Medieval Spain: Art, Architecture, and Society

Romanesque Art and Architecture (11th-13th Centuries)

Key Features:

• Plant: Cross-shaped with two arms, a dome, and an apse at the end. Sometimes includes an ambulatory.
• Structure: Strong construction with barrel vaults and buttresses.
• Elements: Small windows, towers, cloisters, and arches.

Cultivation Techniques (12th-14th Centuries):

• Three-year crop rotation with fallow periods.
• Use of manure for composting.
• New tools like the Norman plow and horseshoes, leading to increased productivity.

Guilds:

• Groups of craftsmen who ensured quality standards and marked their work with a sign on the facade (e.g., Ca’ d’Oro in Venice).

Rise of Cities and the Bourgeoisie:

• Economic development led to the growth of cities and a new social class, the bourgeoisie.
• City governments were organized into communities.
• Urban revival brought cultural changes and increased the power of monarchs.

Cortes:

• Meetings between the king and the three estates (nobility, clergy, and bourgeoisie).

14th Century Challenges:

• Hundred Years’ War.
• Agrarian crisis leading to peasant revolts.
• Urban riots due to poverty and demands for better living conditions.

Gothic Art and Architecture

Origins:

• Desire for grander and more beautiful buildings than Romanesque structures.
• Construction of palaces, town halls, and large cathedrals.

Key Features:

• Pointed arches and high ceilings.
• Ribbed vaults and stained glass windows.
• Pinnacles and decorative buttresses.

Gothic Sculpture and Painting:

• Emphasis on realism and detail.
• Sculptures were often integrated into architecture.
• Paintings depicted scenes from reality and were rarely stand-alone pieces.

The Reconquista (8th-15th Centuries)

Early Resistance:

• The Battle of Covadonga marked the beginning of Christian resistance against Islamic rule.
• Formation of the kingdoms of Asturias and León.

The Marca Hispanica:

• A fortified border region along the Pyrenees, built by Charlemagne.

Kingdom of Pamplona (Navarre):

• Iñigo Arista expelled the French governor and established the Kingdom of Pamplona in the early 9th century.
• Sancho, allied with other Christian princes, expanded the kingdom through victories against the Muslims.

Catalan Counties:

• Gained independence in 978 when Count Borrell II of Barcelona refused to pledge allegiance to the Frankish king.

El Cantar del Mio Cid:

• An epic poem recounting the heroic deeds of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (El Cid).

Repopulation and Agriculture:

• Repopulation involved settling lands that had been abandoned during the Muslim period.
• The fallow technique improved harvests by leaving land uncultivated for a year.

Cultural and Religious Influences:

• Schools of translators, particularly in Toledo, translated texts on medicine, mathematics, and astronomy.
• Jewish communities lived in separate neighborhoods called ghettos, centered around synagogues.
• Mozarabs were Christians who lived under Muslim rule.
• Mudéjars were Muslims who were allowed to remain in Christian territories after the Reconquista, paying a tribute.
• Mozarabic art, influenced by Islamic styles, featured horseshoe arches.
• Romanesque art flourished, with notable examples like the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and churches in Zamora and Salamanca.

Iberian Kingdoms in the 14th Century

Kingdoms:

• Portugal, Castile, Navarre, and the Crown of Aragon.

Castile:

• The Trastámara dynasty began in 1369.
• Economy based on sheep farming and wool export through Biscay ports.
• Nobility gained power.

Ferdinand III:

• Inherited the kingdoms of Castile and León.
• Unified the two kingdoms.