Christian Kingdoms & The Reconquista in Medieval Iberia

After invading in 711, the Muslims conquered almost all of the Iberian Peninsula. However, a few Visigoth noblemen resisted in the Cantabrian mountains. Christians eventually formed the kingdoms of Asturias and León in the Cantabrian Region, and the Spanish March at the Pyrenees. These territories would lead the Reconquista (Reconquest) of the Peninsula, a process lasting eight hundred years until the fall of Granada to the Catholic Monarchs in 1492.

The Cantabrian Region

In the Cantabrian Mountains, a Visigoth nobleman named Pelayo resisted the Muslims. According to legend, he won the Battle of Covadonga (722) and created the Kingdom of Asturias. Gradually, the kingdom grew until it reached the River Duero and was renamed the Kingdom of León. To defend the territory, the kings of León granted land and military power to various counts, creating the land of castles (Castile).

In the 10th century, the count Fernán González united the counties of Castile, making them independent from the Kingdom of León. In the 11th century, as León began to decline, Fernando I united Castile and León.

The Pyrenean Region

At the end of the 8th century, Charlemagne formed the Spanish March along the South of the Pyrenees. As the Carolingian Empire weakened, this area gradually became independent, forming three regions: Navarre, Aragón, and the Catalan Counties.

Expansion Stages of the Reconquista

The Christian kings constantly sought to expand their territories southwards. Gradually, they managed to slowly take territory from Al-Andalus. The Reconquista involved the occupation of territory from river to river.

1. Stage 1: Christian Resistance (8th-9th C)

   In the beginning, several small and weak Christian kingdoms existed in the North of the Iberian Peninsula. They often paid Parias (taxes) to the Caliph of Córdoba.

2. Stage 2: Early Advances & Repopulation (9th-11th C)

   In the 9th century, the Christian kingdoms advanced South to the River Duero Valley. This was not primarily a military advance but involved groups of peasants colonizing the land and forming small villages in a process of repopulation. Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, “El Cid”, participated in the repopulation of Castile during this period.

3. Stage 3: Major Expansion & Crusades (11th-13th C)

   In the 11th century, the Caliphate collapsed into many Taifa Kingdoms, while the Christian kingdoms united into bigger and more powerful entities. The Muslims now paid Parias to the Christians to avoid attacks.

   During the 11th and 12th centuries, the Christians started their crusade, or holy war, against Al-Andalus. Portugal and Castile extended beyond the River Tajo, while Aragón and Catalonia reached the River Ebro.

   Conquered territory was divided into areas controlled by a city that received Fueros (special privileges) from the king. Much of the land was given to military orders to defend it from the Muslims.

4. Stage 4: Later Conquests (13th-15th C)

   The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 was a crucial turning point in the Reconquista. The Christian kings joined together to defeat the Almohads and subsequently conquered most of Al-Andalus, except the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada.

   Castile reached the Guadalquivir Valley, conquering most of Andalusia, while Aragon expanded into Valencia and the Balearic Islands.