Épisodes

  • The Spanish Fury: Mutiny and the Sack of Antwerp — Fexingo History

    The Spanish Fury: Mutiny and the Sack of Antwerp — Fexingo History
    Apr 27 2026
    In this episode, we explore one of the darkest episodes of the Eighty Years' War: the Spanish Fury and the Sack of Antwerp in 1576. After years of unpaid wages, Spanish tercios mutinied and rampaged through the richest city in Europe, killing thousands and burning the city's heart. We trace the causes—from Philip II's bankrupt treasury to the brutal Spanish Road—and examine the aftermath: the Pacification of Ghent, the rise of the Dutch Republic, and the shocking violence that turned opinion against Spain. We also touch on the tercio system, the mutinies that plagued it, and the desperate situation of the common soldier. This is a story of greed, desperation, and the human cost of empire.

    #SpanishFury #SackofAntwerp #EightyYearsWar #Tercios #Mutiny #PhilipII #SpanishEmpire #Antwerp #PacificationofGhent #SpanishRoad #Netherlands #History #MilitaryHistory #EarlyModern #WarCrimes #DukeofAlba #FexingoHistory #Europe #SpainHistory #Reconquista

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    6 min
  • The Moriscos: Spain's Forgotten Muslim Minority — Fexingo History

    The Moriscos: Spain's Forgotten Muslim Minority — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    After the fall of Granada in 1492, hundreds of thousands of Muslims remained in Spain, forced to convert to Christianity under the watchful eye of the Inquisition. These converts, known as Moriscos, lived in a precarious world of suspicion, rebellion, and eventual expulsion. This episode explores their story: from the forced conversions of the early 1500s through the brutal Alpujarras uprising of 1568-1571, to the final decree of expulsion in 1609 that saw half a million people driven from their homeland. We follow figures like the Morisco leader Aben Humeya and the pragmatic Archbishop Juan de Ribera, who argued for expulsion. We examine the secret survival of Islamic practices — the 'taqiyya' or dissimulation — and the rich cultural legacy the Moriscos left behind: in architecture, agriculture, and even language. It's a story of resilience, persecution, and a lost chapter of Spanish history that still resonates today.

    #Moriscos #AlpujarrasUprising #AbenHumeya #Granada #ForcedConversion #Inquisition #PhilipII #Expulsion #Taqiyya #JuanDeRibera #Valencia #Aragon #IslamicSpain #AlAndalus #1609Decree #History #FexingoHistory #Spain #SpainHistory #Reconquista

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    6 min
  • The Spanish Tercios: Masters of the Battlefield — Fexingo History

    The Spanish Tercios: Masters of the Battlefield — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    Before the Armada, before the galleons, Spain's military machine — the Tercios — dominated European battlefields for over a century. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the rise of this fearsome infantry formation: its origins in the Italian Wars under Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the iconic combination of pike and arquebus, and the brutal siege of Pavia in 1525 where the French king Francis I was captured. They also discuss the logistical genius behind the Spanish Road, the legendary mutinies at Antwerp, and the slow decline at Rocroi in 1643. Along the way, they touch on key figures like the Duke of Alba and the tercio veteran Bernardo de Aldana. This is a story of discipline, innovation, and the human cost of empire.

    #SpanishTercios #Tercio #PikeAndShot #GonzaloFernandezDeCordoba #ItalianWars #BattleOfPavia #FrancisI #DukeOfAlba #SpanishRoad #MutinyAtAntwerp #Rocroi #BernardoDeAldana #MilitaryHistory #GoldenAgeSpain #Habsburg #16thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #SpainHistory #Reconquista

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    7 min
  • The Manila Galleons: Spain's Pacific Treasure Fleet — Fexingo History

    The Manila Galleons: Spain's Pacific Treasure Fleet — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In 1565, Andrés de Urdaneta discovered a return route across the Pacific, launching the Manila Galleons that would link Asia and the Americas for 250 years. This episode follows the treacherous voyages, the silver-for-silk trade that transformed global economies, and the human cost—from indigenous Filipino laborers forced to build the ships to the Chinese merchants who flooded Manila with porcelain and spices. We explore how Acapulco became a gateway for Asian goods in New Spain, how silver from Potosí ended up as coins in Ming China, and why the galleons were both a marvel of navigation and a vector of exploitation. Join Lucas and Luna as they navigate the currents of Spain's Pacific empire, where every voyage was a gamble between fortune and disaster.

    #ManilaGalleons #Urdaneta #PacificTrade #Acapulco #SilverTrade #SpanishEmpire #Philippines #MingChina #Potosi #NaoDeChina #GlobalTrade #MaritimeHistory #AgeOfSail #Colonialism #16thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #SpainHistory #Reconquista #Alhambra

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    8 min
  • The Great Armada: Spain's Ill-Fated Invasion of England — Fexingo History

    The Great Armada: Spain's Ill-Fated Invasion of England — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of the Spanish Armada of 1588 — a massive fleet sent by King Philip II to invade England and overthrow Elizabeth I. They trace the political and religious tensions between Catholic Spain and Protestant England, from the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots to Philip's crusading zeal. Lucas explains the strategic planning, the flawed tactics under the Duke of Medina Sidonia, and the devastating impact of the English fireships and the weather. They discuss the Armada's defeat at the Battle of Gravelines, the harrowing journey home around Scotland and Ireland where thousands perished, and the long-term consequences: Spain's naval decline, England's rise as a maritime power, and the shift in European balance of power. Along the way, they touch on lesser-known figures like Sir Francis Drake and the Spanish admiral Alonso de Guzmán. The episode ends with a reflection on how a single failed gambit reshaped history.

    #SpanishArmada #PhilipII #ElizabethI #1588 #England #Spain #NavalHistory #Armada #BattleOfGravelines #FrancisDrake #MedinaSidonia #ProtestantReformation #CatholicLeague #MaryQueenOfScots #Invasion #16thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #SpainHistory #Reconquista

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    6 min
  • Hernán Cortés: The Man Who Toppled an Empire — Fexingo History

    Hernán Cortés: The Man Who Toppled an Empire — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the audacious conquest of the Aztec Empire by Hernán Cortés. Starting with his arrival on the Mexican coast in 1519, we trace how a few hundred Spaniards, aided by indigenous allies like the Tlaxcalans and the translator Malinche, managed to defeat the powerful Mexica. We discuss the role of smallpox and other European diseases that ravaged Tenochtitlan, the strategic brilliance and brutality of Cortés, and the complex figure of Moctezuma II. The episode also touches on the moral debates back in Spain, led by figures like Bartolomé de las Casas, and the long-term consequences for the Americas. It's a story of ambition, betrayal, and the collision of two worlds.

    #HernNCortS #AztecEmpire #Moctezuma #Malinche #Conquistadors #Tenochtitlan #Smallpox #Tlaxcala #LaNocheTriste #NewSpain #BartolomDeLasCasas #SpanishEmpire #AgeOfExploration #Colonialism #Mexico #History #FexingoHistory #WorldHistory #SpainHistory #Reconquista

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    8 min
  • The Spanish Inquisition: Faith, Fear, and Power — Fexingo History

    The Spanish Inquisition: Faith, Fear, and Power — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Spanish Inquisition, often misunderstood as a uniquely brutal institution. They clarify its origins under the Catholic Monarchs in 1478, its focus on conversos (Jewish converts) and moriscos (Muslim converts), and its bureaucratic, legalistic nature. Lucas explains how the Inquisition functioned as a tool of religious and political unity, with torture used sparingly and autos-da-fé serving as public spectacles of penance rather than execution. They discuss the infamous Grand Inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada, the expulsion of the Jews in 1492, and the Inquisition's later targets, including Protestants and alleged witches. The episode also covers the gradual decline of the Inquisition in the 18th century and its formal abolition in 1834. Throughout, Lucas emphasizes the importance of understanding the Inquisition within its historical context, avoiding modern moral judgments while acknowledging its devastating impact.

    #SpanishInquisition #CatholicMonarchs #Torquemada #Converso #Morisco #AutoDaFe #1492 #ExpulsionOfTheJews #Inquisition #Spain #History #FexingoHistory #ReligionAndPower #MedievalSpain #EarlyModernSpain #CatholicChurch #Heresy #ReligiousPersecution #SpainHistory #Reconquista

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    5 min
  • The School of Salamanca: How Spanish Monks Invented Economics — Fexingo History

    The School of Salamanca: How Spanish Monks Invented Economics — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    In the 16th century, while conquistadors brought gold across the Atlantic, a group of Dominican and Jesuit theologians at the University of Salamanca were quietly building the foundations of modern economics. This episode explores how figures like Francisco de Vitoria and Domingo de Soto grappled with inflation, just price, and the morality of commerce in an age of empire. We discuss the School of Salamanca's theories on private property, subjective value, and the unintended consequences of price controls — ideas that would later influence Adam Smith and the Austrian School. Along the way, we look at the real-world impact of the Price Revolution on Spain's economy, the role of silver from Potosí, and why a 16th-century debate about usury still matters today. Lucas and Luna also touch on the Valladolid Debate, where Vitoria's arguments about natural law shaped early international law, and the surprising link between scholastic theologians and free-market thought.

    #SchoolOfSalamanca #FranciscoDeVitoria #DomingoDeSoto #SpanishEmpire #PriceRevolution #Potos #ValladolidDebate #ScholasticEconomics #JustPrice #Usury #NaturalLaw #InternationalLaw #AdamSmith #AustrianEconomics #16thCentury #Spain #FexingoHistory #History #SpainHistory #Reconquista

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    10 min