Reconquista

The term Reconquista refers to the process of Christian reconquest of the Iberian territory invaded by Muslims. It began in 722, when the noble Don Pelayo of Asturias rebelled against the Arab domination in the Battle of Covadonga. Since that time, numerous nobles rebelled and with the passage of time joined forces giving rise to Military Orders. The process of accelerated Reconquista, with the Christian kingdoms which gradually gained ground towards the south until the capture of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, marked the reunification of the Spanish territory. While the Christian troops were advancing, they repopulated territories abandoned by the Muslims, thus giving rise to most of the place names of Spanish geography.

Read more:

• D.W. Lomax, The Reconquest of Spain, London 1978.
• P. Conrad, Histoire de la Reconquista, Paris 1999.
• A. Vanoli, La Reconquista, Bologna 2009.