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Christian Reconquest of Spain
Rise of the Christian Kingdoms in North
Several Christian kingdoms arose in the north of Spain in the centuries after the Moorish conquest, but they were of little importance until after the fall of the Cordova Caliphate in 1031 A.D. The legendary leader of the band of exiles that fled to the Cantabrian Mountains after the battle of Guadalete was Pelayo of Asturias, a Visigoth prince. However, the kingdom of Asturias that he established was not Visigoth but rather it was a combination of indigenous Basques and Celt-Iberians, and exiles and refugees from various regions, including Spaniards, Visigoths, Suevi, and Franks.
In the earliest years of its existence, the kingdom of Asturias was not recognized as an independent kingdom. The dominant Christian power in the region was the Franks, who successfully drove the Moors out of Gaul and under Charlemagne even crossed the Pyrenees to give battle to the Mohammedans on the peninsula. But in 778 the Franks retreated, leaving Asturias as the predominant Christian kingdom in the region.
During the early years of the Moorish empire, there was a large population of Christians still living within its bounds and paying special taxes while being denied full rights of citizenship. Considering the large population of tax-paying Christians in their realm and the ferocious Franks immediately to their north, the Cordova Caliphate was not inclined to take aggressive measures against the small and seemingly insignificant independent mountain kingdom.
The region immediately south of Asturias was Leon, and early on the northern Christians gained tentative control of this strategic region. The territory of Asturias-Leon expanded in the 9th and 10th centuries as a result of Christian victories against the reginal Moors, but also due to Christian migration from Moorish domains into Christian territory. In 910 the king of Asturias moved his capital to Leon and his was henceforth known as the kingdom of Leon. The kingdom of Castile, which was originally a duchy of Asturias was "declared independent" by Fernan Gonsalez in 932, but continued to be overshadowed by Leon until the reign of Alfonso VI, several generations hence.
Other Christian kingdoms in the region were Navarre in the Pyrenees, which became independent of the Frankish empire in 837, and Aragon, which split from Navarre in 1035 and expanded its borders to the south. Far to the west of were Galicia and Portugal, vassal kingdoms of Leon that achieved a certain degree of independence. The Christian kingdoms of Leon, Castile, Navarre, Aragon, Galicia and Portugal together controlled all of Northern Spain, and for several hundred years warred with each other as well as the Moors. The wars between the Christian kingdoms are generally known as the Castilian Wars, because Castile was of central importance and came to be the dominant kingdom on the Peninsula.
The Christians kingdoms were able to gain significant territory and autonomy during the ninth and tenth centuries while the power of the Cordoba Caliphate was at its height, mainly because the regions they dominated were poor and sparsely populated. The Moors controlled the cosmopolitan and prosperous regions along the Mediterranean coasts. Al-Andalus was the center of Moorish commerce and culture and the poor, remote Christian territories to the north seemed of little significance. In the late 900's, the Moslem general Almanzor briefly retook Christian territory, but the Cordova Caliphate collapsed several years after his death and the empire became divided in to fiefdoms (called Taifas) of warring Moslem princes.
Christian Victories against the Moors
The eleventh century was a critical one for the rising Christian kingdoms. Soon afterward the breakup of the Cordova caliphate, Ferdinand I of Leon united Galicia and Castile under the crown of Leon. He split his kingdom among his sons upon his death, but this only resulted in years of civil war during which Alfonso VI regained control of all three kingdoms. It was during this period that the famous El Cid, a knight loyal to Alfonso’s brother, was banished from Castile and took Valencia, a prosperous Moorish trading city on the Western coast of Spain. Eventually Cid and Alfonso were reconciled and in 1085 they reconquered the old Visigoth capital of Toledo.
As a result of the Christian conquest of Toledo several Moorish princes invited the Almoravids of Morocco to help them regain their territory, a move they soon regretted. The Almoravid’s were of little help in reconquering Christian territory, but they deposed many of the Taifa rulers, most of whom had become luxurious and decadent. The Almoravids, like the Alhomads who followed them, were desert warriors of a stern faith, who despised the cultured and religiously indifferent Moorish nobles, and the prosperous trading culture of Al-Andalus declined greatly under the new leadership.
The Christian victories against the Moors continued during the twelfth century, especially under the kings of Aragon and Castile. James I of Aragon added the prosperous coastal region of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands to the domain of Aragon during his reign, and the kingdom of Portugal rose to prominence under Afonso Henriques. The greatest twelfth century Christian warrior of all, however, was Saint Ferdinand III of Castile, who conquered Seville and Cordoba, and brought Dominican and Franciscan orders to Al-Andalusa to help re-Christianize southern Spain.
