History of Spain: A Captivating Guide to Spanish History, Starting from Roman Hispania Through the Visigoths, the Spanish Empire, the Bourbons, and the War of Spanish Independence to the Present

By: Captivating History

Narrated by: Jason Zenobia

Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

If you want to discover the captivating history of Spain, then pay attention....

Throughout the centuries, Spain has been subject to the lordship of other countries. It was occupied by the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Visigoths, the French, and the Muslims. It has been the playground of both the respectful and the ruthless. The Spanish coasts have been occupied by the trading empires of Carthage and Rome. All that time, Spain was told by others how to run their country, how to fight, whom to fight, and where to fight. They had one of the largest empires in the world - something history barely mentions - as they had acres of land in both North and South America, the Caribbean, Mesoamerica, and some islands in the Mediterranean. Evidence of Spanish architecture dots the world.

Yet Spain was also a battlefield for countries fighting for other causes. They were sucked into wars fought by the Carthaginians, Romans, Moors, Visigoths, British, French, Portuguese, Dutch, and Austrians, just to name a few. Some of the most famous men in history traversed Spanish soil, including Hannibal Barca, Julius Caesar, Augustus, Pompey, Hadrian, Vespasian, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, and Napoleon. Four Roman emperors were born there, and Augustus Caesar spent his vacations there. Pablo Picasso was born in Spain, while El Greco moved there.

In History of Spain: A Captivating Guide to Spanish History, Starting from Roman Hispania Through the Visigoths, the Spanish Empire, the Bourbons, and the War of Spanish Independence to the Present, you will discover topics such as:

• Prehistory
• The first and second Punic Wars
• Rome entrenching
• Roman Hispania
• Enter the Germanic tribes and the Muslims
• The transformation of Spain
• The struggling Spanish empire
• Rocky road to freedom
• And much, much more!

Listen to this audiobook now to learn more about the history of Spain!

©2020 Captivating History (P)2021 Captivating History

enlightening

I received this audiobook for free for a review. I had no idea that Spain affected so many other nations., or that so many nations affected Spain. Who knew that Spain was once one of the largest empires in the world. I consider this a very thorough history of Spain and it has whet my appetite to do more reading about the history of Spain.

Amazing

A fantastic retelling of Spain's history. Spain has a fascinating past, from Roman Empire, to the Moors and then to the modern Colonial era. This is a great Audiobook and as always, Jason is a tremendous narrator!

bit of a struggle

for the most part, I had a hard time with this one. the 1st half or so didn't seem to flow very well, sounding more like a list of facts, rather than the informative stories that they usually sound like. the latter half sounded better. Sadly, I also found it challenging to stay interested, especially in the beginning. but after a few days break, I managed to finish it.

perhaps this is 1 of the ones that need a 2nd listening to better appreciate it

More facts than story

More just a listing of facts, with brief bits of historical story telling. Focused on random details that seemed unimportant. Hard to follow.

Excellent information about Spanish history

I have studied Spanish history and the succession of kings and was interested to see how it would be covered in this audio book. It was above my expectations and I learned things that I had never before read or heard. A my major in college is Spanish I was impressed with the information presented but the pronunciation of Spanish words left a great deal to be desired. Sometimes they were so mispronounced that I had difficulty recognizing them.

The historical facts begin with the earliest nomadic tribes, the Celts, entering and settling the Iberian peninsula. It then passes through colonization by the Greeks and the later conquest by the Romans. The Iberian struggled for independence but seemed to be always invaded from outside. They have had a violent history being involved in many wars, being invaded and civil war.

This audio book is packed with information and to absorb it all it may require more than once through. I found it very interesting and enjoyable. This is a great way to spend time while driving and learn at the same time.

If we study history and follow the lessons learned we can avoid making the mistakes that have been made in the past. We as citizens should do our best to be prepared to make informed decisions. Even in history that is not our own we can learn many lessons. I recommend this audio book highly to anyone interested in learning history

The Iberian peninsula has seen a lot!

This was a really interesting history of an area that has had so many peoples and empires over the centuries.

As implied in the subtitle, this book has a large portion dedicated to the Roman empire and how the different peoples of the area resisted or aligned with Rome. I found this very enlightening because much of the Roman history I know concentrates on the Italian peninsula and the various emperors. Hispania and Gaul are not center stage usually, so having a large section to learn about the details from this area is very interesting.

I'd also finished the audio book on the Habsburg Empire and this book dovetails well with that to give a more in depth perspective on the Spanish portion of the empire.

All in all there is so many eras described here and the audio book makes a good balance of describing each in enough detail without being overwhelming.

Just a boring recital of battles

You will learn nothing about the Spanish people or culture. Spain’s influence on the world is ignored. Modern Spain is ignored.

What is the opposite of “Captivating”?

I was hoping to learn about the rich history of Spain: its people, culture, and art. Instead, this is an interminable recitation of battles: Romans, Visigoths, Holy Roman Empire, the Spanish Armada, Eighty Years’ War, enough to make me thoroughly disgusted with mankind AND the author.

Should be called a Military History

This seems like an efficient overview of the wars and battles that changed the cultural landscape of Spain over time, but it leaves other areas of history largely untouched.