Spain has had an extensive and fascinating history dating back 35,000 years. Early modern humans first settled the land.
In 1492, Castile and Aragon’s Catholic monarchs conquered Granada after seven hundred years of Muslim rule on its peninsula. Soon afterwards Christopher Columbus arrived in America, prompting Spain to extend their dominion to Western Hemisphere as well.
Prehistory
During this period there was a rise in economic specialization and social stratification as evidenced by more lavish burials.
Dolmens and burial mounds from this period can serve as indicators of this early civilization’s culture; its economy was characterized by large-scale trade.
Punic Wars and Roman colonization of Iberia brought with them native populations who mixed with newcomers from all around, creating an indigenized culture known as Hispania to Romans.
Favoritism was draining Spain’s coffers and its King served largely as an agent of patronage. Plague, famine and drought further depleted Spain’s resources before war with France intensified further. Philip II would remain as competent king until his reign came to an end some 200 years later.
Romanisation
After centuries of conquest, Hispania eventually fell under Roman control and became part of their Empire. Emperor Vespasian is said to have granted Latin rights to all communities within Hispania; over time this language eventually overcame local Celt and Iberian tribal dialects.
The region continued to be shaped by various cultures; Visigoths, Moors and Catholic Reconquista all left their mark. Basque’s unique non-Indo-European language also had an effect on Spanish with terms like “esker” and “pizarra” that remain to this day.
Hispania underwent an incredible revival of Roman culture during the Middle Ages, evident through art and architecture. Many structures such as Segovia’s Aqueduct stand as testaments of this time.
Early Christian Period
Early tradition holds that Saint Paul visited Spain and Christianity began taking root there, reflecting its central place within Roman culture.
In the tenth century, Christian kingdoms such as Leon, Navarre, Castile, Aragon and Galicia controlled northern Spain. To the south lay the Islamic Umayyad empire whose rulers encouraged advanced learning at Cordoba.
Antagonism between Christians and Jews was widespread during this period, with accusations ranging from bigotry, envy, slander, exploitation and usury on one side to treason, ritual murder, blasphemy and anti-Christmacy on the other. This led to their expulsion in 1492 – Heritage Library has access to several notable historians’ studies from this era.
Middle Ages
This remarkable history of Spain spans from early dolmens to Isabella and Ferdinand’s rule – making it an invaluable classroom resource.
Conversos were rich and influential Jewish converts to Christianity who became influential among their Christian neighbors, fuelling envy and anger among an already suspicious Christian population. Catholic monarchs exploited this discontent to create the Inquisition while Muslim rulers of Andalusia welcomed dignitaries from Syria and Byzantium as guests, yet small Taifa kingdoms vied with each other for political and military dominance within Andalusia itself – this mixture created by these rulers continued right up to early modern period Spain!
Renaissance
Spain experienced an array of political crises during the 19th century. Many colonies fell under its control while internal uprisings took place against Madrid.
As church influence declined, artists like Domenikos Theotokopoulos – better known by his nickname El Greco – stressed the power of artwork as a way to convert people to Catholicism despite Protestantism’s challenge to its centuries-old dominance of religion. This was particularly crucial as Protestantism threatened its dominance of religion in general.
Northern Renaissance prints and paintings traveled from France to Spain during the Renaissance period and left a profound mark on Spanish art. Artists such as Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden also received commissions from Spanish patrons.
Modern Period
Culture witnessed a revival, including Lope de Vega’s plays and Goya’s paintings. Music flourished, too, thanks to composers like Tomas Luis de Victoria and Luis de Milan who established styles of polychoral counterpoint music.
In the 1860s, a revolution overthrew monarchy and established republic. Unfortunately, however, any benefits gained through neutrality during World War One were wasted by fighting Moroccan rebels during Rif War and mismanaging Primo de Rivera dictatorship at home.
During this era, Spain was seen through its King as a global power. To reinforce Catholicism and their empire founded by Ferdinand and Isabella, its official history was revised to emphasize Catholicism over celtism. Celts were marginalised in favor of an Aryan affinity.