The History of Spain

Roman Hispania ( – circa 500)

Hispania is divided into several provinces under Roman control it is is fully integrated into the Roman Empire
Hispania becomes an important economic and administrative region within the Roman Empire in the 2nd Century
The Empire of the Gauls, also known as the Gallic Empire, briefly includes parts of Hispania in 270
Christianity rises in Hispania as the Roman Empire begins to embrace the new religion in the 4th Century
The Visigoths, led by Alaric I, sack Rome, and Hispania becomes increasingly influenced by the Germanic tribes in 410
The Visigothic Kingdom establishes control over much of Hispania in the 5th Century

Gothic Hispania (Circa 500 – 700)

589 the Visgoth King converts to Christianity and accepts Catholicism

Islamic al-Andalus and the Christian Reconquest (Circa 700 – 1500)

The Battle of Guadalete results in the defeat of the last Visigothic king, Roderic, by the Muslim forces led by Tariq ibn Ziyad (711)
The Battle of Covadonga occurs and the Christians started to resist Muslim rule in the Northern Peninsula (718)
Muslim rule is strong in Spain until Christian Military campaigns begin in 1085
The Almohads, a North African Muslim dynasty, invade the Iberian Peninsula consiladating Muslim control of Iberia countering Christian forces (1147)
In the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212) the Christian forces of Castile, Aragón, and Navarre defeat the muslim Almohad army. Weakening Muslim control.
Córdoba falls to the Christians in 1236
Granada, the last Muslim kingdom in Iberia falls in 1492. Boabil surrenders to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. Ending nearly 800 years of Muslim rule.
In the same year, Jews are expelled from Spain unless they convert to Christianity.

Early Modern Spain (1500-1715)

Charles I of Spain (aka Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire) expands Spain under his rule from 1516-1556
The Spanish Armada is defeated by the British Navy in 1588
Expulsion of the Moriscos (Muslims who had converted to Christianity) is decreed by King Philip III in 1609
Portugal gains independence from Spanish rule in 1640.

Bourbons (1715-1808)

Philip V and his successors ruled. The Seven Years’ War was fought between 1756 and 1763

Spanish Political Transformations and Conflicts (1808-1975)

The Peninsular War begins in 1808 with the invasion of Spain by Napoleonic France, leading to the imposition of Joseph Bonaparte as king.
Ferdinand VII was restored after the Napoleonic wars in 1814. Then the Spanish Civil war occurred between 1936 and 1939. Franco’s Nationalists achieving victory and establishing a dictatorship until 1975.