Spain in the Middle Ages

SPAIN IN THE MIDDLE AGES

The Iberian Peninsula under the Roman Empire

The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages began in 476 A.D. with the fall of the Roman empire. This happened because people from the north of Europe, conquered that empire.

Three Germanic tribes came to the Iberian Peninsula

From the 3rd century A.D., many Germanic tribes migrated to Roman territory. in 409, the Vandals, the Suebi and the Alans crossed the Pyrenees, invading the Peninsula.

The Romans wanted to expel the enemy and asked the Visigoths for help in exchange for land. The Visigoths were successful on most of the Peninsula and formed the Visigothic Kingdom.

The Visigoths were a tribe from the east of Europe who came to the Iberian Peninsula in the 5th century, in 415 A.D. After some years, the Visigoths conquered the other tribes which gave them control of most of the Iberian Peninsula. In 507 A.D., they made Toledo the capital of their Kingdom and the Kingdom of Toledo was established.

In 589 A.D., king Recaredo I converted the Visigothic kingdom to Catholicism. They adopted many things from the Romans, such as the language (Latin) and Roman laws. This was an important event in Spanish history.

Visigoth society consisted of a King, nobles and peasants. The king was really powerful and made the laws. The nobles were usually relatives of the King and had considerable power too. Sometimes the king had meetings with the nobles and bishops. These meetings were called the Council of Toledo. The rest of the population were peasants, who worked in the countryside on nobles’ land in exchange for food and a place to live.

The invasion of the Muslims

In 711 A.D., the Muslims invaded the Iberian Peninsula from the north of Africa. They defeated the Visigoths at the Battle of Guadalete and started to conquer lands.

Soon after, the kingdom of Toledo was occupied and al-Andalus was established, with Cordoba as their capital.In just a few years, the Muslims conquered all of the Iberian Peninsula, except for one small territory in the north.

In 756, Abderraman I declared al-Andalus an emirate ruled by an emir who was controlled by the caliphate of Damascus. But in 929 A.D., Abderraman III declared al-Andalus an independent caliphate called the Caliphate of Córdoba. During this time many beautiful buildings were built.

Life in al-Andalus

Al-Andalus society consisted of three religious groups: the Muslims, the Christians and the Jews. People were merchants who traded products such as gold, silk, leather and pottery in the souk. The Muslims gave a lot to Spain. They were responsible for great advances in medicine, astronomy and mathematics.

They introduced the paper, the compass and Arabic numerals that we use today. They also built libraries and established universities. People lived in cities surrounded by walls. Cities in al-Andalus had different parts.

Life in Christian Kingdoms

Society in the Christian kingdoms was divided into three groups: royalty, nobility and peasants. The King ruled the country but each area was ruled by a lord. Noblemen lived in the castle, and peasants lived in the countryside, in small towns and villages.

The Christians built many religious buildings such as churches and monasteries. A medieval city had fortified walls and different parts.

La Reconquista

In 722 A.D., a Visigoth noble, Don Pelayo, the ruler of the kingdom of Asturias, defeated the Muslim army at the Battle of Covadonga. This victory marked the beginning of the Reconquista.

The Christians started to conquer Muslim lands due to political instability and unsuccessful battles. Because of this, in 1031 A.D., al-Andalus was divided into small kingdoms called taifas, ruled each of them by an emir. The taifa kingdoms fought against each other. The Christians took advantage of this and advanced in the conquest of Muslim lands.

In 1212 A.D. the Christians defeated the Muslims at the battle of "Las Navas de Tolosa". They conquered Cordoba and the rest of al-Andalus except the kingdom of Granada.

The Christians and the Muslims fought for more than 700 years, between the 8th and the 15th centuries. The Christian kingdoms expanded to the south, conquering lands from al-Andalus.

The Reconquista ended in 1492 when the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel I of Castilla and Fernando II of Aragon conquered Granada and the whole of the Iberian Peninsula was under Christian rule again. The Middle Ages ended in 1492 when Christopher Columbus discovered America.

Summary

During the Middle Ages, different civilisations lived on the Iberian Peninsula. The Visigoths settled after the Roman Empire fell. Then, the Muslims invaded the Peninsula, calling their new territories Al-Andalus. Here, three religious groups lived together: Christians, Muslims and Jews. Over the next centuries, the Christians in the north fought against the Muslims. By the end of 1492, the whole Iberian Peninsula was under Christian rule again.

THE END