Spanish History

I was watching this Spanish movie The Sea Inside last night, and it moved me to tears. The story was very touching, which was about the life of Spaniard quadriplegic Ramón Sampedro and his 30-year campaign for euthanasia. The film, directed by Alejandro Amenábar (The Others) was very thought provoking for me. Is the right to live the same with the right to die? But for me, what made this movie a very good one is the wonderful performance of Spanish actor Javier Bardem. He reminds so much of Al Pacino's acting.

Bardem caught the world's attention in 2000 after getting an Oscar Best Actor nomination for Before Night Falls. He gave justice to Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas' battle with censorship, imprisonment, and homosexuality. Bardem was the very first Spanish actor ever to be nominated for an Academy Award. In that movie, I can compare his acting to that of Tom Hanks in Philadelphia. If you don't know Javier Bardem, check out his two great movies. But if you are not in the mood for some heavy drama and your eyes are too weary to read subtitles, you can see Collateral starring Tom Cruise. He was the drug lord that Jamie Foxx rendezvous in a club.

Ninety-one years-- for so long he lived yet his name transcends the crevesce of his lifetime. Still hailed as a legendary figure behind revolutionary art, this Spanish artist continues to reign as an art master even in the unfolding of changing times. Every painter craves for the title as the "next Picasso". But there only could be one!

On October 15, 1881, Malaga, Spain-- a star was born. He was the son of another artist, Jose Ruiz while he chose to adopt the maiden name of his mother, Maria Picasso. Fourteen years later, the boy astounded many when he passed a one-month qualifying for the Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona in just one day. He then proceeded with his artistic feat in Academy of San Fernando in Madrid.

Among his greatest contributions are the radical and evolutionizing ideas in the fiefdom of art. He introduced Cubism, developed several techniques and explored the use of materials, while he also continued on harnessing his craft not only in painting but also in sculptures, ceramics, lithography and prints. The Guernica painting, inspired by actual accounts of a prevaling war, is only among thousands of his admirable works in a 75-year milestone of Picasso's career.

On April 8, 1973, the legend took a peaceful repose in his death bed. Pablo Picasso will always be reminiscent of success as well as freedom and sensitivity in the art regime. Spain is the proud dweller of a gifted soul who inspires every artist with sheer genius and dedication.

Yes, that's right, some of the explorers from the rich history of Spain usually went around, explored land here and there, and once they've spotted one, they tried to conquer it and its people by the guise of religion. Sad but true, you know. But this is one of the reasons why Spain has such an excellent mixture of culture and history.

Ferdinand Magellan, Christopher Columbus, and Marco Polo - these are but a few of the most popular Spanish and European explorers in the olden days, and they managed to discover some of the greatest countries in the present. But how do you go around telling people that you discovered a land with people coincidentally living on it, more so, how does one discover land when there are people already there? Yes, some of them, too, were the primary proponents of colonizations that were happening every once in a while back in the old ages.

Back when there were no fast communication technologies available, these people strived to communicate with the world they live in - they tried to connect every land and thus, all people. They also tried to converge all the people into a single community behind a single religion. But, as always, the diversity of man and human behavior takes its toll on the outcome of any event, and more so, human nature plays a vital role in any given situation that involves a person and the world.

One of the most renowned painters in the history of Spain is a man named Francisco Goya. He was hailed as the Father of Modern Art. His career flourished during the Baroque era. His style has become a turning point in painting genre. His rebellion towards the old forms of paintings was seen as contradictory concepts, when in fact, Goya only wanted a change in trend which few people barely understood.

For sixty long years, he spent his time painting and expressing his new concepts. His life is also an example of contradictory propositions. His happy childhood days was replaced by a sad manhood. He became bitter all because he has come to realize the truth about life and the kind of society he is living with. The history of his life moved around the numerous world events that occurred during his time.

Truly, life was hard for Goya. This has become the source of inspiration and the moving force that urged him to 'rebel' and ask for change until his dying days. Goya is somewhat an introvert, and has managed to isolate himself from the people of the society that he despised. If one would want to understand Goya, the paintings have the answers.

Spain hails Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar or El Cid as its national hero. Legend has it that he is a native of Burgos, and is buried at Valencia. A knight and a friend to his countrymen, he battled a great many wars and emerged victorious amid the powerful forces set against him. His existence, unfortunately, has not been completely documented due to lack of sources and links that would prove his being.

However, the historical accounts of the El Cid state that he was an adventurer who allegedly defeated the Christians in wars. Contrary to the strength and unbeatable courage is his tenderness and ardent passion for love. Stories say that he has a family whom he cherished all his life.

His nobility extended to his country, and his conquests have been recognized in all corners of Spain. The fame and acknowledgement he enjoyed is matched by his generosity. The monarch of Spain trusted him because he has always proved his loyalty to the kingdom. Whatever is the reality behind his existence, El Cid has already influenced the lives of the peoples of Spain. His life has become one of the favorite themes by playwrights and poets.

