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A Short History of Spain

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Spain has a rich and very proud history; a history that, according to experts, dates back to the hominids, a pre-historic people who are thought to have populated the Iberian Peninsula some 1.2 million years ago.  This long and storied history can best be explained and described in terms of specific time periods or eras, official and unofficial, beginning with pre-Roman times and continuing into the new Democratic Spain we know today.

Overview of Spanish History

In 1868, a farmer discovered paintings in a cave in the Cantabrian Mountains, in northern Spain. The pictures that he found in the Altamira caves date from 15,000 to 8500 B.C. They show bison, wild boars, and other animals that people hunted at that time. They were painted by the first people to live in Spain and are considered some of the finest examples of cave art anywhere in the world.

The next known people to live in Spain were the Iberians. They came from northern Africa, crossing the Mediterranean Sea into Spain around 3000 B.C. They built small towns and villages, where they farmed the land and worked as skilled metalworkers, potters, and sculptors. About 2,000 years later, the Celts came to Spain from Europe, finding their way across the rugged Pyrenees Mountains in the north. After settling in Galicia, in northwest Spain, they began to raise livestock and farm the land.

Phoenicians and Greeks

Phoenicians from the eastern Mediterranean came to Spain around 1000 B.C. and settled along the east coast. They came in search of valuable minerals such as gold, silver, tin, and copper. A few centuries later, Greeks arrived and settled in the northeast. Both the Phoenician and Greek settlers shipped Spanish food, fish, salt, minerals, and pottery back to people in their homelands. They also introduced many foods from their homelands to Spain, such as grapes and olives, which are still grown in Spain today.

Carthaginians and Romans

Armies from Carthage, in northern Africa, began arriving in Spain after 400 B.C. in search of territory to occupy. Then, in 206 B.C., Romans came to Spain to fight the Carthaginians for control of the area. They won the battle and imposed common laws and a single language, Latin, on most of the land. During the next 600 years, waves of Romans came to live in Spain, where they built cities, temples, outdoor theaters, roads, and aqueducts. Some of the people from Rome were Christians, while others were Jews.

Visigoths

By 400 A.D., tribes from northern Europe began attacking Spain. One of these tribes, the Visigoths, defeated the Romans in Spain in 409 and took control of the northern part of the country. The Visigoth kings adopted Christianity from the Romans, and forced Jewish citizens to convert to Christianity. The next 300 years were a dark period in Spain´s history, marked by battles in different regions and a lack of law and order. Cities began to fall apart. Spain was weak and vulnerable to invasion.

Moors and Islam

The Moors, from northern Africa, landed at Gibraltar, in the south of Spain, in 711, It took them less than seven years to conquer all of Spain, except for a few Christian kingdoms in the north. The Moors ruled Spain for the next 800 years. They settled mainly in the southern part of the country, in a region known as Andalusia.

The Moors had an enormous influence on life in Spain. Farmland flourished when the Moors introduced sophisticated methods of irrigation. The Moors built beautiful palaces, public baths, schools, and gardens. They introduced the religion of Islam, practiced by Muslims, to Spain. Many Spanish people became Muslims during the Moors´ rule, although the Moors allowed Christians and Jews to follow their own religious beliefs. The Moors were also very knowledgeable about math and science. Under the Moors, Spain became a center of learning and culture.

Reconquest

Eventually, the Christian kingdoms in the north began a long fight to win Spain back from the Moors. This period, from 718 to 1491, is known as the Reconquest. The two most powerful kingdoms in northern Spain were Castile and Aragon. When Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon married in 1469, they united their forces. Isabella and Ferdinand finally drove the Moors out of Spain when they captured the kingdom of Granada, the Moors´ last stronghold, in 1492.

The Spanish Inquisition

Ferdinand and Isabella practiced a denomination of Christianity called Roman Catholicism. They insisted that everyone in Spain also practice Catholicism. Mosques and synagogues were destroyed and rebuilt as churches. Jews and Muslims were given a choice: convert to Catholicism or leave Spain. Those who chose to convert were still persecuted. For example, Muslim converts were forced to live in certain rural areas. In 1478, Ferdinand and Isabella set up the Inquisition, a court to investigate whether people were practicing Roman Catholicism. People who had not converted or whose beliefs were questioned were sent out of Spain, punished severely, or executed. Five thousand people were executed in the first 50 years of the Inquisition, which finally ended in 1834.

