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Dr. Brian Catlos has been very busy this year! He recently had time to record a few podcasts. From shedding light on historical figures such as Isabella of Castile, to in depth analysis of the history of al-Andalus, Catlos's podcasts offer new perspectives on historic topics. Read on to access these captivating podcasts and an illuminating panel that took place this February.

Empire

142. Isabella of Castile: Uniting Spain

To some she is Europe’s first great queen, to others she is one of history’s great villains, but there is no doubt that Isabella of Castile holds one of the most significant legacies in European history. Born third in line to the throne of Castile, she asserted herself and rose to be queen of Castile and then through her fiery marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon, laid the foundations for the unification of Spain. But as soon as she rose to dominance, she made it clear that she was willing to use terror to enforce her rule.

143. Isabella of Castile: The Spanish Inquisition, the conquest of Granada, and Columbus

For centuries Spain had been an outlier in Europe due to its religious diversity; Christians, Jews, and Muslims all existed reasonably peacefully across the Iberian peninsula. Under Isabella of Castile that all changed. She began the Spanish Inquisition and brought to the fore a religious fundamentalism that would eventually force out of the country the Muslims and the Jews. In the epoch defining year of 1492, she also conquered Granada with her husband Ferdinand, ending the era of Islamic Spain, and gave patronage to Columbus as he took his first voyage to the new world.

Muslim Footprints

Ep 8: Muslim Spain with Professor Brian Catlos

Muslims governed for almost a thousand years in the Iberian Peninsula, with Arabo-Islamic culture leading the way in science and art, philosophy and theology. It’s a period known for its cosmopolitanism – where Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived and worked together in peaceful coexistence. The history of al-Andalus is not one of foreign occupation. It is not an anomaly, nor is it an exception. It represents, rather, an integral part of the historical process that created not only modern Spain and Portugal but modern Europe too.

The Sea in the Middle: The Mediterranean World | Brian A. Catlos & Josephine Quinn with Sanjoy K Roy

3 February 2024, Jaipur Literary Festival

Evaluating the Mediterranean world and observing the role played by the populations of Africa, Asia, and Europe in an age when Christians, Muslims, and Jews engaged with each other in both conflict and collaboration, this engaged panel discussed the multilayered links spanning across geography, faith and socio economic constructs which made our world the way it is today.