Spain’s First Colony: Conquest of The Canary Islands

The Conquest of an archipelago that was on the edges of the old world and acted as the training ground for the Conquistidors

[@XREYESEVENTS]

One of my first ancestors 6-7 generations back come from the canary islands. They landed in Puerto plata and stayed in the Dominican republic. Juan Reyes Terreno with his wife Ines Colon

[@9thGenerationCajun]

So I was born and raised in South Louisiana as Cajun but have a few Spanish great grandparents, I found I'am a descendant of the original 16 Canary Island Families that founded San Antonio The Corbelo ,Delgado, D'Amador to name a few but I keep finding mentions of being related to Jean De Beathancourt. I'am very shocked to find out he was from Normandy, My Sir name is Acadian from La Rochelle my great grandfather 11 generations ago (same last name) went to Nova Scotia in early 1600's & his grandchildren were Exiled in 1755 & returned to France only for them to return to Louisiana in 1785. Great video you answered a few questions I've had for awhile now. 🙏

[@cookiemonster7043]

Do you want a cookie ? I descend from him as well.

[@gdopblp]

How could i know my ancestors past?

[@20nonblonde]

me too@@cookiemonster7043

[@elyaqui5324]

Nobody cares

[@lauriekline178]

Do a 23 and me ancestry DNA test. I did and it showed up. My grandma was Canarian and from San Antonio Texas. I am Nordic and Berber.

[@gazzaplayz1233]

i just discovered your channel and it’s awesome, your videos are very informative and discuss parts of history that aren’t widely known about this is the best video i’ve seen on the history of the spanish conquest of the canary islands. thanks man!

[@nestor1907]

Thanks for making a video about this crucial moment in the history of our islands, greetings from a Canario Spaniard from the island of Tenerife who descends from Mencey Bencomo's family!

[@StoicHistorian]

Wow, it’s an honor, glad I did your family some justice

[@PDG00N]

Descendiente de Bencomo y con la Cruz de Borgoña...

[@nestor1907]

@ Algún problema lmao? Es que siempre sois los independentistas que no aceptáis que a dia de hoy somos españoles, vergüenza dais

[@JuanMoreno-wo5yb]

@@StoicHistorian I took canary as being birds 🐦 😂

[@franwilliams5665]

I have ancestors from the Canary Islands. I’ve also been matched with remains on the island of this ancient civilization. And a family tree that connects to the king. :) this was fascinating

[@swolelemur6596]

Glad I found this channel absolutely underrated. Keep up the awesome work!!

[@TheMariepi3]

One hypothesis about the origin of the name of these islands is that on some there were large numbers of seals (monk seals) which the Romans called "canis marinus" ( sea dog), that is, they did not receive the name because there were many dogs but because there were many (monk) seals in them

[@echeyde100]

the name came by the canarii tribe of north africa

[@TheMariepi3]

@@echeyde100 Where is that data? Have you read them in the writings of a trusted historian or have you guessed it by sniffing glue?

[@marceloriverorodriguez6911]

​@@echeyde100No tienes ni idea de historia

[@juanantoniomarcelinodiaz8272]

Admiral Nelson lost an arm while trying to conquer the Canary Islands. In 1797 the British tried to take over Tenerife. They wanted to subject all the Canary Islands under the British crown. A bullet fired by the "Tigre" cannon manufactured in Seville left him without his right arm. Lieutenant General Gutiérrez, defender of the islands, had 1,700 men under his command. Nelson had 4,000 men. To justify his defeat, Nelson argued that he had faced 8,000 men. There were 1,700 but they were worth like 8,000.

[@StoicHistorian]

Had no idea that was at Tenerife I’m gonna have to make a video about this

[@gazzaplayz1233]

i am currently staying in gran canaria and i hiked to pico de la nieves on the way there i met a spanish man who told me all about the history of the guanche and the rulers and ‘menceys’ of the islands on the way to the summit i visited a museum named mundo aborigen which shows the details of guanche life by constructing a guanche town. it is such a shame the guanche way of life and history has been forgotten by history

[@canarioyespanol6446]

En gran canaria no había menceyes, había un guanarteme

[@zuuzuuka]

Brilliant video, as usual. Edit: love the new longform format

[@StoicHistorian]

Thanks for watching man!

[@carlosnoruegafly]

I enjoyed your video. But note that there's a lot more than 5% guanche blood in today's Tenerife population.

[@StoicHistorian]

Yeah someone else commented that as well, my bad, read some false statistic, of course happy to hear larger numbers

[@Chicharrera.]