The Moors, now under the rule of the fierce Alhomads, continued to lose territory until 1212 at which time they were utterly defeated at the terrific battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. In this key battle, Alfonso VIII of Castile and the united Christian armies nearly annihilated a combined army of Spanish Moors and African Berbers. This effectively destroyed the power of the Moors, and by 1300 the Spaniards controlled the entire Iberian Peninsula, save only the vassal state of Granada. The conquest of Granada however, was delayed for nearly 200 years, due to the Black Plague and continued wars among the Christian Kingdoms.
Important Characters of the Reconquista
EARLY CHRISTIAN HEROES
- Pelayo of Asturias (~737) — Visigoth hero who survived Moorish conquest in 711, founded Christian kingdom of Asturias.
- Martyrs of Cordoba (~850) — Forty-eight Christian convert martyrs executed by Moslem rulers for apostasy, reported by St. Eulogius.
- Alfonso VI (d. 1109) — King of Castile, who with his great warrior El Cid, reconquered Toledo from the Moors.
- El Cid (d. 1099) — Legendary Spanish hero. Loyal to Alfonso VI in spite of treachery. Conquered Valencia.
- Afonso Henriques (d. 1185) — Defeated the Moors and declared Portugal independent from Leon.
- Alfonso VIII (d. 1214) — Led the victorious Christians against the Saracens at the decisive Battle of Navas de Tolosa.
- James I of Aragon (d. 1276) — Warrior king of Aragon. Expanded dominions to include Balaeric Islands and Valencia.
- St. Ferdinand (d. 1252) — King of Castile who conquered Seville and Cordoba, restored Christian rule, and brought Dominican and Franciscan orders to southern Spain.
UNITED SPAIN
- Isabel of Castile (d. 1504) — Pious and stalwart queen of Spain, unified diverse kingdoms, reformed finances, conquered Granada, financed Columbus.
- Ferdinand of Aragon (d. 1516) — King of Aragon who ruled united Spain with Queen Isabel. Drove the Moors out of Granada.
- Torquemada (d. 1498) — Dominican priest, confessor of Isabella, influential in establishing Spanish Inquisition.
- Gonsalvo Cordova (d. 1515) — Spanish general who fought in Granada and Italy; pioneered modern tactics of warfare.
- Cardinal Ximenes (d. 1517) — Influential cardinal-minister at the court of Isabel and Ferdinand. Did much to reform both Church and government of Spain.
Timeline of the Reconquista
| CORDOVA CALIPHATE | |
|---|---|
| 720 | Pelayo defeats Moors at Battle of Covadonga, founds Christian kingdom of Asturias. |
| 837 | Kingdom of Navarre in the Pyrenees gains its independence from the Franks. |
| 910 | Leon is united with Asturias and becomes the predominant Christian kingdom in Spain. |
| 932 | Fernan Gonsalez asserts the independence of Castile. |
| 976 | First conquest of Almanzor, who mastered nearly all of Spain; ruled until 1002. |
| 1031 | After 20 years of Civil war, Moorish empire breaks up into "tarifs" (Taifas). |
| 1035 | Ramirez I establishes the Kingdom of Aragon. |
| 1072 | Alfonso VI becomes king of both Leon and Castile, and quarrels with El Cid. |
| 1085 | Alfonso VI captures the Moorish stronghold of Toledo. |
| ALMORAVIDS AND ALMOHADS | |
| 1095 | El Cid captures Valencia; rules justly over Moorish and Christians. |
| 1137 | Catalonia united permanently to the Crown of Aragon, under Ramon and Petronilla of Aragon. |
| 1144 | Alfonso of Leon defeated the Moors; dynasty of the Almohads at Cordova. |
| 1212 | Victory of Christians over Moors at Las Navas de Tolosa decided the fate of Spain. |
| 1228 | James of Aragon captures the Balearic Isles. |
| 1235 | St. Ferdinand III of Castile captured Cordova. |
| 1248 | Ferdinand III captured Seville; work on the Alhambra begun. |
| GRANADA | |
| 1469 | Marriage of Ferdinand the Catholic and Isabel united the Christian dominions of Spain. |
| 1481 | Establishment of the Inquisition. |
| 1492 | Granada captured. Voyage of Columbus sets forth. Expulsion of the Jews. |