The Christian Kingdoms

EXPANSION OF THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS

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 wasn´t 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?v=IHKev1M140o

• At the end of 13th century only the Nasrid kingdom of Granada resisted the christian forces.

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

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

THREE CULTURES

• DURING THE RECONQUISTA THREE DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS CULTURES LIVED TOGETHER IN THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS:

• CHRISTIANS,• JEWS, SOMETIMES PERSECUTED AND• MUSLIMS, CALLED MUDÉJARES

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

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

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

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

The Catalan Counties

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

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

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

The Crown of Castile (II)• GovernmentCastile 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

• EconomyBased 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.

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

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'.

The almogavars

Entry of Roger de Flor in ConstantinoplePainting of José Moreno (1888)

The Crown of Aragón (II)• GovernmentThe 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

• EconomyAgriculture 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

Compare the Crowns of Castile and Aragón

GOVERNMENT ECONOMY

CROWN OF CASTILE

CROWN OF ARAGÓN

UNIFIED STATESSAME INSTITUTIONS, SAME LAW FOR ALL THE KINGDOMCORTES HAD NO POWER

UNION OF DIFFERENT KINGDOMS WITH THEIR OWN LAWS AND CUSTOMSTHE KINGS HAD TO SEEK THE CORTES´APPROVAL

AGRICULTUREBUT MAINLY STOCK BREEDING OF MERINO SHEEP

MAINLY AGRICULTURE AND TRADE

VIII IX X XI XII XIII

ASTURIASDON PELAYO722: COVADONGA

ALFONSO III ESTABLISH THE COURT IN LEÓN

1230: FERNANDO

III THE SAINT,CROWN OF

CASTILE

LEÓN

CASTILE929: COUNT FERNÁN GONZÁLEZ

SANCHO III THE GREAT(1000-1035)

FERNANDO IALFONSO VI

NAVARREJIMENA DINASTY

SANCHO II KING OF NAVARRE AND ARAGÓN

GARCÍA

ARAGÓNGALINDO DINASTYAZNAR GALINDO RAMIRO I

ALFONSO II THE CHASTECROWN OF ARAGÓN

JAMES I

CATALONIAWILFRED THE HAIRY

1143: ALFONSO ENRIQUEZ, KINGDOM OF PORTUGAL

PORTUGAL

AL-ANDALUS

DEPENDENT AND INDEPENDENT EMIRATE

929: ABD AL RAMAN IIICALIPHATE OF CORDOBA

1032:TAIFAS1086: ALMORAVIDS

ALMOHADS