Though militarily victorious in the 1957 – 1958 Moroccan invasion of Spanish West Africa, Spain gradually relinquished its remaining African colonies.

Though his family originally lived in Hamburg, Jacob and his brother were both born in Spain.

Though short-lived, this success of Pisa in Spain increased the rivalry with Genoa.

Though highly decentralized, Spain is not a federation since the nation — as represented in the central institutions of government — retains full sovereignty.

Though supposed to rule only in the absence of the king, it is in fact the first step towards independence from Spain, and is commemorated as such.

Though a sense of nationalism pervaded his earliest surreal landscapes and Head of a Catalan Peasant, it wasn ’ t until Spain ’ s Republican government commissioned him to paint the mural, The Reaper, for the Spanish Republican Pavilion at the 1937 Paris Exhibition, that Miró ’ s work took on a politically charged meaning.

Though Spain was the core of his possessions, he was never totally assimilated and especially in his earlier years felt as if he were viewed as a foreign prince.

Angelo Gilardino, who has worked at the Fundación Andrés Segovia in Spain, noted: " Though it is not yet completely documented, it seems clear that, since his tender childhood, learnt playing as a flamenco guitarist.

Though their territory had been claimed by Spain since the early 16th century, they would have relatively little contact with Europeans until 1769, when, as part of an effort to colonize Alta California, an exploration party led by Don Gaspar de Portolà learned of the existence of San Francisco Bay.

Though still outperforming most of its EU partners, Spain failed to escape the effects of the global economic downturn in 2002.

Though this originally began in the Spanish-controlled area in the north of the country, it reached the French-controlled area until a coalition of France and Spain finally defeated the rebels in 1925.

Though the Spanish ceased their invasion, the Treaty of Badajoz on 6 June 1801 forced Portugal to cede Olivença and part of Guyana to Spain.

Though Lam's dislike for academic conservatism persisted, his time in Spain marked his technical development in which he began to merge a primitive aesthetic and the traditions of Western composition.

Though the party had previously opposed NATO, after reaching the government most party leaders supported keeping Spain inside the organisation.

Though Spain was officially neutral through World War Two, it did send troops known as the Blue Division to Russia to aid the Germans, and its pro-Axis stance led to it being isolated after the collapse of the Axis powers.

Though they too were basically enemies of the Spanish monarchy, at the same time, " a tired and inactive Spain promised to be a better neighbour than a powerful and aggressive France " ( Lynn 1999: 108 ).

Though their marriage united the two kingdoms, leading to the beginnings of modern Spain, they ruled independently and their kingdoms retained their own regional laws and governments for the next few centuries.

Though Lucas Alaman, his Secretary of the Interior, tried to dissuade him, American ambassador Joel R. Poinsett, encouraged Victoria to order the expulsion of the Spaniards, which caused serious economic problems, because most of those expelled were traders who brought their fortunes to Spain.

Though the golden age had long since passed, the 1950s saw flamenco achieving increased respectability in Spain.

Though they were politically independent from countries such as Spain and Portugal, many countries remained economically dependent on Europe, in particular on the United Kingdom.

Though in the early 1590s this fiscal-military state was only in its early stages and not as formidable as it would become in the next century, it still already made the struggle between Spain and the Dutch Republic less unequal than it had been in the early years of the Revolt.

Though the contents of these offers ( which amounted to a version of the concessions demanded by Spain ) were not known in the Republic, the fact of the secret negotiations became known, and disquieted the proponents of restarting the war, like the investors in the Dutch West India Company, that after a long delay was now finally about to be founded with as a main objective bringing the war to the Spanish Americas.

Though these Spanish naval forces were not strong enough to contest Dutch naval supremacy, Spain waged a very successful Guerre de Course, especially against the Dutch herring fisheries, despite attempts by the Dutch to blockade the Flemish coast.

Though Germany had a strong start, Spain started to look more dangerous after they had settled.

Though the unified reign of the First Qin Emperor lasted only 12 years, he managed to subdue great parts of what constitutes the core of the Han Chinese homeland and to unite them under a tightly centralized Legalist government seated at Xianyang ( close to modern Xi ' an ).