Yes. I am 25% Guanche (22% Berber + 3% Sub-Saharan) and 25% equally Castillian Spanish, Genoan Italian and Portuguese. My father is from Lanzarote (surnames Valiente Fajardo..Italian ancestry). My mother is from Tenerife (surnames García Alonso...Spanish/Portuguese ancestry). My parents migrated to Australia in January 1973 to escape fascist General Franco. First, they took us to Antwerp in Belgium for a year as my father had a cousin living there but the government rejected our application. My father worked as a merchant mariner on Norwegian container ships while my mother, my brother and I lived with his parents in Santa Cruz the capital of Tenerife. It was while on one of his voyages that my father's ship docked in Fremantle, Perth, in 1967 and he absolutely fell in love with Australia, especially the climate as it was similar to the Canaries. After getting rejected by Belgium, my father was trying to come up with a plan B. It was while he was in a doctor's waiting room that he picked up a magazine and flicking through it, his heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened. There in that magazine was an advertisement from the Australian government for free, unrestricted, all expenses paid entry to Australia for any family wishing to migrate there!! Eureka, my father shouted in excitement. He applied, we were accepted and we arrived the last year of Australia's free mass migration program, 1973. The year after the program was shut down and applications had to pass strict entry rules of having work experience in a field in high demand (nursing, teaching, doctor, engineering etc) + English language skills+ enough money to fund your first few years + offer of employment by a local company). My mother, who was only 21 when she came to Australia, told me that the second she got off the plane at Sydney airport, took a look at the big, beautiful blue Australian sky and felt the hot blast of Sydney's summer weather heat, knew she would love living here. Having spent the entire previous year in Flanders, Belgium and having experienced a cold, dreary European winter, she was scared of what Australia's climate would be like. She said her first summer in Australia was blissful. I have returned to Canarias many times. I finished my high school education there (Instituto de Bachillerato Teobaldo Power). I later returned on my own for 4 years to work (Oficinas de Almacenes El Globo en Calle Castillo). I lived on calle Ramón y Cajál, calle Benavides and in Barrio de la Salúd. I was born in Güimar and lived in Arafo my first year as my mother was from there and we lived with my grandparents. My uncle (my father's brother) lives in Las Mimosas. I have relatives in La Palma and Fuerteventura. There are so many streets named after the Guanche mencey's. Calle Mencey Bencomo, Calle Mencey Beneharo. There is even a street Calle Bethencourt. My favourite author is a Canarian - Alberto Vásquez Figueroa. He has written many fiction books based on the Guanches. My favourite are the Cienfuegos sieries and the Yaiza series.

[@ahulaga8466]

What an interesting life!! I went the other way jajaja Australia to Canaria

[@Islas_Canarias]

@ahulaga8466 Really? May I ask why and which Island? The last time I was there was 1994 after having lived there for 4 years on my own (from age 20-24). I couldn't hack living there any longer. I'll never forget living in an apartment in Santa Cruz how it was so noisy 24/7 from cars, vespas and poker machines from the bars. I would have to sleep with ear plugs in my ears just to get some decent shut-eye. Because I had worn them for so long my ears got infected. I woke up one night at about midnight with the sensation in my ears I can only describe as having knitting needles stabbing inside my ears. I got up, got dressed, went outside and hailed a taxi and went to the hospital. They told me I had a bad infection from lack of fresh air to the insides of my ear canal. They gave an injection of now no longer available "Nolotíl" and it gave me immediate relief and I was given a script for antibiotics to clear up the nasty infection. But another thing I couldn't tolerate by my fourth year living there was the Spanish attitude. I've grown up in Australia and like Aussie humour. Canarios are too backwards and intolerant as a people. I found them very close-minded. Granted, its been 29 years so I am unaware if attitudes have changed. But, my parents also felt the same way as I did, and they grew up in Canarias. My parents feel they are Australian, not Canarios. Right now they live in Portugal as they have retired there. They wanted to retire to Europe but not Spain nor Canarias. Neither of them are close to their family members, both sets of their parents have passed away, leaving only siblings and cousins. My parents, my brother, my sister and I have become "radicalised Australians" LOL.

[@ahulaga8466]

@@Islas_Canarias I live in Fuerteventura, I have a block of land in the "countryside" with no neighbours and no disturbance. I've been here for 10 years and will be here another 10. There are plenty of things I don't like but one must be happy no matter where you live.

[@margaritagomez5077]

It was never a colony. The Spaniards are not like the Anglos. Canaries became a Spanish province ( as it still is now), and its inhabitants disppeared...IN INTERMARRIAGE, as it's usual with the Spaniards (please check South America 😉). Hasta el moño de black legend, chaval.

