BCN The City and Its History Terms

Parias

Payments made by taifas to Christian counts in exchange for not attacking them

Taifas

Small kingdoms Al-Andalus breaks up into in 1031. Taifas are rich but weak

Drassanes

13th century Royal shipyards

princeps

first among the nobles. Count of Barcelona becomes princeps in 11th century

The Consell Cent

Barcelona’s city government from the mid-13th century

The Call

Historically Jewish neighborhood in NW Barcelona. In 11th century, all Jewish people were required to live in the Call, high population density (4000 residents 14th century)

Call Menor

Jewish neighborhood outside of the city walls created in 1271 with the expulsion of Jewish people form France

Plague arrival in Barcelona

1348

The vassalage

term for feudal relationships

Barcelona sits on a plane between the mouths of two river. Which ones?

The Besos and the Llobregat

Which Iberian people lived in the Barcelona area before the Romans?

The Laietani

From the 3rd century BC, coins minted in the Barcelona area carried which name?

BARKENO

What is an oppidum?

A type of Iberian coin

Who founded Empuries around 575-550 BC, and what was it?

Greek

Why did a Roman army land at Empuries in 218 BC?

To attack Hannibal from behind

Which chity was the capital of the Roman province, and which was subordinate to it?

Tarraco was the capital; Barcino was subordinate

A Roman colony such as Barcino was founded in order to

give land to retired soldiers

Which of these did Roman Barcino NOT have?

An ampitheatre. It had a forum, public baths, and a temple of Augustus

Romans buried their dead outside the walls. Where was a Roman cemetry found in 1954?

Placa de la Vila de Madrid

What was an insula in a Roman city?

A block of rented flats, with shops on the ground floor

What was a domus in a Roman city?

A rich family’s private house

What was a terma in a Roman city?

A public bath

What did the Edict of Milan (313) do?

It allowed everyone to follow their religion of choice

After the death of Theodosius I in 395, the Roman Empire was divided into

an Eastern and Western Empire

Under king Ataulf, which city did the Visigoths make their capital?

Barcelona

At the Third Council of Toledo (589), the Visigoths…

became Catholic

How did Barcelona come under Muslim rule?

By a pact: people kept their religion and their land in exchange for a tax

In 929, Abd al-Rahman III

proclaimed himself caliph

Who was Almanzor

The hajib — a kind of prime minister who held the real power in al-Andalus

After Almanzor attacked Barcelona in 985, count Borrell II

refused to renew his pact of loyalty with the Frankish king

Which of these foods did NOT arrive in Europe through al-Andalus

The tomato

Cause 1 of the crisis of the Roman Empire from the 3rd century

Fiscal pressures. The Roman empire saw an increase of bureaucracy and a need to maintain a large army to protect their frontiers. The empire also stopped expanding, which means taxes to support this large army and bureaucracy needed to be levied on Roman people rather than the people they were conquering.

Cause 2 of the crisis of the Roman Empire from the 3rd century

The ruralization of society. To avoid the payment of taxes (higher taxes to support army and bureaucracy), some wealthy citizens leave the city and move to rural villas. Cities lost population and economic prominence. Roman public buildings had been funded by the tax dollars of rich families; buildings are now in disarray. This is why the forum of Barcino was taken apart stone by stone.

Cause 3 of the crisis of the Roman Empire from the 3rd century

Political crisis. The third and fourth centuries marked a period of military anarchy in which the army appointed and deposed emperors, the factions fought amongst themselves. Imperial authority weakened, and large rural land owners gained power in their own areas. Death of Teodosius in 395 saw the Empire split into East and West.

Western Roman Empire

Led by Honorius. Officially falls in 476.

Eastern Roman Empire

Led by Arcadius. Survives as the Byzantine for over 1000 years after death of Teodosius. Able to survive so much longer because a lot more was invested in the East, it was richer with better resources. Also the Germanic peoples affected the West.

Cause 4 of the crisis of the Roman Empire from the 3rd century

Time of calamities. During the third century the Western Empire began a period of economic depression. Period characterized by: Climate cooling, Famine, Plague. There were no signs of recovery or economic growth until the 11th century, characteristic of early middle ages.

Cause 5 of the crisis of the Roman Empire from the 3rd century

The German peoples — arguably be the most important cause of the fall of Rome – large external threat. From the third century several Germanic peoples – Vandals, Suebi, Alans – crossed the borders of the Empire and sacked Roman towns and cities. A climate of great insecurity began. Most of the Catalan cities suffered arsons and abandonments during this period. Cities such as Barcelona rebuilt their walls to increase security. Nothing like the Romans, the Germanic tribes fought one another, would sack towns and cities, were barbaric

How did Rome respond to the threat of the German peoples

Did not fight against the Germanic tribes. While less advance, these armies were massive. Rome instead let some of these people in. Goal was to use them for trade with Rome, service in the Roman army

Which king converted the Visigoths to Catholicism

King Reccard

Lex Visigothorum

a mix of Roman and Visigoth laws. Showed a commitment to coexistence, power sharing.

Visigoth religion

Arianism (minority in Barcinona)

Jewish people 613 Barcinona

Forced to become Christian

Jewish people 689 Barcinona

Forced into slavery

when did Christianity become the official Roman religion

380, under Teodosius I

First enlargement of Barcelona’s city walls

Happened in 1360. Enclosure with 80 toweres and 8 gates.

Consell de Cent composition

100 citizens plus a small group of elected consellers. Members were from the merchant class, wealthy merchants now run the city instead of the count

Consell de Cent responsibilities

water and food supply, census, roads, building rules

2nd increase of city walls

Raval city walls, mid 14th- mid 15th centuries. The enclosure goes from the shipyards (Drassanes) to Santa Clara’s convent (Ciutadella) following the “rondas” (Sant Pau, Sant Antoni, Universitat, Sant Pere)

Medieval Barcelona: three rings and the sea