1. WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
the spanish empire
a powerpoint presentation
by
J.Q. Hammer

2. Beginnings
• Islamic invaders had conquered the
peninsula in 720, but beginning in the
11th century, Christian efforts to retake
the region from the Muslims gathered
steam.
• As Christian forces recaptured
territories, often aided by crusaders
from other parts of Europe, their kings
rewarded them with land grants.
• To attract Christian settlers to
otherwise sparse regions, they
established fortified towns and
conducted repartimientos, which
allocated land to the king and to each
settler.
• Centuries later, Spanish conquistadors
would use a similar process to claim,
partition, and settle land in the New
World.

3. The Spaniards
• Spain in the Middle Ages was a
cosmopolitan land with a magnificent
and wealthy Islamic culture and the
largest Jewish population in Europe.
• The Iberian Peninsula, now home to
Spain and Portugal, was divided
between Christian and Muslim states,
but intermittent periods of relative
harmony fostered prosperity and
cultural exchange.
• In the city of Toledo, for example,
Christian, Muslim, and Jewish scholars
worked alongside one another
compiling and translating great works of
philosophy, science, and mathematics.

4. Kings and Queens
• By the time Queen Isabella and King
Ferdinand conquered the last Muslim
stronghold in 1492, Spaniards had been
fighting over, claiming, and administering
new land for hundreds of years.
• The population, skilled in battle and in
using weapons, had developed an
institutionalized crusader mentality.
• This crusading zeal attracted like-
minded men from across Europe.
• Adventurers, entrepreneurs, and
dreamers, emigrated to Spain to pursue
their fortune.

5. Culture Shock
• By the 15th century, Spain had a diverse
population.
• Moriscos, the descendants of Muslims, and
conversos, the descendants of Jews who
converted to Christianity, were significant
minorities, as were gypsies, slaves from Africa,
and thousands of other foreigners.
• But while the country became more racially
and ethnically diverse, Spain's socially stratified
society favored people of "pure" Spanish
blood.
• A concept that would eventually lead to the
creation of a caste-like system in the New
World.