From Phoenician Settlements to the Carolingian Dynasty: A Historical Journey
Phoenician and Greek Settlements
Between the 10th and 8th centuries BC, the Phoenicians, from present-day Lebanon (Tyre and Sidon), established numerous colonies in the south, such as Cadiz and Malaga. The Greeks arrived on the Peninsula and founded colonies. Later, Carthage decided to militarily conquer the southern Peninsula, leading to a confrontation with Rome.
Pre-Roman Peoples: Iberians and Celts
Iberians
They occupied the eastern lands. Their economy was based on agriculture and livestock. They had a system of writing and were ruled by kings.
Celts
The regions of the central, west, and north of the Peninsula were inhabited by Celts and Celtiberians. The Celts were nomadic herdsmen and farmers who knew iron metallurgy. They lived in small fortified villages.
Wars Between Rome and Carthage
The Carthaginians, under the command of Hamilcar Barca, and later Hannibal, planned the conquest of Rome from the Iberian Peninsula. In their advance, they attacked the town of Sagunto. The Romans, to prevent Hannibal’s passage and avenge the taking of Sagunto, decided to send their soldiers to the Peninsula.
The Roman Conquest of the Iberian Peninsula
The Roman conquest of the Peninsula (218 BC – 19 BC) took place in four phases.
Artistic Heritage and Romanization
Artistic Heritage
Examples include aqueducts in Segovia and theaters in Merida.
Romanization
The integration of Hispania into the Roman world marked the adoption of cultural elements (language, law, religion, art) characteristic of that civilization, giving rise to what is known as Romanization. This included the Hispanic territory in the Roman cultural space.
The Germanic Kingdoms
After the fall of the Roman Empire, various barbarian tribes, competing among themselves, occupied the space of the Empire and formed independent kingdoms. The Latin language continued to be official, and Christianity eventually became the official religion.
Western Rural Propagation
The disappearance of the Roman Empire imposed a climate of insecurity in the West. The irruption of the barbarians, for whom war was an economic activity that drew wealth, led to frequent raids, looting, and a climate of terror among the population. The prosperity of commerce disappeared because of the insecurity of communications. Agriculture became the dominant activity. Those who possessed the land had the strength and power. The reigning misery caused the population to leave the cities and seek refuge in the large farms.
The Byzantine Empire
Justinian’s Reign
When the Western Empire ceased to exist in 476, the Roman heritage survived in the East with the Byzantine Empire. In the 6th century, Emperor Justinian attempted to restore the old Roman Empire.
Eastern Christian Empire
In the following centuries, a new dynasty succeeded in regaining some of the lost lands and their prosperity. This was the “second golden age” of Byzantium. The Emperor (Basileus in Greek) enjoyed absolute power and was considered the head of the Roman world and Christendom. However, the religious unity of Byzantine and Western Christians did not last long. The ceremonies and rules of each began to differ, and the Pope of Rome did not accept the authority of the Byzantine Emperor.
The Visigoth Kingdom
The Kingdom of Toledo
By the end of the 5th century, the Visigoths were settled in southern Gaul, where they had formed the kingdom of Toulouse, and Spain. The Franks, from the north of Gaul, defeated the Visigoths (Battle of Vouillé, 507) and expelled them. Then, the Visigoths expanded in Hispania and organized a kingdom with its capital at Toledo, which survived for over two hundred years.
The Visigoth Monarchy
A strong monarchy was established. Despite its primitive elective character, it became hereditary.
Charlemagne: King of the Franks
The kingdom of the Franks was very extensive, occupying the lands of present-day France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Holland. In the early 8th century, a French nobleman, Charles Martel, led the army against the advancing Muslims in France and defeated them near Poitiers (732). His son, Pepin the Short, became King of the Franks and founded a new dynasty called the Carolingian dynasty.
The son and successor of Pepin the Short, Charlemagne (Charles the Great), has had enormous importance in European history. As King of the Franks, he became the rebuilder of the Western Roman Empire. Charlemagne conquered much of Western Europe, blocked the advance of Islam, which had invaded the kingdom of the Visigoths, and established secure borders in this vast territory.
The Emperor made all the peoples under his rule convert to Christianity and strengthened the bond between political and religious power. If the Pope was the head of the Christians, the Emperor was the defender of the faith against Muslims or pagans. In the year 800, Charlemagne was crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III, recognizing him as the new emperor of the western lands, now Christian.
Under his rule, peace was secured, and culture was reborn. He established schools and reintroduced the teaching of Latin. The monks copied texts of Greco-Latin authors on parchment. At his death, the crown passed to his son Louis the Pious, who later divided the Empire among his sons. Thus ended the last attempt to reconstruct the unity of the Roman Empire.