Giles Tremlett retains his unmistakable “British” accent; it does not escape him, even though he has lived on the peninsula for a quarter of a century. It is a memory of a past life, because the current one is in these parts. And this is not a cliché, because the journalist and historian has left the red nationality behind him and has a special affection for the history of our country, which now belongs to him too. The best example of this is his latest work: ‘Spain. An abbreviated history’ (debate). An essay in which we review our long past, the internal disputes within society and why we were the envy of most empires.
“Where Spain is is the key. We think of it as a European country, but it is on the Mediterranean and is close to Africa. “But the key is that it is connected to the American continent by ocean currents and winds,” explains the historian to this newspaper. This unique feature, the privileged geographical position of the Iberian Peninsula, has made it a desire for empires and a cocktail of cultures. “It is part of the three main geographical borders of Europe,” he reveals. And it is an advantage that Great Britain never had. Although, according to Tremlett, his old country had many others: “One of them that exalts its heroes.”
–He notes that historical differences make it impossible to put the Spanish anthem into words.
National anthems are a romantic-driven invention of the late 19th century. When you start to examine the numerous official and unofficial attempts to translate song lyrics into Spanish, you realize that it is impossible. And that impossibility lies in the discrepancies that society has about its own history. Those same differences have been part of the past since the 19th century and shape the present.
–There is a confrontation between those who believe in a more multicultural Spain on a historical level and those who define it as pure. In your book you argue for the first…
This tension exists and exists, but it is not limited to Spain, it has also occurred in other countries. If you study the religious orders, this also happens with them. Little by little they become more open until a new aspect decides to go back to the essential. I stick to Unamuno’s maxim, the idea that Spain progressed when it opened itself to the four winds and that it did not progress when it closed in on itself. Look at Franco and autarky. I advocate a Spain that is open to outside influences and to dialogue with the outside world.
–What facts should structure the history of Spain?
There are many! I don’t like to give lectures on how Spaniards should look at their own history. It is obvious that there are some key dates: 1492, 1808, 1898, 1936 and 1978. These are the five key moments.
–1898, the fall of the Spanish Empire…
It hurts to lose the greatness of the empire. It’s hard to digest. I think Spain managed to make the transition, but it took a century. The United Kingdom is still in this historic moment of adjusting to its new status in the world. They have to stop looking longingly at that glorious past. All empires believe they are God’s chosen ones, but we have to assume that this is not the case.
–You claim in your work that Spain is not the oldest nation in the world… When were you born?
It’s not clear. We could say it’s 1492, although others would put it back to the 19th century. And in between there are many more dates that you can choose. I believe that Spain was born with the Catholic Monarchs, but it didn’t stop being born until 1808. That was the moment when society began to unite and ally against the French. From then on, a common project began. I’m more of a long-term worker.
–It is about a series of stereotypes that have always hampered the history of Spain.
Abroad, there is a great belief in the overexcited and passionate Spanish. From the perspective of the cold Protestant north, you are seen as people who cannot control their emotions. And it is something that the Spanish themselves believed in, but it is not so. You are like the others. There is no innate violence among the Spanish.
–They affirm that one of the most widespread myths about the Spanish is that they have always been a society that has resisted the invader.
Exactly. It is a society full of assimilations. Jews, Muslims… even the tourists who came to Spain in the fifties and sixties! The latter helped the Spanish to look beyond their borders and compare themselves with what was outside.
The British journalist and writer Giles Tremlett
–Do you think that assimilation and multiculturalism occurred during the Reconquista?
I am not an expert on this period of Spanish history, but what I see is more assimilation than one might think at first glance. During the Reconquista, everything did not change overnight; there was an assimilation that is part of the cultural wealth of the peninsula. Many cultures have passed through here.
–Why was Spain envied by the rest of the empires?
That’s what I had to explain to my Anglo-Saxon readers: where this area is. We think of a European country, but it is on the Mediterranean, it is close to Africa and it is connected to the American continent by ocean currents and winds. And that means that very different people came to Spain and settled there. The sum of these influences has led to the Spain we know today. And that geographical location was the key.
–To what extent were the currents important?
We must compare the time it took to travel by boat from Galicia to America and the time it took to travel by mule from Galicia to Almería. It was similar! The sea itself, the currents and the winds helped them. The Spanish themselves did not know this until the arrival of Columbus. From then on, a phenomenon occurred that marked the history of Spain and the world. The core of world power and wealth moved from east to west. The center became the Atlantic, which dominated the next three centuries of world history.
–What does Spain have that England lacks?
At the moment, Britain has to come to terms with its post-imperial status. This is something that Spain has achieved and it has not been easy for the country. The entire history of the civil war and the Franco regime is linked to what happened in Cuba. It meant a change in mentality. The people had to go through this ordeal and realised that the era in which Spain was the queen of the seas was over. England has not gone through this and Brexit is a sign of this, of this lack of acceptance of the new British situation.
–And what does Great Britain have that Spain lacks?
Before, I would have told you that there was an agreement on the national narrative, but now it is falling apart. Now Spain has little to learn from the United Kingdom and its history. Perhaps it has done better in the moments when it opened up. England was a traveling country and was in constant relationship with its colonies.
– Spain, too, was not and did not consider these territories as colonies, but as territories integrated into the empire…
I cannot speak about that period because I am not an expert. But the United Kingdom knew how to get rid of its colonies without having to surrender to those who had expelled them. And I do not mean that in an English-patriotic sense. It is preferable to achieve independence without war.
–Why did you become a Spanish citizen?
Because I have lived here for many years, my children were born here and Brexit makes me feel very far from where I was born. I realize that I will die in this country because I feel very comfortable. I always wanted to unite both nationalities, but Brexit forced me to make a choice. And I’m glad I took it. I also really like the history of Spain. As a historian, I have a duty to say what I think, but debates are good, you don’t have to stay stuck in a theory forever.
–What does a partly Spanish, partly English historian think about a battle like Trafalgar?
We all know that the French were responsible for Trafalgar. [Ríe].
–What cannot be denied about Great Britain is that it knew how to raise its heroes much better than Spain…
It is what it is. When I was at school, the history of the United Kingdom was very clear. National history had no doubts. Although the truth is that every national narrative is wrong in some way because someone chose it. For England, the colonial period is exemplary, but I am sure that it was not so highly valued among the invaded peoples.
