The History of Spain: Land on a Crossroad

Course Overview

Course No. 8286

Journey through Spain’s epic history from prehistoric times to the modern era with Professor Salisbury’s expert guidance.

This 24-lecture course explores:

• The melting pot of Celtic, Roman, Visigothic, and Islamic cultures
• The golden age of al-Andalus and the Christian Reconquista
• Spain’s global empire and the conquest of the New World
• Artistic masterpieces from Velázquez to Gaudí
• The turbulent path to modern democracy

Video Lectures

01: From Stones to Bronze: Prehistoric Spain (31 min)

Discover Spain’s ancient cave paintings and megalithic tombs from early settlers.

02: Celtic, Phoenician, and Greek Colonists (29 min)

Trace the technological and cultural impacts of these early Mediterranean peoples.

03: Rome Conquers the Iberian Peninsula (30 min)

Witness how Roman engineering and infrastructure transformed Hispania.

04: Christianity Comes to Hispania (32 min)

Explore the roots of Spanish Catholicism and its early martyrs.

05: Barbarian Tribes Divide the Peninsula (30 min)

Study the Germanic and Iranian groups that reshaped post-Roman Spain.

06: The Visigoths Unite Spain (29 min)

Learn how Visigothic rule produced legal codes and scholars like Isidore of Seville.

07: Islam: The New Religion (30 min)

Understand Muhammad’s teachings and the Muslim conquest of Iberia.

08: Conflict within Islam (31 min)

Examine the power struggles that led to Córdoba’s independent caliphate.

09: The Moors and the Glory of al-Andalus (31 min)

Tour Islamic Spain’s golden age of science, poetry, and architecture.

10: The Christian Reconquista (28 min)

Follow the centuries-long campaign to reclaim Spain from Muslim rule.

11: Medieval Spanish Culture (30 min)

Appreciate Alfonso the Wise’s court and Spain’s wool trade boom.

12: The Sephardim: Iberian Judaism (29 min)

Trace Jewish fortunes from Visigothic repression to 1492 expulsion.

13: Gypsy Influences on Spain (31 min)

Discover the roots of flamenco in Spain’s Romani heritage.

14: The Growth of Catholic Religious Passion (31 min)

Witness the Counter-Reformation and Spanish Inquisition’s brutal reign.

15: Columbus and the New World (30 min)

Re-examine Columbus’s self-education and world-changing voyages.

16: Conquistadors and Missionaries (28 min)

Analyze Cortés’s Aztec conquest and Pizarro’s subjugation of the Incas.

17: The Spanish Main: Trade Convoys and Piracy (30 min)

Sail with silver fleets through the golden age of Caribbean piracy.

18: The Golden Age of the Spanish Habsburgs (30 min)

Marvel at Philip II’s El Escorial and Velázquez’s artistic genius.

19: Religious Wars on Muslims and Protestants (30 min)

From Lepanto to the Armada: Spain’s costly holy wars.

20: The 18th-Century Bourbon Kings of Spain (32 min)

Track French-inspired reforms under Carlos III and Napoleon’s impact.

21: Spain Loses Its Empire (31 min)

Understand how Romanticism and nationalism dismantled colonial rule.

22: 20th-Century Spanish Modernism (30 min)

Celebrate Picasso, Dalí, Gaudí and Spain’s avant-garde revolution.

23: The Spanish Civil War and Franco’s Reign (29 min)

Analyze the conflict that brought decades of dictatorship.

24: Modern Spain: Still on a Crossroad (34 min)

Reflect on restored monarchy, regional separatism, and economic renewal.