[@kRod200]

I traced my ancestry back and found that my 22nd great grandfather was Hernando de Guzmán, conquistador and Spanish nobleman that took part in the conquest of the Canary Islands after the war he was married to the guanche princesses known as Arminda Catalina Masequera

[@Udeolecrab]

22nd great grandfather (70yo medium/lucky case) means (70x22)1440 years ago. Recheck that tracing.

[@kRod200]

⁠​⁠@@UdeolecrabI’m not sure I understand, he was born in 1459 I’m also 21 years old making that 565 years ago, 543 years from when I was born.

[@canarioyespanol6446]

Arminda es la hermana de bentejui y no era guanche era canaria.

[@kRod200]

@@canarioyespanol6446thanks for the information

[@waraanepa1458]

It is not true, many elements of the Guanches, foods, sports, names of things and places, culture, survive in the current Canaries, as does a considerable high percentage of Guanche DNA in the Canaries of more than 3 generations.

[@louisxix3271]

Brilliant! Thanks for making this. On holidays in the Canaries atm.

[@StoicHistorian]

Thank you!!!

[@nicholasleon787]

My great uncle told me that my family is from the Canary Islands an he’s from cuba.

[@lina.555]

i’ve seen a lot of people from cuban descent have some guanche blood in them! it’s so fascinating

[@lauriekline178]

Berber DNA and Cubans like Puerto Ricans have some of this DNA.

[@e.heinrich-sanchezgomez9919]

The Guanches not the Guanch

[@KutasMroku]

Awesome video, your channel is a hidden gem of KZbin. Keep at it my friend, you have a talent for this!

[@StoicHistorian]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@beasteurope7844]

Great documentary ❤❤❤

[@johnboy14]

Really great video.

[@chrisk93]

I am a descendant of Jean Bethencourt IV. Thanks for this insightful video because I’m always looking for more info on him.

[@cookiemonster7043]

So am I.

[@celtiberian07]

Some of my wifes family is from Canary islands my fam came from andalucia

[@Warlock1515]

Fantastic video! I learned many things and I'm shocked at the level of detail on the Guanche stories you narrated. Could you list your sources somehow? Also, it would be awesome to see the continuation video of how the canary Islands were kept by Spain for the years to come to this day. The british almost captured the Tenerige but the admiral Nelson was defeated by the local Tenerife people. Thank you for the hard work!

[@StoicHistorian]

The main source for the first half was “the Canarian” then “Guanches of Tenerife, the Holy Image of Our Lady of Canderlaria, With Spanish Conquest and Settlement” for the later half

[@Warlock1515]

@@StoicHistorian thank you so much! Much appreciated!

[@StoicHistorian]

@@Warlock1515 thanks for watching my man, if you want anymore just let me know!!

[@alexiveperez4687]

The Canary Islands were part of Spain before Barcelona, Valencia, Granada etc. But ok. They were "Spain s first colony." I guess Manchester was Britain's first colony too, then.

[@Johnwick52923]

Freaking awesome content man!!

[@StoicHistorian]

Thanks dude!!!

[@mr.baumguard]

Surprisingly good story telling. Although i'm a bit concerned about the used images. They are partially Ai generated and partially unrelated? Although i don't condemn the use of such, i think it would benefit the video to narrow it down and maybe label any unrelated image material. (if i'm completely wrong, please correct me) It is very nice to hear the history of the canaries in such length and detail. Here i would find it beneficial to mention some of the sources somewhere (if not in the description, then maybe on a linked website). Great work and a great pleasure to listen to !!

[@VictorMyMaster]

43:16 is Fuerteventura, not "feurteventura". 48:53 / 1:12:50 is Guanches, not "gaunches". 1:09:35 Tigayga, not "tagaiga". 1:10:32 Ichasagua, not "ichachasga" Most of the guanches slaves were moved to Puerto Rico, that's why is found there more of their DNA these days than in the Canary Islands. Great video!

[@Kerbeygrip]

I sang The Cantata de Mencey Loco that recalls the battle between the Guanche tribes and the Spanish. They were routed because the Spanish had guns.. they took all the Canarian pines from Tenerife to build the Armada ships and left a desert from which we are still recovering in Tenerife.

[@Udeolecrab]

Kerbeygrip, Birmingham and history books are missing you.

