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España: A Brief History of Spain
A short history of Spain from prehistoric times to today - from the author of Ghosts of Spain.
Spain's position on Europe's south-western corner has exposed it to cultural, political, and actual winds that blow from all quadrants. Africa is a mere nine miles to the south across the Strait of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean connects it to the civilizational currents of Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, Byzantines, and to the Arabic lands of the near east and the Maghreb. The Pyrenees anchors it to Western Europe, with the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal paths on either side permitting species, invaders, cultures, trade, and trends to flow both north and south.
Hordes from the Russian steppes were amongst the first to arrive from the north. They would be followed by everything from Visigoths to Napoleonic armies and the first 20th-century tourists in their cars, planes, and caravans. Where Romans and medieval Spaniards saw the world's western edge at Finisterre, circular winds and currents actually linked it to the American continent. That is what allowed Columbus to 'discover' the Americas, and Spain to conquer and colonize much of it.
As a result, Spain has been one of Europe's great pivots. At times, like a weathercock, its direction has been dictated by its unique exposure to external forces. At other times, it has grasped control of the elements, shaping not just its own political and cultural destiny, but also that of Europe, as well as parts of North Africa and much of the Americas.
Cultural mixing has provided Spain a sort of hybrid vigor revealing itself in everything from architecture, art, and agriculture to philosophy or bullfighting. Conversely, when it has tried to deny the inevitable and attempted to isolate itself, it has required a superhuman effort to fashion a so-called "pure" national identity.
In A Brief History of Spain, Giles Tremlett argues that that lack of a homogenous identity is in fact Spain's defining trait - from prehistoric times to today.
Spain's position on Europe's south-western corner has exposed it to cultural, political, and actual winds that blow from all quadrants. Africa is a mere nine miles to the south across the Strait of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean connects it to the civilizational currents of Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, Byzantines, and to the Arabic lands of the near east and the Maghreb. The Pyrenees anchors it to Western Europe, with the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal paths on either side permitting species, invaders, cultures, trade, and trends to flow both north and south.
Hordes from the Russian steppes were amongst the first to arrive from the north. They would be followed by everything from Visigoths to Napoleonic armies and the first 20th-century tourists in their cars, planes, and caravans. Where Romans and medieval Spaniards saw the world's western edge at Finisterre, circular winds and currents actually linked it to the American continent. That is what allowed Columbus to 'discover' the Americas, and Spain to conquer and colonize much of it.
As a result, Spain has been one of Europe's great pivots. At times, like a weathercock, its direction has been dictated by its unique exposure to external forces. At other times, it has grasped control of the elements, shaping not just its own political and cultural destiny, but also that of Europe, as well as parts of North Africa and much of the Americas.
Cultural mixing has provided Spain a sort of hybrid vigor revealing itself in everything from architecture, art, and agriculture to philosophy or bullfighting. Conversely, when it has tried to deny the inevitable and attempted to isolate itself, it has required a superhuman effort to fashion a so-called "pure" national identity.
In A Brief History of Spain, Giles Tremlett argues that that lack of a homogenous identity is in fact Spain's defining trait - from prehistoric times to today.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2022
186 people are currently reading
2991 people want to read
About the author
Giles Tremlett
8 books173 followersGiles Tremlett is the Guardian’s Madrid correspondent. He has lived in, and written about, Spain for the past twenty years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
December 25, 2023
An overall good survey of Spanish history.
With respect to medieval Spanish history, I think Tremlett tends to minimize the negatives of Muslim rule in Spain while tending to portray the various Spanish Christian kingdoms as backward, relative to their adversaries. However, this is not overly so.
The role of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain tends to be shown in a negative light, perhaps justifiably given that it did feature the Spanish Inquisition; however, there must have been some positives to the Church's role, given that it did give an ideological impetus and unity such that Spain could coalesce together more than the Muslim warlords and leaders so as to drive them out and eliminate them permanently from Iberia. I would be interested to see in my planned further readings on the Reconquista how history comes down in its evaluation of the Church during this period.
He does a good job covering the rise of the Spanish Empire and its long decline, culminating in a nadir when Napoleon occupied Spain outright, resulting in what is known to history as the "Peninsular War", but to the Spanish as the "War of Independence". The results of that conflict for Spain would be profound --- exacerbating and manifesting how riven with religious, political, and regional fractures and divisions Spain really had, but long suppressed.
