The Reconquista is the name given to the wars waged by the
various states of what is now Spain (Spain wasn't one country in those days) to take
Spain and Portugal back from the Muslims who ruled it. These wars took around 700 years
to complete, ending in 1492.
Parts of the area that is now
Spain and Portugal were ruled by Muslims starting in 710 or 711. By the year 1000, the
Muslim part of Iberia had split up. It was no longer ruled by just one ruler. This
gave the Spaniards the opportunity to start fighting back against the Muslims. The wars
continued until 1492. At that time, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castille
(those were two of the little kingdoms in what is now Spain) used their combined power
to oust the last of the Muslims from Spain.
During the
Reconquista, there were many atrocities on both sides. These atrocities, and the simple
fact that the wars happened, are one reason why some Muslims have bad feelings about the
West and Christianity.
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