Spain is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. It is bordered by Portugal to the west, and France to the north.
1
vote
0answers
55 views
Did General Morillo unwittingly allude to a cause of Spain's decline in 1816?
In ordering the execution of a famous scientist, Francisco de Caldas, during the war for South American independence, Spain's General Pablo Morillo was quoted as saying "Spain does not need wise men" ...
6
votes
2answers
201 views
Is there a possibility that the Islamic civilization visited America before Colombus?
Islamic sources claim that there is historical evidence that an Islamic explorer visited America before Colombus and the Age of Discovery. An example. Columbus Was Not The First To Cross The Atlantic. ...
6
votes
0answers
94 views
When has serious unemployment among educated young populations not led to revolution or war?
For background: The Eurozone crisis has moved on to the next chapter and we hear a lot of bad news this time from Cyprus. While I emphatize with the people of Cyprus, I have little doubt that also ...
6
votes
1answer
98 views
How is it possible that the basque language survived until today?
The mysterious Basque is the mother tongue of only few people, spoken in Vizcaya, a northern province in Spain. It is not similar to any major European language in use today and it's origins are ...
8
votes
2answers
104 views
Muslim population in Islamic Iberia
Is there a record or estimate of the Muslim population count in Iberia (Spain/Portugal) during the peak of Islamic rule? Probably 10th or 11th century?
And how big was this in percent of all Iberian ...
8
votes
3answers
285 views
Why was Spain and Portugal neutral / not invaded in WWII?
Why was not Spain and Portugal involved in World War II with either side? Was not Franco sympathetic with the Axis powers given the help they offered during the civil war?
Also, given their ...
9
votes
1answer
72 views
Researching a Spanish document from the ~XV century [closed]
One of my family relatives who lives in Seville, Spain (my family is from Andalusian ascent) has sent me pictures of a book she owns and has received from her mother. My family claims that the book in ...
12
votes
3answers
619 views
Why do Spaniards have their lunch and dinner so late?
I've been reading about it and many sites explain (unconvincingly, for me) that the reason why Spaniards currently have lunch around 2 and dinner around 9:30 is because during the 40s (after the civil ...
13
votes
2answers
307 views
Why is Spain's base timezone UTC+1?
Looking at the time zone map on Wikipedia we can see that countries such as France and Spain technically should have a time zone of UTC+0. Wikipedia says:
France previously used GMT, but was ...
8
votes
2answers
889 views
Why did Spain not participate in World War I?
Spain was losing influence in America for the previous 100 years, and there was a recent Spanish-American war. So how could have Spain remained neutral?
Why could Spain not find a place in the ...
5
votes
1answer
67 views
Why Was the Republican Government of Spain So Slow to React to the Nationalist Revolt?
I have been reading the Battle for Spain by Antony Beevor. One of the arguments the author makes is that the first 48 hours of the July 17th military uprising was the most vital period in which a ...
8
votes
1answer
174 views
How Successful Were the International Brigades?
During the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) to what extent did the International Brigades play a role in fighting the fascists coup? My understanding is that they were a relatively minor element, ...
8
votes
2answers
103 views
What led Extremadurans to take a leading role in the conquest of Spain's territories in the Americas?
According to Wikipedia, other sources, and politically-incorrect stereotypes the majority of the famous conquistadors were from the present-day Spanish autonomous community of Extremadura:
Hernán ...
2
votes
1answer
142 views
Is it true the British heavily downplayed their defeat in Cartagena?
According to the wikipedia article the British lost the siege of Cartagena despite having a numerical advantage of 7-8 to 1.
After the defeat King George II forbade anyone to talk about it in the ...
9
votes
3answers
360 views
Even though Spain and Portugal had many colonies (15th/16th C), what factors permitted UK/France to become world powers later (18th/19th C)?
Some of the first European countries to acquire colonies in the "New World" (and elsewhere) were Spain and Portugal. They "discovered America" (as the euro-centric interpretation goes), and had ...
