I wasn't aware that Mexico City became the most important city of the empire. I didn't knew that Spain established the first global currency and American Universities way before Anglos did. Highly recommended.
10 Reviews
Great historiography piece!
CarlosPumaresVive30 October 2021
Very interesting documentary about the important role of Spain as the first world power during fifteenth and sixteenth century
ma-cortes21 February 2022
Documentary about Spain's contribution to a time of discoveries and a first globalization with the appearance of the most prestigious university professors , high level academics from several countries , scholars , politicians and expert people who tell how the true events of the Spanish empire really happened . It includes the following notorious people : Elvira Roca Barea , Stanley Payne , Carmen Iglesias , Fernando García de Cortázar , Ramón Tamames , Alfonso Guerra ..... stating their views against the nefarious invention of the black legend , the ¨Fake News¨ of the Renaissance and Modern Age . Using detailed historical studies , essential documents , the experts trace a travel in time to tell the role of Spain in the first globalization of the mankind with important contribution of the Catholicism , Spanish language and the Silver pattern with relation to an imperial Chinese dynasty : Ming . Against all this, Protestant Revolutionary propaganda rose up , guided by corruption, envy , ambition , initiating wrongly the Hispano-Dutch War and the Anglo-Spanish War against the Catholic monarchs of the 16th century, is said to have fostered an anti-Hispanic bias among past and subsequent historians , being supported by a new invention : Guttenberg's printing.
And remembering fundamental historical happenings as America discovery that puts end to the dark Middle Age : October 12, 1492 carried out by discoverer Christopher Columbus , the great Imperial Kings : Fernando and Isabel , Carlos I , Felipe II . As the Spanish Empire expands its dominion and populates territories all over America and Asia thanks to illustrious conquerors as Hernando Cortés along with the Indian Malinche or Marina, helped by local tribes conquered the bloody Aztec empire , Francisco Pizarro who conquered Inca empire , discoverers and others traveling around the world as Fernando de Magallanes and Juan Sebastian El Cano , Father Urbaneta and Miguel López de Legazpi who founded city of Manila , through the centuries it creates an age of prosperity and richness as well as a great scientist advance in disciplines as mapping with Pedro de Medina , cartography , philosophy , geography, International Law with special mention for School of Salamanca and Father Vitoria . As well as foundation of important South American cities like Veracruz and Panama and several South American Universities. Furthermore, promoting a good overseas relation between South America/Spain thanks to bishop Fonseca, a right legislation as Leyes De Indias, and creating El Consejo de Indias and La Casa de Contratacion de Sevilla . Spain built the first global empire with a great success , however, leading to envy, greed, contempt and robbery by other countries , attacking ships , cities or the long European wars , as the different interests hates and corruption rooted in the heart of the old Europe . It will cause a social war against Spain, creating the Black Legend as an anti-Spanish and anti-catholic propaganda , promoted by different countries as Great Britain, and Netherlands , it eventually was turned into the Hispanophobia, which nowadays, it goes on existing . And along the way , Spanish empire promoting the rout of species , such as : Clavo , Nuez Moscada ; as well as Silver pattern , and as Silver was exploted at Potosi mines in the viceroyalty of Peru , creating together with China the two largest empires of La Plata.
As response to this Fake News , director José Luis López-Linares reunites 39 different experts around the world between academic , historians, writers , politicians and priests in an attempt to tell the truth about the Spanish Black Legend and the actual facts , and against envy of other ambitious countries . As Spanish Black Legend is a false theorised historiographical tendency consisting of anti-Spanish and anti-Catholic propaganda . The proponents claim that its roots date back to the 16th century, when it was originally a political and psychological weapon that was used by Spain's European rivals in order to demonize the Spanish Empire, highlighting the negative aspects as the infamous Inquisition , witch-hunt, executions which was much lower compared to other countries , racism when the mestizos were ordinarily well considered and inferior culture, minimizing Spanish discoveries and achievements, and counter its influence and power in world affairs .
And remembering fundamental historical happenings as America discovery that puts end to the dark Middle Age : October 12, 1492 carried out by discoverer Christopher Columbus , the great Imperial Kings : Fernando and Isabel , Carlos I , Felipe II . As the Spanish Empire expands its dominion and populates territories all over America and Asia thanks to illustrious conquerors as Hernando Cortés along with the Indian Malinche or Marina, helped by local tribes conquered the bloody Aztec empire , Francisco Pizarro who conquered Inca empire , discoverers and others traveling around the world as Fernando de Magallanes and Juan Sebastian El Cano , Father Urbaneta and Miguel López de Legazpi who founded city of Manila , through the centuries it creates an age of prosperity and richness as well as a great scientist advance in disciplines as mapping with Pedro de Medina , cartography , philosophy , geography, International Law with special mention for School of Salamanca and Father Vitoria . As well as foundation of important South American cities like Veracruz and Panama and several South American Universities. Furthermore, promoting a good overseas relation between South America/Spain thanks to bishop Fonseca, a right legislation as Leyes De Indias, and creating El Consejo de Indias and La Casa de Contratacion de Sevilla . Spain built the first global empire with a great success , however, leading to envy, greed, contempt and robbery by other countries , attacking ships , cities or the long European wars , as the different interests hates and corruption rooted in the heart of the old Europe . It will cause a social war against Spain, creating the Black Legend as an anti-Spanish and anti-catholic propaganda , promoted by different countries as Great Britain, and Netherlands , it eventually was turned into the Hispanophobia, which nowadays, it goes on existing . And along the way , Spanish empire promoting the rout of species , such as : Clavo , Nuez Moscada ; as well as Silver pattern , and as Silver was exploted at Potosi mines in the viceroyalty of Peru , creating together with China the two largest empires of La Plata.
As response to this Fake News , director José Luis López-Linares reunites 39 different experts around the world between academic , historians, writers , politicians and priests in an attempt to tell the truth about the Spanish Black Legend and the actual facts , and against envy of other ambitious countries . As Spanish Black Legend is a false theorised historiographical tendency consisting of anti-Spanish and anti-Catholic propaganda . The proponents claim that its roots date back to the 16th century, when it was originally a political and psychological weapon that was used by Spain's European rivals in order to demonize the Spanish Empire, highlighting the negative aspects as the infamous Inquisition , witch-hunt, executions which was much lower compared to other countries , racism when the mestizos were ordinarily well considered and inferior culture, minimizing Spanish discoveries and achievements, and counter its influence and power in world affairs .
More like this!
furore-di-dio23 October 2022
This documentary is a great start to a forgotten historical narrative. I hope it's not the last. Today, as we embark in newer chapters of globalization, it's valuable to know how it all started. Lopez-Linares deserves our applause. I hope he develops this great story into a number of docu-series that do justice to the variety of themes and issues that still need serious development and exposure for todays global public. Spanish imperial history has been languishing for too many decades and badly needs a healthy dust-off. Fortunately, Spain has an monumental treasure of first hand archival documental history. It's high time it showed it off to the rest of the world. Thumbs up!!
Historiography meets mainstream
bibianavargas-0773228 October 2021
What if...cancel culture is reviewed under the light of historiography rather than opportunism. Ever so often, there is a review, from a different angle. This is a documentary for critical thinkers rather than devoted fandoms. One might identify more or less with the views manifested by professionals of History, but can't deny the service this documentary pays to democracy and critical thinking. A tribute to history, an invitation to revisionism, a chance to understand the past to build a different narrative of the future.
MUST SEE
inigofgaragalza19 February 2022
It needed to be done
tomascuenca10 February 2022
As a Modern History enthusiast I truly enjoyed watching this documentary. It gathers all the facts that you really have to dig for about the role of Spain in the construction of the modern World. Is a well utilised oportunity to open the spectator mind and get him or her out of the box. This is brought by high level academics from all the countries that directly or undirectly has had a connection with Spain in the past and even in present time.
Fantastic piece of work. I do recommend watching the extras if you purchase the collectors dvd.
Fantastic piece of work. I do recommend watching the extras if you purchase the collectors dvd.
85% fascinating facts + 15% over-simplification
NF750157 August 2022
Beautiful documentary. Bravo! Interesting interviews with historical experts from around the globe.
Spain has truly suffered -- and very unjustly -- due to a distorted public image of Spanish history. Despite some individual excesses over the centuries, Spaniards are not a cruel or condescending people by nature.
The problem, in my view, is that Spain has not historically focused on "selling itself" -- which is something the French, Italians, Dutch and British do extremely well.
A bit of background here: For hundreds of years during the Middle Ages, Spain was known as a culture of learning and religious tolerance. Jewish and Muslim and Christian leaders would meet in Córdoba (largest city in Spain for many centuries) and also in Toledo (the Spanish capital prior to 1560s). Besides having one of Europe's oldest universities (Salamanca, 1218) the Spaniards later established numerous universities worldwide in the 1500s-1700s. Culturally and intellectually, Spain was an extremely advanced country at this time -- and this includes physics, medicine, science, art, theatre, music.
OK, the strong points of this documentary:
-- Gorgeously filmed around the world. Full of interesting facts and profiles of fascinating historical characters. A pleasure to watch.
-- Finally, a documentary that puts the Inquisition into context! Spain and Portugal were the last 2 European countries to officially expel their Jews in the 1490s. Everyone else did it much sooner. In both countries, Jewish citizens were given the option to either convert or leave. It was not an immediate expulsion. The documentary clarifies that the monarchs (Isabel and Fernando) and elites of the era were strongly against this expulsion. (Interestingly, in 2015 both Spain and Portugal announced that any Jewish person worldwide who could prove Sephardic ancestry would be fast-tracked for citizenship.)
