Today I’m announcing the cancellation of The History of Spain Podcast, and instead I’m making […]

This is episode 46 called al-Hakam II, the cultivated caliph, and in this episode you […]

This is episode 45 called Umayyad interventions and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - A brief overview of the history of Catalonia of the 950s and 960s - Muslim expeditions against the Kingdom of León during the reign of Ordoño III - The Umayyad interventions in North Africa and Umayyad-Fatimid conflict in the 950s - Civil war during the reign of Ordoño III of León and its aftermath - The coup d’état against Sancho the Fat - The trip of Toda of Pamplona and Sancho the Fat to Córdoba to ask for the help of Abd al-Rahman III - The Umayyad-Christian coalition to depose Ordoño IV of León - The legacy of Abd al-Rahman III - The humiliating audience of Ordoño IV with al-Hakam II of Córdoba - The failed Christian anti-Cordoban coalition and the succession of Sancho the Fat - A reflection about why the fact that Christian rulers declared themselves vassals of the Caliphate of Córdoba is often forgotten

This is episode 44 called Slavery and Jews of al-Andalus and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - Introduction to slavery in the Islamic world and al-Andalus - What’s the difference between a captive and a slave - Captivity for women and the social problem that captivity supposed - Which were the occupations and jobs performed by slaves in al-Andalus - Captivity and slavery in the context of the campaigns of Almanzor - What determined the price of a slave and how were auctions and transactions done - Jews under early Umayyad rule and the case of Eleazar of Zaragoza - Why Jews in al-Andalus were Arabized but not Islamized - A brief biography of the great foreign minister and physician Hasdai ibn Shaprut - Jews under the Taifa kingdoms, the case of Samuel HaNagrid, and the Golden Age of Jewish culture - The end of the Jewish golden age in al-Andalus, with the 1066 Granada Massacre and the arrival of the Almoravids - The expulsion and forced conversions of Christians and Jews under the Almohads - Why Jews were sometimes tolerated and sometimes suffered repression, understanding the political and economic logic behind it - A reflection on the lives of captives and enslaved people

This is episode 43 called Fernán González, Count of Castile, and in this episode you […]

This is episode 42 called Battle of Simancas and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - Who Ramiro II of León was - The pompous parade of departure of the campaign of Osma of 934 - The first revolt of Muhammad ibn Hashim of the Banu Tujib clan and the tactical declaration of the Kingdom of Pamplona as vassal of the Caliphate - The campaign of Osma itself - The rebellion of Muhammad ibn Hashim, the offensives of the Christians, and the submission of Zaragoza - The treaty of submission of Zaragoza and its implications - The preparation of the campaign of the Omnipotence - The Battle of Simancas-Alhándega and why the Caliphal forces were defeated - Public execution of the traitors of Simancas at Medina Azahara and the Umayyad social contract - The long-lasting consequences of the Battle of Simancas - The immediate aftermath of the battle

This is episode 41 called Caliphal Córdoba and Medina Azahara and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - An introduction to Caliphal Córdoba - How Córdoba evolved over time, from being a Roman foundation to the Caliphal era - Key elements of Córdoba and areas of expansion - Why the Andalusi capital grew to become a great metropolitan city during the 10th century - What did the Emirs and Caliphs of Córdoba build to expand Córdoba and improve the living conditions of its inhabitants - The construction of the palace-city of Medina Azahara, when did works begin and how much it costed - The legendary story of why Medina Azahara was built and its meaning, and a description of its magnificence - Court ceremonies and protocol during the Caliphate of Córdoba - The caliph’s private residence and the family of Abd al-Rahman III - The second and third terrace of Medina Azahara, and the messages that the complex intended to send - A reflection about the destruction, preservation and restoration of heritage

This is episode 40 called Economy of al-Andalus and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - European and Islamic context of the Medieval economy - Two misconceptions related to the economy of al-Andalus: the static image of al-Andalus and the image of al-Andalus as an urban and commercial economy - Muslim contributions to the agriculture of Spain and Europe, and the development of agriculture as a necessary condition to develop other sectors - Brief overview of how the Arabs and Berbers settled in the Iberian Peninsula and how were the Andalusi lands exploited - Which agricultural products were produced in al-Andalus, and the limitations of the “prosperity” of a pre-industrial economy - Stockbreeding in al-Andalus - Mining in al-Andalus - Brief overview of the fiscal system of Umayyad Spain and the first Taifa period - The growth and development of cities in Muslim Spain, including the estimated population of several Andalusi cities - Manufactured products of al-Andalus - Lengthy discussion about commerce and international trade, including town markets, the role of al-Andalus as a bridge between the East and the West, and the main exports and imports of al-Andalus - The economic and commercial importance of Almería, and brief summary of the key points of the episode - A comparison between the economy of Roman Hispania and al-Andalus

