Fighting the French invasion from 1808-1814, Spain couldn't avoid to loss most of its colonies to independence. The Spanish Empire still ruled the oceans until its defeat to the English in the Trafalgar Battle (1804). The Spanish Succession war (1701-1713) ended Spanish rule over its European possessions and ceded the leadership of mainland Europe to France. Anyway, in early 1600s, the war ended in a good way for Spain after an even bigger English Armada suffered an ever bigger defeat in a failed invasion of Portugal (owned by Spain).

The terrible weather and disorganization sunk a majority of the Spanish fleet. In August 1588, At the peak of Spain's power, Spain went to war with England and sent the Spanish Armada to invade her enemy. At the same time, royal marriages brought a vast amount of European territories under Spanish control (including Portugal, the 2nd colonial power, in 1581), suddenly turning Spain into the biggest European power. Other minor nations (mainly England) were jealous, so they began sending pirates to attack Spanish fleets, which brought gold from the Americas. Spain's massive fleet protected the new world and monopolized colonization. These new world territories brought Spain great wealth. Spain was the leader in colonization of the new world and had much of South America, the Caribbean, and southern North America. The conquests of Granada (1492) and Navarra (1512) completed the current Spanish territory. Spain was formed in 1469, as a union between the two Spanish countries Castile and Aragon, as shown on the flag (the current red-yellow flag appeared around 1780). +1.00 Yearly Prestige Spain is the largest country in the Iberian Peninsula, historical friends with Portugal, and the second of the European Union, after France.

Eu4 castilian civil war