Short courses

Summary

Spain presents something of a paradox. A nation with influence spanning the globe yet formed itself by waves of conquest by multiple empires and civilisations. From the Romans to the Ottomans, Visigoths to Napolean, Aragon to Franco, Spain emerged as a wealthy and varied nation state that could conquer the Americas yet faced bitter internal division, conflict and tyranny right up to the 1970s. Even in more modern times, dramatic changes in government, economic uncertainty and Catalonia’s struggle for independence have exposed age-old divisions that persist and new fault lines forming. If all you know of Spain is package holidays and tourist traps, the real eye-opening history will enrich all future visits to this extraordinary country. 

This course will introduce learners to the vast and varied history of Spain, from its role in the Roman Empire, to conquest by the Visigoths, the formation of Muslim Spain, the Christian reconquest, and the unification of Aragon and Castile. It will also go on to consider Spain’s transatlantic empire, the periods of Hapsburg then Bourbon domination until Napoleon, Franco and the Civil War, then finish with a review of the major challenges facing modern Spain today. 

Over a series of talks our expert tutor will explain: 

• Some of the key political, religious, social, economic and cultural events in the history of Spain  
• Consider the impact of three long term occupations of Spain: by the Romans, Visigoths and Saracens, the eventual Reconquista and unification.  
• Examine the extraordinary period of transatlantic empire-building with its mixed economic consequences, the devastating nature of both Napoleon’s invasion and Franco’s Civil War leading on to the political and economic problems of modern Spain. 
• key evidence from these events and later historical perspectives and debates 

You will also have the chance to reflect and debate various historical perspectives with other students and the tutor in seminars. 

Choose this course if you want to learn: 

• more about Spanish history, culture and society 
• more about Spain’s role in the world in the past and today 
• how Spanish history impacts contemporary events in the present day