Spanish History “for Dummies”

During my semester abroad, I learned a lot about the history of Spain. I took note of the dates/names/peoples/events/facts that came up rather frequently, and I decided I would try to write a post that somewhat concisely explains facts about Spanish history that people visiting Spain should know. Please note: this post may contain mistakes in regards to the details, as explaining thousands of years of history is no easy task. I’m also going to focus more on southern Spain and Sevilla specifically, since that’s where I spent the majority of my time. I’m putting this in a post because I think it might be helpful for other people visiting Sevilla/Spain to know some of the basic information that will help put everything in perspective. (I also want to try and help myself remember everything I’ve learned, and this is a good way to have it all stored in one place!)

• Prehistoric/Indigenous: In my Arte Español (Spanish Art) class, we learned a great deal about the examples of art and architecture left behind by the prehistoric people who inhabited the land that is known as Spain today. We also learned about the Iberians, one of the indigenous populations. Examples of their work include the famous Altamira cave paintings, the Dama de Elche and Dama de Baza sculptures, the Treasure of El Carambolo, and the Megalithic Era dolmen structures. While not much is known about these people, their works are still appreciated.

• Greek and Roman Colonies: The Tartessians, Pheonicians, and other groups spread their empires throughout the Iberian peninsula. The city of Sevilla was founded as “Hispalis” in the 8th Century BC, along with nearby Itálica. The time of Roman rule is said to be when the martyrdom of Santa Justa and Santa Rufina (Sevilla’s patron saints) took place. Legend holds that they were sisters, and were committed to their Christian faith despite Roman rule, and were tortured, imprisoned, and eventually executed for their beliefs.

• The Legend of Hercules: Some legends say that Sevilla was founded by Hercules, and this mythological character has left his mark all over southern Spain and the surrounding region. As part of Hercules’ twelve labors, he split the continent and created the Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Mediterranean with the Atlantic. The “Pillars of Hercules”, said to be the Rock of Gibraltar and either Monte Hacho or Jebel Musa in Africa once marked the edge of the known world. The Pillars are included in Spain’s coat of arms, and are the inspiration for Spain’s national motto: “Plus ultra.” According to legend, the Pillars were carved with the words “Nec plus ultra” (“Nothing further beyond”), so “Plus ultra” was adapted to encourage Spanish explorers to go “further beyond” and explore the New World.

• Al-Andalus: The Visigoths conquered the region surrounding Sevilla in 476, and “Hispalis” became “Spali”. In 711, the Moors/Arabs from Africa landed in Tarifa, defeated the Visigoths and began the spread of Islam in Europe. Eventually, the vast majority of the Iberian Peninsula was under Islamic control, but there were other cultures present as well. In the northern kingdom of Asturias, Preromanesque architecture thrived in the Christian region. In the zones ruled by the Muslims, Christians were permitted to practice their faith, and this led to the Mozarabic art style, a mix of Arab and Spanish heritage. This was the time of the “Three Cultures” (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) that prospered simultaneously in cities such as Córdoba. Spali prospered and became the capital of Al-Andalus (Andalucía today), and was called “Isbiliya” in Arabic. (“Isbiliya” later became pronounced as “Sevilla”.) The Great Mosque of Sevilla (today the Cathedral and the Giralda) was built beginning in the 1100s during this prosperous era.

• The Reconquista: As the Moors took over, some groups of people began fighting back to try and reclaim or protect their land. Eventually, the Iberian peninsula became a battleground in the name of Christendom, and for 781 years, there was a great deal of fighting and conquest. Sevilla was captured in 1248, and as the fighting continued elsewhere, for centuries Sevilla was the preferred residence of royalty (such as Alfonso X, Alfonso XI, and Pedro I.)

• The Reyes Católicos: The “Catholic Monarchs”, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon united the Christian kingdoms of Spain after the 1492 fall of Granada and the end of Muslim rule.

• Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue: Christopher Columbus wanted to find an alternative route to the Indies, but other monarchs had rejected his requests for financial support. However, Ferdinand and Isabella supported him, and so began the Spanish Golden Age. Sevilla became a major port, as the Guadalquivir River was the only navigable river in Spain. Therefore, Sevilla was the gateway to the New World, and by the mid-16th century was a major European urban center. Famous artists such as Cervantes, Murillo, and Lope de Vega lived in Seville during this time period. Spanish explorers such as Hernán Cortés and Juan Ponce de León would eventually set off on expeditions that led to colonization in North and South America.

• The Inquisition: However, it wasn’t all good. In 1483, Sevilla became the seat of tribunals of the Spanish Inquisition. The Inquisition began as an effort to ensure the orthodoxy of Spaniards who had converted to Christianity from Islam and Judaism. Eventually this turned into a means of torturing, publicly shaming, executing, and exiling non-Christians. This is a dark period in Spanish history.

