The muslins invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 711 and conquered it in seven years. The Visigoths were mercilessly overpowered and defeated, their remnants pushed back into the north of Spain. These remnants of Christian Spain lay hidden deep in the barren and inhospitable mountains of Asturias and the Umayyad Emirate left them there since this land was neither desirable nor easy to conquer. However, a collapse of united Islamic rule at the start of our period split the peninsula into five kingdoms, with only Granada under direct Muslin control. This signalled the start of the 'Reconquest' as the Christians descended from the mountains and began to push the frontier deeper and deeper south at both the edge of the blade and through cunning political manoeuvres. The re-conquest culminated in the eventual capture of Granada by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492 and what was lost in seven years was finally retaken after over seven centuries.
Spain // Morocco - border
18th century hand-coloured engraved map of the Ibe...
English: Map representing the advance of the Chris...Bibliography
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