Madrid

History

Bryan Mann

Madrid

Madrid’s earliest settelment dates all the way back to pre-historic times. People had lived in this area for thousands of years. It is proven by archeological discoveries found in the city that there was once a Roman Visigoth village living there. However it wasn’t until the mid-9th century that Madrid was formed. Madrid began around the Cardoba emirate time when the Emir of Cordoba , Muhammad I, built a castle overlooking the Manzanares River to protect recently accuired land. Madrid’s location however was a great strategic asset. Madrid develpoed it’s name by it surrounding area, the Manzanares river which was called Al-Majrīṭn meaning a a source of water and place of many streams. It then became the Majerit, which later turned into Madrid, the name that it still currently holds today. Since other cities were already well-established in 1,000, it took Madrid longer than expected to become a place of relevance. It wasn’t until the 1300’s that the King of Castile appointed a governor and in 1309 the royal court and parliament gathered there for the first time. This act of royal attention progressively held a big impact on the history of Madrid. By 1561 King Philip II had changed the capital of Spain from Toledo to Madrid.  Madrid becoming the Spanish capital which forced its growth in politics, in expansion, and culturally. For as much as Madrid had rapidly grown, it still needed a lot of work. Bourbon King Charles III (1759-1788) debated changing the capital several times due to the fact that Madrid was dangerous, dirty and just not up to par. However, he initiated several motions that helped its development earning him the title of mayor-king.  The 16th and 17th centuries proved to be very important to Madrid regarding architecture. New buildings, bridges, and city-gates and the re-construction of the Royal Palace improved the cities appearance deeply. In 1600 it was gaining so much Spanish art attention that Madrid became a city with a major center of art. In 1631 the now famous Buen Retiro Park was founded. The National Library building was founded in 1712 and held historical archives. By 1850’s more projects helped its growth, new canals were bringing in fresh water into the cities, restoration of the Opera House occurred, it even had its first train depart in 1851, and plans for hospitals, jails, and cemeteries were developing. Since then Madrid has only continued to keep expanding.

Madrid’s countless changes over the years has helped change its way of life and has developed a continual growth. That growth included not only Europe, but also exploration of other places. The Age of Discovery or the Age of Exploration was a time in history in which Europeans explored the world by sea. A big breakthrough in exploration occurred with Christopher Columbus. He had actually tried to convince the Portuguese to fund his trip however they declined and so did France and England, and so he then went to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. It took him about 7 years to convince them and they ultimate gave in and funded his exploration. In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail all he was supposed to do was find a direct water line between Europe and Asia, but he did more than that by discovering the “Americans”. This changed the world and he was able to became the first explorer to colonize

territories. Since his trip was funded by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain the land he found was claimed as Spain’s. This trip is what helped make Spain the center of exploration. 

Many believed that this is what helped Spain achieve the title as the center of exploration. Lord Acton an English Historian said, “...it led to the penetration of European influence, and in some cases European domination to every continent on the globe. Europe has held sway on all the continents in succession....Europe has produced a civilization which is being imitated by the whole world, whilst the converse has never happened.” (1) The world at this time had never seen the new discoveries Spain was experiencing. Columbus discovery helped Spain develop into an even bigger empire by helping them become stronger and wealthier with more land, newer resources, and the chance to trade with new countries. Although without this discovery Spain was already booming this defiantly helped give them an advantage. It also led to the Columbian Exchange, the movement of animals, plants, food, diseases, and even slaves. “The Columbian Exchange impacted the social and cultural makeup of both sides of the Atlantic. Advancements in agricultural production, evolution of warfare, increased mortality rates and education are a few examples of the effect of the Columbian Exchange on both Europeans and Native Americans.”(2) Because of this the relationship with Portugal was becoming more strained and “Early in their career as explorers, the Portuguese encountered Spanish rivalry. During the fifteenth century there were numerous disputes between Portugal and Castile involving trade and colonization.” (3) By 1494 there was a treaty, Treaty of Tordesillas, that acknowledged that Spain had exclusive rights to the New world and then Portugal to India. They could explore and use all the natural resources. All these events were able to help change not just Spain but also Madrid into globalization. Globalization is the interaction between people, companies, and governments and the process in spreading ideas and goods throughout the world. Spain began to build their empire and bring back resources like gems, gold, silk, and spices like tobacco plants, turkeys, and peppers. All of Spain’s new discoveries and its attempt to colonize the new lands helped it build their empire and become more globalized. Madrid being the capital of Spain and its center of government meant that as Spain cultivated Madrid cultivated.