Timeline
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aVisigothic Kingdom

406 The decline of the Roman Empire in Hispania marks a period of invasions by Germanic tribes such as the Suevi, Vandals and Alani.

415 The Visgioths, a Germanic people who had long inhabited the frontier regions of Rome itself, invade the Iberian Peninsula by crossing the Pyrenees and capturing Barcelona, thus displacing the tribes that had come before them.

485 By the end of the fifth century, the Visigoths politically control all of the Iberian peninsula.

551 Visigothic kingdom of Toledo.

570-636 St. Isidore of Sevilla.

572-586 Leovigild, King of the Visigoths, the most important and capable of Visigothic rulers.

587 Recared converts to Catholocism.

589 Visigoths convert to Catholocism at 3rd Council of Toledo.

649 Liber Judiciorum, first common law in Iberia.

703-710 Witiza

711 After the defeat of Roderic only a small kingdom survives in the north-east under Archila

Gold Tremissis from Toledo, King
Wittiza. 698-710AD.

Muslim Conquest & the Rule of the Emirs

711 Muslim forces cross the Straights of Gilbrartar lead by Tariq ibn Ziyad who defeats Roderic at the battle of Guadalete.

755 Abd al-Rahman I, emir in Córdoba.

756 The ruling Umayyad dynasty in Damascus gives way to the Abbasids from Bagdad. Abd ar-Rahman (an Umayyad) flees to Egypt and eventually to Iberia where he ousts the governor and appoints himself emir. His reign sees the beginning of the construction of the great mosque in Córdoba, the quelling of a number of rebellions, a peace treaty with the Asturians and perhaps most importantly, the beginning of a Muslim society and culture in Spain that is independent from Damascus. "Al-Andalus," as the region is called, begins to take on a life of its own.

788-796 Al-Hisham I

796-822 Al-Hakam I

800 Ptolemy's "Geography" translated into Arabic.

Emergence and Expansion of the Christian Kingdoms

719? Defeat of Muslim army at Battle of Covadonga attributed to Pelayo who beings the kingdom of Asturias.

739 After Pelayo's son-in-law conquers nearly all the region known as Galicia and recaptures most of León, he is named Alfonso I King of Leon and Austurias.

778 Charlemagne's troops, especially the captain Rolan, are defeated at Roncesvalles. From this incident procedes "The Song of Roland." attributing the attack to Muslim forces.

791 Alfonso II King of of Austurias in Oviedo.

800 Charlemagne takes Barcelona.

801 Louis the Pious' reconquest of Barcelona.

811 Charlemagne gains control of all of Cataluña, which is designated, "The Spanish Mark" or "March" until 874.

c.818-842 Discovery of the alleged body of St. James (Santiago) at Compostela

866-910 Alfonso III in Asturias

874 Wilfred the Harry gains ndeipendence for Barcelona. The Basques of Navarre emerge as a strong Christian state with its capital at Pamplona

905 Sancho I Garces creates independent Basque kingdom in Navarra.

932 Under Count Fernán González the region of Castilla becomes independent of León, and in 932 the count declared himself the first king of Castilla.

11th Century. A considerable part of Aragón is captured from the Muslims by Sancho III, king of Navarre, who also conqueres León and Castilla.

1030 See map. Sancho III makes his son, Ferdinand I, king of Castilla.

1037 The most prominent of Sancho's sons, Ferdinand, acquires León.

1050's Short lyric poems known as jarchas, date from the fifth decade of the 11th century. The next earliest forms of Spanish literature are epics composed by the juglares, the Spanish minstrels who sang in village squares and castle halls during the Middle Ages.

Rule of the Caliphs

10th Century From 912-961 AD, Abd al-Rahman III establishes a strong central Muslim authority in Iberia. He drives back the Christians in the North and diplomatically subdues much of North Africa. His army and navy are the strongest in Europe at this time, and the cultural achievments of his caliphate signify his total political independence) are unmatched by any Christian or Muslim state. The period of his reign until 1031 marks the Golden Age of both Arab and Jewish culture in Iberia.

