The Middle Ages

The Visigoths
The Vandals, Alans and Suevi were tribes from northern Europe which invaded Hispania in 409 A.D. The Romans
could not fight these tribes alone, and asked the Visigoths, another Germanic tribe, for help. The Visigoths expelled
the Vandals and the Alans, and established their own kingdom on the peninsula.

The Visigothic kingdom

The Visigothic kingdom was ruled by a king. Leovigild made Toledo the capital of the kingdom and conquered the
Suevi. The Visigothic kingdom lasted until 711 A.D. when Roderic, the last Visigothic king, was defeated by the
Muslims.

Visigothic society
They became Christians and based their laws on Roman laws.

The Visigothic heritage

The Visigoths built small stone churches. They made jewellery with gold, silver and precious stones.

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The Suevi, Vandals and Alans invaded Hispania.

The Romans asked the Visigoths for help.
The Visigoths expelled the Vandals and the Alans.
The Suevi and Visigoths shared control.
Leovigild conquered the Suevi and moved the capital to Toledo.
The laws of the kingdom were unified.
Roderic was defeated by the Muslims.

Al Andalus
The Muslim invasion
Muslims from northern Africa invaded Visigothic Spain in 711 A.D. This territory was called Al Andalus, and its capital
was Cordoba.
Al Andalus became a province of the Muslim Empire and was governed by the caliph of Damascus in Asia.

The emirate and caliphate of Cordoba

In 756 A.D. Abd ar-Rahman I established Al Andalus as an independent province or emirate.
In 929 A.D. Al Andalus became a caliphate under Abd ar-Rahman III. He was the caliph, the maximum political and
religious authority in Al Andalus.
The caliphate lasted until 1031 A.D. During this period, Al Andalus was divided into smaller kingdoms, called taifas

The end of Al Andalus

The taifas fought among themselves and this helped the Christian kingdoms to gain territory.
In 1212 the Christians defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.
In 1492 the Catholic Monarchs conquered the only remaining Muslim kingdom, the Kingdom of Granada.

Society and cultural heritage

Al Andalus society was formed by Muslims, Christians and Jews.
The Muslims made great contributions to society, such as new crops, for example, rice; instruments, like the
compass; and irrigation systems.
A small force of Muslims invaded the Iberian Peninsula 711 in A.D. The territory occupied by the Muslims was called
Al-Andalus. First, Al Andalus was an emirate. Later, it became a caliphate. Finally, it was divided into small
independent kingdoms called taifas. The last one of these was the Kingdom of Granada, which was conquered in
1942 by the Catholic Monarchs.

The Christian kingdoms

The Christian kingdoms
The long period of expansion of the Christian kingdoms started only eleven years after the Muslim invasion. It is called
the Reconquest.

By around 1230, there were four large kingdoms in the Christian territory:
The Kingdom of Portugal.
The Kingdom of Navarre.
The Crown of Aragon.
The Crown of Castile.

Medieval society
Medieval society consisted of three groups of people: nobles, clergy and peasants.

Cultural heritage
In the early Middle Ages, churches and monasteries were built in Romanesque style. They had thick walls and small
windows.
After the 13th century, palaces and cathedrals were built in Gothic style. They had pointed arches and large stainedglass windows.
In the early Middle Ages, churches and monasteries were built in Romanesque style. They were made of stones and
had thick walls and small windows so the interior was dark.
From the 13 th century on, buildings, like palaces and cathedrals, were built in Gothic style. Typical of this style are
great height, pointed arches and large stained-glass windows.

Spain after 1492

The reign of the Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, unified Spain geographically,
and expanded its territories. They conquered the Kingdom of Granada, the Canary Islands, and territories in North
Africa.
They also financed Christopher Columbus expedition, which led to the discovery of a new continent, America.

