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The Christian kingdoms initiated a process of expansion
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Alfonso VI, King of Castilla and León, took Toledo in 1085. This city had a high symbolic value, as it was the centre of a powerful taifa and had been the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom.
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After the Christian conquest of the Kingdom of Toledo, 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. -
This kingdom experienced strong growth with kings like Alfonso I (1104–1134). In 1118, Alfonso I of Aragón and Navarra conquered Zaragoza, occupied part of the Ebro valley and reached the Sistema Ibérico mountain range.
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The kingdoms of León and Castilla united by the monarch Alfonso VI, had been strengthened by the conquest of Toledo. This opened up opportunities for expansion throughout the lands of the Tajo. This expansion took place during the reign of Alfonso VII, although these kingdoms separated on his death in 1157.
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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 (forming the Crown of Aragón). Although each region kept its own laws and institutions, Ramón Berenguer IV provided a vast heritage in the Midi (Southern France). He and his son Alfonso II continued the expansion of the Crown of Aragón towards the south.
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During the second half of the 12th century, the Christian kingdoms faced the Almohad invasion. The Almohads, who took advantage of the territorial fragmentation of al-Andalus, managed to unite the Andalusian territory in 1172 and established their capital in Sevilla. 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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All Christian kingdoms had Cortes Estamentales. The first were those of León, constituted in 1188. Now as the Cortes of Castilla, their major development took place during the 14th and 15th century, when the representatives of cities were an important counterweight to the privileges of the nobility and the clergy.
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The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212) was a major victory for the Christian kingdoms and made the occupation of the Guadalaquivir valley possible. In this battle, the kings of Castilla (Alfonso VIII), Navarra (Sancho el Fuerte) and Aragón (Pedro II) fought together
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Aragón lost nearly all its land in the Midi after the defeat by the French in the battle of Muret (1213), in which Pedro II died. His successor, Jaime I of Aragón, conquered the Islas Baleares (1235) and Valencia (1245), which were added to the Crown of Aragón as kingdoms.
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The definitive union of Castilla and León came with Fernando III in 1230. This king conquered the two great Islamic capitals, Córdoba (1236) and Sevilla (1248). In addition, he took Murcia in 1243.
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The Cortes of the states of the Crown of Aragón were especially relevant as the king could not pass laws without their consent. General Councils, or Generalidades, were also formed in the Crown of Aragón. These were administrative bodies responsible for carrying out and managing agreements made in the Cortes, such as collecting taxes. This model of government based on the sharing of responsibilities between the king and state institutions is known as pactismo.
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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. The King had the support of most cities, while his opponent had the backing
of much of the nobility and the high clergy. Enrique II was victorious and acceded to the throne of the Trastámara dynasty. -
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.
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The Nasrid Kingdom of Granada lasted until 1492. It had a good economic situation, although it lost some territories close to the Strait of Gibraltar, such as Algeciras.