Cartier was followed by nobleman Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts who was accompanied by explorer / cartographer Samuel de Champlain in a 1604 expedition where they established the second permanent European settlement in North America, following Spain's settlement at St. Augustine.

However, the peace deals that followed included relinquishing the right to unite the French and Spanish thrones and the partitioning of Spain's European empire.

The United States, reflecting concerns raised by Great Britain, ultimately hoped to avoid having any European power take over Spain's colonies.

Among these, according to the Financial Times, was Spain's rapidly growing trade deficit, which had reached a staggering 10 % of the country's GDP by the summer of 2008, the " loss of competitiveness against its main trading partners " and, also, as a part of the latter, an inflation rate which had been traditionally higher than the one of its European partners, back then especially affected by house price increases of 150 % from 1998 and a growing family indebtedness ( 115 %) chiefly related to the Spanish Real Estate boom and rocketing oil prices.

In July 2009, the IMF worsened the estimates for Spain's 2009 contraction, to minus 4 % of GDP for the year ( close to the European average of minus 4. 6 %), besides, it estimated a further 0. 8 % contraction of the Spanish economy for 2010.

After the return of democracy following the death of General Franco in 1975, Spain's foreign policy priorities were to break out of the diplomatic isolation of the Franco years and expand diplomatic relations, enter the European Community, and define security relations with NATO, later joining the organisation in 1982.

This production of large coinage exploded as silver from Spain's colonies in the Americas flooded the European economy.

The designation Queso Manchego is protected under Spain's Denominación de Origen ( DO ) regulatory classification system and the cheese has been granted Protected Designation of Origin ( PDO ) status by the European Union.

Spain's objections were fully supported by almost all European Union member states, with the exception of France and Portugal ( whose government issued a statement regretting the incident ).

Soria is the least populous of all of Spain's provinces, with a density of around 9 inhabitants / km²-one of the lowest in the European Union.

This loose system had successfully resisted reform and higher taxation before, ironically resulting in Spain's having had historically, up until the 1640s at least, fewer than the usual number of fiscal revolts for an early modern European state.

The king reconciled long standing historic tensions with the Netherlands and cultivated relationships with France and Germany which led directly to Spain's entry into the European Community and into NATO.

According to historian Charles Powell, it was the king's goal to win Spain's full acceptance by other European powers.

This initial agreement was based on a tacit acceptance of the partition of Spain's European possessions.

Spain's European empire was also divided: Savoy received Sicily and parts of the Duchy of Milan, while Charles VI ( the Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria ), received the Spanish Netherlands, the Kingdom of Naples, Sardinia, and the bulk of the Duchy of Milan.

It also opened Spain's European and West Indian seaports to American shipping.

Port Royal was once home to privateers employed to nip at superpower Habsburg Spain's empire when smaller European powers dared not directly make war on Spain.

Spain's laws gave brides the right to control their dowry after marriage, contrary to the usual European practise of transferring the dowry to the control of the groom and his family.

By the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, Spain's European empire was divided: Savoy received Sicily and parts of the Duchy of Milan, while Charles VI ( the Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria ), received the Spanish Netherlands, the Kingdom of Naples, Sardinia, and the bulk of the Duchy of Milan.

The overall goal was to keep Spain's colonies dependent on trade with the motherland, rather than with each other and even less with colonies of other European powers.

In May 2012, " Time Magazine " profiled Jerez as the most indebted town in Spain, the vanguard of Spain's incoming economic collapse and the consequent break up and ending of the European Union.

A new Estatuto, the Ley del Vino y de los Alcoholes ( 25 / 1970 ) came into place in December 1970 but was again undermined, this time by two important events: the new Spanish Constitution ( inaugurated in 1978 ) that restated geographical considerations with the Estado de las Autonomías, and Spain's pending membership of the European Community ( 1986 ) that brought about a rapid classification of all Spanish produce in line with other member states.

In Spanish Empire | Spain's American colonies the upper classes were made up of Europeans and Criollo people | American born Spaniards and were heavily influenced by European trends.

It was the fifth European Marine unit formed, being preceded by the Spain's Infantería de Armada ( 1537 ), the Portuguese Marine Corps ( 1610 ), France's Troupes de marine ( 1622 ), and the English Royal Marines ( 1664 ).

Rising inflation, financially draining wars in Europe, the ongoing aftermath of the expulsion of the Jews and Moors from Spain, and Spain's growing dependency on the gold and silver imports, combined to cause several bankruptcies that caused economic crisis in the country, especially in heavily burdened Castile.

After the Napoleonic wars ( which ended in 1815 ), almost all of Spain's and Portugal's colonies in Latin America revolted and declared independence.

As Spain's former colonies in Central America gained their independence in 1821 and then began a series of wars to determine whether there would be a federalist, unitary union, or each former province would be independent, the potential of any regional power to threaten the Miskito kingdom declined.