Several times these exploded into fratricidal civil wars far more vicious than, prior to reading this book, I'd realized. In one such war, 130,000 Spaniards lost their lives. Clearly, the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) that most know about was really the denouement of a titanic struggle within Spain that had been simmering and exploding in lesser levels for generations.
By the 1880s, Spain had settled from previous violence into the "turno pacifico" -- the Peaceful Turn --- a sort of societal bargain within Spain in which 2 political parties, one conservative, one liberal --- neither of which was elected by a majority of Spanish society due to a limited electoral franchise --- would trade off power approximately every 2-3 years. It was a magnificent fete of managed corruption. Elections were managed by local "caciques" to make sure -- via intimidation or outright ballot box stuffing or bribery --- that national elections always went a certain way to favor whichever political party's turn it was to assume power --- regardless of actual voter sentiment. Such a system did provide stability and a cessation of violence. And because it was predicable --- a reliable timetable in which businesses, investors, and project managers could plan on. Such did greatly help in the industrialization of Spain --- and an explosion in infrastructure investments in roads and railways and other major projects. Yet, it had elements of a banana republic: professional politicians, not having to respond to public opinion, became brazenly corrupt, arrogant, and unresponsive to their constituents. This, in turn, led to the radicalization of the proletariat --- with Spain having the largest anarchist and communist movements and terrorist organizations in Europe.
The Peaceful Turn satisficed the present for a future in which Spaniards would become increasingly polarized. By the 1930s, it had devolved into a semi-fascist dictatorship under Primo de Rivera at the behest of the King, Alphonso XIII. But even a dictator could hold the lid on the Spanish boiling pot for only a few more years by then -- and the dictator was removed and the King driven from power.
A new Republic was born. But, by then, the damage was done --- Spain was broken between conservatives, anti-communists, monarchists, Falangists, the Church, and the Army on one side --- and liberals, communists, anarchists, atheists, trade unions, and regional separatists on the other. It exploded like never before into the Spanish Civil War --- a war that would prove a bloody prequel to WW2 in Europe.
The Nationalists under Franco would defeat the Loyalists, and, for 36 years, Spain would be under its longest serving dictator, Generalissimo Francisco Franco. Tremblett is generally dismissive of the Franco years. Indeed, they were not pretty. However, relative to the other European dictatorships at the time, Franco was, by far, not as vicious or bloodthirsty, a fact, I think that Tremlett overlooks. Franco did provide a respite from the violence and chaos that racked Spain since the time of Napoleon, and gradually grew the economy.
After Franco, Spain would transition to a democracy with a constitutional monarchy. That, in itself, is instructive. Those who committed crimes or atrocities under Franco were generally given amnesty while Franco's political prisoners were liberated. Unfortunately, the reality for nations transitioning from dictatorship to democracy is that successfully doing so means making the difficult decision to forego justice and evening the scores for past offenses in order to make it so that the dictatorial regime will step aside such that democracy may become established in lieu of it. How Spain transitioned from the Francoist dictatorship to democracy might be instructive for many other nations such as in Africa and South America facing the same difficulties.
In conclusion, an excellent book on Spanish history --- an excellent first book in which to begin my study of Reconquista Spain this year. I recommend this book for anyone interested in learning Spanish history!
With respect to medieval Spanish history, I think Tremlett tends to minimize the negatives of Muslim rule in Spain while tending to portray the various Spanish Christian kingdoms as backward, relative to their adversaries. However, this is not overly so.
The role of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain tends to be shown in a negative light, perhaps justifiably given that it did feature the Spanish Inquisition; however, there must have been some positives to the Church's role, given that it did give an ideological impetus and unity such that Spain could coalesce together more than the Muslim warlords and leaders so as to drive them out and eliminate them permanently from Iberia. I would be interested to see in my planned further readings on the Reconquista how history comes down in its evaluation of the Church during this period.
He does a good job covering the rise of the Spanish Empire and its long decline, culminating in a nadir when Napoleon occupied Spain outright, resulting in what is known to history as the "Peninsular War", but to the Spanish as the "War of Independence". The results of that conflict for Spain would be profound --- exacerbating and manifesting how riven with religious, political, and regional fractures and divisions Spain really had, but long suppressed.