Explorers and Conquerors

In 1492, Queen Isabella paid for an Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, to search for a new route to India by water. She wanted easier access to India´s spices and other riches. When Columbus´s ship landed on one of the islands of the Bahamas, instead of India, he became the first European explorer to see this part of America. After Columbus´s return, Queen Isabella gave money to other Spanish explorers, so they could bring the riches of the Americas back to Spain. These Spanish adventurers, or conquistadores, gradually conquered Mexico, Central America, parts of the United States, and parts of South America. From these conquered territories, they shipped gold, jewels, and precious metals, as well as cocoa, corn, and potatoes, to Spain, making it one of the wealthiest nations in the world.

The Spanish Armada

In 1588, the king of Spain sent a fleet of 133 ships, called the Armada, to invade England. Almost half these ships sank in stormy weather or while fighting the British navy. This was a major defeat for Spain, and it marked the beginning of a slow decline in Spain´s power. One by one, Spain´s overseas territories regained their independence.

The Spanish Civil War

For hundreds of years, Spain was a monarchy, ruled by kings and queens. In 1931, Spain became a republic in which the citizens elected their government. People who supported this new government were called Republicans. In 1936, General Francisco Franco led the Spanish army in an uprising against the new government because he wanted Spain to be run in an older, traditional way. Franco and the people fighting with him were called Nationalists. Civil war shook Spain for more than three years, killing over half-a-million people. Almost as many people fled from Spain to other countries. Eventually, the Nationalists won the war, and Franco made himself leader of the nation.

General Franco´s rule

Franco was a dictator, a leader who ruled with absolute authority and force. He abolished the parliament, leaving only one political party, his own. Franco was also a fascist. Fascists believe that a country can only be strong if the government restricts people´s rights and freedoms. One of the ways Franco did this was by allowing people in Spain to speak only Castilian, the language spoken in central Spain. People living in different parts of the country were not allowed to speak their own languages or practice their own customs.

King Juan Carlos

General Franco chose Juan Carlos to rule after him, as king. Juan Carlos´s grandfather, Alfonso XIII, had been king of Spain from 1886 to 1931. Franco thought that Juan Carlos would continue his fascist policies. Instead, after Franco died in 1975, Juan Carlos appointed a new prime minister and helped establish a democracy in Spain. Elections were held in 1977, and Spaniards chose who they wanted to govern them. Today, Spain continues to have an elected prime minister and strong parliament, as well as a monarch.

History of Spain

Pre-Roman Era

Although archaeological digs and the resultant fossils found in Spain’s Atapuerca Mountains suggest that the Iberian Peninsula was populated as early as 1.2 million years ago, it wasn’t until approximately 35,000 years ago that modern humans first arrived on the peninsula, traveling from the north on foot.  The best evidence of this Cro-Magnon (or perhaps even Neanderthal) presence are the famous paintings in the Altamira Cave in northern Iberia, created from 35,600 to 13,500 BC.

In looking at records, the two main historic peoples of the Iberian Peninsula were the Iberians, a people who inhabited the Mediterranean side of the peninsula from the northeast to the southeast; and the Celts, a northern people, who inhabited the Atlantic side, in the north, center, northwest and southwest portion of the peninsula.  In addition, the Basques, much smaller in number, occupied the western area of the Pyrenees mountain range and areas adjacent.

The “semi-mythical city” of Tartessos appeared in the south of the Iberian Peninsula in approximately 1100 BC; a city whose gold and silver trade with the Phoenicians and Greeks flourished, according to the writings of Strabo in the Book of Solomon.  Between 800 BC and 300 BC, the seafaring Phoenicians and Greeks established trading colonies along the Mediterranean coastline.  For a brief while, the Carthaginians exerted control over much of the Mediterranean side of the peninsula, until they were defeated by the Romans in the Punic Wars.

Hispania:  the Roman Empire and the Gothic Kingdom

Hispania was the name given to the region now known as Spain during the Roman Empire.  During the Second Punic War, the ever-expanding Roman Empire captured Carthaginian trading colonies along the Mediterranean coast from approximately 210 to 205 BC.  In total, it took the Roman Empire two long centuries to conquer the Iberian Peninsula, though they held control over the region for the following six centuries. National Museum of Roman Art in Merida

Because on its geographic location—its Mediterranean and Atlantic harbors—Hispania became a major granary of the Roman market and one of the most important regions in the Empire. It was during the Roman Empire era that Hispania underwent a major cultural shift, one that would end up leaving a lasting impression.  The cultures and languages of the Iberian and Celtic peoples gradually became Romanized or Latinized under the Romans.  Christianity was introduced in the first century AD, or the beginning of the common era, and became popular throughout the region by the close of the second century.  Even today, most of Spain’s languages, religion and the basis for its laws can be traced back to this very crucial historical period in history.

