Iberian Peninsula

The Greatness Of Alexander’s Empire The Ancient Greek empire ruled by Alexander the Great was no doubt a military power. New fighting styles were invented and during this time Alexander took over most of the known world. However, was Alexander’s empire the most influential militarily in the Ancient Mediterranean? Some would argue Ancient Rome was the most influential with the most military prowess. Alexander the Great’s empire was the most successful military force of any Ancient…

In the book The Spanish Inquisition, Joseph Perez gives his view on why the Spanish Inquisition took place. The Spanish Inquisition began with the discrimination against any religion that opposed the Catholic Church in Spain. They mainly targeted the religious beliefs of Judaism making Jewish people and conversos the victims. Many Jews and Muslims were forced to leave the country or were persecuted because they could not openly practice their religion and did not want to convert. During this…

town of Sintra was the refuge of kings and nobility until the nineteenth century and it is considered a "Garden of Eden" as it was dubbed by the English author Lord Byron, regular visitor of Hotel Lawrence's, considered the oldest hotel in the Iberian Peninsula that even today continues to be the place for literary meetings that breathe the history…

tourism. 2. Country Overview Spain is a Southern European country bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Demographically, the Spanish density by population is 92 persons per km2 (WDI, 2016) distributed among the Spanish the Iberian Peninsula territory (with the exception of Portugal), the Balearic Islands and the North African territory (The Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla). Spain is a rich country in cultural heritage due to the historical legacy…

Brazil 1871, debates on weather or not the “Free Womb Law” should be accepted are being held in the Brazilian chamber on congress. Mr. Barros-Cobra, a member of the chamber is speaking against the “Free Womb Law” stating that it is unmoral, illegal, and detrimental to the slaves and to the rest of society. In the excerpt at hand, Mr. Barros-Cobra begins with an ethical argument stating that “[Enforcing the Free Womb Law] will arouse false expectations among the slaves, desires for freedom.” His…

community. Continuing on our timeline, we arrive at the period of the roots of the Spanish Reconquista in the 8th century. Called the “reconquest”, the motive of the Reconquista was to oust the Muslim Moorish rulers from Spain and restore the Iberian peninsula to Christian rule. Shortly after the successful Reconquista, the newly consolidated Christian kingdom initiated the Spanish inquisition in the 15th century, During this period, Muslims as well as Jews were forced to either leave…

marry Indian women. The limited number of Spaniards being outnumbered by Indians and the Spanish men marrying Indian women generated a social hierarchy. The peninsulares were at the highest social position. Peninsulares were people born on the Iberian Peninsula. Below the peninsulares were the elite Creoles who were born in the New World from Spanish parents. Together peninsulares and creoles made up less than two percent of the total population. Underneath them were the mestizos or the…

Around the sixth century the first of the Hebrew people settled in the Iberian Peninsula. At this time captives and exiles spent most their time here in the peninsula since they were sent there. Most of the stories are just word of mouth passed down from Muslim Spain while they were enjoying life. So the inquiry may be how did Jewish life start in Christian Spain? In the north of the peninsula landmass minute Hebrew groups were already established there before the tenth century. Around a century…

William Shakespeare’s play Othello deals with a black moor general named Othello who eloped with Desdemona, the daughter of a wealthy Venetian senator, and is quickly sent into battle against the Turks after their wedding. Following the deployment of Othello and his soldiers, the antagonist Iago plots and puts into action his quest for revenge against Othello. The tragedy of Othello when analyzed from a post-colonial perspective can be identified by the ambivalence, exoticism, and magical…

author in the 1200s, during the Reconquista, to immortalize the story of the great hero of Spain. The Reconquista lasted almost 780 years and was a series of wars between Christians lords and Muslims moors. The Reconquista sought to cleanse the Iberian peninsula of all things non-christian. The poem shows the significance of loyalty and honor during twelfth century Spain, and how the relationship between those qualities affected a person’s social standing. The poem was intended for the noble…