Images

Al-Andalus: Islamic name for Spain.

Dhimmi: Christians, Jews and other peoples tolerated (and subordinated) under Islamic rule.

Jizya: Special tax paid by non-Muslims.

c.420-711: Visigothic Kingdom in Spain.

698: Arabs conquer Carthage.

710-711: Roderic (Rodrigo) last Visigothic King.

711: Tariq ibn Ziyad leads an army of 12,000 Arabs and Berbers into Spain.

Gibraltar from Jebel al-Tariq, "Tariq’s Mountain."

718: Pelagius (Pelayo) organizes Christian resistance in remote north-western Spain, founding the kingdom of Asturias.

c.720: Muslims have reached Pyrenees and begin raiding into Southern Gaul.

732: Frankish warlord Charles Martel ("the Hammer") turns back Muslims at battle of Poitiers.

750: In faraway Iraq, Abbasids overthrow Umayyad dynasty. Abd al-Rahman, last Umayyad survivor, flees to Spain and establishes an independent Caliphate.

778: Charlemagne invades northern Spain, is defeated and retreats. A small skirmish in the Pyrenees is immortalized in later centuries in the Song of Roland.

850: Several Christians in Cordoba begin publicly insulting Islam, and are executed. Eulogius writes an account of these "Martyrs of Cordoba."

858: Monks from Paris journey to Spain to obtain relics of these martyrs.

910: Kingdom of Asturias establishes new capital at León, hereafter called the Kingdom of León. One of its regions, Castile (after its many castles) will eventually become the dominant kingdom in late medieval Spain.

c.1000-1100: Umayyad Caliphate of Spain collapses as local warlords fight each other. This creates opportunities for the Christian kingdoms to make gains, reconquering Toledo in 1085.

1212: Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa: Castilians defeat Muslims and conquer most of Spain, including Cordoba.

1492: The new Christian Kingdom of Spain (created by the union of Castile and Aragon) conquers the last Muslim enclave at Granada. Muslims and Jews are forced to convert or leave.

Back to Main Page