THE "Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula” or “Christian resumption” was an Iberian Christian military and religious movement, which pitted Christians and Muslims in a secular war for the recovery of lost territories for the Arab conquerors in the Iberian Peninsula, during the 8th century, when the Muslims invaded the peninsula and established a domain that lasted from 711 to 1492.
Historical Context: Summary
Before the Arab invasion, the Iberian Peninsula was inhabited by Germanic peoples converted to Christianity during the High Middle Ages.
However, after the death of Mohammed, Muslims expanded their domains across North Africa, until, in 711, the general of the Islamic Empire, Tarik ibn-Zyiad, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar (name given in his tribute) and enters the peninsula, defeating the Christians and expelling the Visigoths to a mountainous region in the north of the peninsula (Asturias), from where the offensive began. Christian.
Therefore, in 718, Pelagius, leader of the Visigoths, gathers a group of mountain people who were refugees in the mountains, starting the reconquest of the lost territories.
In fact, he achieved a great victory in 722, at the Battle of Covadonga, and in the year 740, the lands located north of the Douro River were already Christian again. Unsurprisingly, the populations of the reconquered regions passed to Christian armies, swelling their ranks.
However, it was from the 11th century that the process of reconquest of the peninsula accelerated, since the reconquest of that territory came to be considered a sacred mission.
Thus, with the support of the movement of Crusades, the Iberian kingdoms regained about half of the Muslim territories in a short time, conquering the Caliphate of Cordoba, still in 1031.
Now, through the Crusades, religious and military orders such as the Templars began to fight Muslims, as well as all those Christians who sought indulgences and divine forgiveness.
Consequently, several Christian kingdoms emerged from the Moorish defeats, such as the Portucalense County, the Kingdom of Aragon, the Kingdom of Castile, the Kingdom of Navarre and the Kingdom of Leon.
The earliest was Portugal, which achieved its reconquest in 1147, with the reconquest of the city of Lisbon and in 1187, with the formation of the Condado Portucalense in the northwest of the Peninsula.
The conquest of the city of Faro opened the way for the repopulation of the southern region and consolidated the dynasty of Burgundy, which ruled the first European National State until 1383.
In the 15th century, the military campaigns sponsored by the conjugal union of the kings Fernando de Aragão and Isabel Castile consolidated the reconquest process, culminating in the complete expulsion of the Muslim invaders in 1492, with the retaking of the kingdom of Granada and the unification of the Spain as a National State.
Main features
At the outset, it is worth noting that the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula was motivated by religion and the retaking of rich and prosperous territories. It is worth adding that it was a long process that lasted almost eight centuries, especially in the Spanish territories, where the reconquest took longer than in other regions.
Furthermore, the use of military strategies and combat equipment that were used by the Iberian armies deserves to be highlighted.
While the Muslim forces were mainly composed of light infantry, the Christians had a large cavalry, composed of the union of royal forces, local nobles as well. as of the more affluent commoners who owned horses and combat equipment, which were basically composed of light armor, bracelets, shield and double-edged long swords, javelins and spears.
For infantry auxiliary troops, leather armor, bows and arrows, spears and short swords. From a strategic point of view, the most common action was long-range cavalry and Christian infantry on the Moorish forces, even weakening them, when a devastating attack was launched by the cavalry. In the 11th century, new battle tactics were employed by Christians, such as the introduction of heavy cavalry.
In turn, over the course of the 12th and 13th centuries, the equipment used by the forces of Christendom improved significantly, with soldiers wearing the armor of chain mail, iron helmets and helmets, armbands, thighs and shields covered with leather and iron, armed with swords, spear, javelins, bow and arrows or crossbow and bolts. Even horses in mail armor were common.
Finally, it is worth noting that Jews and Muslims were politically expelled, but those who accepted the Catholic faith continued to inhabit Portugal and Spain. Furthermore, the Muslim legacy in that region allowed for remarkable technical and scientific advances, especially the maritime advances that allowed for great navigations.
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