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New History of Spain

David Cot

In New History of Spain, you will learn about Spanish history in chronological order, covering every era from Prehistory to the present day. This includes the Visigothic Kingdom, al-Andalus, the medieval Christian kingdoms, the Spanish Empire, the Spanish Civil War, or Franco's dictatorship. Every two weeks, I delve into Spain's political history, enriched with diverse historical perspectives, to bring you a vivid and comprehensive understanding. Learn history critically with the latest research, free from antiscientific and nationalist biases. Prepare to be surprised and challenged as we go beyond dates, kings, and battles to truly understand the forces that shaped Spain's history. Support the show on Patreon or Apple Podcasts for exclusive benefits: https://patreon.com/newhistoryspain Subscribe to the YouTube channel for more episodes on Spanish history: https://youtube.com/@newhistoryspain

  1. 4D AGO • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    47. Almanzor, the Usurper of Umayyad Power

    Episode 47 explains the rise to power of Almanzor, the fearsome hajib who became the true ruler of al-Andalus, replacing the Umayyads. I explain how he eliminated various political rivals, what circumstances allowed the usurpation of Umayyad power, and how the Amirid dynasty of Almanzor and his sons was legitimized. SUPPORT NEW HISTORY OF SPAIN: Patreon: https://patreon.com/newhistoryspain Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/newhistoryspain PayPal: https://paypal.me/lahistoriaespana Bitcoin donation: bc1q64qs58s5c5kp5amhw5hn7vp9fvtekeq96sf4au Ethereum donation: 0xE3C423625953eCDAA8e57D34f5Ce027dd1902374 Join the DISCORD: https://discord.gg/jUvtdRKxUC Follow the show for updates on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/newhistoryspain.com Or Twitter/X: https://x.com/newhistoryspain YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@newhistoryspain Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-history-of-spain/id1749528700 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hstfgSYFfFPXhjps08IYi Spotify (video version): https://open.spotify.com/show/2OFZ00DSgMAEle9vngg537 Spanish show 'La Historia de España-Memorias Hispánicas': https://www.youtube.com/@lahistoriaespana TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hook 00:45 Almanzor Before His Seizure of Power 03:34 The Decision That Doomed a Dynasty 05:48 The Enthronement of Hisham II of Córdoba 09:51 Almanzor Against al-Mushafi 12:46 The Legitimization of the Amirid Dynasty 18:47 Almanzor Against Ghalib 24:03 The Verdict: An Alternative Succession to al-Hakam II 24:46 Outro

    25 min
  2. MAR 14

    The Catalan Counties, 910–950

    The political history of the Catalan counties in the first half of the 10th century is little known, but I explain it in episode 44, covering topics such as the relations between the counts and the kings of West Francia or the war between the House of Cerdanya and the House of Barcelona for the counties of Urgell and Besalú, which culminated in the tragic death of the firstborn son of Count Sunyer of Barcelona. SUPPORT NEW HISTORY OF SPAIN: Patreon: https://patreon.com/newhistoryspain  Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/newhistoryspain PayPal: https://paypal.me/lahistoriaespana Bitcoin donation: bc1q64qs58s5c5kp5amhw5hn7vp9fvtekeq96sf4au Ethereum donation: 0xE3C423625953eCDAA8e57D34f5Ce027dd1902374 Join the DISCORD: https://discord.gg/jUvtdRKxUC Follow the show for updates on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/newhistoryspain.com Or Twitter/X: https://x.com/newhistoryspain YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@newhistoryspain Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-history-of-spain/id1749528700 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hstfgSYFfFPXhjps08IYi Spotify (video version): https://open.spotify.com/show/2OFZ00DSgMAEle9vngg537 Spanish show 'La Historia de España-Memorias Hispánicas': https://www.youtube.com/@lahistoriaespana TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hook 00:29 How the Catalan Counties Gradually Fell Out of Frankish Hands 04:36 The County of Empúries in the First Half of the 10th Century 10:53 Sunyer I, Count of Barcelona, Girona, and Osona 14:14 The Pyrenean Counties after the Death of Wifred the Hairy 17:42 The Battle of Baltarga: The Struggle for the County of Urgell 22:10 The Verdict: The Difficulty of Writing Comital History 23:30 Outro

    24 min
  3. MAR 11 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    The Hegemony of the Umayyads of Córdoba

