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Period: 400 to Feb 17, 1500
Medievel Spain
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425
Roman Influence Fails
As Roman power and influence decreased, Germanic tribes started invading the Iberian Peninsula. The area ends up being taken over and controlled by a tribe known as the Visigoths. -
Feb 17, 653
Forum Judicum
The 8th Council of Toledo completes and approves the great legal code, Forum judicum, which combines the Roman code and Visigothic laws. It remains the basic secular code for Christians until the 13th century, CE. -
Feb 17, 711
Fall of the Visigoths
This marks the end of the Visigothic Empire in Spain. Muslim conquest of the Iberian peninsula begins in the summer of this year with Tariq's expedition of roughly 7,000 men and is complete by 713. -
Feb 17, 756
Muslim Governer
The ruling Umayyad dynasty in Damascus gives way to the Abbasids from Bagdad. Abd ar-Rahman (an Umayyad) flees to Egypt and eventually to Spain where he ousts the governor and appoints himself emir. His reign sees the beginning of the construction of the great mosque in Córdoba. -
Feb 17, 1050
Muslims in Trouble
The power of Seville declines. To protect themselves from invading Christians, many Taifas are forced to call upon Muslim armies from outside of Spain to help them deal with the Christian threat. -
Feb 21, 1065
Death of Ferdinand I
The death of Ferdinand I. Upon his death he divides his kingdom feudally among his children. He leaves Castile to his son Sancho and León to his other son, Alfonso -
Feb 21, 1085
Alfonso Strikes Gold
King Alfonso VI of Castile conquers Toledo, the old Visigothic capital, gaining control of, among other things, its immense library. This library held hundreds of volumes on astronomy, medicine, philosophy, metaphysics, algebra, ethics, etc. -
Feb 21, 1118
Christians
Christians start to take over Spain from the Muslims -
Feb 21, 1146
Invading Africans
Almohad Berbers invade Spain and incorporate much of Muslim Spain into the African Almohad Empire. -
Feb 21, 1212
Christians Invade More
Alfonso VIII leads Christian armies to fight the Muslims at the Battle of Navas de Tolosa, a mountain pass that guaranteed Christian forces passage into Southern Spain. -
Feb 21, 1361
Jews Get Persecuted
Jewish synangogues and quarters in Seville are attacked by the Christian populace.. Soon the aljamas of Toledo, Burgos and Barcelona are destroyed. Thousands of Jews are killed during these pogroms, thousands more are converted to Christianity, and an equally large number choose to leave. -
Feb 21, 1492
More Jewish Persecution
The Edict of Expulsion is signed by the Catholic Monarchs, forcing all Muslims and Jews in Spain to either convert or emigrate. -
Charlemagne Arrives
Charlemagne takes Barcelona. He is granted the title of "Holy Roman Emperor" by Pope Leo III in order to guarantee his protection of Rome from the invading Lombards. -
Wilfred
Wilfred "The Hairy," Count of Barcelona, wins Catalan independence. At the same time, the Basques of Navarre emerge as a strong Christian state with its capital at Pamplona. -
Abd ar-Rahman III
From 912-961 AD, Abd ar-Rahman III establishes a strong central Muslim authority in Spain. He drives back the Christians in the North and diplomatically subdues much of North Africa. His army and navy are the strongest in Europe at this time.
