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.

