SPA 



SPA 



poflelTion of their fiefs, if the regulations of the firft fultans 

 were more refpetled, or the national intcrelt a little more 

 confulted. Under the firit fultans, the fpahis formed the 

 principal ftrength of the Ottoman armies. Almoil always 

 in the field, familiarized to military excrcifes, hardened to 

 the fatigues of war, ilimulated by intereil, glory, religious 

 tnnaticifm, and the example of the fultan, it is not fiirprifing 

 that notiiing (liould withftand their arms, and that the 

 modern Greek-, enervated by luxury and riches, folely 

 occupied by intrigues and idle fpeculations, fhould be as 

 foon fubjugatcd as conquered. Tlie " Timari-fpahis," who 

 afe much more numerous, ferve in confequence of their 

 pofleding a " timar," or fief, on condition of bringing into 

 the field a certain number of men, in proportion to the 

 Itrength of it. Tiiefe polfeffions defcend to their children 

 or heirs, when of an age to ferve ; otherwife, they are 

 given to others, and fometimes, as a recompence, to old 

 foldiers. See Timar, and Timariots. 



SPAID, or Spayd, a term ufed by fportfmen for a red 

 male deer three years old. 



SPAIN, in Geography, a country of Europe, fituated 

 between the 36th and 44th degrees of N. lat., and having 

 its weftern extremity about 9° W. long, from London. 

 Its greatell length from weft to ealt is about 600 mile?, 

 and its breadth from north to fouth is more than 500 ; fo 

 that it forms, if Portugal be included, almoil a compadl 

 fquare, and is furrounded on all fides by the fea, except 

 where the Pyrenxan range of mountains prefents a grand 

 natural barrier againil France. The precife weftern bound- 

 ary is formed by the river Bidafoa, and the ille of Pheafants 

 is near its mouth. The laft town in Spain is Irum, near the 

 Bidafoa. Excluding Portugal (which fee), the boundaries 

 betwixt thefe two kingdoms depend more on artificial conven- 

 tions than on rivers or mountains. The fuperficial contents 

 of Spain have been eftimated at about 148,000 fquare miles. 

 It lies between the fifth climate on the fouth, and half-way 

 between the fixth and feventh on the north ; the longeft 

 days are, therefore, 14^ hours in the fouthern part, and 

 Iji in the northern. 



The firll known divifion of Spain, into Hifpania Citerior 

 and Ulterior, took place under the Romans ; but thefe were 

 foon denominated Lufitania, Boetica, and Tarraconeiifis. 

 (See Hisi'ANlA.) Lufitania comprehended the eaftern 

 part, and extended as far as the Atlantic ocean : its limits 

 were marked on the north by the Duero, on the fouth by 

 the Guadiana, and from one to the other by a ftraight line 

 drawn from Simancas to Puente de I'Arzobilpo, and from 

 thence as far as the country of the people called Orctani, in 

 which tiie town of Almagro at prefcnt ftands. It included 

 in its extent the towns <A Avila, Salamanca, Coria, the ter- 

 ritory of Plafencia, Truxillo, Merida and Portugal, the 

 kingdom of Leon, and part of Eftremadura. See Lusi- 



TAN'IA. 



Boetica was almoft furrounded on two of its fides by the 

 Guadiana, bounded on the fouth by the Mediterranean and 

 the ocean, and terminated on the caft by a line drawn from 

 Murgis or Muxacra, a village near the ancient promontory 

 of Charidemus, now called the Cape de Gatte, to the terri- 

 tory of Caftulo, which was nearly in the fame fituation as 

 tlie modern Cazlona, and to tlie country of the Oretani. 

 It formed what is called Andalufia, containing the king- 

 doms of Seville, Jaen, Cordova, and Granada ; it alfo in- 

 cluded a part of modern Eftremadura, and extended as far 

 as Badajoz, which was within its boundaries. Sec B(E- 

 TirA. 



Hifpania Tarraconenfis comprehended all the other part* 



of Spain, and was the fame with that called Citerior Spam. 

