The Christian Kingdoms in Medieval Spain: From Stagnation to Expansion

Posted on Oct 22, 2024 in Geography

ITEM 3: The Christian Kingdoms (1): From Stagnation to Expansion (8th to 13th Centuries)

1. Introduction

This period, spanning from the 8th to the 13th century, examines the transformation of medieval peninsular society into a medieval Christian society. Several factors contributed to this shift:

  • The decline of Al-Andalus
  • The territorial expansion of the Christian kingdoms
  • The emergence of distinctive features in the Peninsula due to the Muslim presence
  • The introduction of European Christian characteristics through the Camino de Santiago

These processes culminated in the development of a rural medieval feudal society in the Peninsula, characterized by both common European features and unique elements.

2. Political Evolution: Main Stages of Expansion

The term Reconquista has been used to describe this process, but it’s controversial due to its connotations of historical unity and religious motives, which were not always present. Therefore, it’s preferable to refer to it as expansion.

Christian expansion occurred in several stages:

  • Organization (8th-10th centuries)
  • Consolidation (11th-12th centuries)
  • Expansion (13th century)

The Christian kingdoms were divided into two zones:

  1. Western Core or Cantabrian
  2. Eastern Core or Pyrenean

2.A. 8th-10th Centuries – Organization

Western Core or Cantabrian

This nucleus began with the Battle of Covadonga and the figure of Don Pelayo, which gave rise to the myth of the Reconquest. Don Pelayo, a Visigoth nobleman, led what was more of a skirmish than a battle against the Muslims, but it marked the origin of the Asturian kingdom.

Alfonso I, the first king, expanded the Asturian kingdom’s influence by introducing populations further south and establishing military garrisons.

Alfonso II, known as “the Chaste”:

  • Revived the Visigothic heritage
  • Witnessed the discovery of the tomb of St. James during his reign, linking the Visigoths to Christianity
  • Moved the capital of the Asturian kingdom to Oviedo

Alfonso III oversaw significant expansion, transforming the Asturian kingdom into the Astur-Leonese kingdom with its capital in León. This kingdom encompassed Asturias, Galicia, and León. The conquered territories needed to be maintained and controlled, leading to the rise of powerful nobles like Fernán González, who capitalized on a moment of monarchical weakness to establish the County of Castile as practically independent from the Asturian-Leonese kingdom.

Eastern Core or Pyrenean

This area differed from the western nucleus in several ways:

  • It was more Islamized and had a higher population density, hindering Christian advancement
  • The Carolingians, a powerful political force north of the Pyrenees, established a barrier against the Islamic world

Charlemagne created a territory called the “Marca Hispanica” as a buffer between Islam and the Frankish kingdom (Carolingian). With the help of Hispania (natives of the Pyrenees), he managed to wrest control of important places like Girona and Barcelona from the Muslims. These areas formed a set of counties integrated into the Carolingian monarchy but with aspirations for independence.

Wilfred the Hairy united the main Catalan counties under his rule, although formally remaining a vassal of the Frankish king.

Borrell II achieved full independence from the Franks, including political and religious autonomy with the separation of the church from Carbona.

Kingdom of Navarre: Iñigo Arista is considered the first King of Navarre. During this time, the church gained significant power, with the Camino de Santiago playing a crucial role. The kingdom eventually expanded towards the Ebro.

Kingdom of Aragon: It originated from the union of several counties (Aragon, Sobrarbe, and Ribagorza) that gradually gained independence from the Franks.

2.B. 11th-12th Centuries – Consolidation

From the 11th century onwards, al-Andalus entered a period of crisis, which the Christian kingdoms exploited. This stage began with Sancho III, King of Navarre, who led the kingdom to a period of prosperity. He was also Count of Castile, Aragon, Sobrarbe, and Ribagorza. Upon his death, his territories were divided among his heirs:

  • Kingdom of Navarre: Garcia, his son
  • County of Castile: Ferdinand I
  • Aragon: Ramiro I
  • Sobrarbe and Ribagorza: Gonzalo

This process led to the following developments:

  • Ferdinand I conquered the king of León and became the first king of Castile and León, which were later separated but eventually reunited definitively by Ferdinand I.
  • Ferdinand I also defeated his brother Garcia, making Navarre a vassal kingdom of Castile.
  • Ramiro I, the first king of Aragon, annexed Sobrarbe and Ribagorza after the death of his brother Gonzalo under suspicious circumstances.

From this point, the evolution of the kingdoms becomes more complex.

  • The Christian kingdoms of Castile and León gained hegemony.
  • Navarre lost strength, lacking an outlet to the south due to Islamic territory.
  • The Crown of Aragon emerged from the union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the Catalan counties.

2.C. 13th Century – Expansion

The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa paved the way for Christian expansion.