-- The Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453 and within decades began expanding into North Africa, just across from the Spanish mainland. After 800 years of Reconquista, and now faced with this new Muslim threat, it is fully understandable that Spain took a strong position against its Muslim citizens -- and, as with the Jews, they offered them the option of either converting or leaving.
OK, now on to the negative. There are some exaggerations and missed opportunities in this documentary, and the "persecution complex" goes a bit too far at times:
-- There is great confusion between "anti-Catholic" propaganda and "anti-Spanish" feeling. The two might overlap in many cases, but it is far too simplistic and misleading to state they are identical.
-- There is hardly any mention of Rome (seat of the Catholic Church) and its impact on Spain's global expansion.
-- There is hardly any mention of Portugal. Most historians would consider Portugal to be a superpower on the same level as Spain in the 1500s. In fact Portugal started even earlier (mid-1400s) -- although Spain's eventual impact was arguably greater and longer-lasting.
-- Does Portugal suffer from a "leyenda negra" too? Why or why not? The documentary should have spent a couple minutes on the differences between the modern perceptions of the 2 countries.
-- Elizabeth I (daughter of Henry VIII) did not have a visceral hatred of Catholics. This is a lazy misconception -- as lazy as the "leyenda negra" that the film is attempting to criticise. Elizabeth was a pragmatic ruler in turbulent times and was simply competing with Spain for maritime dominance. She had Catholic friends in England, and during her reign she allowed Catholics to practice their faith. She was not a tyrant who "used" religion as a political tool in order to decapitate her enemies, like her father had.
-- Martin Luther did not hate Spain. He detested the corruption and excesses of the Papacy, and the opaque practices of the Catholic Church. His criticism was focused solidly on Rome.
-- The scene (26:40) showing Luther next to the Nazi svastika is simply ridiculous. They lived more than 400 years apart. And what do the Nazis have to do with Spain's globalization? This image immediately discredits the documentary. In fact, many people believe that the Spanish Catholic Church in the 1930s was aligned with the dictator Franco, who was ideologically aligned with Hitler. So by association, Luther and Hitler's "svastika" would also be pro-Catholic. For your own credibility, you should avoid mentioning the Nazis in this documentary.
Overall, this was a beautifully filmed and informative documentary. I deeply love Spain and am glad it is finally getting the respect it deserves for its rich global history. As the title says, Spain was indeed the 1st country (along with Portugal) to practice what we now call "globalization". They were absolutely ahead of their time.
Spain has truly suffered -- and very unjustly -- due to a distorted public image of Spanish history. Despite some individual excesses over the centuries, Spaniards are not a cruel or condescending people by nature.
The problem, in my view, is that Spain has not historically focused on "selling itself" -- which is something the French, Italians, Dutch and British do extremely well.
A bit of background here: For hundreds of years during the Middle Ages, Spain was known as a culture of learning and religious tolerance. Jewish and Muslim and Christian leaders would meet in Córdoba (largest city in Spain for many centuries) and also in Toledo (the Spanish capital prior to 1560s). Besides having one of Europe's oldest universities (Salamanca, 1218) the Spaniards later established numerous universities worldwide in the 1500s-1700s. Culturally and intellectually, Spain was an extremely advanced country at this time -- and this includes physics, medicine, science, art, theatre, music.
OK, the strong points of this documentary:
-- Gorgeously filmed around the world. Full of interesting facts and profiles of fascinating historical characters. A pleasure to watch.
-- Finally, a documentary that puts the Inquisition into context! Spain and Portugal were the last 2 European countries to officially expel their Jews in the 1490s. Everyone else did it much sooner. In both countries, Jewish citizens were given the option to either convert or leave. It was not an immediate expulsion. The documentary clarifies that the monarchs (Isabel and Fernando) and elites of the era were strongly against this expulsion. (Interestingly, in 2015 both Spain and Portugal announced that any Jewish person worldwide who could prove Sephardic ancestry would be fast-tracked for citizenship.)
-- The Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453 and within decades began expanding into North Africa, just across from the Spanish mainland. After 800 years of Reconquista, and now faced with this new Muslim threat, it is fully understandable that Spain took a strong position against its Muslim citizens -- and, as with the Jews, they offered them the option of either converting or leaving.
OK, now on to the negative. There are some exaggerations and missed opportunities in this documentary, and the "persecution complex" goes a bit too far at times:
-- There is great confusion between "anti-Catholic" propaganda and "anti-Spanish" feeling. The two might overlap in many cases, but it is far too simplistic and misleading to state they are identical.
-- There is hardly any mention of Rome (seat of the Catholic Church) and its impact on Spain's global expansion.