    In episode 46 we explore the story of how the Umayyads of Córdoba pulled the strings of Iberia during the reigns of Abd al-Rahman III and al-Hakam II, including how that hegemony worked in practice and its limitations. SUPPORT NEW HISTORY OF SPAIN: Patreon: https://patreon.com/newhistoryspain Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/newhistoryspain PayPal: https://paypal.me/lahistoriaespana Bitcoin donation: bc1q64qs58s5c5kp5amhw5hn7vp9fvtekeq96sf4au Ethereum donation: 0xE3C423625953eCDAA8e57D34f5Ce027dd1902374 Join the DISCORD: https://discord.gg/jUvtdRKxUC Follow the show for updates on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/newhistoryspain.com Or Twitter/X: https://x.com/newhistoryspain YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@newhistoryspain Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-history-of-spain/id1749528700 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hstfgSYFfFPXhjps08IYi Spotify (video version): https://open.spotify.com/show/2OFZ00DSgMAEle9vngg537 Spanish show 'La Historia de España-Memorias Hispánicas': https://www.youtube.com/@lahistoriaespana TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hook 00:30 The Political Landscape of Mid-Tenth Century Iberia 02:23 The Umayyads as Kingmakers: Sancho the Fat and Ordoño IV 10:07 The Legacy of Abd al-Rahman III of Córdoba 12:06 Al-Hakam II, the Cultured Caliph 15:42 The Fatimid-Umayyad War for the Maghreb 20:55 The Return of the Vikings 23:34 The Battle of Gormaz of 975 26:59 The Verdict: The Forgotten Vassalage of the Christians to the Umayyads 28:09 Outro

    29 min
  4. FEB 28

    Ramiro II of León and the Battle of Simancas–Alhándega

    The Battle of Simancas–Alhándega was a turning point in medieval Iberia. Episode 43 explores how it unfolded and its consequences for al-Andalus and the Kingdom of León, while also examining King Ramiro II's reign and the end of internal revolts after Zaragoza's submission. SUPPORT NEW HISTORY OF SPAIN: Patreon: https://patreon.com/newhistoryspain  Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/newhistoryspain PayPal: https://paypal.me/lahistoriaespana Bitcoin donation: bc1q64qs58s5c5kp5amhw5hn7vp9fvtekeq96sf4au Ethereum donation: 0xE3C423625953eCDAA8e57D34f5Ce027dd1902374 Join the DISCORD: https://discord.gg/jUvtdRKxUC Follow the show for updates on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/newhistoryspain.com Or Twitter/X: https://x.com/newhistoryspain YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@newhistoryspain Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-history-of-spain/id1749528700 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hstfgSYFfFPXhjps08IYi Spotify (video version): https://open.spotify.com/show/2OFZ00DSgMAEle9vngg537 Spanish show 'La Historia de España-Memorias Hispánicas': https://www.youtube.com/@lahistoriaespana TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hook 00:30 King Ramiro II of León and His Time 06:05 The Osma Campaign of 934: The Submission of Pamplona? 10:42 The Submission of Zaragoza in 937: An Umayyad Victory? 16:51 The Battle of Simancas–Alhándega, the Caliph's Most Resounding Defeat 23:42 The Consequences of the Battle of Simancas–Alhándega 31:48 The Verdict: The Ideas of Political Legitimacy of the Umayyads of Córdoba 33:01 Outro

    34 min
  5. JAN 24

    The Making of the Caliphate of Córdoba

    In episode 42 we see the political history of the Iberian Peninsula in the 920s with the struggles between Christians and Muslims in the north, the end of the fitna of the Emirate and the proclamation of the Caliphate of Córdoba, and the Andalusi advances in the proxy war of the Maghreb between Umayyads and Fatimids. SUPPORT NEW HISTORY OF SPAIN: Patreon: https://patreon.com/newhistoryspain  Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/newhistoryspain PayPal: https://paypal.me/lahistoriaespana Bitcoin donation: bc1q64qs58s5c5kp5amhw5hn7vp9fvtekeq96sf4au Ethereum donation: 0xE3C423625953eCDAA8e57D34f5Ce027dd1902374 Join the DISCORD: https://discord.gg/jUvtdRKxUC Follow the show for updates on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/newhistoryspain.com Or Twitter/X: https://x.com/newhistoryspain YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@newhistoryspain Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-history-of-spain/id1749528700 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hstfgSYFfFPXhjps08IYi Spotify (video version): https://open.spotify.com/show/2OFZ00DSgMAEle9vngg537 Spanish show 'La Historia de España-Memorias Hispánicas': https://www.youtube.com/@lahistoriaespana TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hook 00:25 The Partition of the Banu Qasi Domains 06:24 Power Struggles in León, 924–932 10:00 The Legacy of Sancho I of Pamplona 12:46 The End of the Hafsunid Rebellion 16:01 Abd al-Rahman III of Córdoba Proclaims Himself Caliph 21:33 The End of the Fitna: The Submission of Mérida, Badajoz, and Toledo 24:49 The Battle for the Maghreb: The Andalusi Conquest of Ceuta and Melilla 27:45 The Verdict: What Truly Concerned the Umayyads? 28:48 Outro

