Timeline of the Muslim occupation of the Iberian Peninsula
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Invasion (710-756)
- 710 - The Berber General Tariq ibn Ziyad takes Tangier. Several Muslim expeditions raid across the straits into Hispania Baetica (modern Andalusia), including a fairly large one led by a Berber called Tarif ibn Malluk. Civil war is raging between rival kings in Visigothic Hispania.
- 711 - A Muslim force of about 7,000 fighters (mainly Berber with some Arabs) under Tariq ibn Ziyad, loyal to the Umayyad Emir of Damascus, Al-Walid I, enter the Iberian peninsula from North Africa.
- At the Battle of Guadalete Tariq ibn Ziyad defeats King Rodrigo, the last Visigoth ruler of Hispania, at the Guadalete River in the south of the Iberian peninsula. Tariq goes on to take Toledo, while a detachment under Mugit al-Rumi takes Córdoba.
- 712 - The Muslim governor of Northern Africa, Musa ibn Nusayr, follows Tariq ibn Ziyad with an army of 18,000 Arabs. He takes Medina-Sidonia, Seville and Mértola.
- 713 - Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa, Musa ibn Nusayr's son, takes Jaén, Murcia, Granada, Sagunto.
- The Christians of Seville and Toledo revolt but are put down by Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa's troops. Toledo is pillaged and its notables are beheaded.
- 714 - First Muslim campaigns in the lower Ebro valley and south East part of the Iberian Peninsula.
- Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa takes Évora, Santarém and Coimbra.
- 715 - By this year virtually all of southern Iberia is in Muslim hands. Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa is left in charge and makes his capital the city of Seville, where he marries Egilona, widow of King Rodrigo, who encourages him to convert to Christianity. The Umayyad Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik, orders Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa assassinated and sends Musa ibn Nusayr into exile in his native Yemen village to live out his days as a beggar.
- 716 - Lisbon is captured by the Moors.
- 717 - Córdoba becomes the capital of Muslim Al-Andalus. During the wars between Christians and Muslims, Jewish courtiers are valued as diplomats, translators, and advisors to both sides.
- 718 - Pelayo, a Christian Visigoth noble and comrade-in-arms of King Rodrigo at the Battle of Guadalete leads the fight against the Moors in the Asturian region and establishes the Kingdom of Asturias. The Muslims set out destroy the Asturian fighters and surround Pelayo and 300 of his men in the Asturian mountains. The Muslims attack ruthlessly but Pelayo evades capture and continues organizing the Christian forces.
- 719 - Muslims attack Septimania in southern Francia and become established in the region later known as Languedoc.
- 720 - Moorish conquest of Barcelona and Narbonne.
- 721 - A mixed force of Aquitanians and Franks under Duke Odo of Aquitaine defeat a Muslim army under the governor general of Al-Andalus, al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani, at the Battle of Toulouse. The Franks quickly surround and critically wound al-Samh ibn Malik and destroy most of his force of 375,000 Arabs in what will be recorded as one of the worst military defeats in Muslim history.
- 722 - King Pelayo defeats a large force sent by Emir Munuza to annihilate him at the Battle of Covadonga in Alcama. He then leads an alliance of Asturian and Cantabrian mountaineers and Spaniards in the counter-offensive against the Muslims beginning what will be called La Reconquista. Pelayo will go on to become the founder of a dynasty of Iberian monarchs who will over the centuries recapture all of the Iberian lands from the Muslims.
- 725 - Muslim raids reach Autun in Frankish France.
- 729 - Berbers rebel in Cerdanya, but despite being allied with Duke Odo of Aquitaine, the rebellion is suppressed.
- 732 - A Muslim army led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi defeats an Aquitanian force under Duke Odo of Aquitaine on the Garonne near Bordeaux. The Moors then set about pillaging Aquitaine.
- Frankish commander Charles Martel "the Hammer" defeats a massive Muslim army of 400,000 fighters at the Battle of Tours killing Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, effectively halting the northward advance of Islam in Europe from the Iberian peninsula.
