This is a summary of the course I teach at Doon University before the Mid Term exam of 2013. It covers the History and Culture of Spain from the beginnings till the 14th century covering architecture, literature and of course the politics. It would be useful for any body interested in Spanish studies.

1. Course Summary till Mid Term Exam, 2013
Period Covered: From the Beginnings up to 1492
Created by Swagata Kumar Basu, Asstt. Prof, Doon University

2. Location of Spain: between Europe and
Africa

3. 17 Autonomous
Communities

4. Imp Cities

5. Physical Spain

6.  Where is Spain?
 Which are its neighbouring countries?
 How is it divided?
 How many Autonomous Communities?
 What forms the natural boundaries of Spain?
 What are the languages spoken in Spain? In which
regions are they spoken?

7.  Pre-Historic Times
 Iberians, Celts, Celtiberians
 Phoenicians and Greeks
 Carthaginians
 Romans
 Visigoths
 Moors
 Christian Kings

8.  The origins of where did the first human beings in
Spain came from is not know but archaeological
findings suggest that modern human beings first
appeared in the Iberian peninsula 40, 000 years ago
 Several Prehistoric Cave Paintings survive in Spain
 The most well known Cave Paintings are found in
Altamira Cave near Santander
 Very important archaeological findings like
fossils, remains of human beings have been found in
Atapuerca, Burgos

9. Cave Paintings of
Altamira, animals, hun
t scenes, use of the
colour red

10.  By 1600 BC, The Iberian peninsula was inhabited by
groups of people who were ruled by particular leaders.
The Greeks called them Iberians.
 They lived in fortified centres.
 They knew and practiced mining
 Sculptures like the Dama de Baza, and La Dama de
Elche are the main examples of Iberian Art

13.  Other groups to have entered the Iberian Peninsula
were Greeks, Phoenicians and the Carthaginians
 While Greeks and Phoenicians mainly set up trade
posts along the Mediterranean coast, Carthiginians
took control over Spain for strategic reasons against
Romans.
 Threatened by this the Romans started fighting wars
with Carthaginians and established political
dominance over Spain for the first time by 206 BC

14.  The area earlier divided into smaller independent
towns and cities became unified under the Roman
administration and that is how the foundation of
Spain was laid and was called Hispania. This
integration took a very long time and is called
Romanization.
 Christianity, Latin and Administrative Unity were the
biggest contribution of the Romans to Hispania.
 Romans ruled Spain till end of fourth century almost
for 600 years

17.  Key Features of Roman Architecture are is
Durability, Usability and Grandness of Size
 In Spain they built
Bridges, Roads, Aqueducts, Amphitheatres
 High Arches, Vaults and Columns are common
in Roman Architecture


18. Aqueduct of Segovia

19. Aqueduct of Segovia

20. Tarragona- Roman Amphitheatre

21. Mérida-Roman Amphitheatre

22. The Roman Bridge of Alcantara

23.  The Visigoths were one of the Germanic tribes who invaded
Roman territory during the decline of the Roman Empire
 Under them Spain became a Kingdom rather than part of a
larger empire
 Soon it got divided into smaller Kingdoms often fighting
with each other
 They made Catholic Christianity the official religion
 And through the Councils of Toledo, the Church became
an institution that participated in the governance
 A rise in construction of churches form the architecture of
this period and starts a trend that continues till much later

25. 8th Century to 14th Century (711-1300s)

27.  The Moors, a group of Muslims of different regions of
Africa entered Spain in 711
 Due to the disunity and weakness of the Visigothic
rulers it was rather easy for the Muslims to conquer
Spain within a short span of time right up to the North
leaving only the Mountainous regions
 But by 718 Christians under the leadership of Pelayo
defeated the Muslims in the Battle of
Covadonga, thereby beginning a war that would last
for seven hundred years: the Reconquest
 This also formed the Kingdom of Asturias

29.  This period in Spain is characterized by the existence
of two groups Muslims and Christians living side by
side in Spain along with Jews as well
 On one hand they fought various wars over territories
 But on the other hand they also came together to
create a Hybrid culture, extremely rich and unique
 Examples of peace, mutual tolerance, harmonious
coexistence exist under the leadership of many
Christian and Muslim rulers while many examples of
intolerance and extreme hatred also exist

30.  The Muslims brought to Spain a new way of life and many
objects and customs unavailable in Europe at that time
 These later on became integral part of Spanish traditions
and culture
 They introduced to Spain Citrus
Fruits, Rice, Saffron, Soaps, Toothpaste, Deodorant, Perfu
mes, the Guitar, the Musical style that inspires
Flamenco, Bath Houses
 There contribution in Art and Architecture cannot be
summed up easily but can be imagined from the fact that
Spain is the 2nd most popular tourist destination in the
world and it is its Islamic buildings that attract such a huge
number of tourists because in Europe these Islamic
buildings are unparalleled and exotic
 The Arabic language also has left a huge number of words

