Spain

Episode 1 and 2 - "Barcelona, Spain in the rain..." This first phrase in the series introduces us to this city.

Barcelona, city, northeastern Spain, capital of Barcelona Province and the autonomous region of Catalonia, a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea between the Llobregat and Besós rivers. Barcelona is the second largest Spanish city in population and the principal industrial and commercial center of the country. Barcelona is a major Mediterranean port and a financial and publishing center of Spain.
Barcelona Province, the most populous and industrialized of the Spanish provinces, is mountainous, with fertile plains and a low, sandy coast. Agricultural products include cork, olives, grains, vegetables, grapes, almonds, oranges, and peaches. Cement and textiles are the major manufactures, and lignite and potash are mined.
The oldest section of the city of Barcelona, formerly enclosed by walls, was built on the harbor and is traversed by the Rambla, a paved thoroughfare extending from the harbor to the Plaza de Cataluña, the focal point of the city. The streets of the old section are narrow and crooked; in the newer sections they are wide and straight, and the buildings are modern.
According to legend, Barcelona was founded as Barcino about 230 BC by the Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca. The region became part of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century BC; it was ruled by the Visigoths in the 5th century AD, was conquered by the Moors in 713, and was captured by Charlemagne, King of the Franks, in 801. Under Frankish rule the city and the supporting region became the self-governing county of Catalonia, or Barcelona. The region was absorbed into the kingdom of Aragón in 1137. Barcelona thereafter gained in commercial and political importance as a Mediterranean trading and shipping center. Barcelona's prosperity diminished after the kingdoms of Aragón and Castile united in 1479 and subsequently imposed restrictive trade policies on the city. In 1833 Barcelona Province was established, with Barcelona as the provincial capital. In the 19th and 20th centuries Barcelona was a center of Catalan regionalism, anarchy, and industrial unrest. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) the city was the seat of the autonomous Catalan government and was a Loyalist stronghold. It was heavily bombed in 1938 by the insurgents, or Nationalists, who finally captured the city on January 26, 1939. Barcelona's selection as the site for the 1992 Summer Olympics sparked a massive municipal redevelopment program.
The area of Barcelona Province is 7733 sq km (2986 sq mi); population (1986) 4,598,249. Population of city of Barcelona (1991) 1,625,542.

Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Episode 1-39 - Believe it or not, Esteban may have been based on a real person. It is possible that Scott O'Dell, who wrote the book the King's Fifth on which MCoG is loosely based, may have been inspired with the idea for his Esteban by the story of this early explorer.

Estevanico (also Esteban or Stephen the Black) was born in the port city of Azemmour, Morocco, circa 1503. After a fierce struggle between the Portuguese and local leaders, the Portuguese captured Azemmour in 1513. During the great drought of 1520-21, the Portuguese sold many Moroccans, including Estevanico, into slavery in Europe. Estevanico became the personal servant of Andres de Dorantes of Bejar del Castanar of old Castile. There he was treated well, and master and servant became close friends. In 1527, Dorantes joined an expedition to conquer the unknown lands of Florida. Also on the expedition were Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and Alonso del Castillo Maldonado. The force landed in Florida on April 12, 1528. Three hundred men made their way on land, through jungles and Indian attacks, sustaining many casualties. The survivors, in desperation to get away, made crude barges and set sail into the open sea, hoping to reach what they believed was the nearby Mexican coast. Only eighty men survived the crossing; the boats capsized on the Texas coast near Galveston.
The natives were friendly at first, but then enslaved the explorers. They remained there for five years. Of the eighty, only four survived: Estevanico, Dorantes, Cabeza de Vaca, and Alonso Castillo. In 1534, the four escaped inland and lived among another Indian tribe who coerced them into becoming medicine men. Their methods proved effective, and their reputation as healers spread far and wide. The Indians respectfully called them "The Children of the Sun" because they traveled from the east to the west. Estevanico was especially gifted in languages, and became fluent in several Indian dialects. He carried a medicine rattle, a feathered, beaded gourd given to him by a chief, as his good luck symbol and trademark. Thousands of Indians took turns guiding the travelers through each of their respective lands. The four traveled from the Galveston area west through Texas, up the Rio Grande, through Presidio, and crossing into Mexico near El Paso, they arrived at San Miguel de Culiacan, a small Spanish outpost in Sinaloa, Mexico, in May 1536. From there they traveled to Mexico City, arriving in July of that year.
The Viceroy of Mexico was eager to hear their story, and asked them to lead an expedition back into Arizona and New Mexico. All but Estevanico refused. In February of 1539, he led a small reconnaissance party on foot northward from Culiacan, Mexico. This party was under the command of Franciscan priest Fray Marcos de Niza. Estevanico went ahead of the priest, sending runners back daily bearing wooden crosses to indicate the promise of the country ahead. The crosses grew larger and larger each day. Estevanico arrived in Northwest New Mexico and saw a large village with buildings constructed of stone several tiers high. This was Hawikuh, a Zuni pueblo, and upon discovering it, Estevanico sent a runner back to Fray Marcos with a huge cross. Estevanico's arrival in the village was met with distrust by the Zunis. His medicine gourd was trimmed with owl feathers, a bird that symbolized death to the Zuni. Estevanico was housed outside the village while the elders debated his fate. The next morning, Zuni warriors attacked, and Estevanico was killed.

