El Cid - Europe and Spain

31 BC to 476 AD – Roman Empire
43 to 410 – Britain part of Roman Empire

330 – Constantinople founded
711 – Moslems invade Spain
732 – Moslems defeated at Tours, France
768-814 – Charlemagne (crowned 800)
962-1806 – Holy Roman Empire (Central Europe)
1054 – Schism of West and East
1066 – Norman invasion of British Isles
1095 – First Crusade

12th century – rise of towns; development of the monarchy in England and France; coming of Arabic and Greek science; beginning of universities and scholasticism

CHRISTIAN "SPAIN"
Sancho III el mayor de Navarra (970-1035):Captures a considerable part of Aragón from the Moors, also conquers León and Castilla
In 1033 he splits his kingdom among his children
     García (will be Garcia III) – the county of Navarra
     Fernando (will be Fernando I) – the county of Castilla (becomes a kingdom)
     Gonzalo – the county of Sobrarbe
     Ramiro – the county of Aragón

Fernando I of Castile (1035-1063):

Conquers and adds to his kingdom Galicia, León (1037) and part of Navarra 
The Muslims of Toledo, Sevilla and Badajoz pay him tribute 
Proclaims himself emperor of España (from Lat. Hispania) in 1056; initiates period of reconquest 
Divides his kingdom among his children
Alfonso (will be Alfonso VI) – León
García – Galicia
Urraca – Zamora
Elvira – Toro
Sancho II – Castilla; assassinated in 1072 while laying siege to Zamora
Alfonso VI of Castilla and León (1065-1109)
Sancho is killed by treachery during his siege of Zamora. Alfonso takes over Castilla
Legend has it that El Cid forced Alfonso to swear that he was not involved in the assassination of Sancho, and that Alfonso’s "hatred" of El Cid stems from this outrage.
Alfonso takes Toledo from the Muslims

Christian Spain, after 1212, consists of 2 great kingdoms:
    Castilla and León (which includes Asturias, Córdoba, Extremadura, Galicia, Jaén and Sevilla)
    Aragón (which includes Barcelona, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, and holdings in Italy)

MUSLIM "SPAIN"

  • The Umayyad dynasty– ruled for about 3 centuries, until about 1030.
Its capital, Córdoba, was second only to Constantinople in splendor, and Spanish civilization was far in advance of the rest of Europe. Schools were built, many of them free and meant for the education of the poor. Universities cultivated the study of medicine, mathematics, philosophy and literature (including Aristotle); art and architecture flourished; agriculture and commerce were encouraged; effective irrigation systems were constructed. After the death of Hisham III, the caliphate split into a number of independent and mutually hostile Moorish kingdoms, including Córdoba, Granada, Sevilla, Toledo, Lisboa, Zaragoza, Murcia and Valencia.
  • The Almoravids—c1030-1145
1086—The Muslim kings of Granada, Sevilla and Badajoz call the Almoravids (a Muslim sect of North Africa) to their aid after losing Toledo to Alfonso VI. The Almoravids defeat Alfonso, but then turn against the Spanish Moors. Soon afterwards, the Almoravids rule Muslim Spain.
  • The Almohads—1145-1212
Invade Spain and become masters within 5 years. They are defeated in a great battle on the plains of Toledo in July 1212 by the united Christian forces and are expelled from Spain. Moorish power is now limited to some ports around Cádiz, and the kingdom of Granada which endured until 1492 and became the greatest and most splendid Muslim realm.