The Story of Spain: Empire, Gold, and Global Power — Fexingo History

In this episode, Lucas and Luna peel back the layers of the Spanish tercio, the military formation that dominated European battlefields for over a century. They walk through the mechanics of the pike-and-shot system — how the arquebusiers and pikemen worked in deadly coordination — and explore the logistical genius behind the Army of Flanders, including the famous Spanish Road. The conversation to...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the lasting impact of the Spanish tercio, the military formation that dominated European battlefields for over a century. They discuss its evolution from the Gran Capitán's innovations at Cerignola to its final stand at Rocroi, and how its combined-arms approach influenced modern infantry tactics. Along the way, they touch on key figures like Gonzalo Fernánd...

In 1565, the Ottoman Empire launched a massive invasion of the island of Malta, held by the Knights Hospitaller. This episode dives into the epic Great Siege of Malta, a turning point in the struggle for Mediterranean dominance. We follow the key figures: Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette, who led the Knights' desperate defense; the Ottoman commander Mustafa Pasha; and the corsair Turgut Reis,...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the real story behind Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid. From his exile by Alfonso VI to his conquest of Valencia, El Cid fought for both Christian and Muslim rulers, embodying the fluid loyalties of 11th-century Spain. We discuss his origins as a knight in Sancho II's service, his work as a mercenary for the taifa of Zaragoza, and his stunning v...

In 1499, just seven years after the conquest of Granada, Spanish authorities began a campaign of forced conversion that would shatter the fragile peace between Christians and Muslims in the newly unified kingdom. This episode explores the rebellion of the Albaicín, the role of Cardinal Cisneros, the mysterious disappearance of the Granada lead books, and the eventual expulsion of the Moriscos in 1...

In 1571, the Holy League faced the Ottoman Empire in a massive naval battle off the coast of Greece. This episode focuses on the Spanish tercios who fought aboard the galleys at Lepanto, revealing how Spain's elite infantry adapted to naval warfare. We cover the command structure under Don John of Austria, the role of Álvaro de Bazán, the tactics of boarding and arquebus fire, and the brutal hand-...

When Philip II tried to forcibly assimilate Spain's Morisco population — Muslims forcibly converted to Catholicism — the Alpujarras Mountains erupted in a brutal rebellion that tested the limits of Habsburg power. This episode follows the Morisco leader Aben Humeya, the Marquis of Mondéjar's failed pacification, Don John of Austria's bloody reconquest, and the aftermath that saw 80,000 Moriscos de...

Before Columbus crossed the Atlantic, Spain had already perfected its model of conquest and colonization in the Canary Islands. This episode follows the century-long campaign that pitted Castilian nobles and Portuguese rivals against the indigenous Guanches — a Neolithic people who fought with stones and wooden spears against steel and cannon. We explore the brutal tactics of Jean de Béthencourt,...

Most people know the Spanish tercio as the unstoppable infantry formation that dominated European battlefields for 150 years. But few know the man who invented it: Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, better known as El Gran Capitán. In the late 15th century, this visionary commander fought in the Granada War against the last Moorish kingdom, then crossed to Italy to face the French. There, he tore up th...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Spanish Inquisition beyond the popular myths. They discuss its origins in 1478 under the Catholic Monarchs, its focus on conversos (Jewish converts), and the role of Tomás de Torquemada. The conversation covers the Inquisition's procedures, its use of torture (which was regulated), and the infamous auto-da-fé. They also touch on the Inquisition's later t...

In this episode of The Story of Spain, Lucas and Luna explore the hidden history of Spain's great bronze bell foundries — the campanas that called communities to prayer, marked the hours, and even shaped the sound of empire. From the medieval talleres of Valencia to the great bell of Toledo, they uncover how bell-founding was a craft that fused art, faith, and technology. Learn about the master fo...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Alhambra, the stunning palace-fortress of the Nasrid dynasty in Granada, Spain. They trace its construction from the 13th century under Muhammad I and later sultans like Yusuf I and Muhammad V, highlighting the intricate stucco work, arabesque designs, and water features that define Islamic architecture. The conversation covers the Alhambra's survival af...

In Episode 140 of The Story of Spain, Lucas and Luna explore the Battle of Cerignola in 1503, a turning point in military history where the Spanish tercio first proved its devastating effectiveness. Fought during the Second Italian War between Spain and France, this clash saw Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the 'Great Captain,' use a fortified position of ditches and stakes to nullify French cavalry...

