1. THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS: “THE
RECONQUEST”
María Jesús Campos
learningfromhistory.wikispaces.com

2. The Reconquest: Evolution
 8th-9th centuries: Muslim Invasion; Christian
Resistance; Foundation of the first Christian States.
 10th century: The Christian Kingdom’s reacherd as
far as River Duero.
 12th century: The Christian Kingdom’s reached as
far as River Tajo
 13th century: 1212 Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.
The Reconquest is almost finished.
 15th century: 1492 Conquest of the Nasrid
Kingdom of Granada. The Reconquest is over.

3. 8TH AND 9TH CENTURIES: MUSLIM INVASION,
CHRISTIAN RESISTANCE, THE FOUNDING OF THE
CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS
 In the year 711, the Muslims
invaded the Iberian Peninsula and
defeated the Visigoth Kingdom of
Toledo.
 The Muslims conquered almost the
entire Iberia Peninsula, except the
northern ranges, and called it Al-
Andalus.
 Only the mountains in Cantabria,
Asturias and the Pyrenees
remained free of Muslims. Many
Visigoth nobles took refuge there
while the rest of the population
remained in Al-Andalus.

5.  Between the 8th and
9th centuries, the
Visigoth refugees
founded different
Christian states and
attempted a
Reconquest of the
Iberian Peninsula.

6.  The first Christian
states were:
 The Kingdom of
Asturias and Leon
 The County of Castile
 The Kingdom of
Navarre
 The Aragonese
Counties
 The Catalan Counties

8. THE KINGDOM OF ASTURIAS AND LEON
 Founded in the mountain
ranges of Cantabria when Don
Pelayo, a visigoth nobleman,
was chosen king after
defeating the Muslims at the
Battle of Covadonga (722).
 The court was established in
Oviedo.
 They expanded by conquering
lands in Galicia and Alava and
moving south until reaching
River Duero.
 Its most important king was
Alfonso III that conquered a lot
of territories, moved the capital
to Leon and changed the name
of the kingdom to the
Kingdom of Leon.

9. THE COUNTY OF CASTILE
 This territory belonged
to the Kingdom of Leon
until the first half of the
10th century when
Muslims attacked the
Kingodm and Count
Fernan Gonzaled
declared the County of
Castile independent.
 It expanded and at the
beginning of the 11th
century it became the
Kingdom of Castile.

10. THE KINGDOM OF NAVARRE
 When the Carolingian Empire disappeared, the Spanish
March dissolved. As a result, the Western part of the
Pyrenees was transformed into the Kingdom of Navarre by
the Jimena dynasty.
 Navarre also comprised La Rioja and Alava.
 King Sancho III, expanded the kingdom by conquering the
Aragonese Counties, Castile and part of the kingodm of
Leon. But after his death, most of these territories were
lost.

11. THE ARAGONESE COUNTIES
 They were also a part of the Carolingian’s Spanish March.
 They belonged to the Kingdom of Navarre until the death
of King Sancho III, the Great, when Count Aznar Galindo
declared its independence.

12. THE CATALAN COUNTIES
 Were also a part of the Carolingian’s Spanish March.
After the March dissolved, they became independent
under Wilfred, the Hairy.

13. 10TH CENTURY: THE RECONQUEST REACHES AS
FAR AS RIVER DUERO
 At the beginning of the
10th century, the Christian
Kingdoms had gained
control over one-third of
the Iberian Peninsula
conquering territories of Al-
Andalus.
 Willing to obtain support
from the European
Kingdoms, these Christian
Kingdoms presented their
conquering of territories as
a reconquest of the
Visigoth’s territories that
had been invaded by the
Muslims.

14.  The Reconquest
involved the
occupation of
territories advancing
south.
 In the 10th century,
Christians Kingdoms
reached as far as
River Duero. It was
easy because the
land was desserted.
Groups of peasants
colonized those lands
forming small villages
in a process called
repopulation.

15. 12TH CENTURY: THE RECONQUEST REACHES AS
FAR SOUTH AS RIVER TAJO
 During the 12th century,
Christian Kingdoms
reached as far as River
Tajo taking advantage of
the dissolution of the
Caliphate of Cordoba
and the taifas’ period.
 To avoid attacks, the
Taifas’ kings paid parias
to the Christian Kings,
thereby strengthening
them.

16.  The Kingdom of
Castile and the
Kingdom of Leon
jointly set up the
Crown of Castile
and Leon which
soon became the
most powerful
kingdom.
 The County of
Portugal, which
was part of the
Crown of Castile,
became
independent as the
Kingdom of
Portugal.

17.  The Kingdom of
Aragon and the
Catalan Counties,
jointly set up the
Crown of Aragon.
Its first king, Alfonso
I, the battler, set up
the border in the
Ebro valley.
 The Kingdom of
Navarre could not
expand itself
because it was
trapped between the
Crown of Castile and
the Crown of
Aragon.

18.  Conquered territories
were divided into
areas dominated by a
city. The Kings gave
these cities privileges
through fueros to
encourage
repopulation.
 However, most of the
land remained
underpopulated so
the kings gave them
to military order which
created large fiefs.

19. 13TH CENTURY: THE RECONQUEST ALMOST
FINISHES
 During the 13th
century, after the Battle
of Las Navas de Tolosa
(1212) the Reconquest
continued to progress in
the South.
 The Christian Kingdoms
conquered almost all Al-
Andalus. Only the
Muslim Nasrid Kingdom
of Granada remained in
existence until the year
1492.

21. THE CROWN OF CASTILE
 Former Crown of Castile
and Leon.
 It was a unified state with
the same institutions and
laws governing the whole
territory.
 They conquered Andalucía
and Murcia.
 Its economy was based on
agriculture and
stockbreeding. The high
quality of merino sheep
was exported and used in
textile industry
strenghthening Castile’s
economy.

23. THE CROWN OF ARAGON
 It conquered Valencia and the Balearic Islands. With no more territories
to conquer in the Iberian Peninsula they expanded through the
Mediterranean Sea conquering Sicily, Sardinia and Naples.
 Although the Crown of Aragon was a unified state, each territory
(Aragon, Valencia and Cataluña) kept its own institutions, customs and
laws. The king of Aragon could not establish new laws or taxes without
the approval of the Cortes (representatives of the population) of each
territory.
 Its economy was based on agriculture and trade throughtout the
Mediterranean Sea.

24. THE KINGDOM OF PORTUGAL THE KINGDOM OF NAVARRE
 It conquered the  It could not expand as it was
Algarve, in the south, trapped between the Crown of
remaining Castile and the Crown of
independent. Aragon.

25. 15TH CENTURY: THE RECONQUEST IS OVER
(1492)
 During the 15th century,
Isabel I, queen of Castile, and
Ferdinand, king of Aragon,
were married. They were
known as the Catholic
Monarchs.
 Although the Crowns of
Castile and Aragon would be
ruled by them, each crown
remained independent and
kept its own laws, institutions
and customs.
 In the year 1492, the Catholic
Monarchs conquered the
Nasrid Kingdom of Granada,
thereby finishing the

27.  http://es.scribd.com/doc/27677761/U-d-6-
Los-Reinos-Cristianos

28. Developed by María Jesús Campos
Chusteacher
wikiteacher