929 Abd al Rahman III proclaimes himself caliph. His capital, Córdoba, becomes the most splendid city in Europe except for Constantinople (present-day Ýstanbul).

961-976 Al-Hakem II

976-1013 Al-Hisham II

981-1002 The vizir al-Mansur (Almanzor) in power at Córdoba.

Umayyad. Gold Dinar of
Hisham II. 976-1009AD

Taifa States

1030 See map. The dissolution of the caliphate of Córdoba into 23 taifas, or republican oligarchies. The King of Sevilla manages to siez power from the now-defunct caliphate and assert some measure of central authority.

1036 The Umayyad dynasty ends with the death of Hisham III and the caliphate splits into a number of independent and mutually hostile Moorish kingdoms, including Córdoba, Granada, Sevilla, Toledo, Lisbon, Zaragoza, Murcia, and Valencia.

Rule of the Almoravids

1050 The power of Sevilla declines. To protect themselves from invading Christians, many Taifas are forced to call upon the Almoravids from outside of Iberia to help them deal with the Christian threat. These kingdoms quickly find themselves the objects of these Almoravids' reformist zeal.

c.1055-1060 Ibn Hazm composing his Kitab al-Fisal or 'Book of Secrets.'

1070 Foundation of Marrakesh symbolizes Almoravide expansion into northern Moroco.

1086 In response to the taifas' pleas, the Almoravids (a Muslim fundamentalist movement from Morocco) lead a counter-attack against Afonso VI at Sagraias. They go to Africa after this expedition, but return to stay in 1090, signifying the beginning of the dissolution of Alfonso VI's kingdom.

1102 Almoravids take Valencia

1126-1198 Averroes of Córdoba, comentator and propogator of the ideas of Aristotle and Plato.

1139-1205 Maimonides (Moises ben Maimon) of Córdoba, founder of the rationalistic explanation of Jewish doctrine.

1142 See map.

Progression of the Reconquest

1056 Ferdinand proclaimes himself emperor of Spain (from the Latin Hispania), and initiates the period of reconquest from the Muslims.

1065 The death of Ferdinand I. Upon his death he divides his kingdom feudally among his children. He leave Castilla to his son Sancho and León to his other son, Alfonso.

1072 Sancho is assassinated and Alfonso VI becomes the first King of León-Castilla.

1080 Council of Burgos -- Mozarbic rites. Cluny of Spain.

1085 Alfonso VI of Castilla conquers Toledo, the old Visigothic capital, gaining control of its immense library. This library held hundreds of volumes on astronomy, medicine, philosophy, metaphysics, algebra, ethics, etc. It is precisely through this library (and the heavy translating efforts of many Toledanos) that Europe came to know the works of Aristotle, Plato and Muhammed abu-Muhammed al-Ghazali.

1086 In response to the taifas' pleas, the Almoravids (a Muslim fundamentalist movement from Morocco) lead a counter-attack against Afonso VI at Sagraias. They return to Africa after this expedition, but return to stay in 1090, signifying the beginning of the dissolution of Alfonso VI's kingdom.

1092 Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid) sets himself up as absolute ruler of the Muslim city of Valencia. It is during his second exile from Castilla that the Cid, with a combined army of Moors and Christians, takes Valencia (in the service of Zaragoza).

1099 The death of El Cid. Valencia retaken by the Moors.

1118 Alfonso I of Aragon takes Zaragoza.

1135 Alfonso VII of Leon named emperor.

c.1140 Cantar de mio cid.

1134 See map.

1143 Afonso Henrique recognized as the King of Portugal by Castilian king, Alfonso VII.

1157-1158 Sancho III.

1157-1188 Fernando II.

1158-1214 Alfonso VIII.

1164 Barcelona becomes part of the Kingdom of Aragon when Alfonso II inherits both.

1195 Alarcos. Castilian King Alfonso VIII (1158-1214) challenges Almohad emperor Yacub to battle. It ends in the defeat of the Christian army at Badajoz.

c. 1195-1264 Libro de Alexandre by Conzalo de Berceo.

c. 1201-1252 Fernando III, "el Santo."

