The main colonizers of the so-called New World

Apuntes

• Subtopic: European Colonizers of the New World The main colonizers of the so-called New World were the Spanish and Portuguese empires. Later, the British Empire, the Kingdom of France, and the Netherlands joined them. However, to a lesser extent, there were also initiatives from other European kingdoms. • Subtopic: Spanish Colonization After Columbus arrived in the Antilles, the Spanish Crown began a process of conquest and colonization. The colonized territories in America were divided into administrative dependencies called viceroyalties. Each viceroyalty was governed by a viceroy appointed by the king. Captaincy generals were also created, which were attached to a viceroyalty and were governed by a captain general, who exercised military functions. The American viceroyalties under the dominion of the Spanish Crown were the Viceroyalty of New Spain, the Viceroyalty of Peru, the Viceroyalty of New Granada, and the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.