Goats, Romans & the Spanish Inquisition: Spain in 10 Minutes

Three thousand years of Spanish history. Ten minutes. What could possibly go wrong?

In this episode of Spanish Practices, I'm attempting the almost certainly foolish task of explaining the history of Spain without drowning you in kings, dates or men with impressive facial hair pointing at maps.

Instead, we're following the ordinary people who didn't make history — they simply had to survive it.

Meet Tarek, an Iberian farmer from a town unfortunately called Arse, worrying about his goats in 500 BC. There's Lucius, a Roman laundryman cleaning togas with urine; Aisha, cast out from the splendour of the Alhambra; a nervous merchant in Seville discovering that nobody really does expect the Spanish Inquisition; and a Republican woman learning to whisper after Franco's victory.

Along the way we'll squeeze in Iberians, Romans, Visigoths, Al-Andalus, the Reconquista, Columbus, the Spanish Empire, Napoleon, Civil War, dictatorship and Spain's remarkable transition to democracy.

Because Spain's history isn't really a neat procession of kings, conquerors and empires.

It's a messy 3,000-year story of ordinary people adapting, enduring and surviving while somebody else changes the flag.

And somehow, after invasions, empires, civil wars and dictators, Spain is still standing — and still finding an excuse for a fiesta.

Spanish Practices – Real Life, Real Spain.

Revised Repeat EU AI disclosure final music AI generated Envato/Shutterstock