Several times these exploded into fratricidal civil wars far more vicious than, prior to reading this book, I'd realized. In one such war, 130,000 Spaniards lost their lives. Clearly, the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) that most know about was really the denouement of a titanic struggle within Spain that had been simmering and exploding in lesser levels for generations.
By the 1880s, Spain had settled from previous violence into the "turno pacifico" -- the Peaceful Turn --- a sort of societal bargain within Spain in which 2 political parties, one conservative, one liberal --- neither of which was elected by a majority of Spanish society due to a limited electoral franchise --- would trade off power approximately every 2-3 years. It was a magnificent fete of managed corruption. Elections were managed by local "caciques" to make sure -- via intimidation or outright ballot box stuffing or bribery --- that national elections always went a certain way to favor whichever political party's turn it was to assume power --- regardless of actual voter sentiment. Such a system did provide stability and a cessation of violence. And because it was predicable --- a reliable timetable in which businesses, investors, and project managers could plan on. Such did greatly help in the industrialization of Spain --- and an explosion in infrastructure investments in roads and railways and other major projects. Yet, it had elements of a banana republic: professional politicians, not having to respond to public opinion, became brazenly corrupt, arrogant, and unresponsive to their constituents. This, in turn, led to the radicalization of the proletariat --- with Spain having the largest anarchist and communist movements and terrorist organizations in Europe.
The Peaceful Turn satisficed the present for a future in which Spaniards would become increasingly polarized. By the 1930s, it had devolved into a semi-fascist dictatorship under Primo de Rivera at the behest of the King, Alphonso XIII. But even a dictator could hold the lid on the Spanish boiling pot for only a few more years by then -- and the dictator was removed and the King driven from power.
A new Republic was born. But, by then, the damage was done --- Spain was broken between conservatives, anti-communists, monarchists, Falangists, the Church, and the Army on one side --- and liberals, communists, anarchists, atheists, trade unions, and regional separatists on the other. It exploded like never before into the Spanish Civil War --- a war that would prove a bloody prequel to WW2 in Europe.
The Nationalists under Franco would defeat the Loyalists, and, for 36 years, Spain would be under its longest serving dictator, Generalissimo Francisco Franco. Tremblett is generally dismissive of the Franco years. Indeed, they were not pretty. However, relative to the other European dictatorships at the time, Franco was, by far, not as vicious or bloodthirsty, a fact, I think that Tremlett overlooks. Franco did provide a respite from the violence and chaos that racked Spain since the time of Napoleon, and gradually grew the economy.
After Franco, Spain would transition to a democracy with a constitutional monarchy. That, in itself, is instructive. Those who committed crimes or atrocities under Franco were generally given amnesty while Franco's political prisoners were liberated. Unfortunately, the reality for nations transitioning from dictatorship to democracy is that successfully doing so means making the difficult decision to forego justice and evening the scores for past offenses in order to make it so that the dictatorial regime will step aside such that democracy may become established in lieu of it. How Spain transitioned from the Francoist dictatorship to democracy might be instructive for many other nations such as in Africa and South America facing the same difficulties.
In conclusion, an excellent book on Spanish history --- an excellent first book in which to begin my study of Reconquista Spain this year. I recommend this book for anyone interested in learning Spanish history!
December 23, 2022
I'd say the first 3/4 of the book are a great introduction to Spanish history before the XIX century. It's well written, somewhat objective and concisely explained.
Afterwards, however, the author begins to show his by-the-end apparent bias for socialist and globalist policies and personalities.
The section on Franco is straight-up his his opinion masked as historical writing, and the same goes for the last chapters, which revolve around Spain's experiment with liberal democracy à la Germany or France; the author can barely conceal his contempt for right-wing thought and motivations, speaking wonders of the socialist-run government of González or Zapatero, while obnoxiously reminding the reader at every possible instance of the EU & globalist-approved perspective on how terrible and evil Franco was.
It gets old fast.
Afterwards, however, the author begins to show his by-the-end apparent bias for socialist and globalist policies and personalities.
The section on Franco is straight-up his his opinion masked as historical writing, and the same goes for the last chapters, which revolve around Spain's experiment with liberal democracy à la Germany or France; the author can barely conceal his contempt for right-wing thought and motivations, speaking wonders of the socialist-run government of González or Zapatero, while obnoxiously reminding the reader at every possible instance of the EU & globalist-approved perspective on how terrible and evil Franco was.