The Roman Empire’s grip on Hispania began to weaken in 409, when the “Germanic Suebi and Vandals, along with the Sarmatian Alans crossed the Rhine and ravaged Gaul until the Visigoths drove them into Iberia that same year.” Under Visigoth rule, and as the western part of the Roman Empire disintegrated, the region became much more simplified both socially and economically, but even after these changes, successor regimes maintained many of the institutions and laws of the late empire, including Christianity.

Moorish Iberia

In the years between 711 and 718, nearly all of the Iberian Peninsula was conquered by the North African Moorish Muslim armies—conquests that were a component of the expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate.  Only a small and mountainous area in the peninsula’s northwest managed to stave off the initial invasion.

Following these conquests, the region’s Christians and Jews were given the unfortunate status of dhimmi.  Although not prohibited from practicing their faith freely within their specific communities, the dhimmi were labeled subordinate to Muslims and were thus required to pay a special tax and had legal and social rights that were inferior to those of Islamic followers.  Because of this, and in an effort to retain their full rights and status, many Iberian natives in Al-Andalus (the name given to Iberia during Moorish rule) began to convert to Islam, a conversion that occurred at a fairly rapid rate. In fact, by the end of the 10 century the Muladies (Muslims of ethnic Iberian origin) comprised the majority of Al-Andalus’ population.

During the period of Muslim rule, the city of Córdoba, the capital of the caliphate, was the largest, wealthiest and most sophisticated city in Western Europe.  Here Mediterranean trade flourished, as did cultural exchange, with Muslim and Jewish scholars working together to play a crucial role in reviving classical Greek learning in Western Europe.  The manner in which the Latinized peoples interacted with Jewish and Muslim cultures created a unified and quite distinctive new culture in the region, one that allowed these diverse groups to openly share ideas and experiences to improve and simplify the life of all people living in the region.

The 11 century saw Al-Andalus fracture into rival Taifa kingdoms, a development that enabled the small Christian communities to greatly enlarge their territories.  However, when the Islamic ruling sects of Almovarids and Almohads arrived from North Africa they managed to restore unity in the region, leading to another 100+ years of Muslim fortunes and reversing some of the gains made by the Christians.

Reconquista Era

The Reconquista, or “Reconquest,” defines the centuries-long period in which the Christians of the Iberian Peninsula expanded their respective kingdoms. Although Al-Andalus was mostly restored in the 11 century after initially breaking up into Taifa kingdoms, the capture of Toledo near the end of that century (1085) saw a shift in power in favor of the Christian kingdoms.  The Moors recovered greatly in the 12 century, however, when much of the south of the peninsula fell to Christian forces in the 13 century—Córdoba in 1236 and Seville in 1248—only Granada remained as a Muslim enclave.

The beginning of the end for the Moors happened in 1469 with the marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, thus uniting these two kingdoms.  1478 saw the conquest of the Canary Islands, and in 1492, the combined forces of Castile and Aragon worked in unison to capture the Emirate of Granada, effectively ending 781 years of Islamic rule in Iberia.

[pic1] As you will remember from history class, 1492 was also the year that Columbus discovered the New World, a voyage funded by Queen Isabella. This would later lead to much colonial expansion in this region of the world.  As Renaissance Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella centralized royal power at the expense of local nobility, and renamed the region España (Spain) as a way to designate the two kingdoms.  As a result of the New Monarchs many wide-ranging reforms in the region—political, religious, legal and military reforms—Spain became the globe’s first world power.

The Imperial Era in Spain

The union of Ferdinand and Isabella, and thus of Aragon and Castile, laid the foundation for modern Spain and the Spanish Empire, although in terms of society, politics, law and language, each kingdom throughout Spain remained a separate country—at least for a time.  Spain became the most significant power in Europe during the 16 and much of the 17 century, a status backed up by wealth and trade from colonial possessions.  The empire reached its climax during the reigns of the first two Spanish Hapsburgs—Charles I (1516-1556) and Phillip II (1556-1598).  This Hapsburg era saw the Italian Wars, the Dutch Revolt, and the Morisco Revolt, along with the revolt of the comuneros, clashes with the Ottomans, the Anglo-Spanish War and the wars with France.

