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| − | The '''Reconquista''' was the reconquest by [[Christian]]s of [[Spain]], which was under [[Muslim]] control. The Reconquista lasted from c.722 AD with the success of [[Pelayo]] over the Muslim armies at [[Covadonga]], and was completed in 1492, when the Christian Spanish [[King]] [[Ferdinand]] and [[Queen]] [[Isabella]] gained control of the only remaining [[Moor]]ish enclave (the small [[Kingdom]] of [[Granada]] in southern Spain). | + | The '''Reconquista''' was the reconquest by [[Christian]]s of the Iberian Peninsula (nowadays [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]]), which was under [[Muslim]] control. The Reconquista lasted from c.722 AD with the success of [[Pelayo]] over the Muslim armies at [[Covadonga]], and was completed in 1492, when the Christian Spanish [[King]] [[Ferdinand]] and [[Queen]] [[Isabella]] gained control of the only remaining [[Moor]]ish enclave (the small [[Kingdom]] of [[Granada]] in southern Spain). |
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| | As part of the "Rechritianization" process after the long war which had seen non-Christians work with the Islamic invaders, the [[Spanish Inquisition]] was begun, and the [[Jewish]] population of Spain was expelled. | | As part of the "Rechritianization" process after the long war which had seen non-Christians work with the Islamic invaders, the [[Spanish Inquisition]] was begun, and the [[Jewish]] population of Spain was expelled. |
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| | + | ==Notable military, political and religious leaders== |
| | + | ===Muslims=== |
| | + | *[[Tariq ibn Ziyad]] (died 720), [[Berbers|Berber]] general. He started the conquest (711-718) of the Christian [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] Kingdom of Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula) for the [[Umayyad Caliphate]]. |
| | + | *[[Abd-ar-Rahman I]] (731-c.788), founder of the [[Emirate of Córdoba]]. |
| | + | *[[Abd-ar-Rahman III]] (c.891-961), founder of the [[Caliphate of Córdoba]], a new independent Muslim state in the Iberian Peninsula. |
| | + | *[[Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir]] (or ''Almanzor'', c.938-1002), general and chancellor of Caliph Hisham II of Córdoba. Known for his raids on Christian territories. He sacked, among other towns, [[Barcelona]] (985) and [[Santiago de Compostela]] (997). |
| | + | *[[Yusuf ibn Tashfin]] (1061–1106), [[Almoravids|Almoravid]] ruler. He commanded a new Muslim invasion of Iberia from North Africa. |
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| | + | ===Christians=== |
| | + | *[[Pelagius]] (or Pelayo, died 737). Victor at the Battle of Covadonga (722) and founder of the Kingdom of Asturias, first Christian state after Muslim invasion. |
| | + | *[[Ramiro II of León]] (c.898-951), nicknamed "''the Devil''" by his Muslims opponents because of his energy at war. He defeated [[Abd-ar-Rahman III]] at the Battle of Simancas (939). |
| | + | *[[Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar]] (known as ''The Cid'', c.1040-1099), brilliant military leader. He took the city of Valencia in 1094. |
| | + | *[[Alfonso VIII of Castile]] (1155-1214), he led a Christian coalition to a decisive victory in [[Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa|Las Navas]] (1212) against the [[Almohad Empire]]. |
| | + | *[[James I of Aragon]] (1208-1276), nicknamed "''the Conqueror''". He achieved an important expansion of the [[Crown of Aragon]], that became a major political entity of Christian Iberia. |
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| | ==References== | | ==References== |
| | + | *Joseph F. O´Callaghan: ''Reconquest and crusade in Medieval Spain'', Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002, ISBN 0-8122-3696-3 |
| | <references/> | | <references/> |
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| − | [[Category:Spain]] | + | ==External links== |
| | + | *[http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/timeline.html Timeline of the Reconquista], University of Calgary (Canada). |
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| | + | [[Category:Spanish History]] |
| | + | [[Category:Wars related to Islam]] |