Iberian Reconquista
The Christian kingdoms' wars and settlement against Muslim-ruled al-Andalus, from Covadonga (c. 722) to the fall of Granada in 1492; the term 'Reconquista' is itself a later and debated label.
Category: Society
- c. 722Pelayo's Asturians defeat an Umayyad force at Covadonga
A small Asturian force led by Pelayo defeats an Umayyad detachment in the Picos de Europa. Traditionally the start of the Kingdom of Asturias and of the Reconquista, though its size and date (718 or 722) are uncertain.
- 1085Alfonso VI of León and Castile captures Toledo
Alfonso VI takes the taifa city of Toledo, the old Visigothic capital, in 1085. It is the first great Christian gain in central Iberia and prompts the taifa kings to ask the Almoravids of North Africa for help.
- October 23, 1086Almoravids defeat Alfonso VI of Castile at Sagrajas
Called in by the taifa kings, Yusuf ibn Tashfin's Almoravid army defeats Alfonso VI near Badajoz on 23 October 1086. The Almoravids do not follow up at once, but in 1091 they end the taifa period and rule al-Andalus.
- c. 1126Toledo becomes a translation centre
After Toledo falls in 1085, Archbishop Raymond (1126-51) starts translation work there. Gerard of Cremona arrives in 1167 and renders Aristotle's Posterior Analytics and Physics; Michael Scot translates Averroes and the History of Animals (1220). Jews and Mozarabs help.
- 1147Portugal takes Lisbon from the Almoravids with help from crusaders
King Afonso Henriques of Portugal captures Lisbon after a siege in 1147, helped by northern European crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. The conquest roughly doubles the size of the young Portuguese kingdom.
- July 16, 1212Christian kings defeat the Almohads at Las Navas de Tolosa
On 16 July 1212 a coalition of Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Portugal defeats the Almohad caliph al-Nasir in the Sierra Morena. The Almohads' power in Iberia collapses, opening Andalusia to Castilian conquest.
- 1236Ferdinand III of Castile conquers Córdoba
Ferdinand III of Castile takes Córdoba, the former capital of the Umayyad caliphate, in 1236. The conquest is followed by much of the Guadalquivir valley and by Granada's submission as a Castilian vassal.
- 1238James I of Aragon conquers Valencia
James I of Aragon takes the city of Valencia, the last taifa of the east coast, in 1238, ending Muslim rule in the Valencia region. Settlers from Aragon and Catalonia follow.
- 1248Ferdinand III of Castile conquers Seville
After a siege Seville falls to Ferdinand III of Castile in 1248, taking the largest city of al-Andalus. Only the Nasrid Emirate of Granada remains under Muslim rule in the peninsula.
- c. 1482 – January 1492The Granada War: Castile and Aragon against the Emirate of Granada
Ferdinand and Isabella's war against the Nasrid Emirate of Granada begins around 1482 (some sources say 1481) and ends with Granada's surrender on 2 January 1492.
- January 1492Boabdil surrenders Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella
Muhammad XII (Boabdil) hands Granada and the Alhambra to the Catholic Monarchs in January 1492, ending Muslim rule in Iberia after almost 800 years. Most sources give 2 January, one gives 1 January.