Why Spain rebuilt with dreadnoughts

Who were the España-class battleships intended to fight?

No single opponent dominated; the program chiefly restored capability and prestige after Spain's 1898 naval defeat.

The ships were not optimized against one obvious enemy. Possible opponents included renewed American pressure, France, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, and Portugal, although Portugal could rely on its British relationship. That diffuse threat list makes the program look less like a narrowly tailored war plan than a general restoration of capability. Spain had lost its fleets, colonies, and much of its great-power standing in 1898. Building dreadnoughts served national prestige and deterrence as much as preparation for one forecast battle.