Events

In Spanish history, the Golden Age (Siglo de Oro) generally corresponds to the political and cultural achievements of the 16th and the 17th centuries. Politically, Spain became the most powerful country in Europe in the 16th century, but by the end of the 17th, the country was reduced to being a source of contention between France and Austria. On the other hand, Spain was the source of cultural innovations in  literature Don Quijote (Cervantes) and Don Juan (Tirso de Molina), and in painting, Ribera, El Greco (a Cretan by birth), Zurbarán, Murillo and Velázquez. 

Image: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables (Soult Madonna), 1660–65, oil on canvas, 274 x 190 cm  Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid