The Historical Stages of the Reconquista (718–1492)

Main Stages of the Reconquista

The Reconquista is the period of the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the years 718 (Covadonga) and 1492 (the end of the Kingdom of Granada). Christian and Muslim kingdoms coexisted and fought in the Peninsula. The kingdoms that were born after the Islamic invasion gradually reconquered the peninsula. This conquest involved many discontinuities; the major process did not truly begin until the 11th century (s. XI). We distinguish several phases:

First Stage (8th–10th Centuries)

This stage was predominantly Muslim in the Peninsula. Starting from Covadonga (722), Christian nuclei consolidated their territory in the north and moved south, often repopulating territory that was almost empty. The Asturian kingdom reached along the Douro River by 910. Ordoño II (914–924) moved the political center of the kingdom to León. Subsequently, historians began referring to the Asturian-Leonese kingdom, and later, the Kingdom of León. The County of Castile soon separated.

Second Stage (11th Century and First Half of 12th)

After the end of the Caliphate and the disintegration of the Taifa kingdoms, Castile and León crossed the Cordillera Central and occupied the Tagus basin. Toledo was reconquered in 1085. Aragon conquered Huesca (1094). Castile joined the territory between the Central System and the Tagus River. The southward advance was reactivated in the eastern realms when Alfonso I of Aragon reconquered Zaragoza in 1118, and Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona, conquered Tortosa (1148) and Lérida (1149). The Crown of Aragon emerged under Alfonso II (1162–1196), King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona. Portugal won Lisbon in 1147. Alfonso VIII of Castile conquered Cuenca (1177). León and Castile remained separated until 1230.

Third Stage (Late 12th and Early 13th Centuries)

Castile-León dominated the valley of the Guadiana and the passes of the Sierra Morena. This process culminated with the victory of the Christians, led by Alfonso VIII, at the **Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212)**, which opened the Christian advance toward the Guadalquivir Valley and Valencia.

Fourth Stage (13th Century Consolidation)

The occupation of the Guadalquivir Valley was led by Saint Ferdinand III of Castile (d. 1252) and supplemented by Alfonso X (1262). Valencia and the Balearic Islands were conquered by James I the Conqueror of Aragon (d. 1276). The Muslim stronghold of Granada remained until 1492. The political history of the peninsular Christian kingdoms crystallized in the 13th century into five major kingdoms (lasting until the end of the 15th century):

• Castile
• Aragon
• Navarre
• Portugal
• The Muslim Kingdom of Granada