1210 See map.

Rule of the Almohads

1145 Within five years Almohad Berbers (a fundamentalist movement from Morocco) invade Iberia and incorporate much of Muslim Iberia (al-Andalus) into the African Almohad Empire.

1169 Averroes qadi or religious judge in Córdoba and Sevilla.

1210 See map.

Completion of the Christian Reconquest

1212 Las Navas de Tolosa or Battle of Despeñaperros. The major battle towards Christian reconquest of Iberia fought on the plains of Toledo in July. Alfonso VIII returns to fight Yacub. The Christian armies of León, Castilla, Navarre and Aragon defeat the Almohads in the decisive battle that guaranteed Christian forces passage into Southern Iberia.

1217-1252 Fernando III of Castilla and Leon takes Córdoba, Murcia, Jaen, Sevilla.

1236 Ferdinand III of Castilla conquers Córdoba.

1238 Jaime I of Aragon takes Valencia. He also gains control of the prized paper mills at Xativa.

1241 Fuero Juzgo, Romance version of Liber Judiciorum.

1252-1284 Reign of King Alfonso X "El Sabio." His reign is marked by lavish patronage of scholarship as well as much political instability.

1328-1335 Don Juan Manuel writes the collection of tales El conde Lucanor.

1330 Libro de buen amor by Juan Ruiz, archpriest of Hita (expanded 1343).

c. 1335 Don Juan Manuel's Conde Lucanor.

1348 Las siete partidas, a book of law assembled by King Alfonso X, is promulgated by King Alfonso XI.

1360 See map.

1391 Jewish synangogues and quarters in Seville are attacked by the Christian populace (who had been incited by friars such as Ferrant Martínez). Soon the aljamas of Toledo, Burgos and Barcelona are destroyed. Thousands of Jews are killed during these pogroms, thousands more are converted to Christianity, and an equally large number choose to leave the peninsula. This date marks the first major Jewish diaspora from Iberia, though overshadowed by the events of 1492.

1469 The marriage of Isabella I of Castilla and Ferdinand V of Aragón initiate the developments that unify Spain into a great European power.

1473 First printing press in Iberia.

1474-1479 Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic Kings, become joint rulers of Castilla in 1474 and of Aragón in 1479, although no actual union of the two kingdoms occurres and each monarch exercises sovereign power only in his or her own realm.

1476 Jorge Manrique's "Coplas por la muerte de su padre."

1478 Beginning of the Inquisition to enforce purity of the faith of heretics and converted Jews whose religious practices do not agree with Catholic orthodoxy.

1480 Isabella convokes a great Cortes (parliament) at Toledo, which lays the legislative basis for royal absolutism in Castilla. Laws were recodified, the judicial system was reformed, and the power of the nobility was weakened. Administrative structures and methods of recruiting state officials are professionalized, making Castilla perhaps the most modern large state of its time.

1492 After a ten-year war, Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Iberia, falls and and Spain is politically unifyed. The Edict of Expulsion is signed by the Catholic Monarchs, forcing all Muslims and Jews in Spain to either convert or emigrate. Columbus sets sail in search of a westward route to the Indies. Antonio de Nebrija writes Gramática sobre la lengua Castellana, the first grammar of the Spanish language. This date also symbolically marks the close of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Early Modern Era.

Silver Real de la Plata of Pedro I
(the cruel) of Castile. 1350-1369AD

Sources:

"Chronology: Medieval Spain 410-1492," Princton University. 2002.
Retreived 5/2002 from http://www.princeton.edu/~art210/spchrono.html

"La Reconquista," Sí, España. 2002.
Retreived 5/2002 from http://www.sispain.org/spanish/history/reconque.html

"Some Important Dates in Medieval Spanish History," UCLA Humanities. 2002.
Retreived 5/2002 from http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/santiago/text.html

"Spain," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 99. © 1993-1998.

"Spanish Literature," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 99. © 1993-1998.

"Spain and its Coins," National Numismatic Collections.
Retreived 6/2002 from http://americanhistory.si.edu/csr/nnc/spain/spain.htm