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The Other 1492: Ferdinand, Isabella, and the Making of an Empire
Ask anyone about the significance of the year 1492, and you're almost certain to hear something about Christopher Columbus and the discovery of the New World. But there is also a perspective on 1492 far different than the one most of us know - one that is more complete and complex. A 1492 when there was no country called Spain and no language called Spanish. A 1492 whose biggest event - in the region that would eventually become Spain - was the surrender of the last Muslim stronghold, Granada, with the subsequent Edict of Expulsion that gave Jews three months to either convert to Christianity or leave the Kingdom of Castile and the Crown of Aragon. This 12-lecture series uses the year 1492 to examine the events that made Spain a country and an empire. It examines the centuries of developments that led up to that pivotal year in Spanish history and the consequences that followed for both Spain and the New World, presenting Spanish history from the perspective of both the victors and the the Muslims, Jews, and New World natives for whom 1492 was not a time of wonder but of terror and despair.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 19, 2023
Professor Ruiz is an excellent guide through this complex period in Iberian history. This series of lectures shows how the complex mix of cultures and religions and ethnicity resulted in cementing the foundations of the Spanish Empire. To accomplish this, Ruiz must range far beyond the year in the title. He covers:
Lecture One Europe and the New World in 1492 ..................
Lecture Two Reconquest, Pilgrimage, Crusade, Repopulation...
Lecture Three The Transformation of Values .........................
Lecture Four An Age of Crisis ..............................................
Lecture Five Isabella and Ferdinand—An Age of Reform ...
Lecture Six Iberian Culture in the Fifteenth Century ..........
Lecture Seven The Conquest of Granada—Muslim Life in Iberia ..
Lecture Eight The Edict of Expulsion—Jewish Life in Iberia........
Lecture Nine Jews, Conversos, and the Inquisition ...............
Lecture Ten The World of Christopher Columbus ..............
Lecture Eleven The Shock of the New ...................................
Lecture Twelve Spain and Its Empire—The Aftermath of 1492....
A deep dive into a critical time in European History. I found a special bonus in being able to ask questions of Professor Ruiz and receive long and thoughtful responses.
Highly recommended.
Lecture One Europe and the New World in 1492 ..................
Lecture Two Reconquest, Pilgrimage, Crusade, Repopulation...
Lecture Three The Transformation of Values .........................
Lecture Four An Age of Crisis ..............................................
Lecture Five Isabella and Ferdinand—An Age of Reform ...
Lecture Six Iberian Culture in the Fifteenth Century ..........
Lecture Seven The Conquest of Granada—Muslim Life in Iberia ..
Lecture Eight The Edict of Expulsion—Jewish Life in Iberia........
Lecture Nine Jews, Conversos, and the Inquisition ...............
Lecture Ten The World of Christopher Columbus ..............
Lecture Eleven The Shock of the New ...................................
Lecture Twelve Spain and Its Empire—The Aftermath of 1492....
A deep dive into a critical time in European History. I found a special bonus in being able to ask questions of Professor Ruiz and receive long and thoughtful responses.
Highly recommended.
April 6, 2020
This was quite fascinating and extremely interesting.
Includes a bit of typical white historian in places bordering on white supremacist thinking in relation to some Indigenous peoples of the Americas & other non-Jewish POC. Some of it perpetuates racist colonial myths which he presents as fact and then later concedes may be myth. This impacted the rating.
Otherwise, I quite enjoyed this and will probably have to listen to this again once I understand this period better. This is mostly an overview and expects the reader to be passingly familiar with this time, place and important players.
This gives an interesting background on the 'catholic' encroachment in Umayyad controlled Al-Andalus (what is now Spain).
So after The Visigoths are driven out of most of Iberian Peninsula (Spain), after which the Visigoths clear out of the surrounding area. Over time European Catholic peasants begin slowly to farm in the empty wasteland between settled Catholic Europe and settled Islamic Al-Andalus. After awhile the church shows up to collect tithing and establish a local church. The nobility follows the church in a bid to steal the most from the poor hard working peasants.