  • The Algarve-Portugal emerged.
  • In Castile and León, Ferdinand III “the Saint” conquered vast territories, reaching Cordoba and Seville in the south and the Mediterranean to take Murcia.
  • Aragon, under James I “the Conqueror”, conquered Valencia, Alicante, and the Balearic Islands.

During this time, a “crusading spirit” emerged, fueled by papal bulls supporting the expansion. Religious military orders like Calatrava, Santiago, and the Temple also played a significant role.

By the end of this century, Castile and León had become the largest and most powerful kingdom. The Crown of Aragon turned towards the Mediterranean, while Castile and Portugal faced the Atlantic.

At the end of the 13th century, the Iberian Peninsula was divided into:

  • Crown of Castile
  • Crown of Aragon
  • Kingdom of Portugal
  • Kingdom of Navarre
  • Kingdom of Granada (Muslim)

3. Restocking of New Territories

After the conquests, repopulation was necessary to consolidate the gains. However, demographic resources were not always abundant, leading to different forms of recruitment. The end result was a land ownership structure that persists to this day, with large estates in southern Spain and medium and small properties in the north.

One form of repopulation occurred before the conquest, with people spontaneously colonizing territories. This is known as presura or economic appropriation and reclamation of land. In contrast, repoblación refers to the political action of organizing a territory.

Presura took place during the early centuries of the Reconquest in the lands north of the Duero River. Resettlement was driven by demographic pressure from the northern Christian core. These lands were also depopulated, so conquest was not always necessary. Presura involved seizing and cultivating land, which, according to Roman law, would eventually become the cultivator’s property. This type of recruitment resulted in the dominance of small and medium-sized properties.

Repoblación by concejo (council) was applied later in the central part of the peninsula. This method, employed by the monarchy, involved dividing a territory and establishing a council governed by a representative of the king. The king granted a charter (a set of rules governing municipal life) and bestowed privileges and benefits upon the people. This system led to the creation of medium-sized properties in fertile lands.

Another type of recruitment involved military orders (in La Mancha and Extremadura). Large, sparsely populated areas were granted to soldiers in recognition of their contributions to the conquest. This division resulted in large estates.

4. Social and Economic Organization: The Mesta

During the Reconquest, a process known as feudalization took place. This was characterized by two main features: the growth of estates and the power of the warrior nobility and the Church, and the loss of property and freedoms by farmers. Feudalism occurred in the peninsula as well as in the rest of Europe.

Feudalism: A social, economic, and political structure based on ties of vassalage and dependence among members of society, establishing legal bonds between people working on large estates.

Lordship (señorío): The basic unit of feudalism, encompassing power over land and people, which often led to abuses known as “malos usos” in Catalan.

Lordships could be classified according to their owner:

  • Crown Lordship: Owned by the king
  • Ancestral Lordship: Owned by a nobleman
  • Abadengo Lordship: Owned by the Church

Different social groups coexisted within a lordship, forming a closed society with privileged classes (nobles and the Church) and unprivileged classes (everyone else).

Economy

.
There was a growing population that will be deterred in the fourteenth century, with Christian territorial expansion of cultivated land was increased resulting in more food, there was a large livestock development, especially the merino sheep, which for their wool had an enormous economic importance.
Alfonso X the Wise founded the Mesta honored “to defend the interests of farmers (nobility and church), transhumance routes regulated by the glens.
Later they appeared the big cities due to different reasons (conquest of Andalusian towns, the road to Santiago, flight of the peasants of feudal lords abuse, etc. ..). They lived traders, artisans, who formed theprimitive bourgeoisie, which was gradually reaching great importance on certain occasions the king sought their support to curb the feudal lords.
Here lies the origin of the Courts, which were a consultative assemblies, and deliberative, formed by the nobility, the Church and citizens. The first to emerge were the Cortes of León, which later merged with those of Castile.
5 .- THE SPAIN OF THE THREE CULTURES
At this time co-existed on the peninsula three great monotheistic religions, the image of coexistence has been exaggerated, we can speak better of a forced cohabitation, which produced numerous cultural exchanges.
The Christian kingdoms met a cultural awakening due to a double stimulus.
a) influences coming from Europe(Opening to Europe)
“the crusading spirit attracted European noblemen and military orders
– Matrimonial alliances between European monarchs
– The road to Santiago was the most important link with Europe, he became religious reforms, Roman art and numerous merchants, craftsmen, etc. ..

b) Influenced by closer contact with Al-Andalus:

– When going conquering Muslim lands are discovered Arabic texts with classical learning of Greece, Rome, Hindus, and these texts are spread across the road to Santiago.
– Were created major cultural centers like Barcelona, but especially highlights the Toledo School of Translators and reached its apogee with Alfonso X the Wise, translating texts of the three religions.

– Already in the thirteenth century culture is separated from the emerging new center monasteries: universities.