It gets old fast.
June 12, 2025
wait, Spain is still a monarchy?? well, color me shocked.
the book definitely delivers on its promise to present a brief history of spain, but the writing is highly skimmable, hence a 3 star rating.
the book definitely delivers on its promise to present a brief history of spain, but the writing is highly skimmable, hence a 3 star rating.
July 21, 2024
Tremlett is my new favourite non-fiction author. I loved his earlier historical book, “Isabella of Castile” and was excited to see his latest one, “España”, on the new release bookshelf. I had high hopes and was not disappointed.
Tremlett has a way of breaking away from the dry descriptions about history. He switches tenses to bring a sense of anticipation, suspense or excitment. His set up is fresh. Each chapter has an interesting heading, such as, “Uncle Hercules and the Pit of Bones”, “Slavery that Bears with it a Crown”, “He Has Ravished Me”, “Inbreeding”, “Where Are You, Spain?” and so much more. He dives into the interesting points of the subject chapter, building a historical skeleton in the background. I most enjoy the last few paragraphs of each chapter where he sets up for the next drastic upheaval, and then on the last sentence or two makes comments that keeps the reader guessing/interested, like in tv series where you say you’re just going to watch one episode, but the ending has a cliffhanger and you need to know what happens next immediately. Eg, “A violent transformation, however, was coming. ”Eg, “Both at home and in the empire, however, the authoritarian monarchy which had been ruling Spain would soon face a completely new kind of threat.” So engaging.
“A Brief History of Spain”, was an appropriate subheading. The dilemma of editing down to ‘brief’ would have been difficult, yet it was done brilliantly here. Some chapters held more interest than others, and the more dull yet essential ones were kept at bay to just a few pages. Any time a certain subject started to get like, “ok I’ve had enough of this topic now”, I’d flick ahead and see that there were only two pages left in the chapter. Tremlett was aware of what was interesting vs necessary, and made it the right length.
Some of the modern history was hard to follow as there were so many changes of rule in short periods that it became a blur, particularly as there were so many dictators during that time. But again, it was necessary.
The maps were a bit basic. They were in black and white, and were hard to find the various places. A revised edition could hopefully include maps with colour, especially where changing borders occured.
Like I said, Tremlett is my favourite non-fiction author at the moment. I’d recommend this, and “Isabella of Castile” to anyone interested in history but who avoids it due to the dryness of it’s delivery. These ones are engaging and practically read themselves.
Tremlett has a way of breaking away from the dry descriptions about history. He switches tenses to bring a sense of anticipation, suspense or excitment. His set up is fresh. Each chapter has an interesting heading, such as, “Uncle Hercules and the Pit of Bones”, “Slavery that Bears with it a Crown”, “He Has Ravished Me”, “Inbreeding”, “Where Are You, Spain?” and so much more. He dives into the interesting points of the subject chapter, building a historical skeleton in the background. I most enjoy the last few paragraphs of each chapter where he sets up for the next drastic upheaval, and then on the last sentence or two makes comments that keeps the reader guessing/interested, like in tv series where you say you’re just going to watch one episode, but the ending has a cliffhanger and you need to know what happens next immediately. Eg, “A violent transformation, however, was coming. ”Eg, “Both at home and in the empire, however, the authoritarian monarchy which had been ruling Spain would soon face a completely new kind of threat.” So engaging.
“A Brief History of Spain”, was an appropriate subheading. The dilemma of editing down to ‘brief’ would have been difficult, yet it was done brilliantly here. Some chapters held more interest than others, and the more dull yet essential ones were kept at bay to just a few pages. Any time a certain subject started to get like, “ok I’ve had enough of this topic now”, I’d flick ahead and see that there were only two pages left in the chapter. Tremlett was aware of what was interesting vs necessary, and made it the right length.
Some of the modern history was hard to follow as there were so many changes of rule in short periods that it became a blur, particularly as there were so many dictators during that time. But again, it was necessary.
The maps were a bit basic. They were in black and white, and were hard to find the various places. A revised edition could hopefully include maps with colour, especially where changing borders occured.
Like I said, Tremlett is my favourite non-fiction author at the moment. I’d recommend this, and “Isabella of Castile” to anyone interested in history but who avoids it due to the dryness of it’s delivery. These ones are engaging and practically read themselves.