The Spanish empire

In 1516, Charles I, Isabellas grandson, became king of Spain. He ruled over a great empire, which included the
Catholic Monarchs territories, the Netherlands and other lands in Central Europe.
Charles I faced serious problems during his reign. There were revolts in Spain, and wars in Europe for political, social
and religious reasons.
Charles Is heir, Philip II, became king in 1556. His enormous empire included the Iberian Peninsula, the Netherlands
and territories in southern Italy, America, Asia and Africa.
Philip II was involved in many wars. His army won victories against France in 1557, and the Turks at the Battle of
Lepanto in 1571. However, the Netherlands started a long rebellion against Spanish rule during this period.
The wars were very expensive. The population of Spain became poorer because prices increased. In addition, less
gold and silver was sent from America

Culture in the Golden Age

The Spanish Golden Age was a period of great artistic activity which lasted from about 1560 to 1680.
Architecture: The Monastery of El Escorial was built in a simple, austere style in the 16th century. The
Baroque style of rich ornamentation developed in the 17th century. A good example is the Cathedral of Seville.
Literature: Miguel de Cervantes wrote Don Quixote, one of the worlds greatest books. Other important
writers of this period included Lope de Vega, who wrote plays and poetry, and Luis de Gongora, who wrote
poetry.
Painting: In the 16th century, El Greco became famous for his characteristic elongated figures. In the 17th
century, Diego Velazquez painted his masterpieces.

The 17th century crisis

Three Habsburg kings reigned in the 17th century:
Philip III (1598-1621), Philip IV (1621-1665) and Charles II (1665-1700). These kings chose ministers to help them
govern the country. Some of these ministers became extremely powerful.
The 17th century was a period of political and military decline. After many years of confrontations, Spain lost the
Netherlands. There were revolts in Catalonia and Portugal, and Spain also lost Portugal.
The economy was stagnant, and people were hungry in many parts of the country.

Bourbon Spain

The Spanish War of Succession

Charles II died in 1700 without descendants. Consequently, there was a dispute over the Spanish throne, which was
claimed by two royal families: the French Bourbons and the Austrian Habsburgs.
Between 1701 and 1714, European countries fought the The Spanish War of Succession. When the war ended, the
French claimant Philip V became king of Spain, and the Bourbon dynasty replaced the Habsburgs.

The Bourbon monarchy

Philip V established an absolute monarchy. In this form of government, the monarch has all the power.
During the reigns of Philip V, Charles III and Charles IV, the first Bourbon kings, many reforms were introduced.
Secretaries of state were appointed to help the king with government activities, such as tax collection, the
administration of the American territories, and the organisation of armies.
To improve the economy, they created small royal factories and also formed companies to trade with America.

Science and culture in the 18th century

In the 18th century, science and culture became prominent:
Academies, such as the Royal Academy of Language, were founded.
Daily newspapers appeared.
Many museums and botanical gardens were created.

The 19th century

The Spanish War of Independence
In 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of France, invaded Spain. Charles IV was deposed, and his son, King
Ferdinand VII was forced to abdicate the throne. Napoleons brother, Joseph Bonaparte, became king. Opposition to
his reign led to the Spanish War of Independence.
During this war, the Spanish parliament, or Cortes, took refuge in Cadiz. In 1812, its members wrote Spains first
modern constitution, the Constitution of Cadiz. This limited the kings power, and established the rights of citizens,
including the right to vote for men aged twenty-five or older.

The restoration of Ferdinand VII

After the French were defeated, Ferdinand VII was restored as king of Spain in 1814. Initially, Ferdinand did not
accept the 1812 Constitution, and he ruled in an authoritarian manner.
After a liberal revolt in 1820, Ferdinand was forced to accept the Constitution. However, three years later, Ferdinand
was restored as absolute monarch with the help of the French.
The political chaos in Spain caused an independence movement in the Spanish colonies in America. By 1824, all the
American colonies except Cuba and Puerto Rico were independent.

Conservatism and liberalism

In 1833, Ferdinands daughter, Isabella II, came to the throne. During her reign there were conflicts between
conservatives and liberals:
Conservatives had traditional values, and supported an absolute monarchy.
Liberals wanted reforms to modernise the country.
They supported the Constitution, and favoured limitations on the powers of the monarch. There were many coups
dtat by army officers, and in 1868 Isabella was exiled. Between 1868 and 1874, there was a period of great political
instability.
In 1873, the First Spanish Republic was proclaimed, but it lasted less than a year.
In 1874, the monarchy was restored under Isabellas son, Alfonso XII.