In 1492, the same year Columbus sailed, the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella signed the Alhambra Decree, ordering the expulsion of all Jews from Spain. This episode explores the decree's origins in the Inquisition, the mass conversion and exile, the figure of Don Isaac Abravanel who tried to negotiate, and the lasting impact on Sephardic diaspora and Spanish identity. We also examine the c...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna revisit the Battle of Pavia in 1525, the decisive clash that made the Spanish tercio the terror of Europe. They explore the tactical revolution of combined pike and shot, the capture of King Francis I of France, and how Charles V's victory reshaped the Italian Wars. The conversation dives into the role of the arquebus, the leadership of the Marquis of Pescara, and t...

In this episode of The Story of Spain, Lucas and Luna explore the Battle of Gembloux (1578), a decisive Spanish victory in the Eighty Years' War. After the Pacification of Ghent united the Dutch provinces against Spanish rule, Don John of Austria—victor of Lepanto—led a campaign to restore Habsburg control. Using the feared tercio infantry, Spanish forces caught the rebel army off guard and routed...

In 1557, Philip II of Spain faced a French invasion of Italy and the Netherlands. His general, Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, met the French army at San Quentin (San Quintín) in Picardy. This episode dives into the battle where the Spanish tercio, combined with English allies under the Earl of Pembroke, crushed the French and changed the war. We explore the tactical decisions, the role of the...

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Spain's European empire stretched from Milan to the Netherlands. But how did Spain move troops, money, and supplies across a continent of hostile kingdoms and treacherous terrain? This episode follows the Spanish Road — a logistical corridor that snaked through the Alps and along the Rhine, connecting the King's realms. Lucas and Luna explore the corridor's creation...

In 1522, the Spanish tercio faced the Swiss mercenaries at the Battle of Bicoca near Milan. Lucas and Luna explore how the combination of arquebusiers and field fortifications shattered the myth of Swiss invincibility. They discuss the role of the Spanish commander Prospero Colonna, the massed Swiss pike charge across muddy ground, and the tactical innovation that made the tercio the dominant infa...

In 1643, the legendary Spanish tercios faced the French army at Rocroi in a battle that would mark the beginning of the end for Spanish military dominance. This episode unpacks the tactical revolution that made the tercios obsolete: the rise of the French ‘battalion’ system under Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu, the role of the Spanish Army of Flanders, and the personal story of the veteran terc...

Before Adam Smith, before free market capitalism, Spanish theologians and jurists at the University of Salamanca were already grappling with inflation, price controls, and the morality of trade in the 16th century. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the School of Salamanca: a circle of thinkers including Francisco de Vitoria, Domingo de Soto, and Martín de Azpilcueta who applied Thomistic phi...

In this episode of The Story of Spain: Empire, Gold, and Global Power, hosts Lucas and Luna explore the Manila Galleons—the Spanish treasure ships that crossed the Pacific from 1565 to 1815, linking Asia and the Americas. They discuss the first voyage led by Andrés de Urdaneta, who discovered the tornaviaje, the return route using the Kuroshio Current. The episode covers the galleon trade's stagge...

In the 16th century, while Spanish conquistadors plundered American silver, a group of theologians and jurists at the University of Salamanca were quietly laying the foundations of modern economics. This episode explores the School of Salamanca — Domingo de Soto, Martín de Azpilcueta, Francisco de Vitoria — and their revolutionary ideas on just price, inflation, private property, and natural law....

In this episode of The Story of Spain: Empire, Gold, and Global Power, Lucas and Luna dive into the longest and bloodiest siege of the Eighty Years' War: the Siege of Ostend (1601–1604). They explore the strategic importance of this coastal fortress for the Spanish Crown, the grueling trench warfare led by Archduke Albert and Ambrogio Spinola, and the English and Dutch defenses under commanders li...

In 1545, a native Andean shepherd named Diego Huallpa stumbled upon a vein of pure silver on a barren mountain in the highlands of present-day Bolivia. That mountain, Cerro Rico — 'Rich Mountain' — would over the next three centuries pour forth an estimated 40,000 tons of silver, enough to build a bridge from Potosí to Madrid. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how a single mine transformed g...