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The most important taifas were Sevilla,Toledo,Badajoz and Zaragoza.
The Christians took advantage of the differences between the Muslims to conquer territory and collect taxes paid in gold coins,known as parias. -
This was inherited as a kingdom by Ramiro I, a son of Sancho III el Mayor. This monarch added the counties of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza to the Kingdom of Aragón.
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In the 11th century, after al-Andalus fragmented into taifas, the Christian kingdoms initiated a process of expansion that lasted until the 13th century.
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of the lands of Sancho III el Mayor after his death in 1035
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it was difficult to expand towards the south. It was ruled by the kings of Aragón between 1076 and 1134.
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After the Christian conquest of the Kingdom of Toledo (1085), the taifa kings were forced to seek help from the Almoravids, Muslims that had established an empire in North Africa. Their arrival stopped the Christian advance and achieved the reunification of the Andalusian territory until the early 12th century.
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In 1118, Alfonso I of Aragón and Navarra conquered Zaragoza.In 1137, the marriage of Ramón Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona,and Petronila,the young Queen of Aragón, led to the union between the Catalan counties and Aragón.This empire hindered the expansion of the Christian kingdoms, mainly in the areas between the Tajo and the Sierra Morena, until the Christians’ victory in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212).
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The Kingdom of Castilla was formed when Sancho III bequeathed
this county to one of his sons, Fernando I. During his reign, as he was married to a Princess of León, the Kingdom of Castilla was linked to the Kingdom of León -
n the 13th century, the economy of the Christian kingdoms developed significantly.
In Castilla and León, large migrating flocks of Merino sheep were at the centre of intense economic activity. They gave a very high quality wool.
Wool from these sheep was traded at fairs.
Cantabrian and Basque sailors then exported this wool from Castilla to Flanders, where a flourishing textile industry had developed. -
The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212) was a major victory for the Christian kingdoms and made the occupation of the Guadalquivir valley possible. In this battle, the kings of Castilla (Alfonso VIII), Navarra and Aragón fought together.
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In the Crown of Aragón maritime trade was encouraged. Export products from the Iberian Peninsula and import others from the East, such as spices and silk, which were then resold within the rest of Europe.The 14th and 15th centuries were marked by conflicts between Christian kingdoms and civil wars caused by rivalry between the nobility and the monarchy.
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One of the bloodiest civil wars was that between king Pedro I of Castilla and his step-brother Enrique of Trastámara, who aspired to the throne.Enrique II was victorious and acceded to the throne of the Trastámara dynasty.
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In the Crown of Aragón, King Martín I died without an heir in 1410. Therefore, in 1412, representatives of institutions from every state in the Crown were convened to choose a new king. The resolution reached at this meeting, the Compromise of Caspe, meant that the House of Trastámara was put in place to rule Aragón.