Spain's Empire By Nathan Chasey Jan 1, 1556 Charles V divided empire Jan 23, 1568 the duke executed 1,500 Protestants and suspected rebels Jan 20, 1571 Pope calls all Princes to to take up arms against the mounting power of the Ottoman Empire Jan 23, 1579 the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands, which were largely Protestant, united and declared their independence from Spain Jan 1, 1580 Philip II seized power of the Portuguse empire Jan 23, 1600 By 1600, American mines had supplied Spain with an estimated 339,000 pounds of gold Jan 23, 1600 Between 1550 and 1650, roughly 16,000 tons of silver bullion were unloaded from Spanish galleons