http://www.estevanico.org/history.html

Episode 33 - While never actually in MCoG, Princess Marguerite was the reason Zia was taken to Spain. In a flashback in episode 33, Pizarro saves Zia from one of his soldiers so he can send her to Spain as a gift for the young Princess.

Margaret of Parma 1522-86, Spanish regent of the Netherlands; illegitimate daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. She was married (1536) to Alessandro de' Medici (d. 1537) and (1538) to Ottavio Farnese, duke of Parma. Appointed Spanish governor of the Netherlands (1559), she was restricted in her authority by a council of state headed by Cardinal Granvelle. Charged with the difficult task of carrying out the religious policy of her half brother Philip II of Spain, she urged and finally secured the recall of the unpopular prelate. She subsequently showed favor to the national party, but after the outbreak of violence she turned against the popular leaders (Egmont, Hoorn, and William the Silent). In 1567 the duke of Alba arrived at Brussels to suppress the opposition by force. Margaret warned Philip II against harsh measures and resigned as regent, being unable to agree with Alba. She was a woman of great ability and firmness, and her resignation was generally regretted. Margaret's son was the noted general Alessandro Farnese, duke of Parma and Piacenza.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.

Episode 24 - Cortés also was never actually seen in MCoG, yet I think that his connections to Marinche make it necessary to include him here.

Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), Spanish explorer and conqueror of the Aztec Empire of Mexico. Cortés was born in Medellín, Extremadura. He studied law at the University of Salamanca but cut short his university career in 1501 and decided to try his fortune in the Americas. Cortés sailed for Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic) in the spring of 1504. In 1511 he joined Spanish soldier and administrator Diego Velázquez in the conquest of Cuba and subsequently became alcalde (mayor) of Santiago de Cuba. In 1518 Cortés persuaded Velázquez, who had become governor of Cuba, to give him the command of an expedition to Mexico. The mainland had been discovered the year before by Spanish soldier and explorer Francisco Fernández de Córdoba and subsequently by Juan de Grijalva, nephew of Velázquez.
On February 19, 1519, Cortés, with a force of some 600 men, fewer than 20 horses, and 10 field pieces, set sail from Cuba. He left despite the cancellation of his commission by Velázquez, who had become suspicious that Cortés, once in a position to establish himself independently, would refuse to recognize his authority. Cortés sailed along the coast of Yucatán and in March 1519 landed in Mexico, subjugating the town of Tabasco. From the native inhabitants of Tabasco, Cortés learned of the Aztec Empire and its ruler, Montezuma II.
Cortés took numerous captives, one of whom, Malinche (baptized Marina), became his mistress; out of loyalty to him she acted as the interpreter, guide, and counselor for the Spaniards. Finding a better harbor a little north of San Juan, the Spaniards moved there and established a town, La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz (now Veracruz). Cortés organized an independent government, and renouncing the authority of Velázquez, acknowledged only the supreme authority of the Spanish crown. In order to prevent those of his small force who opposed this movement from deserting him and carrying the news to Cuba, Cortés destroyed his fleet.
After negotiations with Montezuma, who tried to persuade Cortés not to enter the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán, Cortés started his famous march inland. He overcame the native Tlaxcalans and then formed an alliance with them against the Aztecs, their enemies. From that time until the conquest was achieved, the Tlaxcalans continued to be the most important of all the native allies of the Spaniards.
Montezuma pursued an irresolute policy during Cortés’s march, and finally determined not to oppose the Spanish invaders but to await their arrival at the Aztec capital and to learn more about their purposes. On November 8, 1519, Cortés and his small force, with some 600 native allies, entered the city and established headquarters in one of its large communal dwellings. Some accounts say that the Aztec may have believed Cortés was Quetzalcoatl, a legendary god-king who was light-skinned and bearded and, according to a prophecy, was expected to return from the east. The Spanish soldiers were allowed to roam through the city at their pleasure and found much gold and other treasures in the storehouses. Despite the amicable reception given the Spaniards, Cortés had reason to believe that attempts would be made to drive him out. To safeguard his position, he seized Montezuma as hostage and forced him to swear allegiance to Charles I, king of Spain, and to provide a ransom of an enormous sum in gold and jewels. Meanwhile Velázquez dispatched an expedition under the Spanish soldier Pánfilo de Narváez to Mexico. In April 1520, Cortés received word that Narváez had arrived on the coast. Leaving 200 men at Tenochtitlán under the command of Pedro de Alvarado, an explorer who had also been with Grijalva, Cortés marched with a small force to the coast, entered the Spanish camp at night, captured Narváez, and induced the majority of the Spaniards to join his force.
Meanwhile harsh rules by Alvarado had aroused the Aztecs in the capital. An Aztec revolt against the Spaniards and their own imprisoned ruler, Montezuma, was under way when Cortés returned to the city. He was allowed to enter with his followers and to join Alvarado, but thereupon was immediately surrounded and attacked. At Cortés’s request, Montezuma addressed the Aztecs in an attempt to quell the revolt. The Aztec ruler was stoned, and he died three days later. The Spanish and their allies were driven out of the city by a group of Aztecs led by Montezuma’s nephew Cuauhtémoc on a dark, rainy night, the famous Noche Triste (“Sad Night”), June 30, 1520. The Aztecs pursued the retreating Spanish troops. On July 7, 1520, after defeating a very large force of Aztecs, Cortés finally reached Tlaxcala. There, during the summer, he reorganized his army with the aid of some reinforcements and equipment from Vera Cruz. Cortés then began his return to the capital, capturing outlying Aztec outposts on the way. On August 13, 1521, after a desperate siege of three months, Cuauhtémoc, the new emperor, was captured, and Tenochtitlán fell.
Cortés built Mexico City on the ruins of Tenochtitlán. Colonists were brought over from Spain, and the city became the principal European city in America. Cortés consolidated control over Mexico, inflicting great cruelty on the indigenous peoples. The popularity that Cortés achieved in Spain because of his conquests and the riches he had sent resulted in his being named governor and captain general of New Spain in 1523. Cortés then undertook an expedition to Honduras from 1524 to 1526. Meanwhile, fearing his ambition, the Spanish court had sent officials to Mexico to investigate his acts. In 1528 Cortés was ordered to relinquish the government of Mexico and return to Spain. There he appealed to the king, was made marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, and was reappointed captain general. He was not restored, however, to the civil governorship of Mexico. Cortés married the daughter of the count of Aguilar and in 1530 returned to Mexico. There he found himself constantly checked in his activity, his property kept from him, his rights interfered with, and his popularity waning.
In 1536 Cortés discovered the peninsula of Baja California in northwest Mexico, and explored the Pacific coast of Mexico. In 1539 the Spanish explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado secured the right to seek the Seven Cities of Cíbola, and in disgust Cortés went back to Spain to complain to the court. Again he was received with honor but could secure no substantial assistance toward recovering his rights or his property. He served as a volunteer in 1541 in the unsuccessful Spanish expedition against Algiers, lost a large part of his remaining fortune, and was shipwrecked. Cortés, neglected by the court after the Algiers expedition, retired to a small estate near Seville, where he lived until his death.

Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.