Few events figure more dramatically in Spain’s past than the conquest of the kingdom of Granada and no other year is more prominent than 1492. Between the initial Umayyad invasion of Hispania in the 710s and the fall of the Emirate of Granada, the last Islamic power on the peninsula, to expanding Christian kingdoms in 1492, the Reconquista is an era in the history of the Iberian Peninsula spanning roughly 770 years. Granada was a vassal kingdom to the greater Kingdom of Castile for almost 250 years. However, because it was surrounded by hostile Christian states, Granada was constantly in threat of harm. The marriage, which was for political opportunism, not romance, of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile in 1469 provided the impetus for the invasion of Granada. This brought together the Iberian Peninsula’s two most powerful Christian kingdoms and with a united front, they have set their eyes on removing the peninsula’s last Muslim state. This paper will discuss why King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella decided to conquer Granada and the implications of the conquest for Muslims as minorities in the medieval Spanish kingdoms.

The Christian conquest of Granada may have been if not one of, the most impactful and important conquest that happened in Medieval Spain. The marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella would “prove to be one of the most significant events in Spanish history” (McKendrick, 2015), since it meant they would ascend to their separate thrones, which would comprise the majority of what is now known as Spain. This makes Spain somewhat united, but not completely united, because the kingdom is still separated.  Although King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were married, Spain was formed as a dynastic union of two crowns rather than a unitary state, as Castile and Aragon remained separate kingdoms. For the most part, King Ferdinand’s concern is on foreign relations of the country while Queen Isabella focuses on interior administration. Although the Catholic Monarchs attempted a partnership in many areas, they did not always have a uniform foreign policy vision due to the history of their separate kingdoms. Despite this, they were able to pursue an expansionist foreign policy that was effective for a variety of reasons. The victory over the Muslims in Granada allowed Ferdinand to involve himself in policy outside the Iberian Peninsula. Many considered Ferdinand the saviour of his kingdoms, a bringer of unity while others despised him for having oppressed them.

Ferdinand and Isabella then resumed the Reconquista, which had been inactive for more than 200 years, and seized Granada in 1492, earning the title of Catholic Kings or Catholic Monarchs. So, why did the king and queen decide to conquer Granada at this moment? For power and elimination of rival religion. The war against the kingdom Granada was going on for quite some time and the Muslims had “no prospect of aid from somewhere else… the Moors faced the possibility of starvation” (O’Callaghan, 2014). Being the last Muslim kingdom after the numerous conquests that happened, the Muslims did not have anywhere nor anyone to get resources from. Thus, leading to the Capitulation of Granada as the Muslim King was forced to surrender to save himself, his kingdom and his people. The fall of Granada was viewed as a major setback for Islam and a victory for Christianity because this conquest ended all Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula.

Following the demise of Islamic Spain, focus shifted to the internal threat posed by hundreds of thousands of Muslims residing in the newly annexed Granada. Religious uniformity was considered to be vital for political unity throughout sixteenth-century Europe, but only in Spain was religious conformity enforced with such intensity. Spain’s population was more heterogeneous than that of any other European nation, and it contained significant non-Christian communities. During the medieval times, Christians attitudes toward Muslims are a strange mix of admiration, resentment, and opposition. Therefore, in order for Christians and Muslims (also Jews) to coexist, a set of rules and regulation were set in place a few days after the conquest. During the early days after the conquest, Christians and Muslims were kind of separated. The laws protected Muslims and their right to perform their religious rites. Although they were allowed to perform their religion, as stated from the book Medieval Iberia (document 84), Christians were to encourage Muslims to convert to Christianity. Thus, saying that Spain was unified is untrue. Even if that was, somewhat the goal, there was clear partition, in terms of rank, between the religions. Christianity was always at the top and the rules set out made it clear that no Muslim or Jew can be above a Christian. That even if a Muslim has converted to Christianity, they may “appear to be Christians but [they] were actually Moors” (Constable, 2018). One law also states that “no Moor will be forced to become Christian against his or her will” (Constable, 2012) but Muslims and Christians cannot be in a sexual or any type of relationship. So, I think some of the laws that were presented had some loophole, saying that if a Muslim and a Christian are to be married, the Muslim has to convert. As we see throughout this Christian conquest, the idea of unification emerges but it was not really successful or it’s misinterpreted.

Not long after, the kingdom was slowly turned into a Christian kingdom and evidence of Granada once being a Muslim Kingdom were fading. This passage, “A new cathedral is under construction on the site of the Granada’s main mosque” (Harris, 2007), identifies the dramatic change that happened in Iberian Islam. Everywhere, medieval places were transformed into monasteries and convents, and mosques were replaced by hospitals and parish churches. Conversion, acculturation, and immigration produced changes in Granada’s exterior structure, as well as changes in the city’s human face. This eventually led to “Muslims in Granada revolting against the Christian city government’s attempts to suppress their rights to live and worship as followers of Islam” (Harvey, 2008). Although the Granada riot was a one-time event which was soon contained, the Christian government used the subsequent widespread rebellion as an excuse—or justification, as its leaders saw it—to embark on a century-long campaign to eradicate the Islamic presence from Spain and the Iberian Peninsula as a whole. After 1525, all residents of Spain were officially Christian, but forced conversion and nominal orthodoxy were not sufficient for complete integration into Spanish society. To prevent Moriscos from regaining power in Spain and to eliminate involvement by Conversos whose families had been Christian for generations, purity of blood (pureza de sangre) rules were enforced on candidates for positions in the government and the church. Many of Spain’s oldest and most prestigious families hurried to retrace their ancestors’ footsteps.

The Christian conquest of Granada affected Medieval Spain greatly. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, uniting, to defeat the last Muslim Kingdom. This conquest played significant role in Spain’s history as it was the fall of the last Muslim Kingdom. The constant struggle between different ethno-religious groups, especially between Christians and Muslims, was evident throughout the medieval times. Each religion had their own religious rites, beliefs and morals, which led to a complication in unity. One thing I did not include in my essay though, but I somewhat looked into and is also one of most significant events, resulting from the conquest which was Queen Isabella’s support for Christopher Columbus to focus its main resources and energy on overseas exploration. Castile’s foreign interests were centered on the Atlantic, therefore supporting Columbus’ journey was a natural extension of those objectives. This led to the discovery of the New World.

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