History of Seville, Spain Trivia Quiz

Answer: Phoenician

Seville's earliest known activity was in the 8th century B.C. By most accounts, Ispal was a thriving city as the Tartessians controlled much of the Guadalquivir River and the Phoenicians were peaceful trading partners. After the Phoenicians were conquered in 6th century B.C., Ispal changed dramatically as trade was cut off and the city was threatened by Carthage.

Answer: Potter

Justa and Rufina were two potters who refused to sell their products for use in pagan rituals, which were celebrated once Scipio and the Romans conquered the area. Seville was then called Hispalis. The people of Hispalis vandalized the sisters' wares and broke all their pots.

In turn, Justa and Rufina destroyed images of pagan worship. As a result, they were imprisoned, tortured, and murdered. Justa starved to death, while Rufina had her neck broken and was burned after lions refused to eat her. Today, they are the patron saints of Seville and of potters.

Answer: Converting to Catholicism

Hermenegild was inspired to convert to Catholicism by Seville Bishop Leander, who was very influential within the city. Leuvigild was an Arian and saw Catholic bishops and Catholics in general as a threat to his rule, especially as Leander gained in popularity.

Hermenegild converted and then led a rebellion against his own father. The rebels failed and Hermenegild was executed in 585. Leuvigild died the following year and was succeeded by his other son Reccard. Reccard soon converted to Catholicism and thus Catholic Spain was born.

The country has remained predominantly Catholic ever since, with the exceptions of the Moorish Conquest of Spain.

Answer: Vikings

The Vikings invaded Spain and Portugal in 844, which was then under control of the Umayyad Muslim Empire. Vikings raided and pillaged Seville on October 1, 844, and held control of the city until mid-November. Although initially successful, the Vikings were quickly defeated by Umayyad forces, which demonstrated for the first time that the Umayyad Dynasty would fight to keep Spain and the Iberian Peninsula.

It was also a wake up call for Emir Abd ar-Rahman, who quickly set up a naval force to deter further attacks.

Answer: Ferdinand III of Castile

Ferdinand III of Castile was known as Athleta Chrisit, or Champion of Christ, because of his victories against the Moors on the Iberian Peninsula, recapturing Spain for Christianity. He led the 18-month Siege of Seville to reclaim the city from the Moors.

The Siege of the Seville was the final and most complex part of the campaign. Seville had been surrounded by other lands Ferdinand had recently captured. The king invaded in 1247, and by November 1248, a famine had forced Muslim hands and the Moors surrendered the city.

Answer: Burning alive

The Spanish Inquisition began officially in 1478 when Ferdinand and Isabella were granted papal authority to maintain Spain's Catholicism. Although Ferdinand III of Castile had hoped Spain could be religiously tolerant, it was clear a century later that would not be the case. Spanish officials forced thousands of Jews and Muslims to convert to Catholicism. However, this did not satisfy Catholic authorities so the king and queen appointed inquisitors to punish those who would not convert or converted insufficiently.

Seville became one of the hubs of the Inquisition and was the location of the first auto de fe, or act of faith. Six accused heretics were tried and sentenced to death. They were executed publicly by being set on fire while still alive. Autos de fe became a spectacle of everyday life in Spain, akin to bullfights and other major events.

Answer: All of these

Seville was the primary city for guilds within the Iberian Peninsula. Spain also held a majority of New World possessions, especially in the West Indies. Because Spain controlled this land, trade was restricted from these areas, so Seville heavily benefited as Spain's main port and only river port.

Guilds were founded in the city and others relocated there to take advantage of the trade monopoly. As a result, Seville became extremely wealthy, and its wealth attracted international talent, especially artists. A number of iconic Seville buildings were built or renovated during this era, including the Seville Cathedral, the Giralda, and Hospital de las Cinco Llagas.

Answer: Slave revolts

The primary factors that saw a severe decline in Seville's economy where plagues and floods that occurred in the mid 17th century. Nearly half of Seville's population was wiped out. Furthering this issue was the Counter-Reformation, during which time Seville saw an influx of priests, nuns, and other religious people, as the Catholic revival attracted a lot of people who were not working in various important industries or starting families. Businesses and industries moved out of Seville, and the poor rebelled because of poor economic conditions.

The Casa de Contratacion was an important Spanish trading house that oversaw trade operations in the New World. It was headquartered in Seville until 1717, when it was moved to Cadiz, a move that further hurt the local economy. Political gridlock, monarchs unfriendly to Seville, and European wars were also factors that caused a downturn in the status of the city.

Answer: Socialists

The Republican Socialist candidates earned nearly 60% of the vote, powered by the heavily poor neighborhoods. Because the monarchist coalition candidates lost in Seville and throughout much of Spain, King Alfonso XIII went into exile as the election results indicated support for abolishing the monarchy.

The following years were tense politically in Spain, and eventually led to the Spanish Civil War in 1936 with Francisco Franco ultimately seizing control.

Answer: ETA

The ETA is a Basque separatist group which seeks independence for the Basque community on the Iberian Peninsula. The ETA was responsible for a series of violent attacks in Seville and across Spain during the 1990s. The most prominent of these attacks was against Seville Deputy Mayor Alberto Jiminez-Becerril Barrio and his wife Ascension, who were assassinated on January 30, 1998.

A prominent military physician was also assassinated in 2000.