Spain’s history is filled with drama, excitement and heartache reminiscent of Shakespeare or Cervantes plays, so the best way to understand its rich tapestry is to visit its great buildings.
El Escorial’s 16th-century palace/monastery offers an insightful glimpse of both Inquisition and Counter-Reformation; furthermore, it represents when Spanish became truly unique as a language.
Roman Rule
Modern Spain was once part of Roman Hispania. Roman rule had a significant impact on culture and language of this region; their exceptional builders left behind roads, bridges, and aqueducts as lasting monuments of their presence.
Romans promoted cultural unity by providing towns with “Latin rights,” legal privileges that ensured legal status for them and offering pathways to citizenship for influential local leaders. Religion blended old native beliefs with Roman traditions – especially along coastal areas and Mediterranean cities where more humanized deities often replaced earlier nonanthropomorphic ones.
Visigoth Rule
Visigoths were one of a group of Germanic or “Gothic” tribes regarded by Romans as barbarians. **
At one time, this kingdom was powerful enough to host interchurch councils.
We know a bit about this period due to books written by Gothic nobles, as well as a small collection of Visigothic art, though much of their culture has since disintegrated; what remains largely is an influence from Latin on written and literary language, lasting until 711 when Muslim armies defeated Visigothic kings and overran Spain.
Christian Conquest
Reconquista was initiated when Christian kingdoms in northern Spain decided to begin military campaigns against Muslim-ruled al-Andalus in the south; yet culturally and economically these two peoples remained linked closely together.
Reconquista was often brutal, taking years before any sense of national identity emerged for Spain. At that point, Catholicism emerged to unify Christian believers – making it easier to control al-Andalus’ Moorish population by forcing Moricos – or Moors who refused conversion – into accepting Christianity.
Inquisition
Estimates vary on how many were killed during the Inquisition; nonetheless, its occurrence spread fear and paranoia across Spain for centuries while simultaneously having an influence over Spanish colonies overseas and spreading Catholic beliefs throughout Europe.
Beginning with a papal bull and Catholic Monarchs’ attempts to unify their kingdoms into one imperial force, its primary aim was religious uniformity and expulsion of Jews and Moriscos from society. Book censorship was common, with many writers being placed on an Index list.
Renaissance
The Renaissance brought new ideas and styles to Spain. Verse-written plays flourished, with Lope de Vega being perhaps its greatest author; he produced over one thousand works!
Domenikos Theotokopoulos, more popularly known as El Greco, understood the impact art could have on religious sensibility and personal soul development. His paintings had an enormous effect on courtly tastes as well as shaping Spanish art history.
The Spanish used religious imagery as justification for their expansive exploration and colonization efforts, using appointed officials from distant colonies to regulate distant colonies under monarchy authority. In this reproduction of a letter from their monarch, we can see just how this happened.
Baroque
The Baroque art style dates back to 17th-century Europe and is known for its grandeur and theatricality. This art form emphasizes illusion, contradiction, complexity of form and excess ornamentation in its work.
Spanish artists used paintings to convey their sense of identity and power. They developed sophisticated methods of controlling light sources – known as chiaroscuro – which allowed them to convey this sentiment visually.
Baroque architecture also took root in Americas, merging with indigenous traditions. One such church in Mexico City that successfully incorporates Baroque elements is Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica which combines Baroque styles with indigenous forms.
19th Century
Spain experienced an unstable political and economic situation during the 19th Century. Civil wars and military interventions (pronunciamientos) resulted in many deaths while its former position as a world power was lost.
Land reforms, the expansion of working classes and regionalist sentiments all played an instrumental role in fueling discontent during this era. As a result, rebellious Romanticism writers such as Rosalia de Castro and Gustavo Adolfo Becquer wrote poetry with musical lyricism reminiscent of rebellious Romanticism writers such as Pablo Neruda or Gustavo Adolfo Becquer who emerged during this time period were popular and labor unions began emerging during this time period.
20th Century
Working-class movements became an increasing threat to traditional centralism during the 20th Century. A coup d’etat in 1923 broke 47 years of constitutional rule, prompting civil war that resulted in General Franco’s brutal fascist dictatorship for nearly four decades.
After King Juan Carlos I restored the monarchy, political liberalization ensued as Spain reengaged with international politics. A liberal Constitution was approved in 1978 before terrorist group ETA Basque launched violent attacks.