The Christian Kingdoms

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The Christian Kingdoms
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EXPANSION OF THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS
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EXPANSION OF CHRISTIAN KINGDOMSBook page 60

• The Reconquista involved the occupation of
  territory from one river valley to another
• In 9th and 10th centuries christian kingdoms
  advanced south of the Duero valley. It wasnt a
  conquest. This territory was abandoned by the
  muslims
• In 11th and 12th centuries, christian kingdoms
  extended beyond the Tajo valley and the Ebro
  valley (Conquest of Toledo by Alfonso VI in 1085
  and conquest of Zaragoza by Alfonso I the Battler
  in 1118)
• After the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212),
  christian kingdoms advanced quickly and extended
  beyond the Guadiana and Guadalquivir valleys
  http//www.youtube.com/watch?vIHKev1M140o
• At the end of 13th century only the Nasrid
  kingdom of Granada resisted the christian forces.

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EXPANSION OF CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS

• After the occupation of the new territories, the
  christian kings colonised them with groups of
  peasants. This is called Repopulation
• In order to encourage emigration, the kings gave
  privileges called fueros to the towns
• Sometimes the territory was underpopulated, so
  the kings gave it to the military orders

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FUERO (CARTA PUEBLA) OF CIUDAD REAL GIVEN BY
ALFONSO X
é quis que oviera hy una grand villa é bona que
corrieresn todos por fuero é que fuese cabesza de
toda aquella tierra é mandela poblar en aquel
lugar que dicen el Pozuelo de D. Gil, é púsele
nombre Real. Et Yo sobre dicho Rey D. Alfonso
otórgoles é doles para siempre jamás é á todos
los moradores que fuesen en esta Villa-Real la
sobre dicha é en todo su término que hayan el
fuero de Cuenca en todas cosas
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THREE CULTURES

• DURING THE RECONQUISTA THREE DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS
  CULTURES LIVED TOGETHER IN THE CHRISTIAN
  KINGDOMS
• CHRISTIANS,
• JEWS, SOMETIMES PERSECUTED AND
• MUSLIMS, CALLED MUDÉJARES

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Kingdom of Asturias and León

• 722. Battle of Covadonga. Don Pelayo defeated the
  Muslims
• At the End of VIII century, Alfonso II
  established the court in Oviedo
• Alfonso III the Great expanded the Kingdom and
  moved the capital to León in the 10th century.
  The territory became the Kingdom of León

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Kingdom of Castile

• Castile started as a union of some counties from
  León under Fernan González that became Count of
  Castile in 930 and could achieve a relative
  independence from León in 960
• After being annexed to Navarra, it became an
  independent Kingdom after the death of Sancho III
  de Navarra in 1035. The first King of Castile was
  Fernando I

Tomb of Fernán González en Covarrubias
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The Kingdom of Navarra

• During IX century, the Jimena dinasty could
  achieve independence from the carolingian Empire
• Under Sancho III the Great (1000-1035) the
  Kingdom of Navarra became the most powerful
  kingdom in the Peninsula
• After his death, his kingdom was divided between
  his sons Fernado became king of Castile, García
  became king of Navarra and Ramiro became king of
  Aragón

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The Kingdom of Aragón

• During IX century the Galindo family achieved
  independence from the Carolingian Empire with the
  count Aznar Galindo.
• In 922 the county of Aragón was annexed to
  Navarra
• After the death of Sancho III the Great of
  Navarra (1035), his son Ramiro I became the firs
  King of Aragón

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The Catalan Counties

• In 874, Wilfred the Hairy united the catalan
  counties and became independent from the
  carolingians

The Kingdom of Portugal
In 1143, Alfonso Enríquez became independent from
the Kingdom of León and was the first King of
Portugal
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The Crown of Castile

• After Fernando I became the first King of
  Castile, Castile gradually became the most
  powerful Kingdom. Alfonso VI conquered Toledo in
  1085 and passed the Tajo valley.
• Alfonso VIII defeated the almohads in the Battle
  of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212
• In 1230 Fernando III the Saint united León and
  Castile and founded the Crown of Castile

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The Crown of Castile (II)

• Government
• Castile and León became a unified State, with
  same institutions and same law
• The King had great power and the castilian
  Parliament, called Cortes, could not legislate,
  but just approve or reject new taxes

• Economy
• Based on agriculture, but mainly stockbreeding of
  merino sheep.
• The wool of the merino sheep was exported to
  Europe and was economically so important that the
  kings protected its trade and granted privileges
  to the Mesta (assembly of noble sheep breeders)
  as the right to graze on peasants land.

