Historical influencers in Cádiz – trivia edition

As the oldest inhabited city in Spain, Cádiz has seen many different civilizations pass through its lands as well as a few famous historical people.

In today’s blog, see if you can guess these 5 famous historical figures.

1st Famous Historical Person

Historically and one of my favorites this individual held several titles and was worshiped by many. He came from a mighty lineage on his father’s side but his relationship with his stepmom was toxic at best. Family dynamics and tragedy lead him to travel throughout the Mediterranean. He is known for his many adventures. One of his most notable deeds was separating Africa from Europe. 

Do you know who he is???? 

Hercules!!!!

Hercules is near and dear to the hearts of the people of Cádiz as he is considered the founder of the city. According to Greek legend, his tenth labor brought him to these shores as he was tasked with stealing the golden cattle from king Geryon, thus making him the first “man” to set foot on the sandy beaches of Cádiz. They even say part of Hercules’s ashes were buried in the temple of Melkart, built by the Phoenicians on the island of Santi Petri in San Fernando.

2nd Famous Historical Person

Our second famous figure was born into an aristocratic family. His father was a famous general and was well respected by his own soldiers and advisories alike. Brought to the Iberian peninsula at age 9, the son of this general grew up in the city of Cádiz. Following in the footsteps of his father, he took command of the army at the age of 25.

He spent 16 years campaigning against his biggest enemy, a mighty empire. His military success has made him one of the greatest military commanders who has ever lived. 

Give up??? Here is one more clue

His most famous expedition took him over the alps with 40 war elephants. 

His name translates to the “grace of Ba’al,” which was an important god he and his people worshiped. 

And yes, it is Hanniba’al Barca, (I am sure you got it once I mentioned the war elephants).

Hanniba’al Barca son of Hamilcar Barca was made to swear an oath at the age of nine to ´never be friends with Rome´. A promise that he kept. He spent his life battling the Romans in the hope to free his home city Carthage of their tyranny. He spent over 17 years of his life at war with the Romans. Eventually, the Punic wars ended and Hannibal went on to live many more years as an exile and a political advisor. He ultimately died in his mid 60’s either by taking his own life or of an illness. Although according to historical records, he supposedly joked that he might as well off himself as the Romans could not.  

3rd Famous Historical Person

The third famous historical person visited Spain on 4 different occasions, and each time he stopped by to visit the city of Cádiz. He is famous for his military plight as well as for overthrowing his government and proclaiming himself Dictator for Life. This person was considered a very handsome man and married 3 different times. He also had several affairs, one was with a famous queen from Egypt that lasted almost 14 years. This person was eventually assassinated. 

If you have not guessed it yet I have one more clue. Shakespeare wrote a play about his life and tragic death. 

Yep, you got it, he is Julius Ceasar.

During the 2nd century, Rome started to move into Spain and settlements like Gadir (today known as Cádiz) became Romanized. Julia Caesar was appointed quaestor of Hispania, which essentially, besides some other duties, meant he was a Roman tax collector in Spain. His assignments took him to the Iberian peninsula several times, and on one of these occasions, it is famously known that he stopped by the temple of Melkart or Melqart now known as the temple of Hercules to pay his respects to the god. There he came across the Statue of Alexander the Great. And to the surprise of those with him, he began to cry, when they asked him why he said that by the time Alexander had reached his age (33), he had already conquered the world. Talk about an overachiever.

4th Famous Historical Person

This man, although considered a hero during his time, may seem like quite a disreputable person today. He is famously known as the second individual to circumnavigate the world. He was one of the first in his country to own slaves and the very first to see the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish hated him and for good reason. They even gave him the nickname El Draque or “Draco,” which means “dragon” in Latin.

Give up? Ok, here’s one last clue, his most glorious or infamous action was dubbed the: ‘Singeing the King of Spain’s beard’.

Ha ha, it is Sir Francis Drake.

I know, I know this historical person was a little more difficult. So what does Sir Francis Drake have to do with Cádiz? 

Sir Francis Drake was a British sea captain and privateer (although the Spanish saw him as a pirate). During his naval career, he grew to hate the Spanish but developed a love of stealing their gold, which is how he received his nickname. Under Queen Elizabeth, he was encouraged to be a thorn in the Spanish side, so when the opportunity came to attack the Spanish in their own backyard he jumped at the chance. In 1587 he led a fleet into the harbor at Cádiz. The raid was so damaging,  Spanish Armada, which had plans to invade England, had to delay its voyage for a whole year. 

5th Famous Person

Our fifth and last famous person, whom we are going to mention in this blog, to have graced our city with their presence, is from the USA. Although she is not historically famous yet, she will be one day. A member of the Hollywood elite, this person is known for their glamour and good looks and began their career on the beauty pageant circuit. During their career, they have won several awards and is the only person to hold one of these awards even to this day. T

I know I’m being a bit vague, so here are some easier clues. She was in Cádiz filming the 20th movie in a super popular series. She also is the only actress to have the good grace to collect the ‘worst actress’ Razzie award in 2005 in person

I am sure you have guessed it by now:

Halle Berry!

Halle Berry was in Cádiz for the filming of the James Bond Movie, ‘Die another day’. Fun fact; I was actually there for the filming. My dad was a member of the old cars club and was asked to be an extra driver. I got to witness the scene of Halle Berry coming out of the water at La Caleta Beach. Talk about a fabulous actress, that day was and they made her repeat the scene over 5 times! I would have died of frostbite, but she kept her cool and you couldn’t even tell she was suffering. 

Cádiz was chosen as the location as it is very similar in appearance to Havana Cuba which is where the movie supposedly took place.  Actually, Havana and Cádiz are sister cities. 

Many other famous people have visited the city over the years but I choose these five for their historical popularity and the impact they had on the city. 

If you are interesting in learning more about the different historic people who have visited the oldest inhabited city in Europe then check out our experiences in Cádiz or the province of Cádiz then make sure you contact us for one of our private experience here.