| The
retaking of Spain by Christians after the Muslim conquests of the
eighth century. |
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Toledo,
Spain, was recaptured by Christians
in the 11th-century
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In the eighth century
the Visigothic kingdom of Spain was overrun by Muslim
invaders. Eventually Christians rallied to retake Spain. At the Battle
of Tours in 732 the Frankish leader Charles Martel defeated Muslim armies
and confined the Muslim expansion. In the eleventh century the reconquest
gained strength and succeeded in capturing Toledo, the old Visigothic capital.
By 1248 only the kingdom of Granada remained in Muslim hands. It did not
fall until 1492 when it was captured by the armies of Ferdinand and Isabella
and the reconquest of the peninsula was completed. The unification of Spain
and the reconquest of the peninsula was powerfully motivated by devotion
to Saint James and the desire to recover the site of his shrine at Compostela.
Compostela was famed throughout the
middle ages as a destination for Christian pilgrims.
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