This is episode 39 called Towards the Caliphate of Córdoba and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - The victorious Cordoban campaign of Muez as a punitive expedition against León and Pamplona - The Pamplonese conquest of La Rioja in 923, including Nájera, along the incorporation of the County of Aragon - The destructive punitive campaign of 924 against Pamplona (and to extend Umayyad authority in al-Andalus) and how Sancho Garcés I of Pamplona minimized the potential damage - Why Abd al-Rahman III’s campaigns against the Christian north didn’t involve conquests and colonizations - The death of Ordoño II and the brief succession of Fruela II, followed by a succession crisis and civil war in the Kingdom of León - The death of Sancho Garcés I of Pamplona, first ruler of the Jimena dynasty, and his successor and six-year-old son García Sánchez - The brutal Umayyad campaigns against the Hafsunids and the fall of Bobastro, representing the near end of the fitna of the Emirate of Córdoba - The external and domestic reasons that explain the proclamation of the Caliphate of Córdoba in 929 - The surrender of Mérida, Badajoz and Toledo, leaving only Zaragoza as the last city that had yet to really submit to Abd al-Rahman III’s authority - The Umayyad-Fatimid rivalry and the Umayyad intervention in North Africa between the 920s and the 950s - The abdication of Alfonso IV of León, followed by a civil war between Ramiro II of León and other members of the royal dynasty - A reflection on the nature of the proclamation of the Caliphate of Córdoba

This is episode 38 called Umayyad Resurgence and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - Who Abd al-Rahman III was and the difficult situation that he faced in 912 - How could the Emir suppress the revolts that plagued al-Andalus, including his political strategy and the recruitment of mercenaries and slaves - An example of the diplomatic approach of Abd al-Rahman - The bitter Monteleón campaign against Umar ibn Hafsun and the reconquest of Seville - The sudden and tragic end of Alfonso III’s reign and his legacy - The transition from the Kingdom of Asturias to the Kingdom of León - The brief reign of García I and the first campaigns of King Ordoño II of León - The 915 famine and the surrender of the old Umar ibn Hafsun, as well as other victorious Umayyad campaigns - The first jihad of Abd al-Rahman III against the Kingdom of León, ending up in the disastrous Battle of San Esteban de Gormaz for the Umayyads - A comparison between Abd al-Rahman I and Abd al-Rahman III

This is episode 37 called Umayyads in peril and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - The short reign of Emir al-Mundhir - The personality of Emir Abd Allah and the big picture of his reign - The qasi-Taifa states of Murcia and Seville, respectively ruled by Daysam ibn Ishaq and the Banu Hayyay clan - The story of the maritime Republic of Pechina, in Almería - The Muslim conquest of the Balearic Islands under Isam al-Hawlani - The Berber and Messianic movement that ended up in the Day of Zamora - The peak of Umar ibn Hafsun’s power and the loss of initiative - Why the Umayyad dynasty of Córdoba managed to survived this turbulent period and an illustrative example of the extreme fragility of Umayyad rule - A general overview of the situation of Medieval Spain before Abd al-Rahman III’s accession to the throne - An effort to imagine how the average Andalusi lived during this period

This is episode 36 called Birth of Catalonia and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - Why the title of the episode is misleading - The chaos within the Carolingian Empire, like in the Emirate of Córdoba, and the government of Odalrico and Hunifredo - The traditional, legendary story of how Wifredo the Hairy, of the House of Barcelona, seized power - The real story of how Wifredo the Hairy became Count of Barcelona and how Wifredo’s family monopolized both secular and religious posts in the Marca Hispanica - The gradual independence of the Catalan counties after the deposition of Carolingian emperor Charles the Fat, and how that contrasts with the myths that originated in the late Medieval period - The first attempt to make the dioceses of Catalonia independent from the archbishop fo Narbonne - The different popular and official repopulations during Wifredo’s rule - Why the Christian repopulations occurred and how was life in the borderlands - How Count Wifredo the Hairy died fighting the Banu Qasi and the continuist rule of Wifredo II - The Legend of the Four Blood Bars, that gives a different version of how Wifredo the Hairy died and how the Senyera was created - The legacy and importance of Count Wifredo the Hairy - A reflection on how his historical figure is manipulated to serve the purposes of the Catalan separatist agenda

