The History of Spain Podcast

By David CotHistory

The History of Spain Podcast episodes

June 07, 2024 THE COMEBACK - Subscribe to New History of Spain!
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2 min
November 28, 2020 The end
Today I’m announcing the cancellation of The History of Spain Podcast, and instead I’m making […]
7 min
October 27, 2020 Al-Hakam II, the cultivated caliph
This is episode 46 called al-Hakam II, the cultivated caliph, and in this episode you […]
40 min
October 12, 2020 Umayyad interventions
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
50 min
September 25, 2020 Slavery and Jews of al-Andalus
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
44 min
September 11, 2020 Fernán González, Count of Castile
This is episode 43 called Fernán González, Count of Castile, and in this episode you […]
45 min
August 28, 2020 Battle of Simancas
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
44 min
August 13, 2020 Caliphal Córdoba and Medina Azahara
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
37 min
July 25, 2020 Economy of al-Andalus
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
49 min
July 11, 2020 Towards the Caliphate of Córdoba
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
46 min