From this nobility arise the Kingdoms of Leon, Asturias, Castile, Aragon, Valencia etc. The nobility in these areas claims their right to rule to their fictitious descent from the last Visigoth Dynasty.
In truth these are new Catholics barely if at all related to the previous Catholic Visigothic kingdom.
So the 'reconquest' of Spain is really the conquest of Al-Andalus.
Especially considering that the Muslim Umayyad Kingdom held the land for 700+ years, centuries longer than the original Visigoths.
I guess if you're White all land belongs to you and if you're brown you're not entitled to land.🤔
This was an education in the change in European/Catholic thinking that gives rise to heavily defined land ownership and rights of private property. Much appreciated. I had read this information before but the way this was presented really helped me to understand what happened and how this drastically changed the culture and power dynamics.
Basically, the Common Lands (which allowed free grazing and farming for ALL) are confiscated and auctioned off.
This was done to force peasant farmers ito only have access to land belonging to the Nobility or Church. This allowed those in power to force the peasants to 'work' on their lands for greatly reduced rates. As all land was now private, they became formally an oppressed class when previously they'd had a marginal amount of freedom and mobility.
At the same time the idea of what makes a Noble or 'great' distinct from other classes in their society. Laws are passed about what clothing is restricted to noble classes, etc. Noble families main purpose at this point becomes to acquire wealth and property. For the growth of their family.
This vastly alters politics and leads to vast poverty and greater inequality amongst the class systems.
Probably the oddest consequence of this atrocious thinking is the development of the idea of 'purgatory' because everyone knows the rich can't get into Heaven. 😂🤣😭
A rich mythology of purgatory develops in which the wealthy pay monasteries, nunneries and churches to say prayers for their souls. After death souls are stuck in purgatory for an unspecified amount of time.
This somewhat increases the power of the Church, at least financially, who now must be VERY well paid to save your soul.
And the modern religious farce is birthed!
Nobles handle purgatory by allotting profits from family owned land to be pledged to the church for a period. Prior to this gifts to their church usually involved the land or property in question going into church custody forever.
Eventually great families will build churches on their estates.
Overtime this lessens the power of the church at least financially.
This thinking is solidified as it's applied to colonialism and conquest.
Isn't this just the perfect storm.
This author credits Umayyad control of Al-Andalus as a time in which Muslims allowed Christians and Jewish people to retain their religion and practices. Not as a time of Golden peace but there's no doubt that Muslims behaved better than Christians in this period and really beyond.
Apparently the Umayyad conquest arrives on the heels of large scale coordinated Christian violence against Jewish peoples and communities.
The author talks about how Jewish culture flourishes under Muslim dominated Al-Andalus.
The author holds Arabic Muslims to account for the horror that becomes the chattel slave trade in Indigenous West Africans.
I don't entirely agree. I would need to see evidence to back this up. Much of Western history involves trying to blame other peoples, especially Brown and Black peoples, for the crimes committed by white supremacy in the names of colonialism and christianity.
While it is true that the Portuguese insist that they start using West African enslaved peoples because of the Arab Nations they traded with. I'm not so sure. Portugal colonized parts of Africa prior to 1492. Starting in the early 1400's. It's in full swing by 1450.
I think the Portuguese encourage European Catholics and blame Arab Nations for their follies.
I also strongly dislike the authors portrayal of Cortez and even parts of his portrayal of Columbus.
This isn't a fair and balanced view but it does offer a strong Jewish history and lukewarm Islamic history of the region at this time.
Romani Peoples get barely a mention at the very end with few details and not at all fleshed out.
This has lots of info that isn't normally considered at this time but most consideration is given to Jewish history.
The most interesting comparison is the comparison of Christopher Columbus historic 1492 voyage vs Bartolomeu Dias cruise around the Cape of Good Hope & 1494 route to India for spices.
I had not realized how interconnected these men were.
Includes a bit of typical white historian in places bordering on white supremacist thinking in relation to some Indigenous peoples of the Americas & other non-Jewish POC. Some of it perpetuates racist colonial myths which he presents as fact and then later concedes may be myth. This impacted the rating.
