The Valladolid Debate on the Rights of Indigenous People
Was the subjugation of indigenous peoples a just means to expedite Christianity? On 15 August 1550, a humanist scholar and a Dominican friar debated.
Spain
‘The Penguin History of Modern Spain’ by Nigel Townson review
An up-to-date history of modern Spain, from 1898 to the present.
The Nazi Spider in the Spanish Press
Hans Josef Lazar pulled the strings of Hitler’s propaganda in wartime Spain. Then he disappeared. Who was he?
The French Connection
The aim of Charles I’s foreign policy was to restore his nephew’s lands in the Rhineland. France, he thought, was the key to success.
Abraham’s Descendants in Love, Life and War
A history of medieval Iberia that reaches beyond simply a tale of Convivencia and Reconquista.
The Alhambra: A Sumptuous but Fragile Jewel
A comprehensive study of the Alhambra cuts through centuries of myth to give us a sense of the vibrant spectacle that greeted its original residents and diplomatic visitors.
‘Blood and Faith’ by Matthew Carr review
The mass expulsion of Spain’s Islamic population is laid bare by Blood and Faith: The Purging of Muslim Spain, 1492-1614 by Matthew Carr.
Disaster at Djerba
During a period of European peace, Spain sought to establish control of the Mediterranean. Yet a disastrous attempt to oust the Ottomans from North Africa threatened to accelerate the westward advance of Islam.
The Spanish Flu Pandemic
Perhaps the greatest disaster to ever befall humanity, the pandemic of 1918 is strangely overlooked.
The Map: Granada, 1521
Kate Wiles highlights the Ottoman cartographer Piri Re’is and his charts, which blend navigation and art.