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The Spanish's civilization music theme in the Definitive Edition The Spanish are a Southern European civilization introduced in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. They focus on gunpowder units and Monks. The Spanish were best known for exploring much of the world across the Atlantic and for being among the first Europeans to establish colonies along the Caribbean and the Americas. That fact is reflected in their fast working builders. They were also known for defeating powerful Amerindian empires of the New World and introducing Christianity to the region as a result of their powerful navy and superior weaponry. To reflect this achievement, Spanish gunpowder units fire faster and their Cannon Galleons fire more accurately with a Ballistics-like effect and also, their cannonballs travel faster. Their superior weaponry and metallurgy is represented by the fact that their Blacksmith technologies require no gold to be researched. In addition, they can train more than one unique unit, namely the Conquistador and the Missionary which are both mounted units. To reflect their widespread religious activity in the Americas, Inquisition allows their Monks and Missionaries to convert faster. As another result of their overseas conquest and their successful search for riches, the Spanish team bonus increases productivity of all allied trade units. ContentsOverview[edit | edit source]The Spanish are classified as a gunpowder and Monk civilization. They excel at these two particular areas, getting all possible upgrades there bar Siege Engineers as well as specific bonuses and technologies, but the Spanish are far from being limited to their areas of expertise. Their infantry and cavalry units are great and do not miss out on a single feature. The Paladin deserves a special mention here as very few civilizations can utilize them. Their archers rank below average, though. The Spanish navy is simply excellent; their technology tree there is perfect (a feature that is only shared with the Byzantines) and their Cannon Galleons can effectively be used in naval battles and are not limited to razing buildings thanks to the faster and more accurate cannonballs. The siege weapons are overall average, but the faster attacking Bombard Cannons make a notable difference. The defensive structures are also strong for the Spanish, which leaves their economy to be the shallow part in their tree. Overall, the Spanish have a very complete technology tree that enables them to pick from a wide variety of viable strategies. Campaign appearances[edit | edit source]The Spanish have a campaign devoted to their civilization: El Cid (with some of the scenarios played as Saracens). The player also plays as Spanish in the Lepanto scenario from the Battles of the Conquerors campaign and Tales of La Canela, the first scenario of the El Dorado campaign in The Forgotten. They also appear in: Montezuma[edit | edit source]
Sforza[edit | edit source]
Tariq ibn Ziyad[edit | edit source]
Francisco de Almeida[edit | edit source]
Characteristics[edit | edit source]Unique units[edit | edit source]
Unique technologies[edit | edit source]
Civilization bonuses[edit | edit source]
Team bonus[edit | edit source]Changelog[edit | edit source]The Conquerors[edit | edit source]
The Forgotten[edit | edit source]
The African Kingdoms[edit | edit source]
Definitive Edition[edit | edit source]
In-game dialogue language[edit | edit source]In-game, Spanish units speak Early Modern Spanish (northern Iberian variant).
AI player names[edit | edit source]When playing a random map game against the computer, the player may encounter any of the following Spanish AI characters:
History[edit | edit source]The history of Spain in the Middle Ages is written in three principal chapters: the creation of Visigothic Spain, then Muslim Spain, and then Reconquista, the reconquest of Spain by Christians. The Iberian peninsula was an appendage of the Roman Empire that was discarded as the empire disintegrated because it could not be defended in the face of barbarian invasions that brought devastation to the streets of Rome itself. The peninsula was occupied in large part by one of the migrating barbarian groups, the Visigoths, who had come most recently from the southwestern plains of modern Russia, displaced by the Huns. The Visigoths became Christian and occupied the center of the peninsula for several centuries. When one of the Visigoth lords appealed to Muslims in North Africa in the 8th century for aid against the king, the door was opened for Muslim expansion across the Straits of Gibraltar. Within 50 years the Muslims had taken most of the peninsula, leaving only small areas in the mountains and to the north outside their control. Muslim, or Moorish, Spain quickly developed into one of the most advanced European civilizations of the Middle Ages. It prospered in relative peace thanks to good agriculture, trade, coinage, and industry. It benefited from the spread of learning throughout the Muslim world. Cordoba became the largest and most sophisticated city in Europe after Constantinople, featuring a population of over 500,000, wonderful architecture, great works of art, a fabulous library, and important centers of learning. Peace and prosperity were disrupted by internal disruption, however, as important local rulers competed for overall power, and by external attack, both from the Christian north and Muslim North Africa. By the middle of the 13th century, Muslim Spain was reduced to a single kingdom centered on Granada. The Christian kingdoms of the north gradually ate away at Muslim power, though their effort was often dispersed when they fought with each other. Portugal split off and created a separate kingdom. Muslim Granada survived for several centuries thanks to liberal tribute paid to the Christians to its north and to clever diplomacy that played their enemies against each other. In 1469, however, Isabel I of Castile married Fernando II of Aragon, uniting the two competing Christian kingdoms and foreshadowing the end of Muslim Spain. Spain of the Middle Ages was a world of contrasts. It featured the great advantages of a multi-ethnic society, merging Latin, Jewish, Christian, Arab, and Muslim influences into a unique and rich culture. At the same time, however, many of these same cultural forces clashed violently. When two different cultures clash, the result is often grim. The reconquest dragged on for eight centuries, mirroring the Crusades in the holy land and creating an atmosphere that became increasingly pitiless and intolerant. The Christian warriors who eventually expelled the Muslims earned a reputation for being among the best fighters in Europe. Granada fell to the forces of Aragon and Castile at the start of 1492, a momentous year, as under the patronage of Queen Isabel, Christopher Columbus subsequently discovered for Europeans the great continents of the New World and their native populations.[2] Trivia[edit | edit source]
Gallery[edit | edit source] The Wonder of the Spanish, the Torre del Oro   The Mediterranean architecture set the Spanish share with the Italians, Portuguese, Byzantines and Sicilians that was introduced in The Forgotten  The Spanish user interface  Spanish preview in the Definitive Edition. Notice that their Western European Architecture is changed to the Mediterranean one.  Spanish user interface image Add a photo to this gallery Video overview[edit | edit source] References[edit | edit source]
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