1) Spain was one of the first modern empires founded in 1492 with the union of the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. It held power over much of the colonial world for three centuries.
2) The Spanish Empire was at its height under Habsburg rule in the 16th-17th centuries, possessing territories across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. However, conflicts like the Anglo-Spanish War weakened its dominance.
3) The period from the 15th to 17th centuries saw Spain's cultural Golden Age amid the rise and fall of its empire, with famous artists, composers, writers emerging during this time of exploration and colonization.