 See HiSPANlA. 



The divifion of Spain, now ttated, underwent fome al- 

 terations under the laft Roman emperors, and was totally 

 changed after the invafion of the northern nations. It was 

 fubjefted by the Vandals about the year 41 j, after the 

 Romans had maintained poffeffion of it for about five cen- 

 turies ; and the Vifigoths, under Euric, fubducd the whole 

 of Spain, excepting Galicia, which was held by the Suevi, 

 who had entered into the country with the Vandals. With 

 this conqueft, which occurred A.D. 472, commence the 

 modern kingdom and hiftory of Spain. The Arabs, or 

 Moors, began their conqueft A.D. 709, and foon extended 

 it over the whole of Spain, except the mountains of Afturias, 

 where, as well as in Bifcay, king Pelagius maintained a 

 limited dominion. The defcendants of Pelagius, who fixed 

 the royal refidence at Oviedo, which was built in 761, de- 

 fended their own fmall territory, and recovered Gahcia, 

 and part of Leon and Caftile. In the year 914, the kings, 

 as their territory extended towards the fouth, began to refidc 

 at Leon, from which they took their title ; and in the i ith 

 century, ■v'fz.. A.D. 1 117, that of Caftile was added, the 

 kings of Czftile having become kings of Leon and the 

 Afturias A.D. 1037. In 1162 the county of Barcelona 

 was transferred to the king of Aragon, whofe royalty 

 commenced A.D. 1035. The fmall kingdom of Navarre, 

 the capital of which was Pampeluno, commenced, as fome 

 fay, A.D. 857, or, according to others, under Fortunio I. 

 A.D. 880. The reign of Alphonfo the Wife began A.D. 

 1252, and was diftinguiftied by the proteftion which it af- 

 forded to the arts and fciences. Neverthelefs, the Moors 

 mull be regarded as the chief poflefiors of Spain, until the 

 middle of the 13th century. Their government in Spain 

 was condnfted by governors deputed by the caliphs, until 

 the year 756, when Abdoulrahman feized the Iceptrc of 

 Spam, and became the Moorifti king of Cordova. This 

 dynafty, under which Spain extended its commerce, and 

 acquired very confiderable wealth and power, continued 

 until the year 1098, when the cahphate expired, and the 

 Moorilh governors of feveral provinces ufurped the royal 

 ftyle, in Cordova, Seville, Valencia, and Granada, and 

 rivalled the fmall Chriftian kingdoms, till the middle of the 

 13th century, when the latter became predominant, and 

 Spain refumed her fituation among the ftates of Chriltendom. 

 The laft of the Moorifli royalties wliich was fubdued, was 

 the kingdom of Granada ; .ind the crowns of Caftile and 

 Aragon' were united in the perfons of Ifabella and Fer- 

 dinand V. A.D. 1474. Charles V. emperor of Germany, 

 having married the heirefs of Aragon and Caftile, eftiiblirtied 

 the Spanidi monarchy on its prefent bafis, A.D. 15 16; 

 and in confequence of the accelFion of American wealth, the 

 power of Spain arrived at its zenith. In 1580 Portugal 

 was added to Spain by Philip II., the fon of Charles V. ; 

 but it revolted under Philip IV. A.D. 1640, and became 

 a feparate kingdom. The Auftrian dynafty terminated at 

 the death of Charles II., who died without idue, A.D. 

 1700; and tliis event was fuccecded by the accelTion of 

 Philip V. of the houfe of Bourbon. 



From the preceding abftraft of the princip.al epociis of 

 Spain, it appear.'; that this kingdom arofc from the union 

 of the provmccs of the two crowns of Aragon and Caftile ; 

 the number being four for that of Aragon, and twenty-two 

 for Caftile, without including the lordfhip of Bilcay and 

 Navarre. The provinces of the crown of Aragon confift 

 of the kingdom of that name, the kingdom of Valencia, the 

 principality of Catalonia, and the kingdom of Majorca: 

 3 I 2 thofe 



