Episodes

  • The end

    The end
    Nov 28 2020
    Today I’m announcing the cancellation of The History of Spain Podcast, and instead I’m making […]
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    7 mins
  • Al-Hakam II, the cultivated caliph

    Al-Hakam II, the cultivated caliph
    Oct 27 2020
    This is episode 46 called al-Hakam II, the cultivated caliph, and in this episode you […]
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    39 mins
  • Umayyad interventions

    Umayyad interventions
    Oct 12 2020
    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
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    50 mins
  • Slavery and Jews of al-Andalus

    Slavery and Jews of al-Andalus
    Sep 25 2020
    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
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    44 mins
  • Fernán González, Count of Castile

    Fernán González, Count of Castile
    Sep 11 2020
    This is episode 43 called Fernán González, Count of Castile, and in this episode you […]
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    44 mins
  • Battle of Simancas

    Battle of Simancas
    Aug 28 2020
    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
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    44 mins
  • Caliphal Córdoba and Medina Azahara

    Caliphal Córdoba and Medina Azahara
    Aug 13 2020
    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
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    36 mins
  • Economy of al-Andalus

    Economy of al-Andalus
    Jul 25 2020
    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
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    48 mins