Reconquest Day – January 2, 2025

History of Reconquest Day

Reconquest Day commemorates the reconquest of Spanish and Portuguese territories by Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand V from the Muslim Moors, who had occupied most of those territories since the 8th century. Known as ‘Reconquista,’ a series of military campaigns took place between 718 and 1492. The five Spanish states involved were Aragon, Castile, Catalonia, León and Navarre, while Portugal became an independent state from the 1140s. Before the 8th century, the Iberian Peninsula had been under the control of the Visigoths, an early Germanic people, before the arrival of the Moors from North Africa.

Though the beginning of the Reconquista is linked to 718 or 722, with the Battle of Covadonga, the first notable success in the campaign was the capture of Toledo in 1085 by King Alfonso VI. During the reign of Alfonso I of Aragon, he offered huge estates to the Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar, which were military orders of warrior-monks. In turn, both orders committed knights to the cause. In addition, local military orders began forming in Spain during the 1100s. The Order of Calatrava was formed in 1158, the Order of Santiago in 1170, the Order of Mountjoy in Aragon in 1173, and that of Alcantara in 1176.

Another decisive victory which dealt a major blow to the Moors occurred at Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 when a coalition of three Spanish kings won the battle. Following this victory, more territories were captured, including Cordoba, Valencia and Seville over the next 36 years. The final victory of the Christian forces was the capture of the last stronghold of the Moors, Granada, by King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella I in 1492. Following this triumph, the Moors were forced to convert to Christianity but were later expelled from the Iberian Peninsula.