- 737 - Arabs take Avignon in the Rhone Valley.
- King Pelayo of Asturias dies, and his son Favila becomes King of Asturias.
- 739 - Berbers revolt in North Africa and Iberia.
- Rebels in North Africa defeat a Syrian force and kill its commander Kulthum.
- Alfonso, son of Peter of Cantabria, duke of Cantabria, and married to Ormesinda, daughter of Pelayo, becomes King of Asturias.
- The Moors are driven out of Galicia by Alfonso I of Asturias.
- 740 - Berbers rebel against the ethnically exclusive Arab Umayyad Caliphate and refuse to support them with tax revenues.
- 741 - The 10,000 survivors of Kulthum's force arrive in Iberia under a new leader, Talaba ibn Salama; he and the Jordanians settle in Córdoba; the Homs contingent in Seville; the Damascus contingent in Elvira; Qinnasrin in Jaen, and Palestinians in Algeciras and Medina-Sidonia. Civil war erupts between the Syrians and the Iberian Muslims, the latter being supported by a contingent of African Muslims under Abd ar-Rahman ibn Habib.
- 742 - Internal conflict in Al-Andalus continues for the next 4 years.
- 750 - Taking advantage of the plague, drought, and revolts preoccupying the Muslims, Alphonso I, Duke of Cantabria, creates the Christian Kingdom of Galicia in the far northwestern corner of Iberia.
- 755 - Abd ar-Rahman I of the Umayyad dynasty flees to Iberia to escape the Abbasids.
- 756 - Abd ar-Rahman I defeats Yusuf al-Fihri outside Córdoba.
The Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba (756-929)
- 756 - Abd ar-Rahman I , Umayyad commander of the Muslims of Al-Andalus, proclaims himself Emir of Córdoba.
- 757 - Fruela I becomes King of Asturias.
- 759 - The Moors lose the city of Narbonne (in France), their furthest and last conquest into Frankish territory. In capturing this city, King Pippin the Younger ends all Muslim rule north of Iberia.
- 763 - Abd ar-Rahman I suppresses an Abbasids inspired revolt.
- 764 - Abd ar-Rahman I takes Toledo from Hisham ibn Urwa.
- 766 - Said al-Matari rebels in Seville.
- 768 - Aurelio becomes King of Asturias.
- 768-777 - A Berber reformer rebels in central Iberia and occupies Merida and other towns to the north of the Tagus. The rebellion is suppressed after nine years.
- 771 - Syrians under Abd al-Ghaffar rebel against Abd ar-Rahman I, but the latter defeats the Syrians on the river Bembezar in 774.
- 774 - Silo becomes King of Asturias. In this period this is a lot of unrest in Galicia towards the rule of Asturias.
- 777 - Abd ar-Rahman I suppresses an Abbasid-inspired revolt.
- 778 - The Franks led by Charlemagne attack Zaragoza, but are forced to withdraw. Basques ambush Charlemagne's army as it crosses the Pyrenees out of Iberia. The Basques maul the Frankish rearguard, killing many of the commanders including the Breton Markgraf Hruotland (also called Roland), and loot the baggage train.
- 781-881 - 100-year intermitent insurrection against the Muslims erupt in Zaragoza from 781 to 881.
- 783 - Mauregato the Usurper becomes King of Asturias. He was an illegitimate son of Alfonso I of Asturias, supposedly by a Moorish woman.
- 785 - Building of the Great Mosque of Córdoba begins on the grounds of a Visigothic church; it is completed in 976.
- 788- Death of Abd ar-Rahman I, founder of the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba. His successor is Hisham I.
- 791 - Alfonso II becomes King of Kingdom of Asturias|Asturias in Oviedo and takes a number of Moorish strongholds and settles the lands south of the Douro River.
- A Muslim force raids into Galicia.
