MaintenanceInternal t1_izdxx7n wrote
One interesting part of Spanish history that isn't as widely known as it should be is the Reconquista.
Christian Spain had been reduced to the small kingdom of Asturias in the North West of the country by the invading Muslims from North Africa.
This small Kingdom eventually expanded and Spain spent hundreds of years recovering her land from the Muslim invaders until they were completely expelled from the country.
This caused Spain to be religiously fervorous which resulted in the mistreatment of people's from other religions.
This is large part of why Spain had a strong focus on converting people to Christianity.
Also, the conquest of the Americas, Mexico in particular resulted in such an influx of gold and silver to Spain that the economy crashed due to the devaluation of the currency.
raori921 OP t1_ize9rk9 wrote
>One interesting part of Spanish history that isn't as widely known as it should be is the Reconquista
I thought it was one of the better known parts? It's kind of what laid the template for the conservative, royal-absolutist and very Catholic Spain that followed, mostly little changed until the 1800s upheavals.
> Spain spent hundreds of years recovering her land from the Muslim invaders until they were completely expelled from the country
They must have been surprised or shocked to find more Muslims on the other side of the world, in the early Philippines, in Manila and Mindanao. The Spanish conquest there then really does seem to just be a Reconquista continuation if so.
TheGrandExquisitor t1_izgcq6v wrote
Many people aren't taught the link between the reconquista and Spanish colonial efforts. Granada fell to the Spanish in January, 1492. That was the last Muslim outpost in the Iberian peninsula.
Columbus landed in the New World in October, 1492.
Now, think about this. You have a bunch of trained soldiers just hanging out. They just took the last bit of territory in Spain and had little to do. Which is always a dangerous thing. Especially since soldiers would often work for whomever offered the best pay/looting.
Columbus comes back and...oh, look, we found a whole new group of "dark skinned heathens." So, they just moved the fight to the New World.
If Spain hadn't had a large, well trained, army that was looking to kill for Jesus, I think trade would have been more of a priority.
Conversely, when the English started settling the east coast of America, they came in often expecting to trade. In fact they expected to trade like they had in England. Early on, they ran into problems because the natives weren't idiots. The English would soak a newly contacted area with European goods that they traded for food and furs. Which created problems. One example was iron pots. One settlement used iron pots as trade goods. Which is great until everyone has a freaking iron pot! To top it off, the native population wasn't willing to trade for food if it meant they'd go hungry. Starvation isn't worth an iron pot. This literally caused the English to raid for food.
Interesting contrast.
MaintenanceInternal t1_izey8lt wrote
I think it is well known, but the Spanish civil war and their south American conquests seem to come up much more often.
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