October 23, 2025
I started reading this in January and... well, I didn't actually finish it. When I went back and started over though, I was blown away. In fewer than 300 pages, it surveys the entire history of Spain-something I didn't think was possible in such a short book. This was a total rabbit hole for me: it sparked my curiosity and sent me chasing dozens of other books on Spanish history, including more books by Giles Tremlett. If you love history and want a book that leaves you hungry for more, this is it.
September 19, 2022
Sometimes history is better when you keep it short. Espana by Giles Tremlett is proof.
Tremlett writes about the entire history of Spain since before you could even call it Spain to when Covid hit. Along the way, you get introduced (briefly) to all the major Spanish names you should know and learn a lot of very interesting little tidbits. Want to know where bullfighting came from? It's in here. Why wasn't Spain part of the Allies or the Axis in World War II? Come find out.
The possible criticisms someone may have is that the book doesn't delve deeply into any specific point and makes some generalizations from time to time. These would be ridiculous as the subtitle is, "A Brief History of Spain." In this case, getting to the point is an excellent way to tell the story.
(This book was provided to me as an advance copy by Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 9/22/2022.)
Tremlett writes about the entire history of Spain since before you could even call it Spain to when Covid hit. Along the way, you get introduced (briefly) to all the major Spanish names you should know and learn a lot of very interesting little tidbits. Want to know where bullfighting came from? It's in here. Why wasn't Spain part of the Allies or the Axis in World War II? Come find out.
The possible criticisms someone may have is that the book doesn't delve deeply into any specific point and makes some generalizations from time to time. These would be ridiculous as the subtitle is, "A Brief History of Spain." In this case, getting to the point is an excellent way to tell the story.
(This book was provided to me as an advance copy by Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 9/22/2022.)
March 15, 2023
This was an easy read with great stories and photos. A quick and dirty introduction to the history of Spain. It helped explain the last 80 years of politics for me in an accessible way. It might lack nuance and historical complexity, but if you just need an intro this is it—refreshingly taking us up to 2022.
August 18, 2022
A well written romp through the monarchs and politics of Spanish history. Missing some voices from those affected by the policies of those in power, but piqued my interest to read more.
May 15, 2023
Very readable and mostly interesting introduction to Spanish history. Sadly skips over the earlier (pre-1500s) history a bit quickly. Starts to take sides a little too clearly in the later parts.
August 8, 2024
A great intro into Spanish history
February 3, 2025
Un librito curioso para tenerlo en la estantería y de vez en cuando echarle un ojillo.
October 18, 2025
Excellent. Listened while playing Mass Effect Andromeda so missed a bit of the key information but gave a good overview and some blazing facts about the Spanish national anthem
April 11, 2024
The final third of this book I found rather tedious, lots of names - politicians, political groups - and very little background or context; as a result, the earlier momentum was lost.
Still, a fairly comprehensive sketch of Spanish history and just what I was looking for ahead of my forthcoming holiday.
Still, a fairly comprehensive sketch of Spanish history and just what I was looking for ahead of my forthcoming holiday.
September 6, 2022
A wide-ranging exploration of the history of what we deem Spain today.
The author does well at highlighting the fragmentation and federalization of what we call Spain. "Spain" as a coherent entity does not really exist; what we deem "Spain" is really Castile, Catalán, the Basque country, and similar such federal regions.
The author generally focuses on Spain after Ferdinand and Isabella; there is a discussion of prehistoric Spain, the Carthaginian, Roman, and Visigothic periods, the Muslim invasion and the Reconquista, but these periods are discussed quickly and without the depth the rest of the work provides. The author seems more at home with Spain in the days of the Renaissance, early modern, and modern periods: the Habsburg dynasty, the development and exploitation of the empire, and the ruinous wars and unequal distribution of the wealth gained from empire. He then describes the days of the Bourbons, the Napoleonic interruption, and the tension between various Carlist and republican factions throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Much is made of the period before Franco, the Spanish Civil War, and the period of Franco. The author also goes into detail regarding Spain's return to Europe and its values in the days since Franco, and of the current challenges facing the country.
