Spain stands as a cornerstone of Western art history, offering an extraordinary legacy that spans from prehistoric cave paintings to 20th-century avant-garde movements. The Iberian peninsula’s complex cultural heritage – shaped by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, North Africans and Visigoths – has produced an artistic tradition of remarkable diversity and depth. …
Ernest Hemingway’s relationship with Spain stands as one of the most profound and enduring cultural partnerships in 20th-century literature. From his first visit in the 1920s until the final years of his life, Spain served as both muse and laboratory for his artistic development, political awakening and personal philosophy. ‘Hemingway …
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was born in Alcalá de Henares, a university town near Madrid, on September 29th 1547, during a period of significant cultural and political transformation in Spain. Born into a family of modest means – his father Rodrigo was an itinerant surgeon of diminished fortunes – Cervantes’ …
The Spanish Armada of 1588 is often romanticized as a straightforward tale of English naval triumph, complete with legendary anecdotes like Sir Francis Drake’s alleged reluctance to interrupt a bowls game at Plymouth Hoe. The reality, however, is far more complex and fascinating – a intricate narrative of strategic miscalculations, …
Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) was a navigator and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean opened the way for European exploration and colonization of the Americas. Sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Columbus undertook four expeditions between 1492 and 1504, believing he had found a westward route to Asia. Instead, …
The Christian Reconquest of Spain, also known as the Reconquista, was a pivotal period in European history which spanned nearly eight centuries. This protracted struggle, lasting from the early 8th century until the fall of Granada in 1492, was a complex and multifaceted series of military, political and religious campaigns …
The history of Roman Spain, also known as ‘Hispania’, offers a rich narrative of conquest, assimilation and cultural transformation. The incorporation of the Iberian Peninsula into the Roman Empire marked a pivotal chapter in the region’s development, shaping its political, economic and social structures. The Romanisation of Spain introduced enduring …
Roman control of the Iberian Peninsula began in 218 BC during the Second Punic War when they captured territories from the Carthaginians. Over the next two centuries, the Romans gradually conquered and Romanized the region through military force and colonization. The Romans divided the peninsula into three provinces – Hispania …
The Visigothic period in Spanish history, spanning roughly the 5th to the early 8th centuries, bridges the decline of the Roman Empire and the dawn of the medieval age. Although often overshadowed by the grandeur of Roman rule and the Islamic period that followed, the Visigoths in Spain left an …