The Venezuelan War of Independence ( 1811 – 1823 ) was one of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early nineteenth century, when independence movements in Latin America fought against rule by the Spanish Empire, emboldened by Spain's troubles in the Napoleonic Wars.

Spain's wars during that century became increasinly more to do with preserving the hegemonic power of the Habsburg alliance in Europe ; although it should be noted that the Habsburg alliance was successful in buttressing the Catholic Church against the rise of Protestantism.

The la Brigada de Carabineros Reales, though dressed as hussars, did however participate in several of Spain's wars, including the Spanish War of Independence against Napoleon I ( part of the Napoleonic Wars ), where they distinguished themselves at Sepúlveda ( 28 November 1808 ), along with the Alcántara and Montesa cavalry regiments, against Lasalle's French 10th Chasseurs a Cheval and 9th Dragoons.

The collapse of central Spanish authority resulted in successful wars of independence amongst Spain's American colonies, drastically reducing the size of her empire, and in turn led to a sequence of civil wars in Spain itself, many fought by frustrated veterans of the French and colonial campaigns.

Both wars in which very small numbers of Spanish soldiers-the conquistadors-who were mostly veterans of Spain's European or North African campaigns, were backed by local allies and defeated well established empires, shared many similarities.

Spain's subsequent liberation struggle marked one of the first national wars and the emergence of large-scale guerrillas, from which the English language borrowed the word.

Comparing the situation in the Old World and New World: in Spain's wars against the Moors, the clerics claimed that Muslims had knowledge of Christ and rejected Him, so that waging a Crusade against them was legitimate ; in contrast, in Spain's wars against the Indigenous peoples of the Americas and Native Americans, wars against those who had never come into contact with Christianity were illegitimate.

By the late 17th century, the Casa de Contratación had fallen into bureaucratic deadlock, and the empire as a whole was failing because of Spain's inability to finance wars on the Continent and a global empire at the same time.

Charles IV's vacillation, culminating in his failure to honour the alliance by neglecting to enforce the Continental System led to Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, invading Spain in 1808, thereby triggering Spain's War of Independence.

The success of the Porto Bello operation led the British in September 1740 to send a squadron under Commodore George Anson to attack Spain's possessions in the Pacific.

These raids, financed by the Crown or high nobility, were initially immensely profitable, until the overhaul of Spain's naval and intelligence systems led to a series of costly failures.

The cumulative crises and disruptions of invasion, revolution and restoration led to the independence of most of Spain's American colonies and the independence of Brazil from Portugal.

He quickly became interested in the world of fashion design and began sketching for leading Spanish fashion houses, which soon led to an apprenticeship with Spain's most renowned couturier, Cristóbal Balenciaga.

Development of these resources led to greater industrialization, which made Biscay one of Spain's richest provinces.

The War ended following the Tory political victory in 1710 in Britain which led to the Peace of Utrecht — the peace with France which granted Spain's crown to the French candidate but divided Spain's external territories.

# Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail-- from Nogales, Arizona northwestward to San Francisco, California marks the route of Spain's exploration and settlement led by Juan Bautista de Anza

In 1977, Suárez led the Union of the Democratic Centre ( Unión de Centro Democrático, UCD ) to victory in Spain's first free elections in 41 years, and became the first democratically-elected prime minister of the post-Franco regime.

This led to Spain's first mass-production car maker SEAT.

It was this alliance that led to Spain's entry into the war against Great Britain, leading to the loss of Trinidad and Menorca in 1798 and the attacks on Ferrol and Cadiz in 1800.

The re-establishment of diplomatic relations with the USA and its allies in the mid 1950s led to some easing of Spain's economic difficulties.

Medina-Sidonia was one of Spain's most important ducal seats in the 15th century ; producing an admiral, Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia, who led the Spanish Armada against England in 1588.

The Allies, therefore, resolved upon an expedition, led by Admiral George Rooke, to capture the southern Spanish port of Cádiz, and at a stroke cut off Spain's transatlantic trade.

A policy of repression against Cuban nationalists was ultimately ineffective and Spain's authority was challenged most seriously by the 1895 rebellion led by José Martí.

The disastrous colonial policy not only led to the loss of Spain's remaining colonial possessions in the Pacific and Caribbean, it also seriously weakened the government at home.

After having served more than 15 years ruling the autonomous community of Catalonia led by Jordi Pujol, CiU had become eroded while the Party of Catalan Socialists ( Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya, PSC ), a sister-party of Spain's main social democrat party ( Partido Socialista Obrero Español, PSOE ), began to enjoy electoral popularity also in the Catalan elections context.

Additionally, Spain's formerly close relationship with Italy and Nazi Germany led to suspicion and accusations.