Spain History

The history of Spain takes starts during pre-historic times, includes the rise and fall of a global empire to the current modern-day renaissance and new-found wealth.

The Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) shows civilization starting some 30,000 years ago. Invaded by the Celts, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, controlled by the Roman Empire around 200 B.C.. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Christian Visigoth's established their kingdom from the 5th to the early 8th century. Muslim invaders arrived from North Africa in 711, and spent less than 5 years to dominate a large portion of the Iberian Peninsula. During the next 750 years, independent Muslim states were established becoming known as Al-Andalus. Philosophy and religious thought blossomed just as tensions between Christians and Muslims increased. The Reconquest of Spain by Christian forces began in the 8th century in northern Spain, gradually rolling south over hundreds of years, ending in 1492 with the defeat of the last Muslim ruler of Granada. During this struggle, Christian kingdoms developed, including the Kingdom of Castile and the Kingdom of Aragon. The marriage in 1469 of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II and their kingdoms, led to the creation of the Kingdom of Spain.

The year 1492 was equally memorable because Ferdinand and Isabella sent an Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, in search of a new trade route to Asia. Columbus's journey across the Atlantic and his arrival in the New World brought untold glory and riches for Spain. Spain became the most important European nation in the world. Spanish literature and arts also grew, but Spanish tolerance for others did not, Jews and Muslims suffered tremendously during the Inquisition. Spain's colonial empire ruled almost all of South America, the Philippines, large parts of North America and Africa. Spain had established one of the largest empires in the history of the world, financed by the riches extracted from its colonies. Spain was not always successful in its battles,, the Netherlands and Italy were won and lost and wars with England and France took a tremendous toll. These adventures led to successive bankruptcies, and Spain became a second-tier European power by the end of the 18th century.

Europe witnessed tremendous changes during the 19th century, and Spain was no exception. Spanish colonies in the New World received near-complete independence. Then Spanish were able to remove Napoleon's brother from the Spanish throne, only to witness an extended period of unrest. Experiments alternated between democracy and authoritarian rule. Like most of Europe, the arrival of the Industrial Revolution brought wealth and expanded the middle class.

Spain remained neutral during the First World War, only to lose 1,000,000 lives in 1936 during a bloody civil war, that led to Francisco Franco's fascist dictatorship. Spain stagnated under a culturally and politically repressive environment until the death of Franco in 1975 and at once began its remarkable transformation. Modern Spain now holds title to a robust, modern democracy (a constitutional monarchy with ever-popular King Juan Carlos), benefits from one of the fastest-growing standards of living in Europe, a reborn artistic community the Summer Olympics in Barcelona and a new role as a leader in the European Community. In 2005, Spain became the first nation in the world to grant full marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples.