History of Europe

• To war with a harem

  The Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I Barbarossa , achieved glory as a warrior. However, it is very possible that his campaigns were not as harsh as those of the soldiers who accompanied him in his victories . On the contrary, on the battlefield and between combat and combat, the emperor also enjoye

• From when the Norman queen fell in love with the Andalusian «Antonio Banderas»

  In the 1970s, films were very popular in which Swedish women, who were doing tourism on the Costa del Sol, fell in love with the Iberian Latin lover , but this feeling between the Normans and the Iberians dates back to the 9th century. In the year 844, ruling al-Andalus, the emir Abd al-Rahman II ,

• The dimensions of masculine attributes

  During a meeting between Florentine and Venetian humanists of the time -fifteenth century- various topics of their chosen intellects were discussed:artistic, literary, philosophical, theological... (very entertaining), but as in any meeting of men, in the end, they touched more mundane issues - and

• Moments in History. The wise and blasphemous king

  Alphonse X , called «the Wise «, He was king of Castile and León from 1252 to 1284. Apart from his work in the reconquest, he was a great patron of culture and art, as well as the author of important literary works ( Songs ) and legal (Siete Partidas ). A fan of astronomy, he ordered the famous Ara

• Grace and salt shaker to the slaughterhouse.

  There are people, the vast majority, who lose their calm in certain situations and others, a lesser number, who even in extreme situations remain calm and even have a sense of humor. As the maximum exponent of this last group we have Thomas More (English writer and politician). Thomas More was born

• One Indian equals twenty

  Different forms of “counting”, and numbers in particular, have evolved over time and across cultures. Today we are going to look at the way of naming the numbers by the tamaníes (indigenous from the Orinoco River area in Venezuela): From 1 to 4 the origin/translation of these terms is unknown. 5, c

• Worse than a mother-in-law, a mother-in-law

  I already know about the fame of mothers-in-law, although it is not my case, but even worse is a mother-in-law. We are going to move to Toledo, in the court of the Gothic king Leovigildo . He was the last Arian king and had a fundamental role in the reunification of the kingdom (he cornered the Byz

• The last Omeya was from the Curro Jiménez union.

  After the Conversion Decree of 1502 Muslims residing on the peninsula have two options:forced conversion to Christianity (moriscos ) or leave the peninsula. Their origins, their houses, their possessions and their families were here, why should they leave? . So, they became mass; but it was simply

• The first, and only, bishop of Spain.

  Much has been discussed, and there have been several different versions, about the birth of Spain as such (territorial and political unity). This idea of ​​state or homeland for some was born with Hispania (as a province of Rome), for others with the Visigoths (with religious unification), with the

• Choose queen by name.

  When looking for a wife, in this case queen, different criteria were used than those currently used, normally they had to do with political and economic alliances. But the case at hand goes a little further, queen was chosen by name . In a three-way agreement between Felipe II Augusto (King of Fran

• A night in Toledo

  When you have had a bad night and you have not been able to sleep, it is said that you have spent a night in Toledo . This popular saying has its origin in an event that occurred in Toledo in the year 797, when Al-Hakam I (grandson of Abd al-Rahman I) was Emir of Córdoba. The people of Toledo have

• Ordeals or trials of God.

  They were called ordeals (or judgments of God ) to the tests that, especially in the Middle Ages, the accused had to overcome to prove their innocence. And it was better that Fate, Divine Providence or the Goddess Fortune were on your side, because otherwise it would be very difficult to pass the te

• I the Queen

  A new collaboration by José Antonio Senovilla . This time with “I the Queen” . Henry IV he had a bad reputation because everyone thought he was impotent, since with Blanca de Navarra he did not get offspring and no bastard is known to him with his various mistresses. Juana was a legitimate heire

• very rare helmets

  The helmets and the helmets They have been essential to protect the head in all battles. Over the years they have been perfected in their shape, strength and weight. Some models were unique (I dont know if by decision of their owners or because nobody dared to wear them) and others were not widely a

• The Order of Saint John.

  This post is due to the collaboration of Norma Gabaldón Baldisa . One of the main characteristics of Malta is the influence and the cultural, architectural and social vestiges that the Order of Saint John left on the Island in its more than 250 years of presence. The Sovereign Military and Hospita

• Garzón, Marlaska…what the heck, I'm from San Ivo!

  Although in this country we are used to «star judges » or «media «, I dont think this is one of the adjectives of those who should feel proud and learn more from San Ivo (Ives de Hélori), patron saint of lawyers and jurists from many countries (patron saint of the Official Association of Attorneys b

• The cautious man.

  This story, by Guillermo , participated in the I Prize for Medieval Stories His hand trembled. General Kang-Ping carefully placed a small box inside the emperors travel luggage. Despite his rueful gesture due to the intense physical pain he felt, the face of the mature and wise general deep down

• The Mozarabic martyrs.

  Already in the times of Al-Hakam I The Maliki school, which advocated a strict following of the prefects of the Koran, gained strength among the Islamic community. The pressure on the Mozarabs, especially from Córdoba, began to suffocate.In 822, Al-Hakam I dies bloodthirsty. and he is succeeded by h

• Jews and Visigoths.

  In the year 414 Ataúlfo withdraws from Gaul, due to the harassment of the magister militum Constantius, and crosses the Pyrenees. It is the first incursion of the Visigoths in Hispania. After fighting against the Vandals, Sueves, Alans and even Byzantines, they subdue the natives, Hispano-Romans, an

• Are Andalusians descended from the Moors?

  First of all, I would like to specify that the term moro comes from the Latin maurus, the name of the inhabitants of the Roman province of Mauritania orMauretania , an area of ​​North Africa that corresponded to the Mediterranean coast of what is now Morocco and that has nothing to do with the cur