The Spanish empire originated with the marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469, uniting Spain. Their daughter married into the powerful Hapsburg family of Europe, beginning Hapsburg rule over Spain from the 16th-17th century. During this period, Spain became the most powerful nation in Europe through its vast overseas colonies supplying wealth and establishing Catholic dominance. However, wars and economic troubles weakened Spain, leading to the Bourbon succession after the War of Spanish Succession in the early 1700s.