History of Spain

The account of the peoples, states, and events that shaped the Iberian Peninsula and the Spanish state, from prehistoric societies to the present.

Iberian Peninsula: The southwestern European peninsula occupied chiefly by Spain and Portugal. Its geography frames the societies and political boundaries that preceded modern Spain.
Crown of Castile: A composite monarchy centered on Castile that expanded across Iberia and overseas from the Middle Ages onward. Castile supplied much of the territory and institutional weight of the later Spanish monarchy.
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire: The campaign that brought the Aztec Empire under Spanish rule between 1519 and 1521. It illustrates how conquest and Indigenous alliances expanded Spanish rule in the Americas.
Spanish Inquisition: A tribunal established by the Catholic Monarchs in 1478 to investigate heresy within their kingdoms. Its role in religious conformity remains central to debates about monarchy and persecution.
Latin American independence wars: The conflicts that ended Spanish rule across most of mainland Spanish America in the early nineteenth century. The loss of American territories transformed Spain’s global position and political debates.
Celtiberians: Ancient peoples of central and northeastern Iberia who combined Celtic and local cultural influences. Their communities formed part of the peninsula’s diverse pre-Roman population.
Crown of Aragon: A medieval composite monarchy joining Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, and other territories under one ruler. Its distinct laws and institutions persisted within the monarchy formed with Castile.
Spanish Armada: The fleet sent by Philip II in 1588 to invade England, defeated during its campaign. Its failure became a defining episode in Spain’s rivalry with England.
Black Legend: A hostile portrayal of Spain as exceptionally cruel and intolerant, propagated especially by its rivals. It contrasts imperial practices with the narratives European competitors constructed about them.
Spanish American War: The 1898 conflict between Spain and the United States, ending in Spain’s defeat and loss of overseas colonies. The defeat intensified debate over Spain’s decline and national renewal.

Linked from 2 pages