    30 min
  6. JAN 11

    How Abd al-Rahman III of Córdoba Saved the Umayyad Dynasty

    Emir Abd al-Rahman III inherited a fragmented kingdom plagued by rebels and in just five years he had already reimposed Umayyad authority over most core provinces of the Emirate of Córdoba. How was this possible? I explain how he ended the fitna, the rise of the Fatimid Caliphate in the Maghreb, and the unpunished offensives of the sons of Alfonso III of Asturias in this episode on the political history of Iberia in the 910s. SUPPORT NEW HISTORY OF SPAIN: Patreon: https://patreon.com/newhistoryspain  Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/newhistoryspain PayPal: https://paypal.me/lahistoriaespana Bitcoin donation: bc1q64qs58s5c5kp5amhw5hn7vp9fvtekeq96sf4au Ethereum donation: 0xE3C423625953eCDAA8e57D34f5Ce027dd1902374 Join the DISCORD: https://discord.gg/jUvtdRKxUC Follow the show for updates on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/newhistoryspain.com Or Twitter/X: https://x.com/newhistoryspain YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@newhistoryspain Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-history-of-spain/id1749528700 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hstfgSYFfFPXhjps08IYi Spotify (video version): https://open.spotify.com/show/2OFZ00DSgMAEle9vngg537 Spanish show 'La Historia de España-Memorias Hispánicas': https://www.youtube.com/@lahistoriaespana TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hook 00:24 The Accession of Abd al-Rahman III 02:41 Who Was Abd al-Rahman III of Córdoba? 05:42 How Was It Possible to End the Fitna of the Emirate? 11:02 The First Reconquest Campaigns of Abd al-Rahman III 16:44 Danger in the Maghreb: The Founding of the Fatimid Caliphate 23:13 The Last Years of Umar ibn Hafsun 26:29 The Reign of the Sons of Alfonso III of Asturias 32:19 The Verdict: Separating the Political Figure from the Personal One 33:16 Outro

    34 min
  7. 11/29/2025

    Wifred the Hairy and the Origins of Catalonia

    In episode 39, I explain the origins of Catalonia, the end of the Carolingian Empire, and the independence of the counties of the Spanish March. We explore figures such as Count Ramon of Ribagorza and Pallars, Sunyer II of Empúries, and Delà of Girona, and Wifred the Hairy himself, a much-mythologized figure. Here, I attempt to separate fact from fiction. I discuss the succession of Wifred the Hairy without the intervention of the Frankish king. SUPPORT NEW HISTORY OF SPAIN: Patreon: https://patreon.com/newhistoryspain  Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/newhistoryspain PayPal: https://paypal.me/lahistoriaespana Bitcoin donation: bc1q64qs58s5c5kp5amhw5hn7vp9fvtekeq96sf4au Ethereum donation: 0xE3C423625953eCDAA8e57D34f5Ce027dd1902374 Join the DISCORD: https://discord.gg/jUvtdRKxUC Follow the show for updates on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/newhistoryspain.com Or Twitter/X: https://x.com/newhistoryspain YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@newhistoryspain Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-history-of-spain/id1749528700 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hstfgSYFfFPXhjps08IYi Spotify (video version): https://open.spotify.com/show/2OFZ00DSgMAEle9vngg537 Spanish show 'La Historia de España-Memorias Hispánicas': https://www.youtube.com/@lahistoriaespana TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hook 00:31 When Was Catalonia Born? 04:07 The End of the Carolingian Empire 08:45 The Last Appointed Counts of the Spanish March 11:40 The lesser-known counts: Delà of Girona and Sunyer II of Empúries 14:42 The Independence of the Counties of Ribagorza and Pallars 17:29 The Ecclesiastical Conflict of Esclua 20:27 Wifred the Hairy: Between Myth and History 25:32 The Deeds of Wifred the Hairy's Rule 29:54 The Hereditary Succession of Wifred the Hairy 34:19 The Verdict: The Gray Scale of Independence and Sovereignty 35:56 Outro

    37 min
4.3
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

In New History of Spain, you will learn about Spanish history in chronological order, covering every era from Prehistory to the present day. This includes the Visigothic Kingdom, al-Andalus, the medieval Christian kingdoms, the Spanish Empire, the Spanish Civil War, or Franco's dictatorship. Every two weeks, I delve into Spain's political history, enriched with diverse historical perspectives, to bring you a vivid and comprehensive understanding. Learn history critically with the latest research, free from antiscientific and nationalist biases. Prepare to be surprised and challenged as we go beyond dates, kings, and battles to truly understand the forces that shaped Spain's history. Support the show on Patreon or Apple Podcasts for exclusive benefits: https://patreon.com/newhistoryspain Subscribe to the YouTube channel for more episodes on Spanish history: https://youtube.com/@newhistoryspain

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