in 1492), the reconquest of the territory of the Iberian Peninsula that had been controlled by various Muslim states (known through much of that time as Al-Andalus). They sailed beyond Europe, conquering territory and opening trade routes. They colonized much of the world for Spain and Portugal in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Spanish Conquistadors The Renaissance & Elizabethan Age of Exploration to the New World was dominated by the Spanish Conquistadors. The success of the Spanish Conquistadors in acquiring monopolies on much of the Eastern spice trade and their expeditions to the New World brought great wealth and power to Spain. The new discoveries made by the Spanish Conquistadors brought untold riches in terms of gold and silver and spices and it also brought power and influence... Who were the Spanish Conquistadors? The Spanish word Conquistador means conqueror. The Conquistadors were Spanish Soldiers and Explorers - 'el conquistador' The History of the Spanish Conquistadors Spain had successfully taken the Iberian peninsula from the Muslim Moors after nearly eight hundred years of conflict. This victory was referred to as the 'reconquista'. The conflict with the Muslim Moors had been seen as a continuation of the Medieval Crusades. The crusades were a series of religious Holy Wars which had been given the blessing of the Pope. They were fought by Roman Catholic soldiers. The Spanish explorers / soldiers saw their mission to conquer new lands as a natural extension of the Medieval crusades. Roman Catholic Priests and Friars always accompanied the Spanish explorers who were expected to convert heathen natives to Christianity. The explorer / soldiers who travelled to the New World adopted the name 'Conquistadors'. The Motives of the Spanish Conquistadors The motives of the Spanish Conquistadors and their patrons were prompted by: Wealth - gold, silver, spices,Power, Prestige, Increasing opportunities for Spanish trade, Spreading the Catholic Religion to heathen natives, Building a Spanish Empire. They were Hernan Cortes, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Juan Ponce de Leon, Francisco Pizarro, Hernando de Soto, and Francisco Vazquez de Coronado.