[@madgringo9263]

ENGLISH YOU MUST BE....BECOUSE YOU INVENT SO MUCH..... 😂😢😮😅😊

[@juanantoniomarcelinodiaz8272]

Pues ya tardías. ¿Más de 500 años para plantar unos arbolitos?😆

[@joebowden4065]

Bro your pronunciation of el hierro confused me so much. It is pronounced like el like in gel, hierro like he-air-row with a rolled r. Amazing vid though. The Guaches would be very confused by modern day Tenerife😂

[@michaeltworged3712]

Kings hiring external companies to do the dirty jobs for good revenue. Having good return we can sacrifice some externalities and a bit of loss is still allowed. Great video , thank you!

[@samuelcabreradorta5283]

Viva Canarias libre carajo🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨

[@juanantoniomarcelinodiaz8272]

libre de miseria nacionalista

[@mr.battledroid2195]

The Canary Islands was not a Spanish colony, neither were Spanish viceroyalties.

[@airellebloomfield3063]

But how would you explain the Spanish family’s who trace their ancestors back to the Spanish islands?

[@mr.battledroid2195]

@@airellebloomfield3063 what? I’m not trying to disprove anything of that silly

[@lauriekline178]

Yes it’s a Spanish colony. What planet are these stupid idiots from?

[@ebonytv3414]

Unfortunately, history had another fate for the Guanches. They became the first casualty of the era best known as the Age of Discovery. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Spain and Portugal began colonizing the Americas and Africa. The island and its people stood in the way. Today, Guanches are considered a lost culture. Spanish colonization and the slave trade had all but wiped out these natives of the island chain. If they didn’t die fighting against the invaders, they were decimated by diseases introduced by the European conquerors. Those who survived became assimilated culturally and genetically through interbreeding with the Spanish rulers or Sub-Saharan African slaves.

[@JuanMoreno-wo5yb]

Why not say what you feel it true?!? ❤

[@922232338]

Coast of Morrocco ??????? What a nonsense !!!!!!! DESINFORMATION

[@haricedres]

Los guanches eran descendientes de bereberes Amazig, cultura desconocida gracias al estado español nos la ha arrebatado y sus lacayos. Los canarios sabemos poco o nada de nuestra propia cultura. Saludos desde Tenerife 🇮🇨

[@lauriekline178]

Amazigh Berbers have a known culture. My grandmother was Canarian , my DNA is Berber, and my first husband was moriscos.

[@TheMariepi3]

realmente no debian tener mucha cultura, no eran precisamente antiguos griegos atenienses haciendo partenones y estatuas de Fidias ni escribias Anabasis de Jenofonte (o Historia de la Retira de los diez mil), ni la Hstoria Natural de Herodoto , o la Iliada y la Odisea sino gente ruda y primitiva . El Estado español os llevó la verdadera religion asi que agradecerselo, es lo mejor que se podia llevar

[@haricedres]

@@TheMariepi3 tenían su cultura, muy espiritual por cierto, y la religión es una mier...

[@haricedres]

Con razón en tu país todos se quieren independizar, pu... España

[@TheMariepi3]

@@haricedres si no fuese por la religion catolica estariais follando todo el dia , la religion os salvo de tal lascivia

[@ramonbriggs17]

Great job interesting but your a natural Great speaking voice !! A young Alan Watt.. lol Great job

[@StoicHistorian]

Thank you I really appreciate that

[@jorgecorbalan9782]

Excellent video but the pronunciation of Spanish names is horrific…

[@Jorge-xf9gs]

*Amazigh names

[@supernivemdealbabor]

How daring and ignorant. Always the same level of ignorance, always puting the world to scrutiny under the prisma of Anglosaxon past errors, crimes and prejudices. That Britain had colonies doesnt mean that everybody else had. Today the insolence in your video is even more clear and I should point it out. Now you are not talking of a past time or spanish administrative entity that disapeared. That makes it more easy to understand to you. The canaries never were colonies nor are they today. They were Castilla and not a Colony. Today they are Spain and not a Colony. They were and are, as always was and is the case of all spanish ultramarine territories, part of Spain in full right. Spanish territoris had the right to have universities, chancillerias (its own high courts of justice in their district), Reales audiencias, cecas, etc. Much unlike the 13 colonies that didnt have any major right, nor independently functioning civile organs.

[@StoicHistorian]

Still had to conquer and colonize it

[@Udeolecrab]

The disney piramyd, pls.

[@PocketaPoemArtbyCCC]

Okay but the blood quantum is way higher.

[@StoicHistorian]

Yeah I read a bad statistic that got past my research, hope you enjoyed the rest!

