SPAIN IN THE EARLY CENTURIES.
Iberian Peninsula is the name of the whole area covering both Spain and Portugal in the past. It was given several names then according to people who have once lived on it.it was known as Iberia by the Greeks, Hispania by the Romans, Al-Andalus by the Muslim Arabs and Vandalicia by the Vandals. It has been conquered and ruled by many people in the past. The Greeks, the Celts, the Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Goths and most important of all the Muslims before it finally fell into the hands of the Christians centuries later.
After the second Punic war (201 B.C), Carthage lost Spain to the Romans and they inherited it, the Romans developed the peninsula and as years passed by, they lost their bravery and war-like spirit due to luxury which eluded them, they were later defeated by the Goths who took over the peninsula in the 5th century B.C.
Several parts and cities of Spain has retained the names which they used before for example, places like Cordova (presently Cordoba), Barcelona, Sevilla (Seville), Saragossa(presently Zaragoza),Murcia, Malaga etc.
In the 8th century of the Goths on the peninsula, the Goths lived their life of luxury and they were hated by the Spanish Jews because they usually persecute them. They were different regions in the Gothic Spain ruled by different governors, chiefs and elites. Roderick was one of these elites, he was then the governor of South Spain, he violently took over the throne after the death of king Witiza who was the Gothic Empire sole ruler in 710 A.D which rightfully belongs to the sons of king witiza and a long history emerged…
Stay tuned as the story unfolds….
