Just as no significant literary creation can be properly understood without knowledge of its historical conditions, so too is insight into the political and cultural circumstances from which Spanish literature developed essential for a clear grasp of its origins and evolution. One of the most important events that shaped what we understand as Spanish literature took place during the first two centuries before Christ. After the Romans broke Carthaginian rule on the Iberian Peninsula in 206 BC, they proceeded to subjugate the entire country, a task that was only accomplished after lengthy and sacrificial struggles shortly before the beginning of our era. Rudolf Beer provides a well-founded overview of the history of Spanish literature here.