The Iberian Peninsula

  • Jul 19, 929

    Battle of Simancas

    Battle of Simancas
    The Battle of Simancas was a military confrontation between the troops of a Christian coalition led by the King of León, Ramiro II, and the Muslims settled in Córdoba under the Caliph Abd al-Rahman.
  • Period: 1029 to 1065

    Kingdom of Castilla

    This was formed when Sancho III bequeathed Navarra´s county to Fernando I, one of his sons. The county of navarra was linked to the kingdom of León because Fernando I was married with the princess of León.
  • 1031

    Most important taifas emerge.

    They were the taifa of Sevilla, the taifa of Toledo, the taifa of Badajoz and the taifa of Zaragoza
  • 1035

    Death of Sancho III el mayor.

    After the death of Sncho III el mayor, his lands were divided.
  • 1043

    New territories to Aragón

    The counties of Sobrarbe and Rivagorza were added to the Kingdom of Aragón with Ramiro I as king.
  • Period: 1048 to 1099

    Rodrigo Díaz of Vivar

    Rodrigo Díaz of Vivar was a Castilian military leader who came to dominate the Levant of the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the 11th century as a lordship autonomous from the authority of any king at the head of his own arm. He is a historical and legendary figure of the Reconquest, whose life inspired the most important canto de gesta in Spanish literature, the Cantar de mio Cid.
  • Period: 1076 to 1134

    Navarra´s kingdom

    Although this was the heart of Sancho’s power, it was difficult to expand towards the south. In this period of time, Navarra was ruled by the kings of Aragón
  • 1085

    Conquest of Toledo

    Alfonso VI, King of Castilla and León, took Toledo. 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.
    After this, the taifa kings were forced to seek help from the Almoravids.
    The kingdoms of León and Castilla united by the monarch Alfonso VI, had been strengthened by this.
  • 1118

    Conquest of Zaragoza

    Alfonso I of Aragón and Navarra conquered Zaragoza, occupied part of the Ebro valley and reached the Sistema Ibérico mountain range
  • Period: 1126 to 1147

    Castilla and Leon´s expansion with Alfonso VII as king.

    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.
  • Period: 1128 to 1147

    The origins of Portugal

    Portugal was a county belonging to the Kingdom of León that was given as a gift to Henry of Burgundy when he married Alfonso VI’s daughter. Their son declared it independent in 1128 and it was established as a kingdom in 1143. The borders of the Kingdom of Portugal extended to the banks of the Tajo after the conquest of the city of Lisbon in 1147.
  • 1137

    The marriage of Ramón Berenguer IV and Petronila of Aragón.

    The marriage of Ramón Berenguer IV and Petronila of Aragón.
    Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona and Petronila of Aragon married to form the Crown of Aragon.
  • 1172

    Almohad invasion

    Almohad invasion
    The Almohads took advantage of the territorial fragmentation of al-Andalus and managed to unite the Andalusian territory in 1172, establishing their capital in Seville. This empire hindered the expansion of the Christian kingdoms.
  • Jul 19, 1195

    Battle of Alarcos

    Battle of Alarcos
    The Battle of Alarcos was a battle that was fought next to the castle of Alarcos, located on the top of a hill next to the Guadiana River, near the present-day Spanish city of Ciudad Real, between the Christian troops of Alfonso VIII of Castile and the Almohad troops of Yusuf II. The battle resulted in the defeat of the Christian troops, which destabilised the Kingdom of Castile and halted the advance of the reconquest for a few years, until the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212.
  • Jul 16, 1212

    Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa

    Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa
    A Christian coalition made up of the Christian kingdoms of Castile, León and Aragon fought against the Almohad Caliphate, with victory for the Christians, helping greatly in the reconquest.
  • Period: 1213 to 1245

    Evolution of the lands of Aragón

    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.
  • Period: 1230 to 1252

    The reing of Fernando III

    The definitive union of Castile and León came with Fernando III. This king conquered the two great Islamic capitals, Cordoba in 1236 and Seville in 1248. He also took Murcia in 1243
  • Period: 1234 to 1512

    French dynasties reing Navarra

    Navarra turned to France, with whom it had the closest ties from that moment. In 1234, a French dynasty occupied the throne of Navarra, bringing a series of fiefdoms located in France.
  • Period: 1238 to 1492

    Nasrid kingdom of granada

    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.
  • 1249

    Conquest of Faro

    Conquest of Faro
    Portugal reached the southern coasts of the peninsula with the conquest of Faro, bringing the end of its expansion.
  • 1250

    Only one Andalusian kingdom

    Only one Andalusian kingdom
    In 1250, there was only one Andalusian kingdom, the Kingdom of Granada, ruled by the Nasrid dynasty.
  • Period: 1274 to 1350

    The battle of the strait

    The Battle of the Strait was a series of clashes during the Reconquest from 1274 to 1350 between the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, the Benimerin Sultanate and the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada that affected the area of the Strait of Gibraltar. This phase was characterised by the continuous change of alliances and the siege battles suffered by some cities such as Algeciras, Tarifa and Gibraltar.
  • Period: 1276 to 1285

    Expansion of Aragón around the mediterranean sea

    Pedro III launched the Aragonese Crown into a policy of true imperialism in the Mediterranean Sea. Aragon incorporated three large islands in the western Mediterranean: Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia. Later, these islands were lost
  • Period: 1300 to 1499

    Civil wars

    The 14th and 15th centuries were marked by conflicts between Christian kingdoms and civil wars caused by rivalry between the nobility and the monarchy.
  • Period: 1351 to 1369

    The Battle of Nájera

    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. He granted large estates to the nobility who had supported him. To compensate for this, he developed an intense domestic policy to reorganise the kingdom and managed to increase his authority.
  • Period: 1402 to 1496

    Conquest of Canary Islands

    The conquest of the Canary Islands took place between 1402 and 1496. It was not an easy conquest in military terms, given the aboriginal resistance on some islands. Nor was it easy politically, given the convergence of the particular interests of the nobility, determined to strengthen their economic and political power by acquiring the islands, and the states, particularly Castilla.
  • 1412

    The election of the king of Aragón

    The election of the king of Aragón
    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. However, this branch of the family did not strengthen its authority to the same extent as the branch from Castilla.