-- There is hardly any mention of Portugal. Most historians would consider Portugal to be a superpower on the same level as Spain in the 1500s. In fact Portugal started even earlier (mid-1400s) -- although Spain's eventual impact was arguably greater and longer-lasting.
-- Does Portugal suffer from a "leyenda negra" too? Why or why not? The documentary should have spent a couple minutes on the differences between the modern perceptions of the 2 countries.
-- Elizabeth I (daughter of Henry VIII) did not have a visceral hatred of Catholics. This is a lazy misconception -- as lazy as the "leyenda negra" that the film is attempting to criticise. Elizabeth was a pragmatic ruler in turbulent times and was simply competing with Spain for maritime dominance. She had Catholic friends in England, and during her reign she allowed Catholics to practice their faith. She was not a tyrant who "used" religion as a political tool in order to decapitate her enemies, like her father had.
-- Martin Luther did not hate Spain. He detested the corruption and excesses of the Papacy, and the opaque practices of the Catholic Church. His criticism was focused solidly on Rome.
-- The scene (26:40) showing Luther next to the Nazi svastika is simply ridiculous. They lived more than 400 years apart. And what do the Nazis have to do with Spain's globalization? This image immediately discredits the documentary. In fact, many people believe that the Spanish Catholic Church in the 1930s was aligned with the dictator Franco, who was ideologically aligned with Hitler. So by association, Luther and Hitler's "svastika" would also be pro-Catholic. For your own credibility, you should avoid mentioning the Nazis in this documentary.
Overall, this was a beautifully filmed and informative documentary. I deeply love Spain and am glad it is finally getting the respect it deserves for its rich global history. As the title says, Spain was indeed the 1st country (along with Portugal) to practice what we now call "globalization". They were absolutely ahead of their time.
Global what???
davish_wulf-12 August 2022
Get your facts straight :D before Spain PORTUGAL started the first globalization, by discovering the maritim way to India, all the African coast, even Portuguese in Japan and, of course Brasil.
Spain AND Portugal started the globalization, with an arrogance as such to divide the world in half for each of them.
Get your facts straight.
Spain AND Portugal started the globalization, with an arrogance as such to divide the world in half for each of them.
Get your facts straight.
Cheap denialism
janmonsalvatje22 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A mix of denialism, historical revisionism and Spanish nationalism. "It isn't possible to feel ashamed of those three and half centuries", says the director, meaning the age in which the genocide of American indigenous peoples started. According to him, Spaniards brought civilisation to America.
How dare to call Spanish conquerors, better call exterminators
li090442615 April 2023
The movie "España, la primera globalización" is a Spanish documentary that explores Spain's role in the first globalization period, which began in the 16th century. It features interviews with historians, experts, and writers, and uses archival footage.
One of the biggest issues with the movie is that Spanish scholars justify the atrocities of the explorers against the entire indigenous civilization existing in the Americas by claiming that other European countries did the same or even worse than the Spanish conquerors. Another big mistake is to state that Spanish navigators were discoverers of the new land. There were already great empires such as the Incas, Aztecs, Mayans, Guaranis, Tupinambás, Tupis, Apaches, Shawees, Navajos, Inuit, and many others in American lands. They should be recognized as decimators, they exterminated and devastated the natives, their lands, their culture, and their forests.
How can these scholars minimize the destruction of all indigenous cultures in America? How is it possible to boast that Spain created the first universities in America when these were only attended by the children of the colonizers?
Before watching this documentary, ask yourself why all the countries considered "discovered" by Spain and Portugal in the Americas are still considered third-world countries and countries colonized by the British, i.e. The United States and Canada are not. The only interest of Spain and Portugal was to "steal" all of America's natural resources while the British intuition was to colonize, to populate even with despicable individuals from Europe.
One of the biggest issues with the movie is that Spanish scholars justify the atrocities of the explorers against the entire indigenous civilization existing in the Americas by claiming that other European countries did the same or even worse than the Spanish conquerors. Another big mistake is to state that Spanish navigators were discoverers of the new land. There were already great empires such as the Incas, Aztecs, Mayans, Guaranis, Tupinambás, Tupis, Apaches, Shawees, Navajos, Inuit, and many others in American lands. They should be recognized as decimators, they exterminated and devastated the natives, their lands, their culture, and their forests.
How can these scholars minimize the destruction of all indigenous cultures in America? How is it possible to boast that Spain created the first universities in America when these were only attended by the children of the colonizers?
Before watching this documentary, ask yourself why all the countries considered "discovered" by Spain and Portugal in the Americas are still considered third-world countries and countries colonized by the British, i.e. The United States and Canada are not. The only interest of Spain and Portugal was to "steal" all of America's natural resources while the British intuition was to colonize, to populate even with despicable individuals from Europe.
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