- 792 - Hisham I, Emir of Córdoba, calls for a Jihad against the infidels in Al-Andalus and France. Tens of thousands from as far away as Syria heed his call and cross the Pyrenees to subjugate France. Cities including Narbonne are destroyed, but the invasion is ultimately halted at Carcassone.
- 794 - Asturians defeat the Muslims at the Battle of Lutos.
- 795 - An Umayyad force occupies Astorga.
- 796 - Al-Hakam I, becomes Emir of Córdova.
- 798 - In a raid on Muslim lands, Alfonso II of Asturias enters Lisbon but cannot occupy it.
- 799 - The Basques revolt and kill the local Muslim governor of Pamplona.
- 800 - Charlemagne takes Barcelona. He is granted the title of "Holy Roman Emperor" by Pope Leo III in order to guarantee his protection of Rome against the invading Lombards."
- 800 - A 10 year Rebellion againsts the Muslims breaks out in the fringes of Al-Andalus (Lisbon, Merida, Toledo). Each rebellion is bloodily suppressed by the central Islamic authorities.
- 801 - Louis the Pious, Charles Martel's son of France takes Barcelona from the Moors.
- A frontier buffer between Frankish France and Muslim land is formed and is called the Marca Hispanica (Hispanic Border).
- 803 - Revolt of Banu Qasi in Tudela is suppressed.
- 805 - Insurrection against the Muslims erupts in Córdoba and Merida.
- 806 - Frankish conquest of Pamplona.
- After another revolt in Toledo, 700 men, women and children are beheaded by the Muslims.
- 808 - Franks fail to take Tortosa.
- 809 - An Umayyad prince defeats and executes Tumlus, a Muslim rebel who had seized power in Lisbon some years before.
- 811- Another insurrection against the Muslims erupts in Toledo lasting 8 years.
- Charlemagne gains control of all of Catalonia, which is designated "the Hispanic Mark" until 874.
- 813 - The grave of James the Apostle is "discovered" near Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, beginning the cult of St. James that would unite Iberian Christians of many different petty kingdoms.
- 818 - The revolt in Córdoba against the Muslims is punished by three days of massacres and pillage, with 300 notables crucified and 20,000 families expelled.
- 819 - The Franks suppress revolt in Pamplona.
- 822 - Abd-ar-Rahman II becomes Emir of Córdoba.
- 824 - Pamplona rebels again. The Basques rebel again and destroy a Frankish army at the second Battle of Roncesvalles. Kingdom of Pamplona established.
- 825 - Muslims attempt to invade Christian territory from Coimbra and Viseu but are driven back.
- 827 - Bernat of Septimania holds Barcelona against Gothic rebels who have Umayyad assistance.
- 828 - Insurrection against the Muslims erupts in Merida.
- 829 - Another insurrection in Merida.
- 839 - Alfonso II of Asturias commands a military force in the region of Viseu.
- 842 - Ramiro I becomes King of Asturias.
- 844- Vikings raid the Galician estuaries, are defeated by Ramiro I, attack Lisbon, and sack Seville.
- Battle of Clavijo, a legendary battle between Christians led by Ramiro I of Asturias and Muslims, where St. James is reputed to have aided the Christian Army.
- 848 - William, son of Bernat of Septimania, seizes Barcelona.
- 850 - Ordono I becomes King of Asturias in Oviedo. Beginning of Christian repopulation. Rise of the county of Castile.
- 850-859 - Perfectus, a Christian priest in Muslim-ruled Córdoba, is beheaded after he refuses to retract numerous insults he made about Muhammad. Numerous other priests, monks, and laity would follow as Christians became caught up in a zest for martyrdom. Forty-eight Christians in all are eventually decapitated for blaspheming Muhammad. They will be known as the Martyrs of Córdoba.
- 852 - Death of Abd ar-Rahman II.
- Muhammad I becomes Emir of Córdoba.
- 855 Ordono I captures León from the Moors.
- 859 - Vikings raid the Iberian coast. They capture and ransom King Garcia I of Pamplona.
