The Black Legend: Spain's Propaganda War

In this episode of The Story of Spain, we explore the origins and impact of the Black Legend — the centuries-old propaganda campaign that painted Spain as uniquely cruel, fanatical, and backward. Lucas and Luna trace the legend from its 16th-century roots in Dutch and English pamphlets, through Bartolomé de las Casas's incendiary accounts of colonial abuses, to the works of Antonio Pérez and the writings of William of Orange. They examine how Spain's enemies weaponized stories of Inquisition atrocities and New World brutality to justify their own imperial ambitions, and how the legend persists in modern pop culture. Along the way, they discuss the historical realities behind the propaganda: the 1542 New Laws, the Valladolid debate, and the nuanced legacy of figures like Philip II. The conversation challenges listeners to separate myth from history, revealing how one of the world's first great empires became a cautionary tale for the ages. #BlackLegend #Spain #Propaganda #BartoloméDeLasCasas #PhilipII #WilliamOfOrange #Inquisition #SpanishEmpire #EarlyModernHistory #NewWorld #Colonialism #ValladolidDebate #AntonioPérez #History #FexingoHistory #Europe #16thCentury #Historiography Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo