The development of Spain itself was hampered by the fact that Charles I and Philip II spent most of their time abroad; for most of the 16th century, Spain was administrated from Brussels and Antwerp, and it was only during the Dutch Revolt that Philip returned to Spain, where he spent most of his time in the seclusion of the monastic palace of El Escorial.
O propio desenvolvemento de España foi obstaculizado polo feito de que Carlos I e Filipe II pasasen a maioría do seu tempo no estranxeiro; durante a maior parte do século XVI, España foi administrada desde Bruxelas e Antuerpen, e foi só durante a Guerra de Flandres que Filipe regresou a España, onde pasou a maioría do seu tempo en retiro no palacio monástico de El Escorial.