711-1492
The Reconquest, a term that refers to the centuries-long process whereby the Spanish Christians reconquered territories under Muslim domination, decisively influenced the history of Spain. In 711 the Muslims defeated the Visigoths at the Guadalete River, subsequently establishing their domination over virtually all of Spain, calling the acquired lands al-Andalus. It was only in 1492—the year that Columbus reached the New World—that the Christians completed the Reconquest by taking Muslim Granada.
The process of the Reconquest as a whole is of conceptual significance. It defined the character of the Middle Ages in Spain, which differed from that prevailing elsewhere in western Europe. Forced to give precedence to war rather than letters for the better part of a millennium, the Spaniards were the military champions of the Christian faith. Spain became a society organized for war, with a greater percentage of its population positioned as
nobles, knights, and warriors, as well as its own crusading ideals and military orders. Yet at the same time the Moorish-flavored cultural legacy of the military Reconquest became evident in terms of architecture (for example, the cathedral-mosque of Córdoba and the "minaret" Christian churches of Aragón), irrigation (the huerta region of Valencia), and even to some extent in language, music, and literature.
The degree of acculturation depended on the chronology of the Reconquest. Moorish influence was less important in the north, which was insecurely held by the Muslims. The Christians soon reconquered a "no-man's land" down to the Duero River, and by the late eleventh century they had advanced to the Tagus (Toledo fell in 1085). Subsequently, after the
Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212), the way lay open for the reconquest of the rest of al-Andalus (Andalusia), a task mostly accomplished within the next fifty years: Córdoba was taken in 1236, Valencia in 1238, Murcia in 1243, Seville in 1248, and Cádiz in 1265, leaving only the Muslim kingdom of Granada.
The final phase of the Reconquest began with the capture of Alhama in February 1482. The Granadans were at a disadvantage because of discord within their royal family; Boabdil, who was proclaimed king in 1482 and was defeated and captured in April 1483, pledged fealty to the Catholic kings. By the spring of 1491 the Castilians completely surrounded the city of Granada, building the military base of Santa Fe within sight of its walls. The terms of a capitulation were agreed upon on November 25, and on January 2, 1492, Granada was occupied and the cross and the royal banner of Castile were raised over the Alhambra.
These successes were facilitated by new weaponry. There is evidence that the Muslims of Granada had used gunpowder artillery as early as 1331, as did the Christians before long. But during the final campaigns against Granada, its use and importance became particularly evident, above all in breaching the walls of castles and fortified towns. Without artillery, the final campaigns could not have been won within ten years.
Angus Mackay
