The Spanish Reconquista

Spain has always been a melting pot of ethnicity and culture. From the Celts and Visigoths that came from the north to the Africans and Arabs from the south to the Romans from the East, empires, kingdoms, and tribes all over the world have recognized and tried to take advantage of the benefits of Spain. War, conquest, and reconquest are frequent throughout the entire history of Spain, and the history of Moors in Spain is no exception. It began in the year 711 when the Moors first crossed over to the Iberian Peninsula, until their expulsion from Granada in 1492 which marks the end of the Reconquista, they influenced the native Iberians in many ways including culture and religion. The Moors were people of Berber, Black African, and Arab descent from North Africa. In 711 they invaded Spain. Led by Tariq Ibn Ziyad, an African general, approximately 7,000 soldiers, mostly Berbers, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and overthrew the Visigoth’s. The Moorish soldiers managed an easy defeat over the Visigoth’s who had controlled Spain since the end of the fifth century. The Visigoth kingdom of Spain was no match for the large number of unexpected soldiers and as a result the kingdom eventually fell to the hands of the Moor 's. The General declared his troops victories at the base of a famous limestone mountain that to this day bears his name “The rock of Gibraltar”. Their goal was to conquer the world and spread Islam to all people. By 1200 A.D approximately 5.6 million of the 7 million inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula were Muslims. The majority of the conversions were forced by either war or “treaties”. Once the invading Moors captured a city they would decimate the male population including infants and would take the widows and daughters as concubines. Once General Ziyad, his soldiers and other Moor 's who continued to arrive got settled in this new land they created the territory of Al-Andalus. As with many lasting invasions the Moors had an incredible influence