13 h 50 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A kingdom falls, resistance gathers in the mountains, and Spain’s borderlands become the ground of legend.
In Spanish Papers, Washington Irving turns old Spanish chronicles into lively tales of medieval Spain. Christian kingdoms and Muslim rulers fight and trade across the same peninsula. The collection’s main stories follow Don Roderick, Pelayo, Fernan Gonzalez, and Fernando the Saint, bringing history, legend, and faith together without treating them as the same thing.
The Conquest of Don Roderick opens a world of threatened rule and divided loyalties. In the legend, Count Julian helps Muslim forces cross into Spain. Pelayo’s story carries you north to the mountains of Asturias, where resistance gathers. The chronicles of Fernan Gonzalez and Fernando the Saint then explore Castile’s struggle for independence and the expanding southern frontier.
What you’ll discover
- Old chronicles brought close Enter a medieval Spain where recorded events and popular legends share the same pages.
- A kingdom under threat Enter Roderick’s story, where a nobleman’s grievance becomes part of the legend of conquest.
- Resistance in the mountains Follow Pelayo into Asturias, where those who refuse to submit begin to gather.
- Castile at the border Meet Fernan Gonzalez in a county exposed to attack and bound to León.
- A frontier moving south Explore the chronicle of Fernando the Saint as the Christian kingdoms extend their reach.
Is it for you?
This is for readers who love medieval tales, Spanish history, or Irving's easy storytelling, and for anyone who has visited the Alhambra and wondered what came before. If you want strict modern scholarship, you may find it less suited.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Irving retells old chronicles as living stories
- A Gothic king falls and Spain changes hands
- Count Julian's grievance opens the gates
- Pelayo lights the first fire of resistance
- Fernan Gonzalez builds a free Castile
- Fernando the Saint and the shape of the whole
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 13 h 50 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Chroniques espagnoles in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
Chroniques espagnoles
by Washington Irving· 1866
Medieval Spanish rulers struggle over kingdoms, borders and faith.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Français
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Irving retells old chronicles as living stories
Irving did not invent these tales. He found them in the old Spanish chronicles, which were written by monks and court writers who mixed recorded fact with popular legend. He spent time in Madrid and in Andalusia in the 1820s, reading in libraries and walking the ground where the stories happened. Out of that work came his books on Granada and the Alhambra, and also the shorter pieces gathered here.
His method is to keep the voice of the chronicler while smoothing the language for a modern reader. The old writers took miracles for granted. They saw saints in the sky and signs in the heavens, and they believed that God steered every battle. Irving keeps those details but lets a faint smile show through, so you can enjoy the wonder without being asked to swallow it whole.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
Washington Irving
1783–1859 · American writer and historian
Washington Irving (1783–1859) was an American writer, historian and diplomat. He was born in New York City and died in Tarrytown, New York. He also lived in Britain and Spain. He published The Sketch Book in 1819–1820 and The Alhambra in 1832. He served as American minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846.
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More by Washington Irving
All 8 books
More like this
Free
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about Chroniques espagnoles
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is Spanish Papers by Washington Irving about?
It is a collection of Irving's writings on medieval Spain. It retells legends and chronicles about King Roderick, Pelayo, Count Fernan Gonzalez and King Fernando the Saint, covering the Muslim conquest and the long Christian reconquest.
Is Spanish Papers a true story?
It is a mix. Irving drew on old Spanish chronicles, which blend real events with legend and miracle. The conquest of 711 and the fall of Seville in 1248 are historical, while many details are tradition.
Who was King Roderick in Irving's tales?
Roderick was the last Visigothic king of Spain. The legends say his pride and sins brought down his kingdom when invaders crossed from North Africa. Irving retells these stories from the old chronicles.
Popular in myths & legends
See all
Free
Free
Free