The Imperial Era can best be described as a time of discovery, both within Iberian Spain and around the world.  Spain acquired land and unprecedented wealth as the empire expanded into parts of the Americas, into islands in the Asia-Pacific region, and into parts of Italy, North Africa and what are now France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.  Often referred to as the Spanish Golden Age, this era saw many daring voyages, the opening of new trade routes and the rise of humanism and the Protestant Reformation.

If the early part of the Imperial Era was the Golden Age, the latter half of the 16 century and the early part of the 17 century might be nicknamed the “Age of War.”  As a Catholic country, Spain found itself deeply entrenched in religiously-charged wars during the Protestant Reformation, resulting in military conflicts across Europe and in the Mediterranean.  The Black Legend, or anti-Spanish propaganda, was aimed at Spain by rival European powers, particularly by the Protestant countries of England and the Netherlands as a means to “morally disqualify the country and its people.”  The Black Legend particularly embellishes the facts with regard to the Inquisition, or the treatment of the American indigenous peoples in its Spanish colonies, and non-Catholics in its European territories.

Towards the end of the 17 century, a war-torn Spain gradually began to decline, surrendering many of its territories in France and the Netherlands and losing the region now known as Portugal.  The country did, however, retain its massive empire overseas, which it would continue to hold onto until early in the 19 century.

In the early part of the 18 century, a controversy over succession to the throne led to the War of Spanish Succession, costing Spain its European possessions and its title as one of the world’s powers.  It would later, however, recover some of its international standing by aiding the British in the American War of Independence.  During the War of Spanish Succession, the French-originating Bourbon dynasty rose to power, and the first Bourbon king, Philip V, united the crowns of Castile and Aragon into a single state, thus eradicating many of the old regional privileges and laws. 

The Napoleon Era

In 1807, the Spanish King Charles IV entered into the secret Treaty of Fontainebleau with the French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte—a treaty in which it was agreed that Portugal and all Portuguese dominions were to be divided between the two signatories.  By doing this, Napoleon wanted to secure and ensure the Continental Blockade he had imposed on Britain in 1806 by capturing the Portuguese ports. The Spanish Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy was also present at the time the treaty was signed. 

For its part, Spain acted very slowly with regard to the occupation, and Napoleon, who was fully aware of the disastrous state of Spain's economy and administration, its political fragility, and its perceived weakness as an ally, began positioning French troops in Spain in preparation for a French invasion of Portugal.  Once this was completed, Napoleon continued to move additional French troops into Spain.The 2nd of May of 1808 in Madrid.

The presence of French troops was far from popular with the Spanish people, ultimately resulting in the Mutiny of Aranjuez and the March, 1808 abdication of Charles IV of Spain in favor of his son Ferdinand VII.  Napoleon had amassed some 100,000 troops in Spain by this time, and Charles IV hoped that the French ruler would assist him in regaining the throne.  However, not only did Napoleon refuse to help Charles, he also refused to recognize his son, Ferdinand VII as king, and instead pressured both of the Spanish monarchs to cede the throne to himself, at which time he installed his oldest brother as King Joseph I.

Joseph Bonaparte, a puppet monarch, was much-reviled by the Spanish people, and the revolt on May 2, 1808 was just one of the many uprisings led by the Spanish people in opposition to French rule.  Collectively these revolts triggered the Spanish War of Independence.  Initially in this war, Napoleon’s forces were able to push back the badly-coordinated Spanish armies, but due to the brave actions of Spanish guerillas and Wellington’s British-Portuguese forces, coupled with Napoleon’s devastating loss during the invasion of Russia, the French troops were finally ousted in 1814 and King Ferdinand VII was installed as the new king.

Civil War Comes to Spain

In the early part of the 20 century, heavy losses, resulting from Spain’s attempt to colonize parts of Africa, began to undermine the country’s authority.  For a period, the country came under the authoritarian rule of General Miguel Primo de Rivera (1923-1931), a period which ended with the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic.  Among other moves, the leadership of the new Republic offered political autonomy to the Basque Country, Galicia and Catalonia, and gave suffrage rights to women.

The Spanish Civil War between the Republican forces and the rebel Nationalist forces raged on from 1936 to 1939, claiming the lives of some 500,000 people and causing another half million people to flee the country, with most ending up in South America, particularly Argentina.  The Nationalist forces. backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, were ultimately victorious, leading and the Nationalist General, Francisco Franco, was installed as the new ruler of Spain.

