Reconquista: Christian Kingdoms in Medieval Spain
**Item 5. Introduction**
The Cantabrian strip was unattractive to Muslims, and it became the primary focus of resistance. As there was no intention to reconstruct the Visigothic kingdom, one cannot speak of conquest and reconquest.
**The Astur-Leonese Kingdom**
It originated in the Cantabrian ledge with the victorious Battle of Covadonga. After tax payments, the capital reached Duero Leon. Then, a period of crisis occurred with the formation of Castile and the height of Muslim power.
**The Kingdom of Pamplona**
It arose in the Pyrenees, and the area was contested by the Franks and the Muslims. The Kingdom of Navarre emerged, joining Aragon by marriage, and reached its splendor under Sancho III, annexing new territories to Castile.
**The County of Aragon**
These nuclei were controlled by Franks, who were taken over by local nobles. Their successors expanded the territory and joined Navarre.
**The Catalan Counties**
Charlemagne created a barrier between Islam and Europe, with Muslims seizing territories, to which he gave the name Hispanic March. The counties that formed it were united and became independent with Wilfred the Hairy, building on the final Carolingian Dynasty.
**Structure of the Christian Kingdoms**
The Christian kingdoms occupied only a third of the peninsula, but this area experienced major changes:
- The advance was a dramatic territorial expansion.
- Disputes between the kingdoms caused changes in the borders.
- The heritage concept of the monarchy provoked unions of realms through marriage and the separation of lands for distribution among the children.
**The Division of the Kingdom of Pamplona**
It came with the death of Sancho III and the distribution of Navarre, Castile, Aragon, Sobrarbe, and Ribagorza among his four children. This produced the loss of hegemony.
**The Union of Aragon and Catalonia**
It was caused by the death of the Aragonese king without an heir, who was replaced by his brother. This brother married his daughter to the Count of Barcelona, and Navarre was separated from Aragon.
**The Castilian-Leonese Unity**
It came through Ferdinand, the heir of Castile. Leon took up arms, and the union culminated with Ferdinand III.
**The Process of Reconquista**
In the first stage, territories were virtually empty until the Duero basin. In the 11th-12th centuries, the true Reconquista began: Toledo was conquered by Alfonso VI, and the King of Aragon extended his territory to the Ebro Valley. With the declining power of the Almoravids, the Tagus Valley and the Ebro were conquered. In the second half of the 12th century, military orders were created, and treaties were produced in which the Christian kingdoms defined the territories of each in future conquests. In the 13th century, the Christian kingdoms joined forces to fight the Almohads. This union produced the Almohad defeat at Navas de Tolosa, and this resulted in:
- Portugal completed its reconquest in the Guadiana Valley.
- Aragon reached Valencia.
- Castile conquered the rest, up to Cadiz.
- Only the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada remained.
**Repopulation**
Following the Reconquista, repopulation was mixed. North of the Pyrenees and the Duero, haste was applied, which resulted in small properties. Between the Duero and Montes de Toledo, a plot was given to each resident, which resulted in medium-sized properties. Guadiana, La Mancha, Extremadura, Teruel, and Castellon were handed out by military orders, and there were large estates. In the Guadalquivir Valley, the division among nobles resulted in large estates.
**The Economy**
Growth is summarized in agriculture and livestock, and it is a closed economy.
**Society**
It was divided into estates. The first two consisted of nobles and clergy, who had wealth and privilege. The latter was formed by farmers and others.
**Politics**
The king had limited power, so nearly all of it fell on the royal curia, nobles, and clergy who advised the king.
**The Crisis of the Middle Ages**
Only the Kingdom of Granada remained, and the conquest was halted by several factors, such as the agrarian crisis, the population crisis, many farmers, taxes, and struggles between social groups.
**Authoritarianism and Wheeling and Dealing**
Up to the 13th century, the king had been a warrior and a noble head. In the 19th century, each kingdom was a town where the king was the head. At that time, there were two ideas: that the king had all the power (authoritarianism) and pactism.
**Political Crisis of the Kingdoms**
**The Kingdom of Castile**
It went through an agrarian crisis, social conflict, and civil war. The king lost power, and it almost went to the nobles.
**The Crown of Aragon**
It had a lot of trade and economic growth.
**The Crisis in Catalonia**
It led to abuses by the nobility against the peasants, which caused conflicts and wars between them.
**The Kingdom of Navarre**
It failed to expand and began negotiations with France.