Reconquista

In this episode, we explore the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle in which Christian kingdoms gradually expanded across the Iberian Peninsula and challenged Muslim rule. Beginning with early resistance in Asturias and culminating in the 1492 conquest of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs, we trace the rise of powerful kingdoms such as Castile and Aragon, the military and religious forces that shaped their expansion, and the role of frontier settlement and papal support. We also examine the complex social and economic realities of the period, including trade, slavery, and the treatment of conquered populations, before considering how the end of the Reconquista, the rise of the Spanish Inquisition, and political unification helped shape the emerging Spanish state and its national identity.