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16,000 tons of silver bullion were unloaded from Spanish ships. A large army of 50,000 soldiers is supported with the money
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Charles V signs the Peace of Augsburg unqillingly.
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Philip raised taxes in the Netherlands and took steps to crush Protestantism. In response, angry Protestant mobs swept through Catholic churches. Philip then sent an army under the Spanish duke of Alva to punish the rebels.
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On a single day, the duke executed 1,500 Protestants and suspected rebels.
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The pope called on all Catholic princes to take up arms against the mounting power of the Ottoman Empire.
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Finally,the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands, which were largely Protestant, united and declared their independence from Spain. They became the United Provinces of the Netherlands. The ten southern provinces (present-day Belgium) were Catholic and remained under Spanish control.
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The King of Portugal dies without an heir. Philip, the king's nephew, takes the Potuguese kingdom.
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Philip launched the Spanish Armada in an attempt to punish Protestant England and its queen, Elizabeth I. However, he was defeated.
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American mines supply Spain witg an estimated 339,000 pounds of gold.
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The publication of Don Quixote de la Mancha is often called the birth of the modern European novel.
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The Dutch had the largest fleet of ships in the world perhaps 4,800 ships.