Spain/España and Portugal

Abstract

The Iberian Peninsula contains two of the oldest states in Europe. Spain dates from 1492, when unification was completed under Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. Their marriage in 1469 had already united their respective kingdoms, and in 1492 Granada was captured from the Moors, which completed the unity of Spain. However, in 1704 Gibraltar was lost to England, and became a British colony after the Union of 1707 with Scotland. Despite attempts to retake it, it is still British, which is a source of dispute between Spain and Britain to this day. So here is an irredentist claim involving two members of the European Union (EU), a Union supposedly based on respect for each member’s territory. In fact, Britain’s control over Gibraltar meant little in 2002 in comparison with the unblocking of the Spanish veto over British proposals in the EU, which was being used to blackmail Britain over Gibraltar.¹