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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information

  • There are a total of 95 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

    Spanish

    Beginning in 1833, Spain was torn by this series of wars that pitted those supporters of Ferdinand VII's brother, Don Carlos, and those who supported Ferdinand's daughter, Isabella II, as rightful heirs to the throne. What was this series of wars know as?Spanish History #1

      The Carlist Wars.

    The Constitution of 1812, drafted during the Peninsular War, was a model of liberalism. In which city was it drafted?Spanish History #1

      Cadiz.

    On which day did the Spanish rise up against the French in Madrid, sparking the 6 year-long Peninsular War?Spanish History #1

      May 2 1808. The rumour spread that the French were planning on taking Spain's crown prince out of the country. The uprising as a result was very bloody - 600 Spaniards and 400 Frenchmen and Polish Lancers died.

    In which year were the Jesuits expelled from Spain?Spanish History #2

      1767.

    This man led a naval mutiny in Cadiz, and went on to lead the new, liberal government that was established immediately afterward, until 1823?Spanish History #2

      Colonel Rafael Riego. The mutiny began among disgruntled troops waiting to embark for the colonial war in Latin {America;} the Army refused to put the mutiny down, which was why it succeeded. Riego's action set the pattern for the many military revolts of the next two decades!

    Which King's abdication created the power vacuum that was the immediate cause of the First Republic being established?Spanish History #2

      Amadeo. See above.

    When was the First Republic Established?Spanish History #2

      February 1873. After young king Amadeo's political adviser, Juan Prim y Prat, was assassinated, he was left to rule alone. This was beyond his abilities, so he abdicated and left Spain. The Parliament abolished the monarchy and proclaimed Spain a Republic.

    These two cities in North Africa (and some small islands) are the only remains of the Spanish colonial empire. What are the cities called?Spanish Colonial Empire

      Ceuta and Melilla.

    Spain had three colonies in Africa. Spanish Morocco was one of them, but what was its capital?Spanish Colonial Empire

      Tétouan. Spain controlled Northern Morocco, while France controlled the southern part.

    Franco died in 1975. Who succeeded him as head of state?The Spanish Civil War

      El Rey Juan-Carlos. A Bourbon!

    Whom did Franco regard as being "a gentleman" for his refusal to take sides in the Spanish Civil War?The Spanish Civil War

      FDR. FDR was struggling with implementing his New Deal. Blum had overt Republican sympathies, Chamberlain was an appeaser of Fascism, and Stalin provided the Republicans with some weapons and military counsel.

    German bombers of the Condor Legion bombed the village of Guernica into oblivion. Which artist immortalized this catastrophe in a mural?The Spanish Civil War

      Picasso. Picasso refused to set foot in Spain until after Franco's death in 1975.

    George Orwell fought in Spain. What unit was he a member of?The Spanish Civil War

      POUM - a small Trotskyite organization. The author of "1984" (written in 1943-48) was an anti-Stalinist socialist. Read "Homage to Catalonia" and find out about his experiences.

    What was the Nationalist movement called?The Spanish Civil War

      Falange. The phalanx was the standard Greek hoplite unit in antiquity, reputed for the fact that its cohesion seldom was torn asunder.

    What were the colours of the Anarchists?The Spanish Civil War

      black and red. Red were Communists.

    Who was the "leader" of the Anarchists?The Spanish Civil War

      Durruti. Durruti was an idealist who thought the Anarchist could outwit and outmuscle Stalin's NKVD and Russian operations in the Spanish Left.

    What was the initial headquarters and launching-site of Franco's insurrection?The Spanish Civil War

      The Canary Islands. Although Franco chose exile and set up HQ in the Canaries initially, his best troops were Moroccans (Moors and Spaniards).

    Who was President of Spain at the onset of hostilities in 1936?The Spanish Civil War

      Azana. Azana was a middle-class intellectual with humane instincts. A democratic Liberal as well as a gifted orator and thinker, he vainly attempted conciliation between the disparate elements of the Left (including the Anarchists).

    When was the Spanish Inquisition established?The Spanish Inquisition

      1478. As soon as Isabella and Ferdinand became Spain's sovereigns, they set up the Inquisition. Thank you for playing my quiz, and please rate it.