History of Spain Under Franco

Under General Franco, Spain was nominally neutral during the Second World War, although its official sympathies rested with the Axis Powers.  Only one legal political party existed under Franco’s dictatorship—the Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las JONS.  Established in 1937, this sole party, which would later be renamed the Movimiento Nacional (National Movement) in 1949, emphasized Catholicism, Nationalism and anti-Communism.

During the 1960s, Spain, which had basically been politically and economically isolated after World War II, experienced an unprecedented rate of economic growth in what came to be known as the Spanish Miracle.  The growth helped the country resume the much interrupted transition towards a modern economy.

Post Franco Era and the New Democracy

Following the death of General Franco in 1975, Juan Carlos succeeded as the King of Spain and head of state.  Three years later, the country approved a new Spanish Constitution, resulting in the restoration of democracy. It was at this time that the country began to delegate much of the previously-held National authority to the regions and created an international organization based on autonomous communities.

Following a referendum, Spain joined NATO in May of 1982, the same year that the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) came to power, the first left-wing government in 43 years.  Spain joined the European Union in 1986, and in 1996, the PSOE, after having served 14 consecutive years in office, was defeated by the Partido Popular in the General Elections.  In 2002, Spain discontinued use of the peseta as currency, replacing it with the Euro.

On March 11, 2004, a series of bombs exploded in commuter trains in Madrid, killing 190 people and injuring roughly 1,800 more.  After a lengthy trial, spanning five months, it was concluded that the bombings were perpetrated by a local Islamist group inspired by al-Qaeda, with the possible goal of influencing the general elections to be held three days later.

Like in many countries throughout the world, Spain is currently in the midst of a major economic recession/crisis, caused largely by the massive decline in the housing market.

The History of Madrid, Spain

Madrid, Spain has a rich and colorful history, beginning with the theories regarding the origins of its name. Legend has it the city was founded by Ocno Bianor, son of King Tyrrhenius of Tuscany and Mantua, who named the settlement “Metragirta”—a name that over time was shortened to “Madrid.” Despite this legend (and many more like it), most historians agree the name dates back to the 2nd century BC. It was around this time that the Roman Empire established a settlement on the Manzanares River, naming this first village “Matrice”—a reference to the river that crossed the settlement. The name would change again in the 7th century AD with the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. This group named the settlement “Mayrit,” from the Arabic term Mayra meaning “water as the giver of life.” The modern term “Madrid” is said to have evolved from this name, a name that is still contained within the Madrilinean lexicon.

Although there is evidence that Madrid was occupied since prehistoric times, the historical certainty regarding the existence of an occupied settlement cannot be established until the Muslim Age, in the second half of the 9th century. A fortress was built at that time along the Manzanares River, one of many built at that time with the goal of safeguarding Toledo from Christian invaders. Then, late in the 11th century, following the surrender of Toledo by Alfonso VI, Madrid was indeed conquered by the Christians and integrated into the Kingdom of Castile as a property of the Crown. This drastically altered the demographics of the city, as Christians took a foothold in the center of Madrid, relegating Arabs and Jews to the outlying areas.

Up until the 16th century, Toledo was considered the de-facto capital of Spain, but this would soon change. The population of Madrid, a city that was very important during the revolt of the Comuneros in the early part of the 16th century, had swelled to over 30,000, which prompted King Philip II to relocate his court to Madrid and install it in the old castle, Alcazar. As a result, Madrid became the political epicenter of the country, and would later, under the reign of Philip IV, become the cultural hub as well, represented by the brilliant authors and artistic talents of the time, with names such as Miguel de Cervantes, Diego Velazquez, Francisco de Quevedo and Lope de Vega.

Following the death of King Charles II of Spain and the resultant War of the Spanish Succession, Madrid would support Philip of Anjou’s right to claim the throne, despite being occupied at the time by the Portuguese army who proclaimed the Archduke Charles of Austria king. Philip V would finally prevail, and once he assumed control he immediately set to work building the new Royal Palace (Alcazar had been destroyed during the war) and the main Royal Academies. His contributions are considered major from a historical perspective, but not near as impressive as those of his successor, King Charles III of Spain Monument to Carlos III at Jardines de Sabatini. Photo credit. Known as the “best major of Madrid,” Charles III took the initiative in transforming Madrid into a “real capital”—a city worthy of its classification. He improved streets, including adding street lighting, built sewers and cemeteries (outside the city) and is responsible for many of the monuments and attractions that visitors still enjoy today, including the Puerto de Alcala and the Prado Museum.