Otherwise, I quite enjoyed this and will probably have to listen to this again once I understand this period better. This is mostly an overview and expects the reader to be passingly familiar with this time, place and important players.
This gives an interesting background on the 'catholic' encroachment in Umayyad controlled Al-Andalus (what is now Spain).
So after The Visigoths are driven out of most of Iberian Peninsula (Spain), after which the Visigoths clear out of the surrounding area. Over time European Catholic peasants begin slowly to farm in the empty wasteland between settled Catholic Europe and settled Islamic Al-Andalus. After awhile the church shows up to collect tithing and establish a local church. The nobility follows the church in a bid to steal the most from the poor hard working peasants.
From this nobility arise the Kingdoms of Leon, Asturias, Castile, Aragon, Valencia etc. The nobility in these areas claims their right to rule to their fictitious descent from the last Visigoth Dynasty.
In truth these are new Catholics barely if at all related to the previous Catholic Visigothic kingdom.
So the 'reconquest' of Spain is really the conquest of Al-Andalus.
Especially considering that the Muslim Umayyad Kingdom held the land for 700+ years, centuries longer than the original Visigoths.
I guess if you're White all land belongs to you and if you're brown you're not entitled to land.🤔
This was an education in the change in European/Catholic thinking that gives rise to heavily defined land ownership and rights of private property. Much appreciated. I had read this information before but the way this was presented really helped me to understand what happened and how this drastically changed the culture and power dynamics.
Basically, the Common Lands (which allowed free grazing and farming for ALL) are confiscated and auctioned off.
This was done to force peasant farmers ito only have access to land belonging to the Nobility or Church. This allowed those in power to force the peasants to 'work' on their lands for greatly reduced rates. As all land was now private, they became formally an oppressed class when previously they'd had a marginal amount of freedom and mobility.
At the same time the idea of what makes a Noble or 'great' distinct from other classes in their society. Laws are passed about what clothing is restricted to noble classes, etc. Noble families main purpose at this point becomes to acquire wealth and property. For the growth of their family.
This vastly alters politics and leads to vast poverty and greater inequality amongst the class systems.
Probably the oddest consequence of this atrocious thinking is the development of the idea of 'purgatory' because everyone knows the rich can't get into Heaven. 😂🤣😭
A rich mythology of purgatory develops in which the wealthy pay monasteries, nunneries and churches to say prayers for their souls. After death souls are stuck in purgatory for an unspecified amount of time.
This somewhat increases the power of the Church, at least financially, who now must be VERY well paid to save your soul.
And the modern religious farce is birthed!
Nobles handle purgatory by allotting profits from family owned land to be pledged to the church for a period. Prior to this gifts to their church usually involved the land or property in question going into church custody forever.
Eventually great families will build churches on their estates.
Overtime this lessens the power of the church at least financially.
This thinking is solidified as it's applied to colonialism and conquest.
Isn't this just the perfect storm.
This author credits Umayyad control of Al-Andalus as a time in which Muslims allowed Christians and Jewish people to retain their religion and practices. Not as a time of Golden peace but there's no doubt that Muslims behaved better than Christians in this period and really beyond.
Apparently the Umayyad conquest arrives on the heels of large scale coordinated Christian violence against Jewish peoples and communities.
The author talks about how Jewish culture flourishes under Muslim dominated Al-Andalus.
The author holds Arabic Muslims to account for the horror that becomes the chattel slave trade in Indigenous West Africans.
I don't entirely agree. I would need to see evidence to back this up. Much of Western history involves trying to blame other peoples, especially Brown and Black peoples, for the crimes committed by white supremacy in the names of colonialism and christianity.
While it is true that the Portuguese insist that they start using West African enslaved peoples because of the Arab Nations they traded with. I'm not so sure. Portugal colonized parts of Africa prior to 1492. Starting in the early 1400's. It's in full swing by 1450.
I think the Portuguese encourage European Catholics and blame Arab Nations for their follies.
I also strongly dislike the authors portrayal of Cortez and even parts of his portrayal of Columbus.
This isn't a fair and balanced view but it does offer a strong Jewish history and lukewarm Islamic history of the region at this time.
Romani Peoples get barely a mention at the very end with few details and not at all fleshed out.