    Why did Isabella and Ferdinand instigate the Inquisition in the first place?The Spanish Inquisition

      They wanted to eradicate Islam, Judaism and heresy from Spain. They thought that if everyone in Spain was the same religion, they would become united. However, it is believed that Ferdinand and Torquemada wanted an Inquisition because they would accumulate the property of the "heretics".

    If a man swore profanely, what was his punishment?The Spanish Inquisition

      He would not be permitted to attend mass. However, if a priest swore profanely, he would be fined, but the public would not hear about it.

    What was the penalty for heresy?The Spanish Inquisition

      Burning at the stake or a very heavy fine. Disemboweling was not introduced until the time of Phillip II.

    If a person was convicted of heresy, what happened to his property?The Spanish Inquisition

      It was confiscated completely. The Inquisitors got to keep a portion of the land, and the rest become the property of Pope Innocent VIII, who originally came up with the idea of an Inquisition.

    What kinds of people did the Spanish Inquisition tend to regard with particular suspicion?The Spanish Inquisition

      All of these (Converts from Islam, Converts from Judaism, Those who appeared to question the authority of the Church). Both Ferdinand and Isabella were "devout" - or rather, utterly fanatical. They not only encouraged the Spanish Inquisition, but in 1492 they also expelled all "Moors" (that is, Muslims) and Jews from Spain unless they converted to Catholicism. Converts were closely watched by the Inquisition, which suspected that some were still secret Muslims or Jews. To question the authority of the Church was a form of heresy and often resulted in prolonged spells in the Inquisition's torture-chambers.

    King Ferdinand and his wife, Isabella of Castille, were the sovereigns of Spain during the Inquisition. Which man, who was also Isabella's confessor, convinced her to revive the Inquisition in a specifically Spanish form? The Spanish Inquisition

      Thomas of Torquemada. The Inquisition was a religious court that punished people who were convicted of heresy, and the people who questioned the suspected heretics were called Inquisitors. When people were arrested to be questioned, it was called "being put to the question" - in other words, tortured.

    What was the name given to the Carlist volunteers from Navarre, famous for their bravery, who fought on the side of the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War?Spanish Historical Terms

      requetés. "Asaltos" refers to the members of the Assault Guards (mostly Republican); "africanistas" were the Spanish officers who served in North Africa (mostly Nationalist); "moros" means "Moors", and was used during the Spanish Civil War to describe the native Moroccan troops in the Nationalist army.

    In the 19th century Spanish generals often overthrew the government in what was called a ... ?Spanish Historical Terms

      pronunciamiento. "Paquidermo" = pachyderm; "razonamiento" = reasoning, argument; "ayuntamiento" - city council, city hall. The most important "pronunciamientos" occurred in 1820 (Major Rafael de Riego), 1843 (Generals O'Donnell and Narvaez), 1854 (General Vicálvaro), 1875 (General Campos), 1923 (General Primo de Rivera) and 1936 (General Franco).

    In 1835 the ecclesiastical properties in Spain have been mostly taken over by the state. What was this procedure called?Spanish Historical Terms

      desamortización. "Mortificación" = mortification; "confiscación" = confiscation; "apropiación" = appropriation. With the triumph of liberalism over absolute monarchy in Spain in 1834, the government decided to confiscate the church property and sell it by auction (1835-37). This caused not only a political break with the Vatican and a drastic impoverishment of the Spanish Catholic Church but also the wholesale destruction of historic monuments and works of art.

    What was called the annual migration of large flocks of sheep across Spain from south to north and back?Spanish Historical Terms

      transhumancia. "Transfiguración" = transfiguration; "transmutación" = transmutation; "cañada" is the actual sheep pasture used during the "transhumancia".

    What was the name used for Spanish Christian heretics persecuted by the Inquisition?Spanish Historical Terms

      alumbrados. "Gnósticos" means "gnostics" (a seemingly good choice but no cigar); "alumnos" = students, pupils; "ladrones" = thieves.

    What was a public religious ceremony conducted by the Spanish Inquisition called?Spanish Historical Terms

      auto de fe. The commonly, but erroneously, used term is the Portuguese phrase "auto da fe", while the correct Spanish term is "auto de fe". "Autopista" is "highway", and "quemadura" means "burning".

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