Empire Rising: Spain

Not much different from what the colonial affairs department estimated, Spain successfully completed the African colonial consolidation plan within the year 1885.

After the war against Sokoto Hali France, Spain had only four colonies left in Africa, namely the South Morocco Colony, West Africa Colony, Guinea Colony, and Congo Territory.

As for Ceuta and Melilla in northern Morocco, although these two cities also belong to the African lands occupied by Spain, they have become localized due to Spain’s control for centuries.

The areas of Ceuta and Melilla are not large, each only a dozen square kilometers. Precisely because they are small, these two cities are mainly used for military purposes, with military fortresses being the largest buildings in the city.

After centuries of development, the main populations in the two cities are Spaniards or Portuguese, so naturally, they cannot be considered colonies.

Spain’s localization efforts in South Morocco, to some extent, also referenced Ceuta and Melilla. The current capital of the South Morocco Colony, Agadir, is no different from Spanish-majority cities like Ceuta and Melilla.

In fact, there is already discussion within Spain about renaming the city of Agadir. Since localization is necessary, the name Agadir will certainly need to be modified to a Spanish version.

In Europe, naming new places and cities is quite simple. One way is to add the word "new" to existing European names, like New Orleans, Newfoundland, New York, and so on.

Yes, the naming of New York follows this format. The English name for New York is New York, and York refers to the Duke of York’s territory, Yorkshire, within the United Kingdom.

The true meaning of New York is New Yorkshire, and the name New York is just a new phonetic translation.

There are countless examples of adding "new" to existing place names to create new names, so there is no need for further explanation.

The second more common naming method is naming after historical or highly reputable figures.

For instance, the capital of Tsarist Russia, St. Petersburg, is named after the famous Peter the Great of Russia. The United States also has such cities; San Francisco’s official name is San Francisco, with Francis being a renowned saint in Catholicism.

There are also many cities named with the prefix "San," and these two naming methods are quite mainstream ways to name new places and cities in Europe.

Currently, within Spain, there are several mainstream name considerations for the capital city of the South Morocco Colony, Agadir.

First is the naming method starting with "New," with names like New Madrid and New Barcelona receiving some support.

Then there is the naming method starting with "San," such as San Carlos and San Felipe.

Here, Carlos does not refer to Carlos of the Carlos Faction but to Charles V, the first King of Spain of the Habsburg Dynasty and the Holy Roman Emperor.

During his rule of Spain, Spain’s territories spanned Europe and America, being a true world power at the time, and he is also acclaimed as Spain’s second-greatest king.

As for the greatest king, naturally, it would be the Catholic Monarch Isabella I and Ferdinand II, who united the Kingdom of Castile and the Aragon Kingdom through matrimony.

Since Spain’s history to this point is only about four hundred years, there are only a few kings Spain can boast about.

Additionally, with the media glorifying Carlo’s achievements, in the minds of many Spanish media and people, Carlo, who was King of Spain for only sixteen years, can rank among the top five Spanish kings, just below a few kings of the Habsburg Dynasty who created the Sun Never Sets Empire.

In other words, the contributions of the Bourbon Dynasty’s Spanish kings have been almost entirely downplayed. Although the Bourbon family did not consist only of tyrants like the irritable King Ferdinand VII or the foolish Queen Isabella II, being part of the Bourbon Dynasty meant they were diminished.

To weaken the Bourbon Dynasty’s influence in Spain, downplaying the contributions of Bourbon Dynasty’s Spanish kings is necessary.

Of course, while downplaying these kings’ contributions, it cannot be too blatant. The best way in this scenario is to praise the kings of the Habsburg family.

After all, Carlo’s queen was from the Habsburg family, making her half of their own. Strengthening the contributions of the Habsburg Dynasty’s kings while downplaying those of the Bourbon Dynasty can greatly ensure Spain’s domestic stability, avoiding a Bourbon Dynasty restoration in Spain.

The trajectory of Spain during this period clearly shows that despite ruling Spain for nearly two hundred years, the Bourbon Dynasty still holds significant influence in Spain.

Historically, Spain established a republic twice after Queen Isabella, but the Bourbon Dynasty eventually restored both times. Spain’s monarchy even continued into later times, clearly illustrating the vast influence of the Bourbon Dynasty in Spain.

After various efforts by Carlo to reduce the Bourbon Dynasty’s prestige, the influence of the Bourbon family in Spain has become negligible.

The nobility and the Royalist Party have also been purged. Most nobles and royalists supporting the Bourbon family were liquidated by Carlo under various pretexts.