This is episode 35 called Christians vs Muladis and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - Announcement of the social media plan I’m executing this May - Recap and main characters of Christians vs Muladis - The consolidation of the Kingdom of Asturias, with the repopulation of Zamora - The foundation of Burgos in the County of Castile and the temporary division of Castile - What happened in the Kingdom of Pamplona of the Aristas, from 860 to 905 - The last two great Banu Qasi leaders: Muhammad ibn Lubb and Lubb ibn Muhammad - How the Arista dynasty was deposed and replaced by another great Basque linage, the Jimenos - The disappearence of the Banu Qasi clan and the absorption of the County of Aragon by the Kingdom of Pamplona of Sancho I of Pamplona - The creation of the independent County of Ribagorza-Pallars between Aragon and Catalonia under Count Ramón - A brief overview of the economy of the Kingdom of Asturias - A reflection on the importance of this period for the consolidation of the Kingdoms of Asturias and Pamplona

This is episode 34 called County of Castile and Portugal and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - The repopulation of León, Astorga, Tuy and Amaya Patricia under King Ordoño I of Asturias - Who was the first Count of Castile - What do we know about primitive Castile, the County of Castile and County of Álava - The role of Count Rodrigo of Castile as a military leader - The troubled accession of Alfonso III - What kind of king Alfonso III of Asturias was - Neogothicism and the ideology of the Reconquista - The foundation of the County of Portugal and County of Coimbra - How was the repopulation of the Desert of the Duero done in practice - Who participated in the Christian repopulations and property rights - The cartas pueblas - What were the colonists looking for

This is episode 33 called Muladis in Revolt and in this episode you will learn: […]

This is episode 32 called Vikings in Spain and Mozarabs and in this episode you […]

This is episode 31 called Banu Qasi and in this episode you will learn: Show […]

This is episode 30 called Reforms of Abd al-Rahman II and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - Global context of the first half of the 9th century - A background of Emir Abd al-Rahman II - The early dynastic and territorial revolts of his reign - How Abd al-Rahman II reformed and reorganized the administration of the Emirate of Córdoba, in emulation to the centralized model of the Abbasid Caliphate - The sophistication of the Cordoban court and the economic and fiscal reforms - The ambitious civil and religious construction program of Abd al-Rahman’s reign - How Ziryab transformed the culture of al-Andalus and the cultural, intellectual and artistic changes that were coming from the East - The foreign policy objective and implementation of projecting the political and commercial power of the Emirate of Córdoba in the Western Mediterranean - The other foreign policy objective to maintain the supremacy of Córdoba in the Iberian Peninsula - A reflection on the limits of Abd al-Rahman’s reforms

The History of Spain Podcast Q&A #1 answers some important questions related to Spanish history, identity, culture and more. These include questions from the Visigothic period to Franco and contemporary Spain, questions such as when did Spain become Spain, or my views on bullfighting. To discover all the questions and answers, listen to it!

This is episode 29 called Kingdom of Pamplona and County of Aragon and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - Why Vasconia has always been subject to external attacks - How the Carolingian Empire and Emirate of Córdoba fought to control Iberian Vasconia and how that led to the emergence of pro-Frankish and pro-Umayyad Basque parties - The assassination of the Banu Qasi governor of Pamplona, led by Velasco the Basque who represented the pro-Frankish party - How Íñigo Arista, supported by the Banu Qasi and Córdoba, gained control of Pamplona - Why the Kingdom of Pamplona is not considered a kingdom and the game of double legimitacy - The origins of the County of Aragon, briefly under the Carolingian Empire and how García the Bad made the County of Aragon a vassal of Pamplona instead - The last attempt of the Carolingian Empire to regain control over the Western Pyrenees, the Second Battle of Roncesvalles and its consequences - What kind of relationship did the Banu Qasi and Arista-Íñigo dynasty had - The political history of the County of Aragon in the 9th century and the origins of surnames like Sánchez or García - Brief talk about social and economic aspects of the Kingdom of Pamplona and the County of Aragon - What are the origins of the Basques (genetic studies) - The external history of the Basque language, why its usage declined and the current situation of Euskera - Reflection on the pragmatic relationship between the Kingdom of Pamplona and the Banu Qasi