This has lots of info that isn't normally considered at this time but most consideration is given to Jewish history.
The most interesting comparison is the comparison of Christopher Columbus historic 1492 voyage vs Bartolomeu Dias cruise around the Cape of Good Hope & 1494 route to India for spices.
I had not realized how interconnected these men were.
August 3, 2017
If you plan to visit Spain (in real life or just in your mind), I would listen to this lecture series first. Ruiz focused on Castilian history around the time of 1492, including the political landscape in the time of Queen Isabella. The sweeping theme of Ruiz's lecture is how the concentration of power in the hands of one religion, in one family, changed the landscape of Iberia from a diverse Spanish culture to one where Jews, Gypsies, and Muslims were driven out or killed ,so that a like minded and homogenous people could dictate the culture and political structure of the entire country. In the last lecture, Ruiz provided a few insights to the strategy (and often mere luck) that helped, over time, build up and tear down the country Spain and the whole empires to which it gave rise.
Some of the lectures are very short and served only to pique my interest and make me search for yet other books to tell me the longer story, but I love that because it gives me a direction when trying to find my next book. One of my favorite lectures discussed the role of Spanish power in the practice of slavery. Apparently when Spanish, more specifically Castilian, ships would sail to take over a new territory, the queen's subjects would bring along a legal document, which was not in the language of the natives, and read it to the them, informing them that they are under the queen's rule and are by order of Christ, they are to serve her. Having brought along translators who spoke Arabic, not the language of the locals, it took some time for them to understand the terms being imposed upon them. When they did, they challenged the order and to her credit, Isabella recognized their personhood and did not impose slavery upon them. Pretty progressive for her time, right? Well, not exactly, she and other rulers needed working bodies. If they allowed some people to have personhood and not be a slave, they would have to find abled bodies elsewhere. It was at this point in history that the African slave trade began. Ruiz explained why that was a whole different way of doing things than the type slavery that had been practiced up to that point. Listening to this lecture made me hope there was an entire book that focused exclusively on this transition. I have read books that mention it, even in nice detail, such as The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan, but if anyone knows of a book that has the transition in slavery practices as their subject, please comment.
Ruiz also gave some really nice lectures about Jewish life in Castile and suggested that anyone interested in finding out more go to Toledo. I went there last year, after brushing up on Castilian culture during the reign of Isabella and then Juana, and was absolutely fascinated by everything I saw. Sadly though, I was not aware of the rich Jewish culture and the terrible events of 1391. What a huge thing to be unaware of on my visit! When I visited Florence a few years ago, I downloaded Rick Steve's walking tour, which talked at length about the Jewish ghetto. It was perhaps the most interesting part of the many walking tours I took. Steve's didn't have a Toledo walking tour and I didn't do enough research to really appreciate its history.
You have probably heard far too much about Columbus' voyage of 1492, but I have to say, Ruiz's lecture on Columbus was quite novel, short, and refreshing. Definitely worth a listen.
The best part of the book was the very last lecture. Wow! What a synopsis of Charles I of Spain (Charles Holy Roman Emperor, King of Italy, King of the Romans). How I wished that lecture was 5 times as long! Ruiz did an excellent job of conveying the awe inspired by the luck of event of one single person in history, the first person to inherit the *world*. I am certainly going to search for a book that covers the life of Charles I!
If you like to time travel, as I do, Ruiz will zip you to a time and place you wish you had longer to visit. Very short, but very interesting lectures. You will want to know more.
Some of the lectures are very short and served only to pique my interest and make me search for yet other books to tell me the longer story, but I love that because it gives me a direction when trying to find my next book. One of my favorite lectures discussed the role of Spanish power in the practice of slavery. Apparently when Spanish, more specifically Castilian, ships would sail to take over a new territory, the queen's subjects would bring along a legal document, which was not in the language of the natives, and read it to the them, informing them that they are under the queen's rule and are by order of Christ, they are to serve her. Having brought along translators who spoke Arabic, not the language of the locals, it took some time for them to understand the terms being imposed upon them. When they did, they challenged the order and to her credit, Isabella recognized their personhood and did not impose slavery upon them. Pretty progressive for her time, right? Well, not exactly, she and other rulers needed working bodies. If they allowed some people to have personhood and not be a slave, they would have to find abled bodies elsewhere. It was at this point in history that the African slave trade began. Ruiz explained why that was a whole different way of doing things than the type slavery that had been practiced up to that point. Listening to this lecture made me hope there was an entire book that focused exclusively on this transition. I have read books that mention it, even in nice detail, such as The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan, but if anyone knows of a book that has the transition in slavery practices as their subject, please comment.