The union of Isabella I Castile and Ferdinand V of Aragon in 1469 was considered as the Spain's Golden Age. The marriage of the royal cousins brought stability in the Spanish Empire and Spain became the best administered country in Europe. During their time, Spain was the leading country in expedition and exploration.

Ferdinand V and Isabella initiated war against Moors or Muslims. They recaptured the holy land of Granada in 1492. Most of the people of Spain during this time were non-Catholic. The royal couple made Roman Catholicism as the official religion of the country. Muslim and the Jew people became Christian converts. They implemented the Inquisition to enforce the uniform practices of religion. Only the Christians were allowed to work in government while those who refuse to embrace Christianity were exiled.

It was also during the reign of Isabella and Ferdinand that greatest expeditions and exploration took place. In 1493, the world was divided to Portugal and Spain. In 1513, the world of the Pacific was conquered by Balboa and in 1522, the men of Magellan who survived the expedition circumnavigated the world. Mexico was also subdued by the Spanish government in 1519 and in 1533, Spain conquered Peru. Spain also conquered the Philippines which became a colony for 333 years.

Henry Cabot Lodge described the war between Spain and the United States as very brief and one that has several startling results.

The Spanish-American War emerged when America want to conquer the colonies of Spain, namely Cuba, Guam, Philippines and Puerto Rico. America was particularly trying to conquer Cuba because it was closer to their country and they plenty of natural resources, which the Americans needed to keep up with the needs of their growing nation.

This way has surfaced heroism in the former Spanish colonies. For instance, in the Philippines, Jose Rizal and Emilio Aguinaldo became heroes. Jose Rizal was known for writing books that sparked the ideals of freedom among Filipinos who were then oppressed by the Spaniards. Meanwhile, Emilio Aguinaldo headed the revolution against the Spaniards and established the first Philippine government.

The Americans won this war because they have better military equipment than the Spanish military. Spain also lost this war because they were experiencing revolts in their Spanish colonies, like what was mentioned above about the revolution in the Philippines. Moreover, because of this war, America has emerged as one of the superpowers in the world.

Spain is a rightful European legend because she has undergone conquest and had been a conqueror herself. The first people of Spain are the Iberians. The country was then populated by the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians. The coming of the Romans has ushered in a new era, where the influence is still greatly exhibited today. Muslims also dominated Spain in as early as 722 B.C.

The Arabs (Moors) lost their territory to the Christians. Although the Spaniards have become predominantly Catholics, the Germans have also exercised their power during the early 15th century. This was also the era of Spanish era of lost conquests, although some colonies such as Cuba, the Puerto Rico and the Philippines remained to be Spanish strongholds.

Religious bigotry was common during the time when the Roman Catholic Church held an iron hand grip over the spiritual lives of the people of Europe. Spain became the champion of the Catholic faith. This granted some religious privileges to the Spanish monarchs including the infamous Spanish Inquisition which caused the lives of many and tortured countless more in the name of faith!

The Spanish Inquisition was established during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile in 1478 intended to combat heresy in the Catholic Church. The Inquisitor General was appointed by Rome but his office is supported by the monarchy. Aside from torture and execution, the Spanish Inquisition also resulted in the expulsion of the Jews from Spain.

Word has it that the great Discoverer of America is Genoese. This is a claim many historians believe despite disputes that Christopher Columbus was Spanish, since he may have from the northern regions of Spain (Catalonia or Corsica). Knowing Columbus traveled via the flagship Castile and offered many colonies to Spain it remains a doubt whether he is a real Italian.

That is Jose Antonio Lorente and a team of investigators from University of Granada are testing DNAs from Columbus lineage to find out his real birth land. Many attempts have been undertaken to preserve Columbus' skeleton and unearth the mystery of his roots, however it was too deteriorated to be examined further. Now the Columbus lineage of about 120 persons has given saliva samples for DNA testing, as part of the quest, among other things.

Spain remained relatively neutral during World War II. This is partially and probably because of the shock it suffered in it internal war, the Spanish Civil War (1936 - 1939), which left an estimated five million casualties on its wake. The Spanish people were probably still recovering from the horrors of that war that they cannot afford to participate in another destructive campaign.

The civil war was the immediate outcome of a failed military coup against the republican government. However, the real cause of the civil war was the socio-political polarization of the country. On one side, landowners and businessmen were represented by the Nationalists and on the other side were the laborers and landless as well as educated middle class represented by the Republican.

Spain at present is predominatly Catholic. Who would imagined that this European country was once under the Muslim rule which lasted for about 800 years. Muslim domination of the land began in A.D. 711 when armies of the Muslim faith crossed the Straight of Gibraltar and defeated the last Visigoth king of Spain, Roderic. The Muslims introduced new ways of cultivating the lands. This made their communities prosperous and self-sufficient. Although there was no single centralized government, Spain was ruled by local and independent caliphates. The Muslim rule ended in 1492 when the last caliphate, the caliphate of Granada fell.