Alternative history: What would happen if Spain became Protestant?

Alternative history: What would happen if Spain became Protestant?

Context

The Reconquista, which is the fall of the Emirate of Granada to the Kingdom of Castile, is one of the most important events in the history of Spain, and it happened in 1492. In 1517, in Northern Europe, the Protestant Reformation happened. In the 16th century, there was a Counter-Reformation effort in Spain, and that was an effort to prevent Protestant influence, which was considered as a threat. A priest called John (Juan de Ávila) played an important role in the Counter-Reformation in Spain. Bu the end of the 16th century, King Philip II made Spain as the defender of the Papacy and the Catholic Church. But what would happen if King Charles of Spain tolerated the spread of Protestantism in Spain?

Scenario

In the real timeline, the Counter-Reformation movement was spreading to the whole of Europe during the peak of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, including in Spain, and the same thing would happen in this alternative timeline. But there would still be a difference between the real timeline and this alternative timeline, in this case, the Counter-Reformation is opposed by some Spanish noblemen and the spread of Protestantism is tolerated, then eventually Philip II converted to Protestantism. In this alternative timeline, Sicily would secede from Habsburg-ruled Spain and be the defenders of the Papacy and the Catholic Church.

This hypothetical scenario would not only influence Europe. In this alternative timeline, the practice of Islam and Judaism, as well as the practice of Catholicism, would be legalised in the colonies as opposed to Mainland Spain, which would make many the Moriscos (Muslims forcibly converted to Christianity) to live in the Canary Islands and revert to Islam. 

Due to the spread of Protestantism in Mainland Spain, there would have been rebellions by the Filipinos, Aztecs, Mayans, Nicarao, Arawak and Inca. These rebellions would have been led by converts to Catholicism from these groups because they feel threatened by Protestant rule, and these rebellions would not be crushed. Thus, a Filipino Christian kingdom called Singhapala would emerge, and also Native American Christian kingdoms (New Aztec Empire, Arawak Empire, New Inca Empire, etc.). This alternative timeline would not only affect (former) Spanish colonies, but also the areas surrounding these territories. In this alternative timeline, the Kingdom of Brunei would have made the Islamic kingdoms of Mindanao and it's surrounding areas as their satellite states to maintain their position as one of the maritime kingdoms in the Indonesian archipelago, and also as a reaction to perceived threats from the Filipino Christian kingdom of Singhapala.

In this alternative timeline, there would be an effort to re-Catholicise Spain in the 18th century, and it would have been successful. This would result in Protestants having to pay hefty taxes, and areas which used to be home to trading posts for foreign merchants, such as Andalusia, Murcia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands, would remain majority Protestant. Because Spain in this alternative timeline had liberalised by the 18th century, Spanish nationalism which emerged in the 19th century would respect multiculturalism, as the practice of Islam and Judaism would have been legalised again in Mainland Spain.

After policies of liberalisation were implemented, in this case the freedom of religion in the entire territory of Spain, the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba would be transformed into a museum and the Church of Santa Marina de Aguas Santas would have been designated as the cathedral. These policies of liberalisation would not stop there. In this alternative timeline, these policies would lead to the Spanish colonisation of Morocco, and this would be done to protect freedom of religion, as Morocco is a Muslim majority country. Not only that, the Moroccan royal family would have been exiled to Syria.

The Spanish Civil War in this alternative timeline would be different than in the real timeline, because the Moroccan nationalists (dominated by left-wing groups) would have been involved. In both the real and this alternative timeline, the nationalists (right-wing) led by Franco would have won the Spanish Civil War in 1939, but in this hypothetical scenario, Moroccan left-wing rebels would wage war against the Spaniards and the rebellion would not be crushed, or in other words, the rebellion would be successful. Morocco in this hypothetical scenario would have declared it's independence in 1949. The Franco regime in this alternative timeline would emphasise a Pan-Christian identity, with conservative Christian values (not only Catholic values). Another Spanish colony in Africa, which was Equatorial Guinea, would have been a fertile ground for revolt in the 1950s, and the war of independence would happen and end in rebel victory. Spain after the fall of the Franco regime, in both the real and this alternative timeline, would have undergone liberalisation and eventually join the European Union.

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