Expert: Irulan Serena - 12/24/2004

Question
I have numerous questions...I hope you can help me.  

Did the Roman Empire ever extend into Spain?  Did the Greek?  Who were the first people to ever settle in Spain and from where did they originate?

When did the Jews leave - what we now call Israel-and arrive in Spain?  Were Moslems already in Spain or did they come later?

Would you say the main reasons behind the Inquisition was political - or - religious?

I have a number of other questions, but will wait for another opportunity.  Thank you.

Answer
Hello Laurie


1    Did the Roman Empire ever extend into Spain?  

Yes.   After Rome had defeated Carthago definitely, Romans also invaded the colonies in Spain, and ended up conquering the entire peninsula. The province Hispania became part and parcel of Roman empire and acquired great importance, even two Roman emperors, Traian and Hadrian, were born there. Spaniards absorbed completely the Roman culture as still today is very evident in their language.

In 409, when the Roman empire started to fall, Gothic tribes invaded the peninsula and established their kingdom in 419.

2    Did the Greek? Yes

Yes.   By 1200 Greeks founded colonies in southern Spain and along the Mediterranean coast.

3    Who were the first people to ever settle in Spain and from where did they origin
ate?   

The Iberian population probably arrived to the peninsula from the north of Africa. Tartessos,  an iberian tribe, founded an important kingdom of high culture in the valley of Guadalquivir river, in the south of Spain. By 1200 b.C.
Celtic tribes, Milesians,  entered the peninsula from the north, mixing up with Iberians and so generating the celt-iberian race. The origin of the bask race living in the north of the country is uncertain, but many historians suppose that it goes back to a pre-iberian population.
By 1100 b.C. Phoenicians arrived to the peninsula and founded colonies, the most important of which was Gadir (today's Cadiz).  
During the Punic Wars  264-241 BC    between Rome and Carthago Carthaginians invaded Spain and conquered large parts of it. Their most important colonies were the island Ibiza and Cartagena, the "new Carthago".
4    When did the Jews leave - what we now call Israel-and arrive in Spain?

During the expansion of the Roman Empire and the Punic Wars – 2 to 300 years before the Moorish invasion which occurred in 711.

5    Were Moslems already in Spain or did they come later?  The Sephardic Jews were a thriving community in Spain when the Moors arrived.   In  711,   Muslim armies crossed the Straight of Gibraltar and defeated Roderic, the last Visigoth king. Specially the southern parts of Spain, called al-Andalus, were prospering in the Moorish epoch, thanks to new sciences and agricultural technics. The Moors conquered major parts of the country until they were defeated for the first time by Visigoth king Pelayo at Covadonga in northern Spain, 722.

Would you say the main reasons behind the Inquisition was political - or - religious?  
The Inquisition was a two headed snake…..religion began it, politics extended it.  The Roman Catholic Church was afraid of posing its grip on the political and religious power over the monarchy and the people in Spain.  The Inquisition spread over the rest of Europe because the ‘heretics' those who were questioning the tight control of the Church were spreading dissention and slowly fragmenting the cohesion of the RCC.