Spain Looks Westward
What key elements of Spain’s worldview led to the desire to expand the Spanish empire?
• Geography controls everything – Spain, unlike Italy, was drawn to the Atlantic ocean rather than the Mediterranean.
• Almost all of Europe was Christian at the beginning of the Middle Ages
• The Visigoths, who had ruled Spain since the end of the Roman Empire were defeated by Muslims in the early 8th
century
Muslim Spain
• The Muslims conquered almost all of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal)
• The Arab Islamic world (the Muslims) was part of the largest economic trade zone in the world
• Muslim artists created works of art using designs and written script because portraying humans and animals realistically could lead to idolatry
• Muslims valued learning as a way to understand the universe and to help live an ethical life
• Some cities in Muslim Spain became great centres of learning.
Muslim Spain (cont’d)
• Muslim scholars studied medicine and science
• Muslim and Jewish scholars translated ancient Greek texts
• The Muslim rulers treated all ‘people of the Book’ with tolerance – Muslim, Jews, and Christians all followed many of the same books of the Old Testament
• “Remember that the citizens of the state are of two categories. They are either your brethren in religion or your brethren in kind” – Hazrat Ali, Caliph and first Shia Imam(leader), to the ruler he appointed to govern Egypt.
The Spanish Reconquista
• Examine the timeline on page. 199 of the textbook
• By the early 1000’s, the caliphate had begun to decline – the Muslim leaders were no longer united
• The Christian‐controlled area in the north began to expand southward
• During the Reconquista, the Spanish organized their army into large groups, in tight formations, all using the same weapon, making the Spanish infantry the deadliest in Europe
• The Spanish brought this fighting style with them to the Americas
Christian Spain
• The pope named King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella Catholic Monarchs because of their devotion to their faith.
• Christian crusaders came from across Europe to help the Spanish Christian forces defeat the Muslims
• By 1269, the only Muslim part of Spain was Granada
suite101.com
Ferdinand and Isabella’s rule
• Granada was captured in 1492 after 10 years of fighting – Spain was now completely Christian
• Once the Reconquista was complete, Muslims and Jews living in Spain were forced to convert or be exiled
• The Spanish Inquisition was used to discover and punish believers of religious ideas other than Catholicism
• Jews were given 3 months to leave Spain, were forced to sell whatever they could not carry for low prices and were not allowed to bring gold or silver out of Spain.
Negative Effects
• The Spanish Muslims and Jews were a large part of the educated middle class, many were bankers and business people.
• Without their skills, Spain’s economy began to suffer.
• In addition, Spain’s gold and silver reserves were used up from the years of fighting the Muslims.
• Without gold or silver, a country can’t buy resources it might lack, pay for wars against hostile forces within their countries, protect their borders, or keep out foreign powers.
fotopsicologo.com
Saving Souls
• Muslims were spreading Islam throughout the Middle East and Asia
• King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella saw this as a threat to Christianity
• They believed that they had a religious duty to convert as many people as possible to the Catholic faith, this belief became part of the Spanish worldview
• Starting with Columbus, all of the Spanish explorers and conquistadors brought missionaries with them on their voyages and expeditions.
• Missionaries were religious men and women who could teach and convert people to Catholicism
leffortcamerounais.com
Gold
• Columbus only found a small amount of gold but he exaggerated the riches on Hispaniola to convince the King and Queen to finance another larger expedition.
• Traditionally, Spanish nobles supported themselves in two ways: war and land.
• By the end of the Reconquista, many nobles had fallen on hard times and their sense of honour did not allow them to take just any job.
• Some nobles went to the Americas to seek their fortune.
oldsaltblog.com
Glory
• Not all of the people who took the risk of going to the Americas were seeking riches; they also wanted to make a name for themselves.
• For example, Cortès was already wealthy before he went to Mexico.
• Epic tales of brave knights, who sacrificed for fellow soldiers or overcame obstacles to achieve goals and resulting in undying fame and glory, inspired Spanish youth to follow the knightly ideal.
hernancortes‐vs‐
hernancortes.com