Though the Emperor retained some power over imperial churches, his power was damaged irreparably because he lost the religious authority that previously belonged to the office of the king.

Though he had a happy childhood surrounded by his many siblings, his family knew Francis was likely to be a future Emperor ( his uncle Joseph had no surviving issue from either of his two marriages ), and so in 1784 the young Archduke was sent to the Imperial Court in Vienna to educate and prepare him for his future role.

Though Kamakura Bakufu took over the police force and ruled Eastern Japan, the authority of Emperor and retired Emperors remained.

Though the real power in Italy was in his hands, he represented himself as the client of Julius Nepos and, after Nepos ' death in 480, of the Emperor in Constantinople.

Though Jobst had the greater support among the electors, he died on January 18, 1411, clearing the way for Sigismund's election as king and later Holy Roman Emperor.

Though Otto I was crowned Emperor in 962 and returned to Germany in 965, the political situation in Italy remained unstable.

Though Otto I preferred Byzantine Princess Anna Porphyrogenita, daughter of former Byzantine Emperor Romanos II, as she was born in the purple, her age ( then only five years old ) prevented serious consideration by the East.

Though understandably unpopular with them, neither of them had the power to effectively oppose the army-supported Emperor.

Though the position of Holy Roman Emperor was an elected one, the title often passed from father to son.

Though brought up a Lutheran, Queen Anne had in her youth lived with a niece of the Emperor Charles V, and not only knew something of the faith, but had frequently been present at mass with her former friend.

Though these words came to be used synonymously and interchangeably, at the time of Ying Zheng's rule, they were not used together, and would have carried the connotation of " The Holy Emperor " because Huang ( 皇 ) was previously associated with divine or deified entities.

Though Charles Martel chose not to take the title King, as his son Pepin III the Short would, or Emperor, as his grandson Charlemagne would be titled, he was absolute ruler of virtually all of today's continental Western Europe north of the Pyrenees.

Though these ancient gardens shared some of the characteristics of present-day botanical gardens, the forerunners of modern botanical gardens are generally regarded as being the medieval monastic physic gardens that originated after the decline of the Roman Empire at the time of Emperor Charlemagne ( 742 – 789 CE ).

Though he was technically the Emperor's feudal vassal, John had been able to ignore Emperor Louis IV's summons to join him in his intended invasion of Lombardy ( 1327 ).

Though they were technically part of the Holy Roman Empire, they had become de facto independent when the Swiss defeated Emperor Maximillian in 1499.

Though not the final adversary in the game, Emperor Draygon is the ultimate antagonist and the root of all of evil in Crystalis.

Though himself a Christian, he was the last Emperor to support Roman polytheism.

Though at first an ardent, even dogmatic supporter of such liberating aspects of the Revolution, in his policies as Emperor Napoleon later repudiated them, a move typical of revolutionaries who come to power.

Though Japan cut off diplomatic relations with China, Japan sent 11 emissaries to Silla, and Silla is also recorded in Nihon Shoki as sending embassies to Japan 17 times during the reigns of Emperor Temmu and Empress Jitō.

Though this imperial regime would end with his fall from power, 33 years later Napoleon's nephew Charles-Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte would be elected President of France and proceed to declare himself Emperor, as well.

Though her husband's title, Shahanshah ( King of Kings ), is the equivalent of Emperor, it was not until 1967 that a complementary feminine title, Shahbanu or Shahbanou ( equivalent of Empress consort ), was created to designate the consort of a Shah.

Though Charlemagne, in deference to Byzantine outrage, preferred the title " Emperor, king of the Franks and Lombards ", the ceremony formally acknowledged the Frankish Empire as the successor of the ( Western ) Roman one ( although only the forged " Donation " gave the pope political authority to do this ), thus triggering a series of disputes with the Byzantines around the Roman name.

Though subsequently the territory passed to the Dukes of Burgundy, Hesdin remained one of a handful of French strongholds, until in 1553 Emperor Charles V ordered the utter destruction of the old fortified town on a rise of ground and built the present town the following year, some from the original site, on the banks of the Canche.