Castro asserts that during the 5th century, Roman control of Hispania began to decline and Germanic tribes invaded, while Muslim and Jewish cultures also exerted considerable influences upon Spanish culture.
In 1492, Christians defeated the last Muslim kingdom in Granada and united Iberia as a Christian nation – yet multicultural Spain’s identity persisted.
Roman Empire
Since ancient times, the Iberian Peninsula has been home to people from across the globe. Here’s the tale of how their influence shaped Spain.
Beginning its story as early as 206 BC, Rome established control over most of what would become modern Spain.
Initial claims by these soldiers was to liberate tribes formerly under Carthaginian control; soon enough however, an idea for permanent occupation began taking shape.
One cause for this shift was Christianity’s impact, as its influence resulted in the establishment of a church with official civil and ecclesiastical authority over Hispania. This enabled civil government to remain operational when necessary, as well as Latin becoming the dominant language on the peninsula (from which modern Spanish is descended).
Moorish Empire
Moorish influence on Spanish history was profound. They introduced sugarcane, cotton and silk cultivation, along with citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, lemonades, apricots and pomegranates – crops still enjoyed today by their descendants.
In 711, North African Muslim Moors began invading Iberia through Gibraltar Strait and rapidly converted its inhabitants to Islam as they spread throughout Spain until 1491 when Christian forces finally defeated Granada Emirate and overthrew it. The Moorish period would last over 700 years.
Spanish and Moorish cultures became inextricably bound together during this period, both in life, culture, and cuisine. Even after their expulsion from Spain their legacy can still be found today in every bite of paella eaten today!
Reconquista
Once the Muslim Caliphate of al-Andalus began to weaken, Christian rulers responded with more aggressive military campaigns that were perceived as crusades against non-believers. Christian knights leading these campaigns believed in God’s superiority over “infidel” enemies – sparking violent conflict that eventually spread throughout Spain and North Africa.
Reconquista had a profound influence on Spanish culture as well. Many heroes such as El Cid and Ferdinand of Aragon played pivotal roles in fighting off Moorish invasion.
At the conclusion of the Reconquista, most of Iberia had come under Christian control except Granada. Catholicism reinforced through both Reconquista and Inquisition had profound impacts on Spanish politics, social relations, culture, and everyday life for centuries afterward – truly shaping modern Spain as we know it today.
Renaissance
At the turn of the sixteenth century, an important change occurred with royal patronage of an artistic style known as Spanish Renaissance. Monarchs such as Philip IV favored artists like Titian who worked in Italian Renaissance styles but took an original Spanish approach to art.
The Renaissance brought humanism to Spain, inspired by Italian literature and contemporary ideas in science and mathematics. Additionally, this period had an immense influence on Spain’s social world.
Conversely, the concept of converso was broadened to encompass all Christians whose ancestors weren’t born Catholics and racial pride became an integral component in many Spanish plays. Furthermore, new ideas in science and literature often caused considerable contention; many texts that challenged tradition were banned in the seventeenth century and many texts burned.
Modern Period
There are a number of general surveys and textbooks which serve as useful introductions to modern history, such as Elliott 2002 for early modern Spain, Lynch 1981 on oligarchs in England, Dominguez Ortiz 1971 and more recently Morant Deusa 2005 and Casey 1999.
Since 1815, Spain has endured two centuries of strife. She lost its colonies in America and endured military disasters including Trafalgar and Napoleon’s invasion. Politically she experienced Carlist Wars between liberal supporters of Isabel II and traditionalist supporters led by Prince Carlos.
Yet Spain has also produced notable figures like Miguel de Cervantes (Don Quixote); artist Pablo Picasso, born in Malaga; and architect Antoni Gaudi (Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia church). Spain is an extraordinarily vibrant and complex country shaped by invasions, war, fratricidal conflict and its own brand of retroactive nationalism.