Spain

History

Main article: History of Spain

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Prehistory

The aboriginal peoples of the Iberian peninsula, consisting of a number of separate tribes, are given the generic name of Iberians. This may have included the Basques, the only pre-Celtic people in Iberia surviving to the present day as a separate ethnic group. The most important culture of this period is that of the city of Tartessos. Beginning in the 9th century BC, Celtic tribes entered the Iberian peninsula through the Pyrenees and settled throughout the peninsula, becoming the Celtiberians.

Related Topics:
Aboriginal - Iberian peninsula - Iberians - Basque - Ethnic group - Tartessos - 9th century BC - Celt - Celtiberian

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The seafaring Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians successively settled along the Mediterranean coast and founded trading colonies there over a period of several centuries.

Related Topics:
Phoenicians - Greeks - Carthaginians

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Around 1,100 BC Phoenician merchants founded the trading colony of Gadir or Gades (modern day Cádiz) near Tartessos. In the 8th century BC the first Greek colonies, such as Emporion (modern Empúries), were founded along the Mediterranean coast on the East, leaving the south coast to the Phoenicians. The Greeks are responsible for the name Iberia, after the river Iber (Ebro in Spanish). In the 6th century BC the Carthaginians arrived in Iberia while struggling with the Greeks for control of the Western Mediterranean. Their most important colony was Carthago Nova (Latin name of modern day Cartagena).

Related Topics:
Gadir - Cádiz - Empúries - Ebro - Carthaginians - Carthago Nova - Cartagena

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Roman Empire

The Romans arrived in the Iberian peninsula during the Second Punic war in the 2nd century BC, and annexed it under Augustus after two centuries of war with the Celtic and Iberian tribes and the Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginian colonies becoming the province of Hispania. It was divided in Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Citerior during the late Roman Republic; and, during the Roman Empire, Hispania Taraconensis in the northeast, Hispania Baetica in the south and Lusitania in the southwest.

Related Topics:
Romans - Second Punic war - 2nd century BC - Augustus - Hispania - Hispania Ulterior - Hispania Citerior - Roman Republic - Roman Empire - Hispania Taraconensis - Hispania Baetica - Lusitania

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Hispania supplied the Roman Empire with food, olive oil, wine and metal. The emperors Trajan, Hadrian and Theodosius I, the philosopher Seneca and the poets Martial and Lucan were born in Spain. The Spanish Bishops held the Council at Elvira in 306.

Related Topics:
Trajan - Hadrian - Theodosius I - Seneca - Martial - Lucan

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Most of Spain's present languages, religion, and laws originate from this Roman period.

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Muslim Spain

Main articles: Al-Andalus and Reconquista

Related Topics:
Al-Andalus - Reconquista

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From the 8th to the 15th centuries, nearly all the Iberian peninsula was ruled by Muslims (the Moors) who had crossed over from North Africa. Only three small counties in the north kept their independence: Asturias, Navarra and Aragon, which eventually became kingdoms.

Related Topics:
Moors - North Africa - Asturias - Navarra - Aragon

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Very soon the Muslim emirate split in small kingdoms. Christian and Muslim kingdoms fought and allied among themselves. The Muslim taifa kings competed in patronage of the arts, the Way of Saint James attracted pilgrims from all Western Europe and the Jewish population of Iberia set the basis of Sephardic culture. Much of Spain's distinctive art originates from this seven-hundred-year period, and many Arabic words made their way into Spanish and Catalan, and from them to other European languages.

Related Topics:
Taifa - Way of Saint James - The Jewish population of Iberia - Sephardi

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The Moorish capital was Córdoba, in the southern portion of Spain known as Andalucía. During the time of Arab occupation, most of the Iberian peninsula was in relative peace, with large populations of Jews, Christians and Muslims living in close quarters.

Related Topics:
Córdoba - Andalucía - Arab

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The period of expansion of the christian kingdoms is called the Reconquista. It ended in 1492, when Fernando and Isabel captured Granada, the last Moorish city in Spain. They then expelled all Muslims and Jews from their new Christian kingdom. This was also the year that the king and queen funded Columbus' trip to the New World.

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Renaissance in Spain

Until the 15th century, Castille and Léon, Aragon and Navarre were independent states, with independent languages, kings, armies and, in the case of Castille and Aragon, two empires.

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By 1512, most of the kingdoms of present-day Spain were politically unified, although not as a modern, centralized state (in contemporary minds, "Spain" was a geographical term meaning Iberian Peninsula, not the present-day territory of Spain). The grandson of Isabella and Fernando, Carlos I, extended his crown to other places in Europe and the rest of the world. The unification of Iberia was complete when Carlos I's son, Felipe II, became King of Portugal in 1580, as well as of the other Iberian Kingdoms (collectively known as "Spain" at that time).

Related Topics:
Carlos I - Europe - Felipe II - Portugal - 1580

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During the 16th century, under the reigns of Carlos I and Felipe II, Spain became the most powerful nation in Europe. The Spanish Empire covered most territories of South and Central America, some of Eastern Asia (including The Philippines), the Iberian peninsula, southern Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Related Topics:
16th century - Spanish Empire - South - Central America - Eastern Asia - The Philippines - Italy - Germany - Netherlands

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It was also the wealthiest nation in Europe, but the uncontrolled influx of goods and minerals from Spain's colonies in the Americas resulted in rampant inflation and economic depression. Religious wars supported by the Spanish crown, especially in the Netherlands, further burdened the empire's economy.