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The Crown of Aragón

• In 1134 died Alfonso I the Battler without issue
• His brother, Ramiro II, who was a monk, was
  forced to become King and to have a child
• Ramiro II, had a daughter, Petronila, who was
  betrothed to Ramon Berenguer IV, count of
  Barcelona, at the age of one. After the marriage,
  they had a son, called Alfonso Ramon, who became
  King of Aragón and Count of Barcelona as Alfonso
  II the Chaste. This union is called the Crown of
  Aragón
• In 13th century, James I the Conqueror expanded
  the Crown of Aragón to the south conquering
  Valencia, Alicante, Murcia and the Balearic
  islands. His son, Peter the Great conquered
  Sicily and started the expansion through the
  Mediterranean Sea

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The almogavars

• The almogavars were professionals soldiers, who
  served the kings of Aragón with their
  Mediterranean expansion. After conquering Sicily,
  Sardinia and Naples, the Kings of Aragón wanted
  to get rid of such violent troops and let them
  travel to help the Byzantinian Emperor against
  the muslims. After fighting the turks, they were
  betrayed by the byzantinians and their leader,
  Roger de Flor, was assassinated. The almogavars,
  in revenge, conquered Athens and its territory
  and established there the duchies of Athens and
  Neopatria. Although the duchy eventually fell to
  the Ottoman Empire, even today the King of Spain
  still holds the title of 'Duke of Athens
  and Neopatria'.

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The almogavars
Entry of Roger de Flor in Constantinople Painting
of José Moreno (1888)
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The Crown of Aragón (II)

• Government
• The Crown of Aragón was a union of different
  kingdoms (Aragón, Valencia, Mallorca) and
  counties (catalan counties). Each territory kept
  its own institutions and customs Justicia in
  Aragón, Generalitat in Catalonia and Valencia.
  The Kings of Aragón had always to seek their
  approval for starting new enterprises

• Economy
• Agriculture was the main economic activity in
  Aragón
• Trade was very important too. After the
  mediterranean expansion of the Crown of Aragón,
  the catalan merchants travelled all around de
  Mediterranean Sea and founded commercial offices
  called Consulates

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Compare the Crowns of Castile and Aragón
GOVERNMENT ECONOMY
CROWN OF CASTILE
CROWN OF ARAGÓN
UNIFIED STATES SAME INSTITUTIONS, SAME LAW FOR
ALL THE KINGDOM CORTES HAD NO POWER
AGRICULTURE BUT MAINLY STOCK BREEDING OF MERINO
SHEEP
UNION OF DIFFERENT KINGDOMS WITH THEIR OWN LAWS
AND CUSTOMS THE KINGS HAD TO SEEK THE
CORTESAPPROVAL
MAINLY AGRICULTURE AND TRADE
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VIII IX X XI XI XII XIII
ASTURIAS DON PELAYO 722 COVADONGA ALFONSO III ESTABLISH THE COURT IN LEÓN 1230 FERNANDO III THE SAINT, CROWN OF CASTILE
LEÓN ALFONSO III ESTABLISH THE COURT IN LEÓN 1230 FERNANDO III THE SAINT, CROWN OF CASTILE
CASTILE 929 COUNT FERNÁN GONZÁLEZ SANCHO III THE GREAT (1000-1035) FERNANDO I ALFONSO VI 1230 FERNANDO III THE SAINT, CROWN OF CASTILE
NAVARRE JIMENA DINASTY SANCHO II KING OF NAVARRE AND ARAGÓN SANCHO III THE GREAT (1000-1035) GARCÍA
ARAGÓN GALINDO DINASTY AZNAR GALINDO SANCHO II KING OF NAVARRE AND ARAGÓN SANCHO III THE GREAT (1000-1035) RAMIRO I ALFONSO II THE CHASTE CROWN OF ARAGÓN JAMES I
CATALONIA WILFRED THE HAIRY 1143 ALFONSO ENRIQUEZ, KINGDOM OF PORTUGAL
PORTUGAL
AL-ANDALUS DEPENDENT AND INDEPENDENT EMIRATE 929 ABD AL RAMAN III CALIPHATE OF CORDOBA 1032TAIFAS 1086 ALMORAVIDS 1032TAIFAS 1086 ALMORAVIDS ALMOHADS