Spanish History from 6th to 15th Centuries Quiz

Answer: Visigoths

In 409 AD, the weak Roman Empire was invaded by the Visigoths, the Germanic People from the north. Some of the other tribes namely Vandals, Alans, Swabians settled in the Iberian Peninsula. The Visigoths arrived to Spain from the Pyrenees and lived in the middle of the peninsula. After the Romans lost their control of the western half of their empire, the Visigoths ruled Hispania until 711.

The Visigoths had a great influence on the architecture, art and religious practices by blending their own traditions of the Roman and the local people. They left behind a legacy of laws and codes which formed the foundation of the legal systems in Spain.

Answer: Moors

In 711, the Umayad Empire was formed mainly by the Moors, the Muslim people from northern Africa who conquered Hispania. The Iberian Peninsula was re-named in Classical Arabic as al-Andalus. At the peak of its power, the Umayad Empire captured most of Septimania and modern-day Spain and Portugal.

Answer: Valencia

El Cid (1043-1099) was a Spanish nobleman who served as a knight under Ferdinand I of Castile. In 1065, after the death of Ferdinand, he served Ferdinand's son, Sancho, as the army commander. He led many successful military campaigns against Sancho's brothers and the Muslim kingdoms, expanding the territory of the Crown of Castile.

In 1072 Lord Sancho was killed during the siege of Zamora. In 1080 El CID was banished from Castile due to the jealousy of the king courtiers. He then became a soldier of fortune, fighting for and against the Muslim kingdoms. In 1086, the Almoravids from North Africa inflicted a heavy defeat to Castile. Alfonso, Sancho's brother and successor, overcame his resentment against El Cid. El Cid returned to fight for his former lord.

Over the next few years, he set his sight to capture Valencia from the Muslims. He eventually succeeded in 1094, and ruled the city from 1094 until his death in 1099. He died during a battle against the Almoravids, members of a Muslim dynasty of North Africa that flourished 1049 to 1145 which was the dominant power in northwestern Africa and Spain. After his death, his widow ruled Valencia for three years until it was retaken by the Almoravids in 1102.

Answer: Aragon

The principality of Aragon had its origins in 1035, when Sancho III (the Great) of Navarre left to his third son, Ramiro I, the small Pyrenean county of Aragon and established it as an independent kingdom. The kingdom doubled its size by 1104 after the southward conquest toward the Ebro River.

In 1138 Zaragoza was conquered by Alfonso I (1104-34), and was established as the capital of the kingdom. In 1179 Aragon reached an agreement with the kingdom of Castile to re-conquer the remaining lands under controls of the Muslims.

Answer: Cordoba

The Great Mosque was constructed in Cordoba in 785 under the orders of Abd ar-Rahman I. Cordoba was the capital of Al-Andalus which was ruled by the Muslims. In 1236, Cordoba was captured by Christian forces of Castile. The mosque was converted to a cathedral. The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Answer: Jews

The Spanish Inquisitions started as the Catholics believed the Jews had too much economic influence over the kingdoms. The resentment created and the religious prejudice led to the expulsion of Jews from Spain.

After the Jews were expelled, they migrated throughout the region of North Africa known as the Maghreb, a region in western and central North Africa in present-day Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. They also moved to south-eastern Europe where they formed flourishing local Jewish communities.

Answer: Aragon and Castile

Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile were married in 1469. A treaty was signed as part of the marriage that Castile would be formally superior over Aragon. Isabella would rule over Castile and Aragon as Queen, with Ferdinand as her consort. In return, Castile would aid Aragon in the Catalan Civil War. The union of both kingdoms would officially formalize in 1479.

Answer: Granada

The Umayyad Empire ruled large parts of the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years from 711 AD. The Emirate of Granada was established in 1230 by the Nasrid Kingdom until 1392. It was the last Muslim stronghold captured in Western Europe by the Crown of Castile. One of the world's famous sites, Alhambra Palace, is located in Granada.

Answer: Seville

It had long been known that Columbus was buried in Valladolid, Spain, after his death in 1506. However, the exact location of his tomb was not known. After his burial at Valladolid, his family members took his remains to their mausoleum in Seville, which is in southern Spain. The remains were moved several times over the following centuries before returning to Seville.

The tomb is now located in Seville Cathedral. His tomb is held aloft by four allegorical figures representing the four kingdoms of Spain during Columbus' life - Castile, Aragon, Navara, and Leon. In 2005 a forensics team led by the University of Granada used the DNA samples from bone slivers, and they confirmed that the remains in Seville did belong to Columbus.

Answer: Mexico

Hernan Cortes (1485-1547) captured Cuauhtemoc, the tlatoani (ruler) of Tenochtitlan, Aztec Empire, on August 13, 1521. He renamed the city Mexico City. From 1521 to 1524, Cortez governed Mexico.

In 1810, the Mexican War of Independence was initiated by Catholic priest Miguel Hildago. Hidalgo was executed by the Spanish in 1811. In 1821, the War of Independence ended after the unified military force entered Mexico City in September. The Spanish viceroy Juan O'Donojś signed the Treaty of Córdoba, ending Spanish rule. Mexico declared its independence on September 27th. In 1822, Agustin de Iturbide was declared the first Emperor of Mexico.