Related Topics:
Spain's colonies in the Americas - Inflation - Economic depression

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In 1640, under Felipe IV, the centralist policy of the Count-Duke of Olivares provoked wars in Portugal and Catalonia. Portugal became an independent kingdom again and Catalonia enjoyed some years of French-supported independence but was quickly returned to the Spanish Crown, except Roussillon.

Related Topics:
1640 - Felipe IV - Count-Duke of Olivares - Portugal - Catalonia - Roussillon

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A series of long and costly wars and revolts followed in the 17th century, and began a steady decline of Spanish power in Europe. Controversy over succession to the throne consumed the country and much of Europe during the first years of the 18th century (see War of the Spanish Succession). It was only after this war ended and a new dynasty—the French Bourbons—was installed that a centralized Spanish state was established and the first Bourbon king Philip V of Spain in 1707 dissolved the Aragon court and unified the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon into a single kingdom of Spain.

Related Topics:
17th century - 18th century - War of the Spanish Succession - French Bourbons - Philip V of Spain

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19th Century

Spain was occupied by Napoleon in the early 1800s, but the Spaniards rose in arms. After the War of Independence (1808–1814), a series of revolts and armed conflicts between Liberals and supporters of the ancien régime lasted throughout much of the 19th century, complicated by a dispute over dynastic succession by the Carlists which led to three civil wars. After that, Spain was briefly a Republic, from 1871 to 1873, a year in which a series of coups reinstalled the monarchy.

Related Topics:
Napoleon - 1800s - War of Independence - 1808 - 1814 - Liberals - Ancien régime - 19th century - Carlists - Republic - 1871 - 1873 - Monarchy

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In the meantime, Spain lost all of its colonies in the Caribbean region and Asia-Pacific region during the 19th century, a trend which ended with the loss of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines and Guam to the United States after the Spanish-American War of 1898.

Related Topics:
Caribbean - Asia-Pacific - 19th century - Cuba - Puerto Rico - Philippines - Guam - United States - Spanish-American War - 1898

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20th century

The 20th century initially brought little peace; colonization of Western Sahara, Spanish Morocco and Equatorial Guinea was attempted. A period of dictatorial rule (1923 - 1931) ended with the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic. The Republic offered political autonomy to the Basque Country and Catalonia and gave voting rights to women. However, in July 1936, against a backdrop of increasing political polarization, anti-clericalism and pressure from all sides, coupled with growing and unchecked political violence, the Republic was faced with an attempted military coup d'etat led by right-wing army generals. Although the coup initially failed, the ensuing Spanish Civil War ended in 1939 with the victory of the nationalist forces led by General Francisco Franco and supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The Spanish Civil War has been called the first battle of the Second World War. After the civil war, General Francisco Franco brutally ruled a nation exhausted politically and economically.

Related Topics:
20th century - Western Sahara - Spanish Morocco - Equatorial Guinea - 1923 - 1931 - Second Spanish Republic - Basque Country - Catalonia - Anti-clericalism - Spanish Civil War - 1939 - Nationalist - Francisco Franco - Nazi Germany - Fascist Italy - Second World War

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After World War II, being one of few surviving fascist regimes in Europe, Spain was politically and economically isolated and was kept out of the United Nations until 1955, when it became strategically important for U.S. president Eisenhower to establish a military presence in the Iberian peninsula. This opening to Spain was aided by Franco's opposition to communism. In the 1960s, more than a decade later than other western European countries, Spain began to enjoy economic growth and gradually transformed into a modern industrial economy with a thriving tourism sector. Growth continued well into the 1970s, with Franco's government going to great lengths to shield the Spanish people from the effects of the oil crisis.

Related Topics:
World War II - Fascist - United Nations - 1955 - Eisenhower - 1960s - Industrial - Economy - Tourism - 1970s - Oil crisis

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Upon the death of the dictator General Franco in November 1975, his personally-designated heir Prince Juan Carlos assumed the position of king and head of state. With the approval of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 and the arrival of democracy, some regions — Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia and Andalusia— were given far-reaching autonomy, which was then soon extended to all Spanish regions, resulting in one of the most decentralized territorial organizations in Western Europe. However, the radical nationalism in the Basque country and the terrorist group, ETA, continue to be pressing problems facing Spain.

Related Topics:
Dictator - 1975 - Prince Juan Carlos - Head of state - Spanish Constitution of 1978 - Democracy - Basque Country - Catalonia - Galicia - Andalusia - Autonomy - Western Europe - Nationalism - Terrorist - ETA

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Adolfo Suárez González, Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo Bustelo, after an attempted coup d'état in 1981, Felipe González Márquez (when Spain joined NATO and European Union), José María Aznar López and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero have been prime ministers of Spain.

Related Topics:
Adolfo Suárez González - Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo Bustelo - Coup d'état - 1981 - Felipe González Márquez - NATO - European Union - José María Aznar López - José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

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21st century

On March 11, 2004, a series of bombs exploded in commuter trains in Madrid, Spain. These resulted in 191 people dead and 1,460 wounded. It also had a significant effect on the upcoming elections in Spain, due in part to the ruling goverment's insistence that the ETA was the prime suspect in the bombings. see the 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings article for more information

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:See also: List of Spanish monarchs, Kings of Spain family tree

Related Topics:
List of Spanish monarchs - Kings of Spain family tree

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