Ruiz also gave some really nice lectures about Jewish life in Castile and suggested that anyone interested in finding out more go to Toledo. I went there last year, after brushing up on Castilian culture during the reign of Isabella and then Juana, and was absolutely fascinated by everything I saw. Sadly though, I was not aware of the rich Jewish culture and the terrible events of 1391. What a huge thing to be unaware of on my visit! When I visited Florence a few years ago, I downloaded Rick Steve's walking tour, which talked at length about the Jewish ghetto. It was perhaps the most interesting part of the many walking tours I took. Steve's didn't have a Toledo walking tour and I didn't do enough research to really appreciate its history.
You have probably heard far too much about Columbus' voyage of 1492, but I have to say, Ruiz's lecture on Columbus was quite novel, short, and refreshing. Definitely worth a listen.
The best part of the book was the very last lecture. Wow! What a synopsis of Charles I of Spain (Charles Holy Roman Emperor, King of Italy, King of the Romans). How I wished that lecture was 5 times as long! Ruiz did an excellent job of conveying the awe inspired by the luck of event of one single person in history, the first person to inherit the *world*. I am certainly going to search for a book that covers the life of Charles I!
If you like to time travel, as I do, Ruiz will zip you to a time and place you wish you had longer to visit. Very short, but very interesting lectures. You will want to know more.
April 24, 2025
This was an informative course on the history and happenings of the Iberian Peninsula and other parts of Europe before, during and after the year 1492. Most people connect that year with Christopher Columbus and his voyages. Professor Ruiz aims to teach the listener that the “discovery” of the Americas wasn’t considered a tremendous event and that in fact, a lot of other important matters were taking place at that time.
Professor Ruiz did an excellent job narrating the courses – it was easy to navigate the many names, places and events. I look forward to listening to his other audiobooks on European history.
Professor Ruiz did an excellent job narrating the courses – it was easy to navigate the many names, places and events. I look forward to listening to his other audiobooks on European history.
October 6, 2013
Teoflio Ruiz is always superb. Great read for anyone interested in European history.
November 5, 2017
This one was a surprise. Since I didn't know much about the region in time, the content was tremendously pleasant to listen and with great clarity and quality. Very recommended... solid 5.
September 10, 2015
Very interesting look into this period of Spanish [Castillian] history. Lots of fascinating minutia and exactly what I was looking for.
Also, Professor Ruiz has a great voice for these lectures, which may sound inconsequential, but anyone who has sat through a class with a droning professor reading his notes can tell you, it makes a difference as to how you absorb the information.
Also, Professor Ruiz has a great voice for these lectures, which may sound inconsequential, but anyone who has sat through a class with a droning professor reading his notes can tell you, it makes a difference as to how you absorb the information.
August 9, 2017
It took me 2 months (at least!) to get through this series but enjoyed the new perspective on Spanish history that it gave me. I understand now a bit of the antipathy among the different regions of Spain, especially Catalan (Barcelona)'s differences from the old Castilian regions. Also very interested in the idea of the Muslim culture as Spanish, the Moors were invaders but many of the locals converted and became the Muslim population. Fascinating information about the Jewish conversos also. Best lectures may have been the two on Columbus and early days of New World exploration -- Ruiz interprets voyages differently than the old history textbooks also.
Ruiz has a good voice and animation, too -- important when you are basically listening to lectures.
Ruiz has a good voice and animation, too -- important when you are basically listening to lectures.