[@guaguide]

Hello, I am from Gran Canaria and I will love talk to you by a call. I am about to try to make something big, starting with a business that shows canary islands in a better and sustainable way. Anyways if you can send me privately or any social media to talk to you and send you more information will be amazing. Very good job and thank you so much for visualize the history about Canary Islands and also your content in general. Have a lovely day!

[@StoicHistorian]

My email is [e-mail]

[@incogb6696]

Are you amazigh or Spanish😂

[@larrywave]

👍👍

[@incogb6696]

Guanches=people in the berber language.. they were from tribes still existing all over North Africa from Morocco to Libya, but the main ones were moroccan..: look up the Zenata stone, also it’s not named after a dog😂 it’s named after a tribe in Atlas and desert called the Canarii who fought fierce against the Romans.. Ghomera island is after the Ghomeras, the same people/group who made the conquer on Spain.. both of those in Morocco…

[@Revitalization4241]

The main ones were the Numidians

[@Revitalization4241]

The Ghomora Berbers are not named after the island Gomera

[@Revitalization4241]

The Moroccan identity has nothing to do with ancient Imazighen

[@incogb6696]

@@Revitalization4241 No lmao, algerians have no history of their own they like, btw most of Numidian worship and figures is in Morocco, many actual archeological sites.

[@incogb6696]

@@Revitalization4241 You don’t even know what i’m typing hhhhhh , the island of Gomera is after the Ghomaras.

[@williancarvalho6183]

25:32

[@Tanausuland]

What happens that the history of the Canary Islands is only Tenerife..... You only looked for Tenerife... Anyway. The 5 years of the conquest of Gran Canaria. The Foundation of the First Castilian Villa, the arrival of the Pirates Sir Francis Drake by England and Van der Does by the Netherlands. That is not history. Let's talk about Tenerife..... DISLIKE

[@StoicHistorian]

In an effort to create a video that is not multiple hours long I had to cut some of the less important events out. I did focus my study on Tenerife, again to simplify the narrative. Sorry I couldn’t tell the entire history of this beautiful archipelago but I did my best. This is history, it’s just my telling of events that are still correct despite not including everything. I do plan on writing a book about the canaries that will include the whole conquest in very vivid detail if that makes you feel any better

[@juanantoniomarcelinodiaz8272]

Te sobra el "Sir" del terrorista Drake

[@alexandrel.rodriguez9583]

Big taboo for Spain and others 😅😊

[@cookiemonster7043]

@stoichistorian the Guache people didn’t disappear you fool. Modern Canary Islanders share their DNA with them!!!!! They mixed with the Spanish and French conquistadors

[@lauriekline178]

Yes. My ancestral DNA is indigenous and North African. My grandmother was Canarian from the 16 families who founded San Antonio Texas. 23 and me detected it in my saliva.

[@cookiemonster7043]

@@lauriekline178 congratulations me too… except moms father’s maternal side from her great grandpa’s side of family descend from French nobility whom first settled Canary Islands and then went to Latin America

[@ebonytv3414]

The Guanches descendants are still around we are black people transported to the Caribbean and the Americas

[@Revitalization4241]

Your a afrocentrist not a Guanche

[@ebonytv3414]

@@Revitalization4241 and you are a racist who hasn’t got a clue,obviously you don’t know what DNA is.

[@lauriekline178]

Nope. Guanches were Caucasian.

[@lauriekline178]

@@ebonytv3414my DNA is indigenous Berber. Berbers pre date sub Saharan African. 23 and me testing. I am not negro.

[@ebonytv3414]

@@lauriekline178 keep believing white washed history. history had another fate for the Guanches. They became the first casualty of the era best known as the Age of Discovery. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Spain and Portugal began colonizing the Americas and Africa. The island and its people stood in the way. Today, Guanches are considered a lost culture. Spanish colonization and the slave trade had all but wiped out these natives of the island chain. If they didn’t die fighting against the invaders, they were decimated by diseases introduced by the European conquerors. Those who survived became assimilated culturally and genetically through interbreeding with the Spanish rulers or Sub-Saharan African slaves.

[@jesofesuarezlasso4441]

Arminda Hera una princesa de Gran canaria

[@AE-mg6vf]

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9840145/ There is still a significant amount of Guanche DNA in the Canaries, transmitted mainly through women.

[@agm2841]

So from my dna test my dna is high in the canary islands, me being mexican and puerto rican, obviously knowing the history. Would that mean i have guanche blood in me?

[@hectormanuel8360]

@@agm2841 Puerto Rican heritage directly links to the Canary/Amazigh people.