• Ups and Downs: The next few centuries were both good and bad. Spain had its fair share of Renaissance and Baroque artists, including El Greco and Velázquez. While there were many European wars going on at the time, and epidemics and bad harvests lowered the population, the Enlightenment brought about industrialization and modern urban infrastructure. The 9.0 magnitude Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 is worth noting, as it damaged many buildings in Spain, and there are monuments in Sevilla and other places that are dedicated to giving thanks for being spared from the tragedy.

• 19th Century: During the Neoclassical era, art and architecture thrived (examples: the work of Francisco de Goya and Juan de Villanueva), but there was a great deal of war and social/political unrest throughout Europe and the Americas.  In 1807, Napoleon’s army invaded Spain. There were revolts of the common people, and a republican government took power in Spain until the beginning of the 20th century. In 1898, from April to August, Spain was at war with the United States. The Spanish-American War began as the result of American intervention in the Cuban War of Independence, as well as American attacks on Spanish territory in the Pacific. After the war, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, the Philippine Islands, and Guam to the United States, and abandoned all claims to Cuba. The was the end of the Spanish Empire.

• 20th Century: Spain remained neutral during WWI, and was financially prosperous enough to host a world’s fair in 1929: the Ibero-American Exposition. The intention of the exposition was to celebrate Spain’s connection to its former colonies and improve its international relations. Later, the economic crisis of 1929 and increased political tension during Spain’s Second Republic eventually led to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The war was between the Republicans, and the Nationalists. The Nationalists were a rebel group led by General Francisco Franco, who became the dictator of Spain after the war. Around the same time, contemporary artists such as Dalí, Miró, Gaudí, and Picasso, were making their mark on the world.

• Franco: Francoist Spain was led by an authoritarian dictatorship between 1936 and 1975. The government was very nationalistic and oppressive, and Catholicism was made the official religion of the Spanish State. Spain was isolated economically and politically, which led to long-term consequences. Spain was officially “non-belligerent” during World War II, but provided material, economic, and military assistance to the Axis powers.

• Modern Spain: After Franco’s death in 1975, Spain began making the transition to democracy in the form of a constitutional monarchy. The Head of State is the King. Franco named Juan Carlos I as his successor, and Juan Carlos I ruled as king up until very recently. In June 2014, he abdicated the throne and let his son, Felipe VI take over. Spain today is also ruled by a Prime Minister (called the Presidente del Gobierno), and the Council of Minsters serve as the Cabinet. All of the Autonomous Regions of Spain have a fair amount of independence and are governed more locally. Andalucía was granted autonomy in 1981, and Sevilla is its capital city.

• The EU: In my Geografía de Europa (European Geography) class, I learned a lot about the formation of the European Union. According to my professor, the European Union was essentially designed to turn Europe into “The United States of Europe”, and foster economic partnership and cooperation by uniting countries and making borders less limiting. The EU began as the European Economic Community in 1957 with Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Italy, and Germany as member states. In 1992, the name was changed to the “European Union”, and a common currency, the Euro, was created. Spain joined the EU in 1986, and now there are 28 countries in total (in addition to the previously listed, the UK, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Croatia are all member countries.)

Here’s an interesting video that explains the EU!

• Expo ’92: In 1992, Sevilla hosted the World’s Fair again, this time to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ first expedition to the New World. The fairgrounds were located on Isla de la Cartuja, a region of the city which has since fallen into disrepair.

• The Crisis: I can’t count the number of times I heard “La Crisis” (pronounced “CREE-sees”) when I was in Spain. Many countries suffered during the Global Financial Crisis that started in 2008, but while the US has mostly since recovered, Spain is still having a lot of economic problems. Unemployment is 29%, and is even worse (about 50%!!) for people my age who are now graduating from college. When I was abroad, I heard many discussions about whether or not the Spanish day-to-day schedule should be changed (trading traditional siestas for better productivity). However, there are no easy solutions, and unfortunately no end in sight for the Crisis at the moment.

So, there you go! That’s my attempt at summarizing the important historical facts about a country. I was so happy to have the opportunity to learn about Spanish history up-close. However, I’m posting this information here so perhaps future study abroad students will be able to know some of this before they go! There were definitely pieces of information about Spanish history that would have been nice to understand beforehand. (For example, I knew very little about Francisco Franco, and I had no idea how much of a cultural influence he had on Spain.)

I hope you’ve found this interesting/helpful! Thanks for reading!

(Note: I own none of these photos. Most are from Wikipedia, and others are from Google Image Search.)