The Siege of Granada 1491: How Spain Conquered Its Last Muslim Kingdom

In 1491, the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada was the last Muslim state on the Iberian Peninsula, a wealthy and sophisticated enclave that had survived for over two centuries through tribute and diplomacy. But the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, were determined to finish the Reconquista. This episode explores the final campaign—a ten-month siege that combined military pressure with psychological warfare, including the construction of a purpose-built city, Santa Fe, to house the Spanish army. We follow the key figures: Muhammad XII, known as Boabdil, the last Nasrid sultan; the Granadan vizier Musa ibn Abi Ghassan; and the Spanish commanders, including the Duke of Medina Sidonia and Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, who would later become the Gran Capitán. We look at the terms of the Treaty of Granada, which promised religious tolerance—a promise soon broken—and the emotional weight of Boabdil's surrender at the gates of the city. The episode also examines the legend of the 'Moor's Last Sigh' and the myth of Boabdil's mother's scolding. This is the story of a siege that ended one era and began another, setting the stage for the Spanish Empire's global expansion. #SiegeOfGranada #Reconquista #Boabdil #IsabellaOfCastile #FerdinandOfAragon #Nasrid #SantaFe #MuhammadXII #TreatyOfGranada #1492 #Alhambra #GonzaloFernandezDeCordoba #GranCaptain #Moors #SpanishHistory #MedievalSpain #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo