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( The empire on which the sun never sets)
The phrase "The Empire on which the sun never sets" (Spanish El imperio en el que nunca se pone el sol) is used to describe an empire of such a large extent that, at any one time, at least part of its territory is in daylight. The phrase was first used to describe the Spanish Empire in the 16th century, and originated with a remark made by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (Charles I of Spain).[citation needed] As emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and king of Spain Charles had an enormous empire which included many territories in Europe and vast territories in the Americas. The phrase gained added resonance during the reign of Charles's son, King Philip II of Spain. The Philippines were obtained by Spain in 1565. When King Henry of Portugal died, Philip II was recognised as King of Portugal in 1581, resulting in a personal union of the crowns. He now reigned over all his father's possessions, except the Holy Roman Empire, and the Portuguese Empire which included territories in South America, Africa, Asia and many islands. In the 19th century, especially during the Victorian era, the phrase resurged, when it became popular to apply it to the British Empire; a time when British world maps showed the empire in red or pink to vividly highlight British imperial power spanning the globe. The 19th-century politician Lord Salisbury complained that the £1.5 million spent on colonial defence by Britain in 1861 merely enabled the nation "to furnish an agreeable variety of stations to our soldiers, and to indulge in the sentiment that the sun never sets on our Empire". A Sri Lankan news source credits Colvin R. de Silva with coining the response "That's because God does not trust the British in the dark".[1]
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