Medieval Spain: Kingdoms, Conquests, and Culture
The Crown of Castile
13th Century Reconquest
The reconquest of Castile experienced a breakthrough in the thirteenth century. St. Ferdinand finally joined Castile and Leon in 1230, and conquered Cordoba, Jaen, and Seville. Alfonso X the Wise won Murcia. The repopulation was done by the system of allotments.
Government and Economy
The kingdom’s government was organized around the king, the royal council, and Cortes. The economic base was farming and the export trade in wool. The winners were associated in the Mesta.
Social Structure
The social model was a stratified society. There were significant minorities of Moorish and Jews. The official and literary use of the Castilian language extended, and the first universities were founded.
The Crown of Aragon
Expansion in the 13th Century
In the thirteenth century, James I the Conqueror took Mallorca and Valencia. In the Mediterranean, he joined Sicily, Sardinia, and Naples.
Governance and Trade
The monarchy had a pactista character. There were separate courts for Catalonia, Aragon, and Valencia. It developed a very active trade controlled by the Mediterranean Sea Consulates.
Effects of the Black Death
The effects of the Black Death were very serious, and there were important social movements, such as the remensa peasants. In culture, the figure of Ramon Llull stands out.
The End of the Middle Ages
Five Kingdoms
In the fifteenth century, the peninsula was divided into 5 kingdoms: Castile, Aragon, Navarre, Portugal, and Granada.
Navarre and Granada
The most outstanding monarch of Navarre during this period was Charles the Noble. In Granada, the Nazari dynasty ruled. The jewel of Nazari art is the Alhambra in Granada.
Arts: Gothic, Mudejar, and Nazari
Gothic Cathedrals
The 3 major Gothic cathedrals of Castile are those of Burgos, Leon, and Toledo. In Aragon, the outstanding cathedrals are Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. In painting, the influence of the Flemish school is highlighted.
Mudejar and Nazari Styles
The Mudejar style is a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic art with elements of al-Andalus. The best example of Nazari art is the Alhambra in Granada, the last Muslim palace of the Peninsula.
Madrid in the 13th and 14th Centuries
Growth and Señorialización
Continued restocking of Real Madrid was supported by clearly privileged individuals. The kings held a Señorialización process whereby they placed nobles who were at their service in positions of power. The kings unified laws to acquire more power in the councils of Madrid.
Madrid in the 15th Century
War and Social Unrest
On the death of Henry IV in 1474, another war started between Joan “la Beltraneja” and Isabella of Castile. Natural disasters and civil strife led to an increase in dynastic social differences.
The Prevalence of Al-Andalus
History and Rule
The history of al-Andalus covers from the beginning of the eighth century until the end of the fifteenth century. Al-Andalus was first part of the Muslim empire: a dependent emirate, and later, an independent emirate ruled from Cordoba by the Umayyads. The maximum period of splendor was the Caliphate in the tenth century. Then came the Taifa kingdoms and empires, unified under the North (Almoravids and Almohads).
Society and Economy of Al-Andalus
Social Groups and Economy
Andalusian society existed in several groups by ethnicity: Arabs, Berbers, and Muladi. Jewish and Mozarabic Christian communities were tolerated. In an economy based on agriculture, the development of cities, trade, and monetary circulation were highlighted.
Andalusian Art
Mosque of Cordoba and Taifa Kingdoms
The masterpiece of the Caliphate is the mosque of Cordoba. The art of the Taifa kingdoms is notable for the contrast between the rich decoration of its interiors and the sober exteriors.
Almohad Art
The Almohad art, characterized by its simple geometric decoration, flourished especially in Seville.
The first Christian centers: siglo VIII and IX. The first core Christian emerged a few years after the invasion musUlman, in the mountains of Asturias. In the ninth century, the kingdom of Asturias and Galicia was understood aneixonó east fomrando the county of Castile. There were also other Christian centers in the Pyrenees, from which would spring the kingdom of Navarre and the county of Aragon. In the east, the Carolingian Empire established the Hispanic origin of the Catalan counties. Reconquest and repopulation: X to the ninth centuries. In the tenth century, the kings moved their capital of Asturias and Leon began to repopulate the lands of the Duero. Since the eleventh century, the kingdom of Castile became one of the main actors of the Reconquista after the capture of Toledo (1085). The kingdom of Navarre consilidó in the eleventh century. The kingdom of Aragon and the county of Barcelona, having achieved considerable success in the conquest of the Ebro valley, formed from the twelfth century the crown of Aragon. The repopulation of the conquered lands was made according to two basic systems: the haste and Concejil. In some areas or groups of Muslims remained Mudejar. A partie of the tenth century, the Christian kingdoms emerged in the early texts written in Romance languages.Madrid Muslim in the eighth to twelfth centuries. Madrid was a stronghold of Muslim advocacy since the early years of Arab invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in the early eighth century. It was conquered by Christians for nearly 200 years later. During a century lived three sculptures, Muslim, Jewish and Christian. From the twelfth century, Madrid was a land of orderly and continuous recruitment, the kings granted privileges and intervened in the litigation the use of territories.