31.  3 Cities held importance in Islamic Spain in different
periods of time: Cordoba, Sevilla and Granada
 Abd-ar-Rahman I became Emir of Cordoba, he was fleeing
from Damascus because the Umayyad dynasty had lost the
Caliphate in Damascus
 In 929, Abd-ar-Rahman III proclaimed himself Caliph and
thus made Al-Andalus , a Caliphate totally independent of
Damascus
 In was under him that Cordoba became one of the richest
cities in Europe of that time and a rich cultural center with
a huge number of libraries visited by scholars from all over
Europe
 This was a period of tolerance and minimum conflict
between the Christians and Muslims
 The Caliphate ended in 1031 because its ministers rebelled
against it and abolished the Caliphate

33. The double
arches, pictured
above, were a new
introduction to
architecture, and
helped support the
tremendous weight
of the higher
ceilings. The double
arches consist of a
lower horseshoe
arch and an upper
semi-circular arch.

36. Roman Bridge with the Mosque Complex

37. Same view at Night

38.  Within the Muslims territories many Chrsitians lived
and in fact gained important positions in the
government. They often adopted the lifestyles of the
Muslims and learnt to speak in Arabic. But they did
not at the beginning convert to Islam. They are called
Mozarabes.
 Mudejars on the other hand were those Muslims who
remained in Christian territories after the Reconquest
without converting to Christianity. They highly
influence the Architecture after the 12th century
 Moriscos were Moors who converted to Christianity
during the Reconquest

40.  After the end of the Umayyads Al-Andalus broke up into
almost 30 free standing city states often fighting with each
other for territory
 Sevilla became the most important such Taifa

41.  The Taifa kingdoms were not strong enough to protect
their territories and often took help from the Christian
rulers to fight with rival Muslim rulers
 The Christian territory thus began to expand through the
11th and 12th century
 By 1085 Toledo falls in Christian hands under Alfonso VI of
Castile
 In 1086 Ruler of Sevilla invites Almoravids, an orthodox
group who preached a reformist Islamic message
demanding strict adherence to the tenets of Islam and who
showed less tolerance towards non-Muslims
 Almoravid empire ends in 1145, by the Religious hostiloty
had increased on both sides
 1147 the Almohad take control of the Muslim territories
 But Fernando III, after uniting Leon and Castile capture
Cordoba in 1236, Murcia in 1241 and Sevilla in 1248

42.  It is a little before this period that Romanesque
architecture starts to be popular which later develops
into the Gothic style
 Romanesque architecture is characterized by semi-
circular arches and were mainly used in chapels and
churches. They have thick walls and rounded
arches, few windows and dimly lit interiors.
 The Gothic architecture have higher vaults, flying
buttress, coloured glass that allows light to come in
 In 1075 Alfonso VI of Castile ordered the construction
of the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, the place
where the remains of St. James was believed to be
found
 It was one of the most important pilgrimage sites for
Christians during the middle ages

44. San Martín de
Frómista, Palencia, on the way
to Santiago, Romanesque

45. Santiago de Compostela
-San Martín Pinario Monastery, Gothic

46.  This epic poem that narrates the life of a Christian
warrior during the Reconquista had become widely
popular in Spain during the 12th century
 Part of the tradition of Mester de Juglaria, this and
other such songs were recited by Juglares from one
place to another
 A special feature of this poem is its realism and its
benevolence towards the Muslim characters. Muslims
are not represented as villains although the backdrop
is of reconquest

47.  Under Fernando III and his son Alfonso X (1252
onwards), Toledo became the new Capital of Spain
and a rich cultural city where once again the three
religions lived in harmonious coexistence
 The Toledo School of Translators, created by Alfonso
X, worked on translation of important works in
Latin, Hebrew, Greek and Arabic
 Alfonso X made Castellano the official language
 He himself contributed to the Mester de Clerecia and
also wrote encyclopedic books on History etc

49.  By the end of 13th century on the Muslim side of
Spain, Granada was the only remaining territory (the
dominance of the Almohads ended with their defeat in
, Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, 1212)
 But in this period Al-Hambra is contsructed, one of
the greatest monuments in the world

51. Four great halls enclose
the famous Patio de los
Leones, the "lions'
court". The figures of
lions that carry the
fountain is a curiosity in
Arabian art, as the
figurative representation
of animals (as well as
humans) is forbidden by
the Koran

52. Patio de los
Arrayanes:
A large court with
columns of
marble and a
beautiful central
fountain

54.  Use of Caligraphy, Plant Motifs, Tiles and Geometrical
Patters to fill up all available empty space
 Transmitting Tenets of Islam through the
Architecture: Equality through the interminable Stone
Columns of Mosque of Cordoba, Impermanence by
Introduction of Water in Al-Hambra, Repetition of 7
and 4 to emanate the message “There is no God but
Allah”

55.  BBC Art of Spain I by Andrew Graham-Dixon
 A Concise History of Spain. D. Phillips, William., Rahn
Phillips, Carla. Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge, 2012.
 www.spainthenandnow.com

56. basu.swagata@gmail.com
Disclaimer: All the maps and pictures are taken from the
Internet and I do not have any rights on them.