Since most European history works speak of Spain quickly in the 16th and 17th centuries and then perhaps a little about the 1930s, and that's about it, this is a helpful work to come to a better understanding of why Spain is what it is and how and to what end it leveraged its influence in Central and South America, Asia, and many other parts of the world. A useful resource, even if it could have provided a bit more thorough explanation of the days before 1492.
**--galley received as part of early review program
The author does well at highlighting the fragmentation and federalization of what we call Spain. "Spain" as a coherent entity does not really exist; what we deem "Spain" is really Castile, Catalán, the Basque country, and similar such federal regions.
The author generally focuses on Spain after Ferdinand and Isabella; there is a discussion of prehistoric Spain, the Carthaginian, Roman, and Visigothic periods, the Muslim invasion and the Reconquista, but these periods are discussed quickly and without the depth the rest of the work provides. The author seems more at home with Spain in the days of the Renaissance, early modern, and modern periods: the Habsburg dynasty, the development and exploitation of the empire, and the ruinous wars and unequal distribution of the wealth gained from empire. He then describes the days of the Bourbons, the Napoleonic interruption, and the tension between various Carlist and republican factions throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Much is made of the period before Franco, the Spanish Civil War, and the period of Franco. The author also goes into detail regarding Spain's return to Europe and its values in the days since Franco, and of the current challenges facing the country.
Since most European history works speak of Spain quickly in the 16th and 17th centuries and then perhaps a little about the 1930s, and that's about it, this is a helpful work to come to a better understanding of why Spain is what it is and how and to what end it leveraged its influence in Central and South America, Asia, and many other parts of the world. A useful resource, even if it could have provided a bit more thorough explanation of the days before 1492.
**--galley received as part of early review program
February 29, 2024
Brief as promised. Easy read that covers a lot of ground. Recommend the print version which includes photos, portraits and other artworks. The author is an English transplant and a journalist.
March 13, 2023
A quite nice introduction to the Spanish history if you know next to nothing about Spain.
August 31, 2024
What caught my attention the most about this book is its impartiality.
We’re used to seeing the history of Spain as an ideological battleground, but the author of "España, A Brief History of Spain" has successfully stuck to the facts without making the narrative dry or boring.
In fact, quite the opposite—this book made me laugh several times.
The content spans from prehistory to COVID, meaning it's a comprehensive history rather than focusing on a specific period. Of course, in just over 300 pages, it's impossible to go into detail, but it’s an excellent platform to gain a general overview. With this foundation, we’ll be in a good position to delve deeper into the periods that interest us most.
I always jot down three things I’ve learned from the books I read, and in this case, they’re not positive.
1st. The Spanish people have always been used by their rulers for personal gain. The Habsburgs, to cite just one example, used Spanish economic resources to fight battles abroad that only benefited their dynasty. The results for the Spanish economy were catastrophic.
2nd. My knowledge of Spain in the Americas, is practically nonexistent. In school, we were taught the bare minimum, likely for political reasons. I’ve learned more in the few dozen pages that Tremlett dedicates to this topic than in six years of secondary education.
3rd. It’s a very good habit to seek out foreign authors when it comes to discussing one’s own history. Throughout my life, I’ve seen the history of Spain used as a political weapon, so it was refreshing to get an outside perspective. I’ll certainly keep this in mind when choosing authors to read in the future.
I’m very satisfied with this book. I noticed that the author has four other works on Spain, and when I revisit this topic, he’ll definitely be among my top choices.
To conclude, I give the book a 3.5 out of 5. It’s a light, informative read, and I believe it’s as neutral as could be expected. It’s available in both written format, with around 300 pages, and as an audiobook with about 10 hours of listening time. If you have no clue about the history of Spain, don’t hesitate to read "España: A Brief History of Spain" by Giles Tremlett.
We’re used to seeing the history of Spain as an ideological battleground, but the author of "España, A Brief History of Spain" has successfully stuck to the facts without making the narrative dry or boring.
In fact, quite the opposite—this book made me laugh several times.
The content spans from prehistory to COVID, meaning it's a comprehensive history rather than focusing on a specific period. Of course, in just over 300 pages, it's impossible to go into detail, but it’s an excellent platform to gain a general overview. With this foundation, we’ll be in a good position to delve deeper into the periods that interest us most.
I always jot down three things I’ve learned from the books I read, and in this case, they’re not positive.
