Prehistorical Times
The oldest historical findings made in Spain date of about 30000 to
50000 b.C. Among the most important remains of this period are the caves
Cova Negra (Játiva) and Piñar (Granada).
The Celt-Iberian Spain
The Iberian population presumably arrived to the peninsula from the
north of Africa. Tartessos, an iberian tribe, founded an important kingdom
of high culture in the valley of Guadalquivir river, in the south of
Spain. By 1200 b.C. Celtic tribes entered the peninsula from the north,
mixing up with Iberians and so generating the celt-iberian race. The
origin of the bask race living in the north of the country is uncertain,
but many historians suppose that it goes back to a pre-iberian population.
Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians
By 1100 b.C. Phoenicians arrived to the peninsula and founded colonies,
the most important of which was Gadir (today's Cadiz). Also Greeks founded
colonies in southern Spain and along the Mediterranean coast.
During the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthago Carthaginians invaded
Spain and conquered large parts of it. Their most important colonies
were the island Ibiza and Cartagena, the "new Carthago".
Romans and Goths
After Rome had defeated Carthago, the Romans also invaded the colonies
in Spain, and ended up conquering the entire peninsula. The province
Hispania became part and parcel of Roman empire and acquired great importance,
even two Roman emperors, Traian and Hadrian, were born there. Spaniards
absorbed completely the Roman culture as still today is very evident
in their language, law,and religion.
In 409, when the Roman empire started to fall, Gothic tribes invaded
the peninsula and established their kingdom in 419.
Moorish Epoch and Reconquista
Gothic dominance lasted until 711, when Muslim armies crossed the Straight
of Gibraltar and defeated Roderic, the last Visigoth king. Specially
the southern parts of Spain, called al-Andalus, were prospering in the
Moorish epoch, thanks to new sciences and agricultural technics. The
Moors conquered major parts of the country until they were defeated
for the first time by Visigoth king Pelayo at Covadonga in northern
Spain, 722.
Though the small Christian kingdoms in the north were a nucleus of resistence,
the Arabian culture was prospering in the rest of the country. The Muslim
Spain by the time got politically independent of the Arabian empire,
and in 10th century Abderraman III. made Al-Andalus his own caliphate.
In this epoch Cordoba was the indisputable cultural center of this area
of the world. Decadence started in 11th century, when the various Arabian
noble families were more and more at variance among themselves, and
al-Andalus broke into numerous small caliphates. The Christian kingdoms
in the north started then the reconquest of Spain. The marriage between
Isabel of Castilia and Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469, uniting the two
most important among them, was the turning point of the Reconquista.
From now on Muslims rapidly lost territory, until they were definitely
expelled when they lost their last remaining caliphate, Granada, in
1492.
The Catholic Monarchs
Isabel and Ferdinand succeeded in uniting the whole country under their
crown, and their effort to "re-christianize" Spain resulted
in the Spanish Inquisition, when thousands of Jews and Moors who didn't
want to convert to Christianism were expelled or killed.
After the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492 tons
of gold and silver were brought in from the new continent, and Spain
became one of the most powerful nations of this epoch called the Golden
Age. The next two centuries, the 16th and the 17th, witnessed the construction
and apogee of the Spanish Empire as a result of which the country, under
the aegis of the Austrias, became the world's foremost power.
Habsburg and Borbon Kings
After Isabel died in 1504, her daughter Joan who was married with the
German emperor's son Philip succeeded to the throne. Charles I., at
the same time Austrian king and German emperor united in 1517 one of
the largest empires in history. Anyhow after his retirement in 1556
it was split between the Spanish and the Austrian line of Habsburg family.
Spain was prospering economically under the Habsburg crown thanks to
the trade with its American colonies, but on the hand involved in wars
with France, the Netherlands and England, culminating in the disastrous
defeat of the "Invincible Armada" in 1588.
When the last Habsburg King Charles II. died without descendant, the
nephew of French King Louis XIV., Philip of Borbon, successed to the
throne. As a consequence of the French Revolution, Spain declared war
on the new republic but was defeated. Napoleon took the power in France
and sent his troops against Spain in 1808. He established his brother
Joseph as Spanish king, but Spaniards fought a 5-year Independence War
against the French. After Napoleon's definite defeat at Waterloo in
1815, Ferdinand VII. was restored to the Spanish throne and reigned
with rigid absolutism. When he changed the law of succession to the
throne and his daughter Isabel was established as queen, his brother
Charles rebelled against it and the War of Seven Years broke out. Economical
recession and political instability were the consequences, Spain lost
its colonies with the exceptions of Puerto Rico, Cuba and Philippines.
The revolution of 1868 forced Isabel II. to renounce to the throne,
and the First Republic was proclaimed. Anyhow, it lasted for just about
one year. After a coup d'état Isabel's son, Alphonse XII., restored
the kingdom. The rebellion of Cuba in 1895 resulted in a war against
United States, with disastrous results for Spain. It lost Cuba, Puerto
Rico and the Philippines, in 1898.
20th Century
The economical crisis of the early 1920s led the country to the brink
of civil war, and General Primo de Ribera established a military dictature
until 1930. Elections in 1931 saw a triumph for the political left,
and Alphonse XIII. left the country. Increasing conflicts between the
Republican government and the Nationalist opposition led to the Spanish
Civil War (1936-39). The Nationalists, led by General Franco, received
extensive support from Nazi-Germany and fascist Italy and succeeded
against the Republican block which was officially supported only by
Russia, although many intellectuals (as Ernest Hemingway) and politically
committed from other countries fought in the International Brigades.
The nationalists succeeded.
Although Franco kept Spain neutral during World War II, his military
dictature led to political and economical isolation. During the 1950s
and 60s every effort was taken to improve international relations, and
the country's economy recovered. In 1969 Franco proclaimed Juan Carlos
de Borbon, the grandson of Alphonse XIII., his successor with the title
of king.
Franco died in 1975, and a constitutional monarchy was established.
President Adolfo Suarez introduced important political reforms. When
he surprisingly dismissed in 1981, a group of militars tried to take
the power with a coup, but failed. In 1982 the socialist party won the
elections and Felipe Gonzalez became president of the government. Spain
became member of the NATO in 1985 and entered the European Community
in 1986. In 1992 it appeared impressively at the world stage: Barcelona
hosted the Olympic Games, Seville the world exposition EXPO'92, and
Madrid was declared European Cultural Capital.
After 15 years of socialist government, José Maria Aznar of the
conservative party was elected president of the government in 1996.
