Spain has a long history in science and technology, although many of our achievements over the centuries have been ignored or even forgotten. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, when other European countries were beginning to discover science’s potential, Spain already had a rich legacy of knowledge, partly thanks to the influence of the Arabs and Jews who lived on the peninsula.
The Golden Age of Al-Andalus
One of the first great scientific advances on the Iberian Peninsula came during the era of Al-Andalus, when Muslims ruled much of what we now know as Spain. Córdoba and other Andalusi cities became centers of knowledge, where the great scientific and philosophical works of antiquity were translated and preserved. In these places, mathematicians, astronomers, and physicians not only studied ancient Greek ideas but also developed theories and methods of their own.
In Córdoba, for example, the physician and philosopher Averroes (Ibn Rushd) stood out for his medical studies and defense of rational thought. Another great name of this period is Maimonides, the Jewish physician and philosopher who wrote important treatises on medicine and philosophy. However, despite these achievements, with the Reconquista and the subsequent Inquisition, much of this knowledge was lost or suppressed in favor of a culture more focused on religion than science.
Science During the Golden Age
Original AI-generated illustration; an artistic interpretation, not a documentary photograph.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Spain experienced its Golden Age, a period when the arts, literature, and, to a lesser extent, science flourished. During this time, Spain became one of the world’s leading powers, and although the main focus was colonial expansion and resource exploitation, some scientific advances also emerged in this era.
One of this period’s most outstanding scientists was Miguel Servet, who made great advances in understanding the circulatory system in the sixteenth century. However, like many scientific figures of the time, Servet was persecuted for his ideas. After confronting the Spanish Inquisition, he fled to Geneva, where he was executed for heresy—ironically by Calvinists, not the Catholic Church. This case reflects a recurring pattern in the history of science in Spain: those who challenged established beliefs were punished rather than celebrated.
Another fascinating figure in Spanish science is Jerónimo de Ayanz, a true sixteenth-century polymath. Although his name is little known, this engineer and scientist ahead of his time invented a rudimentary steam-engine prototype a century before James Watt popularized the technology. Ayanz patented more than fifty inventions in fields as varied as mining, navigation, and military engineering, but as often happens in Spanish history, his contributions went unnoticed.
Decline and Scientific Marginalization
The eighteenth century was a period in which science began to revive in Europe, thanks to the Enlightenment. However, Spain, which by then had already begun its decline as a global power, fell behind scientifically. While figures such as Isaac Newton and Voltaire were emerging in other countries such as France and the United Kingdom, science in Spain remained subordinate to religion and political power.
Original AI-generated illustration; an artistic interpretation, not a documentary photograph.
The creation of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences in 1847 and the founding of institutions such as the Institución Libre de Enseñanza in the nineteenth century marked attempts to modernize science in Spain, but these initiatives were often frustrated by the country’s political and social instability.