The first form of government was a monarchy known as the Visogothic Kingdom. The kingdom began in 587 AD and lasted until 712 AD. One of the rulers of this period was King Rodrigo. He was defeated at the Battle of Guadalete. The total number of years of the kingdom was 125 years. Muslim Spain was founded by the Witiza family. They caused the fall of the Visogothic kingdom. By the middle of the 8th century, Muslims had gained a strong hold in Spain. They put King Abd al-Rahman in power. He recounted the massacre of 750 AD by the Abbasids. Muslim Spain had a culture rich in libraries and other educational materials. The new leader was Caliph Al-Hakam. Then it divided into smaller smaller kingdoms known as Ta'ifas. They soon separated and formed even more small kingdoms. Then, the Christian Reconquest took place in 718. It lasted 774 years from 718 to 1492. During this period, many new kingdoms appeared, such as that of the Basques. Much of Spain came under the control of the reconquest in 1492. It was completed by Isabel and Fernado taking Granada. In October of the same year, Columbus sailed for the West Indies. In 1469, Isabella and Fernado married. The Spanish Empire began in 1516 with Isabel I and Ferdinand V as the newly united country began to build an empire. Spanish expansion abroad began for several reasons. The monarchs wanted to secure neighboring areas to defend against Muslim raids from North Africa, in order to protect Castile's maritime activities and trade in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The crown goes to Charles I of Spain. Who unified the two kingdoms of Aragon and Castile under a single sovereign. In 1556 Charles left the throne and left it to his two sons. Charles died two years later. In 1714, Spain lost the war. Philip of Anjou becomes king and Spain loses Belgium Luxembourg Milan Naples Sardini and Minorca. This empire lasted 198 years. In 1588, the Spanish Armada was attacked and destroyed, making the fall of Spain more visible. The generals who rose up against the Second Republic on July 17 were confident of a quick victory. However, their attempt to seize power and establish a military directorate throughout Spain was only partially successful. In cities that supported the Second Republic, such as Zaragoza and Seville, insurgents quickly took control by taking ...... middle of paper ......d in a cabinet, or council of ministers. There is also the Council of States, an advisory body. In 1977, Spain's unicameral Cortes were replaced by a bicameral parliament consisting of a 350-member Congress of Deputies and a 208-member, directly elected Senate and 47 special regional representatives. Deputies are elected by the people for a four-year term by universal suffrage of people aged 18 and over, according to a system of proportional representation. Directly elected senators are elected for a four-year term on a regional basis. Each continental province elects 4 senators; Another 20 senators come from the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla. The Spanish judicial system is governed by the General Council of the Judiciary, chaired by the President of the Supreme Court. The highest court in the country is the Supreme Court of Justice, divided into 7 sections; it sits in Madrid. There are 17 territorial higher courts, one in each autonomous region, 52 provincial higher courts, and several lower courts handling criminal, labor, and juvenile cases. The other important court in the country is the Court..