The Spanish Constitution of 1931 was the first constitution that dealt with the issue of legislating on a state capital, setting the distinction explicitly on Madrid. Many rulers and leaders have followed since that time, navigating the city through tough times—including the Spanish Civil War from 1936-1939—and boons, including the period of unprecedented economic growth and wealth accumulation from 1959-1973.

Today Madrid remains as one of the most beautiful cities in all of Europe; a city that continues to fulfill the dream of King Charles III and those who came after him: living up to its name and reputation as one of the world’s greatest and most highly respected capital cities.

More About May 2nd in Madrid

El 2 de Mayo, or the 2nd day of May, is a very important day in Madrid, Spain, as well as in the surrounding towns and villages. The date marks the anniversary of an uprising against French troops in Madrid that occurred on May 2, 1808, an uprising which would eventually lead to Spain’s War of Independence. The day, which is a public holiday only in the Madrid region of Spain, is known as the “Day of the Autonomous Community of Madrid,” (or sometimes merely the “Day of Madrid”). It is the second of two public holidays in the Community of Madrid, the first being Labor Day, which is celebrated annually throughout Spain on May 1st.

History of May 2nd

“The population of Madrid, led astray, has given itself to revolt and murder. French blood has flowed. It demands vengeance. All those arrested in the uprising, arms in hand, will be shot.”

These were the frightful words spoken by the French General Joachim Murat, brother-in-law of Napoleon Bonaparte, on May 2nd 1808, following the uprising in Madrid against French troops, an act that would mark the beginning of the Peninsular War.

In March of 1808, French military forces began occupying the city of Madrid—an occupation that, at least at first, was seen by the citizens as more of a political inconvenience than brutal repression and control. However, on May 2nd of the same year, a skirmish occurred that brought about a bloody fight for Spanish independence. The altercation occurred in front of the Royal Palace. A crowd of Madrid residents had gathered outside the palace in an attempt to prevent the French forces from relocating the people whom Madrilènos considered to be their royal family. As the locals tried to hold the French soldiers back, they responded by firing their guns into the crowd. This sparked even more fighting, and by the time the day had ended, many lie dead and hundreds more wounded.

There emerged from the uprising two heroes and one heroine. The heroes were Spanish soldiers Luis Daoíz y Torres and Pedro Valarde y Santillán, who led their own detachments of Spanish troops against the French forces. Both men died in the fighting. Both have since been immortalized in Spanish art, and Valarde even has a street named after him in Madrid.
The heroine in this tragedy, 15-year old Manuela Malasaña Oñoro, also died in the plaza, although her story has two versions, both of which have been romanticized over time.

The first account tells of a dutiful daughter, assisting her parents with ammunition in their fourth floor apartment, and then continuing out into the plaza, where she becomes a victim of the crossfire between Spanish and French troops. Hearing the commotion, her father follows her out, and being fraught with despair upon finding his daughter dead, he reacts wildly to the violence, and he too is killed by the French. In the second version, Manuela is forbidden by her employer to go into the street where the uprising is raging. She was working as a seamstress in a local shop, and the owner of the business wanted to keep her safe inside. Near the end of the day, however, French troops enter the shop, and while she is resisting their attempts to rape her, she defends herself with a pair of scissors (the tools of her trade), and is later executed in accordance with General Murat’s order to kill all residents holding a weapon of any kind. Whatever adaptation you choose to believe, it is almost universally accepted that Manuela died in the plaza on May 2nd at the hands of the French, and like Daoíz and Valarde, she too has been immortalized in dramatic paintings and also has a street named after her.

Events of May 2nd

To commemorate the Day of Madrid the citizens engage in a number of celebratory activities, both public and private. Most businesses are closed for the day, save for the bars, food stores and bakeries. Police and military parades roll through the streets of Madrid to applause, and in the other towns and villages in which the day is celebrated there are similar displays to mark and honor the brave men and women responsible for the uprising. Street parties rule the day throughout the Autonomous Community of Madrid, where communal meals are exchanged to the sound of laughter and goodwill. Some people take advantage of the extended holiday to travel to other cities in Spain and other European countries, particularly when the 1st and 2nd of May fall in the beginning or end of the work week, leading to a four-day weekend.

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