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Embarrassing Chapters in Spanish History

Can you name the following embarrassing chapters in Spain's history?
Inspiration comes from the "Embarrassing Chapters in History" series
Quiz by JWatson24
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Last updated: March 1, 2021
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First submittedJanuary 8, 2021
Times taken186
Average score83.3%
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This group of North African Muslims, who promoted religious tolerance and education during the "Dark Ages," are kicked out during the Reconquista
Moors
In 1492, members of this religious group are forced to either be expelled from Spain or convert to Catholicism
Jews
This organization is formed to remove non-Christians and heretics from Spain, often using harsh punishments such as burning at the stake
Spanish Inquisition
This Genoese explorer, whose voyages were funded by the Spanish monarchy, commits genocide against the indigenous population of the Carribbean
Christopher Columbus
Hernán Cortés conquers this Mesoamerican civilization by massacring enormous segments of their population and destroying their capital at Tenochtitlan
Aztec Empire
Francisco Pizarro conquers this Andean civilization using similar methods to Cortés
Inca Empire
Bartolomé de las Casas advocates for the enslavement of this group of people due to the horrific treatment of indigenous laborers (although he later recants this view)
Africans
This large Spanish naval fleet is essentially obliterated due to attacks from English forces and bad weather
Spanish Armada
Inbreeding in this royal family leads to King Charles II having severe disabilities and being unable to rule
Habsburgs
This important strait, which controls access to the Mediterranean Sea, is conquered by the British in 1704 and has remained under their control since
Gibraltar
In 1808, this ruler of France installs his brother as King of Spain, leading to a bloody guerilla war
Napoleon Bonaparte
A war with this country, sometimes known as the "Disaster of 1898," leads to devastating losses by Spanish forces and the loss of colonies such as Cuba and the Philippines
United States of America
This cathedral in Barcelona, whose groundbreaking ceremony occurred in 1882, remains under construction more than a century later
Sagrada Familia
Despite facing a relatively small army with outdated weaponry, Spain struggles to defeat anti-colonial rebels in this North African country in the 1920s
Morocco
This 1930s conflict, largely fought between communists and the fascists, leads to ~500,000 deaths and is called a "dress rehersal" for World War 2
Spanish Civil War
That conflict leads to the rise of this general, who became the last dictator in Western Europe and reigned until his death in 1975
Francisco Franco
The Spanish government cracks down on this region after a 2017 independence referendum and imprisons many of its leaders
Catalonia
Juan Carlos I, former king of Spain, flees to this Middle Eastern country in 2020 due to allegations of corrupt business dealings with Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
6 Comments
+2
Level 85
Jan 8, 2021
So it's embarrassing to be disabled? And it's embarrassing both to attack and to be attacked? To conquer and to be conquered?

And this is the first time that I've heard of La Sagrada Familia being an embarrassment. Think how embarrassing Cologne Cathedral must be!

+5
Level 71
Jan 8, 2021
For the disabled one, the embarrassment isn't that he was disabled but that the Habsburgs inbreeded so much that it happened. It's an embarrassment to the family, not the person. That being said, I changed the wording of the clue to reflect this.

The Sagrada Familia isn't embarrassing as a structure, but it IS embarrassing that, even with modern technology, it's taken so long to build it. Plus, many of the models and plans that went along with it were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, which I'd say is pretty embarrassing.

As for the other ones, I think they're all pretty fair game.

+1
Level 47
Jan 12, 2021
Some of these clues didn't take in the singular. I typed in "African" for "Africans" and "Habsburg" for "Habsburgs"
+1
Level 71
Jan 13, 2021
Fixed!
+2
Level 78
Mar 1, 2021
Good quiz, nominated! Columbus was Genoese, not Venetian though and I think the question could be rephrased to reflect that the genocide is the embarrassing part, not funding the voyages per se.
+2
Level 71
Mar 1, 2021
Thanks! I took your suggestions and updated the clue :)