Final answer:
The statement about Russian traders challenging the Spanish is false. The Reconquista was a military and religious action, and alliances with natives were critical in European conquests.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Russian traders established a series of forts to challenge the Spanish for North American territory is false. Russian expansion into North America primarily occurred in the northwest, notably in what is now Alaska, during the 18th and 19th centuries. They were not directly challenging the Spanish, who were primarily concentrated in the Southwest, Central America, and South America at that time. On the other hand, the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, known as the Reconquista, which ended in 1492 with the fall of Granada, was indeed both a military and a religious campaign for the Spanish. Establishing Indian alliances was also crucial for European empires in the southeast region for gaining power, as well as in the conquest against the Aztecs by the Spanish. Recruiting native allies was a strategic move that allowed the Spanish to bolster their military capabilities and exploit local knowledge in their colonial conquests.