1st. The Spanish people have always been used by their rulers for personal gain. The Habsburgs, to cite just one example, used Spanish economic resources to fight battles abroad that only benefited their dynasty. The results for the Spanish economy were catastrophic.
2nd. My knowledge of Spain in the Americas, is practically nonexistent. In school, we were taught the bare minimum, likely for political reasons. I’ve learned more in the few dozen pages that Tremlett dedicates to this topic than in six years of secondary education.
3rd. It’s a very good habit to seek out foreign authors when it comes to discussing one’s own history. Throughout my life, I’ve seen the history of Spain used as a political weapon, so it was refreshing to get an outside perspective. I’ll certainly keep this in mind when choosing authors to read in the future.
I’m very satisfied with this book. I noticed that the author has four other works on Spain, and when I revisit this topic, he’ll definitely be among my top choices.
To conclude, I give the book a 3.5 out of 5. It’s a light, informative read, and I believe it’s as neutral as could be expected. It’s available in both written format, with around 300 pages, and as an audiobook with about 10 hours of listening time. If you have no clue about the history of Spain, don’t hesitate to read "España: A Brief History of Spain" by Giles Tremlett.
October 10, 2023
Giles Tremlett's Espana is a well-written, concise history of Spain, with photographs of artifacts and from the news, as well as artifacts and maps to illustrate the text. It's an easy read, with nice anecdotes and easy to absorb facts. He uses the ideas and words of famous literary figures to describe the Spanish people and the attitudes of the times as he goes from the pre-historic to 2022. Best of all Tremlett maintains a conceptual thread about Spain's need to find its identity and unify itself. Espana is a terrific book to give you a basic framework to understand Spanish history. And I love the cover!
June 10, 2025
I thought this was a good, concise history of Spain. I was especially interested in the part about Francisco Franco. Readers can draw their own conclusions about the author's opinions. Or, they can only form their own opinions.
An easy, informative read for history buffs, or anyone interested in Spanish history and evolution.
An easy, informative read for history buffs, or anyone interested in Spanish history and evolution.
February 25, 2024
Not as well written and easy to understand as I had hoped, but I got what I was looking for in better understanding the broad strokes of Spanish history.
November 1, 2024
Dry and gets repetitive
November 8, 2025
Spain’s history is a rollercoaster!
April 1, 2025
A great read, and full of a wealth of information that communicates well a general history of Spain and the conflicts within its view of itself.
I loved the first few chapters of the book, moving from the influence of the Romans and Carthage into the importance of Al-Andalus and the renconquista. The chapters that dealt with the influence of colonies in America were great too, and I enjoyed the sections on modern post-war spain.
Whilst I found all of it interesting, I did find the areas between these sections a little harder to handle. I think a lack of prior knowledge on my part meant that, when the narrative jumped around a little to give background, it was easy for me to lose track of where I was.
Very enjoyable though, and with strong themes that ran throughout.
Also keeping my duolingo streak up during chapters made it heavy immersive lol
I loved the first few chapters of the book, moving from the influence of the Romans and Carthage into the importance of Al-Andalus and the renconquista. The chapters that dealt with the influence of colonies in America were great too, and I enjoyed the sections on modern post-war spain.
Whilst I found all of it interesting, I did find the areas between these sections a little harder to handle. I think a lack of prior knowledge on my part meant that, when the narrative jumped around a little to give background, it was easy for me to lose track of where I was.
Very enjoyable though, and with strong themes that ran throughout.
Also keeping my duolingo streak up during chapters made it heavy immersive lol
December 23, 2023
Picked this up in Madrid, super accessible read and I thought it gave me some much needed context for our trip.
the chapters are short and it covers a lot of history!
the chapters are short and it covers a lot of history!
September 29, 2024
Great and easy to read book that provides a brief overview of Spain’s entire history.
July 20, 2023
Brilliant introduction to Spanish history that has been perfect for my holiday travelling around Spain. Clear and succinct prose that makes Spanish history accessible. Meant that I knew the answers to some of the questions on city walking tours and looked like a real nerd!
August 18, 2024
A good brief history of Spain from ancient times to today (COVID/post-COVID). If you're looking for something quick to read about Spanish history this is your book.
July 9, 2025
Great overview of Spanish history. Would definitely reread this before returning to Spain.
March 24, 2023
A little dry, but very informative
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