Key Historical Developments in the Iberian Peninsula
Homo Preceded Hominid Homo ergaster through evolution. This is the first hominid find on the European continent and in Spain.
Atapuerca: City of Burgos where we found the remains of early hominids, Homo predecessors, on the peninsula and in Europe. The jaw was found to be 1,200,000 years old and seems to have been the victim of cannibalism.
Neolithic Revolution: A period that begins in the sixth century with the advent of agriculture, livestock, exchange or barter, ceramics, textiles, and private property. In this period, there is an increase in the population, and the population becomes sedentary, starting to realize a division of labor.
Cave Paintings: These are works of art that appeared in the Neolithic. These paintings are created on rocks, representing human activities such as hunting, dancing, and gathering. These paintings are abstract, schematic, and monochrome.
Megalithic Monuments: Common sights in Neolithic burial sites that have meaning and include several types (dolmen and cromlech).
Thousands Culture: A culture of villages surrounded by walls.
Castros: A fortified village situated in strategic locations or on hills. These villages did not have streets, and the buildings were circular.
Tartessos Culture: The culture of the Tartessos kingdom, influenced by the Greeks and Phoenicians.
Talayotic Culture: A common culture of the Balearic Islands between 2000 and 1000 BC, where large stone-built defensive towers were found, and the taulas served as altars of sacrifice.
Punic Wars: Clashes between Rome and Carthage to secure control of the south and east of the Iberian Peninsula.
Numancia: A city where the Romans had to deal with people like the Celtiberians, leading to the Lusitanian wars until their surrender.
Roman Roads: Roads that organized the territory of the Romans, securing military and administrative control, linking the main cities, and promoting trade between them.
Gold: A type of gathering where different people discuss a topic of common interest.
Romanization: The process through which the Roman people assimilated the culture and lifestyles of the Romans.
Andalusia: A region of the Iberian Peninsula irrigated by the Guadalquivir River, bounded on the west by the Guadiana River, and on the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea.
Romance Languages: Languages derived from Latin that began to appear after the fall of the Roman Empire. These languages include Galician, Catalan, French, and many more.
Arianism: The religion adopted by the Visigoths during the period of Al-Andalus.
Jurisdiction Judge: A pact that ended the barriers separating the Visigoths and Hispano-Romans.
Aula Regia: Also called the king’s council, it is a council of nobles advising the Visigoth king.
Comitatus: An entourage that is a precedent of medieval feudal serfdom. It is a Germanic institution.
MuladÃes: Hispano-Romans who converted to Islam.
Mozarabic: Christians who lived in the territory of the Arabs during the reign of Al-Andalus.
Jihad: An organization of Muslim forces fighting to defend their cause.
Taifa Kingdoms: Kingdoms formed from the division of the caliphate, these realms are separate entities.
Almoravides: A group of Berbers who converted to Islam and built an empire in North Africa.
Almohades: A group of Berbers who did not convert to Islam and took over the Almoravid empire.
Farias: Taxes paid by Muslims to avoid attacks from Christians.
Nazaries: The population of Al-Andalus that was reduced to the Nazari kingdom, the only territory not conquered by Christians, where this dynasty consolidated.
Hachib: The Prime Minister who held administrative positions in the provinces and military campaigns, along with other matters entrusted by the Caliph. In government tasks, there were viziers, whose number varied constantly.
Cadi: A judge assigned by the caliph for justice and administrative activities.
Emir: A title of nobility that held absolute power and authority in many areas after the expansion of Islam but recognized the caliph’s religious authority.
Medina: The organization of a Muslim city where the mosque, palace, baths, and souk were located.
Suburbs: The neighborhoods of the Muslim city.
Reconquista: A long process by which the Christian kingdoms of northern peninsular territories conquered Al-Andalus, lasting for eight centuries.
Repoblacion: The colonization process by Christian kingdoms that developed after the conquest of territories in Al-Andalus.
Military Orders: Religious corporations formed by monks exposed to attacks by the Almohads, awarded huge tracts of land. These orders were responsible for attracting settlers to villages under the jurisdiction of the Grand Master of the order.
Battle of Navas de Tolosa: A confrontation between Christian rulers and the Almohad army, marking the end of the Almohad empire.
Society Estates: A society where there was no equality of rights, but a division where one group had a number of privileges and missions.
Primogeniture: The law that prevents the nobility from dividing their lands. These lands passed undivided to be inherited by the eldest son and could not be sold or seized.
Feudalism: A form of political and social organization of the Middle Ages, with origins dating back to the institutions under the Roman Empire or Germanic institutions.
Vassal: A person who owed fidelity, commitment, aid, military assistance, and advice to the lord in exchange for military protection, while the lord was obliged to safeguard the life, honor, family, and property of the vassal.
City Charter: The title of the document by which kings, both Christian and secular, and ecclesiastical lords of the Iberian Peninsula granted a number of privileges to population groups to encourage the repopulation of certain areas of economic or strategic interest during the Reconquista. This was the first manifestation of local law that appeared during that process.
Courts: A group next to the king and courtiers, indirectly referring to the king himself, also understood as the city-capital of a monarchy, and as the court.
Aldermen: Delegates or representatives of the king in municipalities with powers in local government.
Black Death: A disease that affected nearly more than half of the population, producing an economic, social, and political crisis.
Mesta: An organization of farmers who gathered to defend their rights and interests.
Misuse: Benefits mandated for serfs bound to a feudal lord. These benefits or obligations are a type of law of the lord to abuse his servant.
Jurisdiction: Legal statutes applicable in a particular locality, intended to generally regulate the local community, identifying a set of rules, rights, and privileges granted by the king, the lord of the land, or local advice.
Burgesia: A social group that appeared in the thirteenth century with the expansion of trade.
Quickness or Aprisio: A Latin term referring to the occupation and cultivation of land. This occupation involved nobility, monks, and peasants.
Jewish Community: The board of Jews or Moors in Spain during the Middle Ages, also referred to as Moreria or Jewry.
Lordship Seized: A political bargain by which the master has no ownership of land but only the ability to exercise governance.
Pactism: A political theory according to which the king’s power was exercised based on a covenant or contract with the governors, asserting that the king should swear to respect the privileges and laws of each kingdom.
Guild: A professional corporation organized under a statute to defend against competition. These associations tended to be artisans practicing the same trade.
Councils: A meeting or deliberative body.