Salamanca was founded by Celt-Iberian tribes around
400 BC. It was subsequently occupied by the Carthaginians, Romans and
Moors before it became one of the world's most illustrious centres of
culture and learning under the Christian monarchs. Greek historians referred
to it as Helmantike, Hermandica and Salamantica but it wasn't until the
13th century AD that it became known as Salamanca.
Evidence of the Iberian settlers can still be seen today in the pre-Roman "Verraco" statue
of a wild boar which stands at the entrance of the Puente Romano (Roman
Bridge) over the River Tormes. It's probably the oldest work of art
to have been preserved in the entire region. The Romans regarded it
as a
good-luck symbol and left it in place but it was later mutilated and
thrown into the river before its recovery in 1864.
When the Romans annexed the city it became part of the province of
Lusitania and was given the name "Polis Megale". The impressive Roman
Bridge, which still stands today, was part of the important "Ruta
de la Plata" silver route connecting the mines and ports in the
north of Spain with the south of the country. Sections of the old Roman
walls which surrounded the city have also survived to the present day.
The region was conquered by the Moors in 712, recaptured and lost by
the Christian armies on several occasions and finally reclaimed by
Alfonso VI in the 11th century. It was Alfonso IX who put the city
on the world
map in the 13th century when he founded one of the greatest academic
centres of medieval times. His successor Alfonso X El Sabio (Alfonso
the Wise) was responsible for turning the Estudio Salmantino (Salamanca
Study) into a universally acclaimed university and cultural centre.
In 1254 Pope Alexander IV called the University of Salamanca "one of
the four leading lights of the world" (along with the universities
of Oxford, Paris and Bologna).
Christopher Columbus stayed in Salamanca between November 1486 and
January 1487 as part of his persistent campaign to convince the Catholic
monarchs
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of the viability of his mission to
discover a new route to India. Columbus followed the royal court wherever
it went until he finally succeeded in securing funding for his travels
to the New World.
The University of Salamanca has spawned numerous famous personalities
including Fray Luis de León, a forward-thinking renaissance scholar
of the late 16th century (his statue can be seen in the Plaza de las
Escuelas).
His radical ideas prompted his fellow professors to turn him over to
the brutal Spanish inquisition and he was wrenched from the classroom
and imprisoned for four years. He returned to the same classroom on
the day he was released from prison and famously resumed his lecture
with
the words: "As I was saying gentlemen…"
Don Quixote creator Miguel de Cervantes studied at the university four
centuries ago and wrote of the city: "Salamanca casts a spell
on all those who have enjoyed its peacefulness, awakening the desire
to
return."
The region played a crucial role in the devastating Peninsula War at
the beginning of the 19th century when Napoleon's armies fought for
control of Spain. The Duke of Wellington masterminded a decisive victory
in the
Battle of Salamanca in which 7,000 French troops were killed or wounded
and a further 7,000 were captured. The battle signalled the beginning
of the end of Napoleon's grip on the Peninsula.
The university experienced a period of great decline at the end of
the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Its most famous "product" of
the 20th century was the great Spanish poet and philosopher Miguel
de Unamuno who became rector in 1901. He was banished to the Canary
Islands
in 1924 for his radical political views but resumed his post in 1931.
In 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil War, he was placed under
house arrest for denouncing the fascist regime of the dictator Franco.
He died
in Salamanca on December 31, 1936.
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