The Moors ruled Spain for nearly 800 years, beginning in 711 with the landing in Gibraltar by Tariq ibn Zeyad and ending in 1492 with the surrender of Boabdil, the last Moorish king in Spain to Ferdinand and Isabella.

Reasons for the Conquest
Three years later two thirds of Spain was in Moorish hands. The reason for this apparent lack of organized resistance from the Spaniards was similar to that of the Aztecs in Mexico 400 years later. Infighting, petty disputes between leaders and the intelligent use of human greed by the two Moorish leaders ensured that there was little resistance to the conquest.

The Resistance
Eleven years after the invasion, the organized resistance began. In what has become the stuff of legend, Don Pelayo, the son of a nobleman exiled by the Visigothic King Witiza and a group of 30 men in Asturias began to fight a guerrilla war against the Moors. Hiding in the caves of this mountainous region, they lived off the land, harrying the invaders whenever a good opportunity presented itself.

Start of the Reconquest
In 722 AD, the Moors were defeated by Pelayo and his men at the Battle of Covadonga. Even though this battle can best be characterized as a skirmish, the fact that the Moors were defeated in battle for the first time was a heartening experience for the Spaniards. The number of men involved was small but legend has
greatly increased the number of Moorish soldiers and minimized the number of Spaniards.

Slow Progress
The Reconquest begun by Pelayo was to continue during the years, with victories and defeats for the Spaniards and Moors alike. When the Moors were in decline, the Christians were able to advance their frontiers which were then returned to their original position when the Moors were victorious. Slowly, however, the Christian kings of Asturias, Leon and Castile were able to declare the entire peninsula as being under their rule. The rulers of Portugal, Navarre and Catalonia did not agree to their hegemony however, and this disagreement did much to delay the reconquest.

Ferdinand and Isabella
By 1350 the Reconquest was almost complete. Only Granada remained in Moorish hands until 1492 when Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile made a united effort and conquered the last Moorish bastion in Spain. Boabdil, the last king of Granada, best remembered for 'lamenting like a woman what he could not defend like a man' surrendered on January 2, 1492.


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