June 8, 2018
This is tied to the Teaching Company course of the same name. It is a short course interestingly looking at the various events of 1492 - including previous events causing and subsequent developments - so in 1492 for example not only did Columbus sail to the "new world" - but also the final Muslin center in Spain - Granada - was conquered to end the reconquest of Iberia by the Christians. The positions and developments of the reign of Isabella and Ferdinand are explored - the later activities and consequences in the Americas are explored - the professor is explaining many facts that I didn't know were there as foundation, explanations and reasons for events. This is a interesting course.
January 20, 2018
A solid review of different series of events leading up to 1492 and their consequences. Focuses on several threads, namely the conquest of Granada, Colombus' exploration in the new world, the consolidation of government under the "Catholic Monarchs," and the expulsion/forced conversion of Moors and Jews.
Overall I liked the approach and would recommend to those interested in the period or Spain, but the series of lectures did feel a bit dry.
Overall I liked the approach and would recommend to those interested in the period or Spain, but the series of lectures did feel a bit dry.
July 21, 2019
A really interesting look at this period of history...having just finished another book about Isabella (the warrior queen) only a week or so ago - this was really interesting, looking at not only Isabella and Ferdinand, but the legacy that they (and their decisions) made on the world, at that time, and into the future.
April 9, 2023
This is a really interesting lecture series about the things that are happening other than Columbus's journey in 1492 in the Castilian kingdoms. Content is great for such dry material. The lecturer has an extremely strong accent, which can make it somewhat difficult to listen to in the car or on the move.
November 13, 2024
Loved this series of lectures. I cover this period of history and had a few lingering questions that were answered through the early lectures. I mostly liked the method of organization, too, although I always worry that my own students won’t understand this method.
October 21, 2018
This was a wonderful addition to the learning I have done about the history of Spain. Ruiz is a very knowledgeable lecturer.
May 25, 2019
Great to listen to history from an expert. I wish it was longer.
May 11, 2023
Fairly short but solid course - good overview and touches on a variety of subtopics.
October 24, 2023
I'm just trying to learn some Spanish history before I go there.
June 4, 2014
No rain in the Plains...?
"Audio download...with online help from GoogleEarth.
Dr Ruiz's lectures reminded me of the visiting professor lectures I had during graduate school...with lectures less about the 'when' and 'how' and much more about the 'why', of cultural evolution in the 15th century Castile/Spain. Truly, this is a thought-provoking seminar that is congenially presented, with a style that is both different and refreshing.
The elimination of pluralism in Iberia had long puzzled me. While I think the effects of the Spanish Inquisition was somewhat downplayed, I found the treatment of the Jews and Muslims somewhat appalling...especially in light of the history of tolerance shown by the 'Moors'.
Finally, I enjoyed the treatment of Columbus, largely putting things into a contemporary context.
Good job. Makes me want to learn more about the expansion into the Americas, as well as what led to the Spanish Armada..."
"Audio download...with online help from GoogleEarth.
Dr Ruiz's lectures reminded me of the visiting professor lectures I had during graduate school...with lectures less about the 'when' and 'how' and much more about the 'why', of cultural evolution in the 15th century Castile/Spain. Truly, this is a thought-provoking seminar that is congenially presented, with a style that is both different and refreshing.
The elimination of pluralism in Iberia had long puzzled me. While I think the effects of the Spanish Inquisition was somewhat downplayed, I found the treatment of the Jews and Muslims somewhat appalling...especially in light of the history of tolerance shown by the 'Moors'.
Finally, I enjoyed the treatment of Columbus, largely putting things into a contemporary context.
Good job. Makes me want to learn more about the expansion into the Americas, as well as what led to the Spanish Armada..."
September 18, 2016
One of the better Great Courses. The author's love of the topics covered couldn't be more clear. His enthusiasm made the lectures especially engaging. Combine this with his sublime knowledge of the period and you get a fantastic learning resource witch is both fun and educational.
March 17, 2014
Brilliant.
January 5, 2016
Another great courses by The Teaching Company.
January 19, 2016
I've never really studied Spanish history, so this was a really interesting listen that filled in a big blank space in my knowledge.
Want to read
April 8, 2010Professor Ruiz was my favorite prof in Brooklyn College! I must read this book...
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews