España: A Brief History of Spain

by Giles Tremlett

Overview

"A book of rich detail.”—The Wall Street Journal

Bestselling author of Ghosts of Spain Giles Tremlett traverses the rich and varied history of Spain, from prehistoric times to today, in a brief, accessible primer with color illustrations throughout.

Spain's position on Europe’s southwestern corner has exposed the country to cultural, political, and literal winds blowing from all quadrants throughout the country’s ancient history. Africa lies a mere nine miles to the south, separated by the Strait of Gibraltar—a mountain range struck, Spaniards believe, by Hercules, in an immaculate and divine display of strength. The Mediterranean connects Spain to the civilizational currents of Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, and Byzantines as well as the Arabic lands of the near east. Hordes from the Russian steppes were amongst the first to arrive. They would be followed by Visigoths, Arabs, and Napoleonic armies and many more invaders and immigrants. Circular winds and currents extended its borders to the American continent, allowing it to conquer and colonize much of the New World as the first ever global empire. Spain, as we know it today, was made by generations-worth of changing peoples, worshipping Christian, Jewish, and Muslim gods over time. The foundation of its story has been drawn and debated, celebrated and reproached. Whenever it has tried to deny its heterogeneity and create a “pure” national identity, the narrative has proved impossible to maintain.

In España, Giles Tremlett, who has lived in and written about Spain for over thirty years, swiftly traces every stretch of Spain’s history to argue that a lack of a homogenous identity is Spain's defining trait. With gorgeous color images, España is perfect for lovers of Spain and fans of international history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781639730575
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	09/20/2022
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	130,429
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Giles Tremlett is a prize-winning historian, author and journalist based in Madrid, Spain. He has lived in, and written extensively about, Spain almost continuously since graduating from Oxford University thirty-five years ago. He is Visiting Fellow of the Cañada Blanch Centre at the London School of Economics, writes opinion and long form reportage for the Guardian and is a former Madrid correspondent for The Economist.

Table of Contents

About the author 2

Introduction 11

1 Uncle Hercules and the Pit of Bones 19

2 Elephants, Carthaginians and Romans 29

3 Unlocking the Door - Al-Andalus 41

4 Reconquista - Three Spains 55

5 Isabella and Ferdinand 66

6 Fall of Granada 74

7 Seeking Asia, Finding America 82

8 Purity 90

9 Empire 102

10 Conquistadors 107

11 Slavery that Bears with it a Crown 116

12 Ecstasy 125

13 A Golden Age 129

14 He Has Ravished Me 140

15 Inbreeding 151

16 Farinelli and the Melancholic Monarchs 158

17 Absolutism in the Century of Light 163

18 Revolution 171

19 Dos tie Mayo 175

20 War and Independence 181

21 Ferdinand VII - the Desired One 187

22 Freedom from Spain 192

23 The Long Civil War 200

24 Democracy, Sort Of 212

25 The Ladies' Revolution 217

26 Where Are You, Spain? 229

27 A Tragic Week 235

28 Spain's Mussolini 244

29 The Second Republic 249

30 The 1936 Coup 254

31 El Caudillo 264

32 A Return to Democracy 276

33 The Red Rose 282

34 The Right Returns 292

35 Bombs in Al-Andalus 298

36 Out with the Old? 303

Acknowledgements 311

Recommended reading 311

Index 312

Images credits 320

Editorial Reviews

07/18/2022

Historian Tremlett (Ghosts of Spain) surveys Spain from ancient times to the Covid-19 pandemic in this brisk and informative account. Contending that Spain “has struggled constantly to fuse together a fractured soul,” Tremlett documents the region’s early history as a nexus where Christianity, Islam, and Judaism coexisted but contends that religious tolerance “was never as consistent or harmonious as it is frequently depicted.” The marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragón in 1469 brought their separate kingdoms into “something that, at least geographically, looks much like modern Spain,” but their rule also gave rise to the Spanish Inquisition and the expulsion of Jews and Muslims. Documenting the sweep of Spanish conquistadors through North and South America in the 16th century, Tremlett contends that “Empire... helped unite Spain, not least because so many Spaniards could share in the project of despoiling it.” Tensions caused by Spain’s multiple national identities continued to provoke conflicts, however, including the three Carlist wars in the 19th century and Gen. Francisco Franco’s military coup in 1936. Alongside the geopolitical events, Tremlett spotlights cultural figures including Miguel de Cervantes and painters Velázquez and Goya. Tremlett packs a ton of information into a concise package, though the lack of a narrative through line sometimes makes for a choppy reading experience. Still, this is an accessible introduction to Spain’s multifaceted history. Illus. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"A book of rich detail … Mr. Tremlett embarks on a narrative marathon in 'España,' delivered at the speed of a sprint, from Spain’s earliest beginnings to the present day (Covid included). Such is his deftness as a storyteller that a reader will scarcely feel that anything important has been left on the cutting-room floor." - The Wall Street Journal

"An excellent introduction to a long and intricate history that extends over thousands of years." - San Francisco Book Review

“[a] brisk and informative account … an accessible introduction to Spain's multifaceted history.” —Publishers Weekly

“An enthusiastic history … A fresh, accessible take on a rich history; ideal reading for anyone planning a trip to Spain.” —Kirkus Reviews

"Aimed at curious visitors and hispanophiles alike, this accessible trot through the country’s history covers everything from Spain’s connections to the ancient empires of Rome and Byzantium, to its colonisation of swathes of the Americas." - BBC History Magazine

"Tremlett negotiates Spain’s chaotic history with admirable clarity and style." - The Times

"Provides an excellent whistle-stop tour through the history that explains it all ... brisk and readable telling." - The New Statesman

“A remarkable act of scholarship, as well as being captivatingly readable ... a dazzling mosaic of vignettes and sources, of lives lived and lost, of acts of heroism, solidarity, betrayal and futility ... as close to a definitive history as we are likely to get.” —The Guardian, on THE INTERNATIONAL BRIGADES

“Nothing less than magisterial . . . rich details are provided through a combination of first-hand witness and participant accounts, newspaper articles, and secondary sources.” —The Boston Globe, on THE INTERNATIONAL BRIGADES

“A country finally facing its past could scarcely hope for a better, or more enamored chronicler of its present.” —The New York Times Book Review, on GHOSTS OF SPAIN

From the Publisher

2022-07-05
The British-born Madrid correspondent for the Guardian offers an enthusiastic history of the country he has called home for 20 years.

A “recently naturalized ‘new’ Spaniard,” Tremlett employs as a unifying theme Spanish philosopher Miguel de Unamuno’s “four winds” theory to illustrate the fertile mixing of diverse peoples who have swept across the Iberian Peninsula for centuries. As long as those winds have been allowed to blow through—Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and beyond—the country has flourished. However, when the winds have been stifled—e.g., by Isabella and Ferdinand when they expelled the Moors and instigated the Inquisition, or during Franco’s years of totalitarian rule—the country has “withered.” Tremlett is concise yet thorough in his historical journey, which he wisely begins by discussing Spain’s geography. The Iberian Peninsula’s proximity to the coast of Africa and to significant trade hubs in the Mediterranean has dictated much of its geopolitics over the centuries, and the tug of war between the Christian north and Muslim south has resulted in some of Spain’s most treasured cultural legacies. “The always porous frontier across which Muslims and Christians had traded and raided for centuries allowed for the import of cultural riches,” writes the author. “Toledo was awash with ancient manuscripts of the kind that had filled the magnificent libraries of Córdoba, many of which had been smuggled north before or after the city was twice sacked by Berbers in the four years after 1009.” During the early years of the Age of Exploration, Spain became one of the primary European traffickers of enslaved people from the African continent. Following the nation’s golden age of arts and culture, which Tremlett explores in appealing detail, it experienced a protracted period of absolutism, revolution, and civil unrest, culminating in Franco’s dictatorship. The author then brings us up the present, which includes ongoing insurgencies in Catalonia and the Basque Country. The many bright photos are a welcome bonus to the well-researched narrative.

A fresh, accessible take on a rich history; ideal reading for anyone planning a trip to Spain.

Kirkus Reviews