- 859 - Ordoño I of Asturias defeats Musa ibn Musa at Albelda.
- 866 - Alfonso III the Great, son of Ordoño I of Asturias, becomes King of Asturias. He initiates the repopulation of Porto, Coimbra, Viseu and Lamego.
- 868 - Establishment of the first county of Portugal, a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Asturias, by count Vímara Peres, after the reconquest from the Moors of the region between the Minho and Douro Rivers. Count Vímara Peres founded the fortified city that bears his own name Vimaranis, later Guimaranis, present day Guimarães, considered "The Cradle City" of Portugal.
- Insurrection against the Muslims erupts in Merida.
- 870 - Battle of Padura/Arrigorriaga between the Basques led by Lope Fortún, first lord of Biscay and Sancho de Estigiz, lord of Durango, and the Leonese led by Prince Ordoño, the son of King Alfonso III and future King Ordoño II.
- 871 - The city of Coimbra is retaken from the Moors. Hermenegildo Mendes is made Count of Coimbra.
- 873 - Over the next 25 years Wilfred the Hairy, Count of Barcelona, sets up a Christian kingdom with a certain degree of independence from the Frankish kings.
- 878 - The region of Coimbra (today, Central Portugal) is incorporated in the Kingdom of Asturias by the Count Hermenegildo Guterres.
- 886 - Al-Mundhir becomes Emir of Córdoba.
- Revolts in Al-Andalus continue till 912
- 888 - Abdallah ibn Muhammad becomes Emir of Córdoba.
- 905 - Sancho I of Pamplona creates a Basque kingdom centered in Navarre.
- 909 - Alfonso III of Leon is deposed by his sons yet also proclaimed Emperor.
- 910 - Alfonso III dies and his kingdom is divided among his sons into the dependent kingdoms of Astúrias, León, and Galicia.
- 912 - Abd al-Rahman III becomes the Emir of Córdoba. Every spring, Muslims launch raiding campaigns against the Christian frontier.
- 913 - An expedition commanded by Ordoño II takes Évora (Talavera) from the Muslims.
- 914 - Ordoño II of Galicia becomes King of León after the death of his brother Garcia I of León.
- The capital city of the Kingdom of Asturias is moved from Oviedo to León, becomes Kingdom of León.
- 916 - Ordoño II is defeated by Emir Abd al-Rahman III in Valdejunquera.
- 917 - Battle of San Esteban de Gormaz. Ordoño II defeats an army under Emir Abd al-Rahman III.
- 918 - Battle of Talavera where Muslims under Abd al-Rahman III defeat the Christians.
- Pope John X recognizes the orthodoxy and legitimacy of the Visigothic Liturgy maintained in the Mozarabic rite.
- 920 - Battle of Valdejunquera, where the armies of Abd al-Rahman III defeat the armies of the Kingdom of León.
- 920 - Muslim forces cross the Pyrenees, enter Gascony, and reach as far as the gates of Toulouse. The garrison of Muez is killed.
- 923 - The city of Pamplona is destroyed by Muslim forces.
- 924 - Fruela II becomes King of León.
- 925 - Sancho Ordonhes, son of Ordoño II, becomes vassal king of Galicia until 929.
- Alfonso IV becomes King of León.
- Ramiro II, son of Ordoño II, was the first to bear the title King of Portuguese Land.
- 926 - Ramiro II takes residency in the city of Viseu.
The Umayyad Caliphate (929-1031)
- 929 - Abd al-Rahman III, faced with the threat of invasion by the Fatimids, proclaims himself Caliph of Córdoba, breaking all ties with the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad. Under the reign of Abd al-Rahman III Muslim Al-Andalus reaches its greatest height before its slow decline over the next four centuries.
- 930 - Over the next 20 years Ramiro II, King of León, defeats Abd al-Rahman III at Simancas, Osma, and Talavera.
- 931 - Ramiro II becomes King of León.
- 933 - Battle of Osma where Castilian-Leónese troops, under Count Fernan Gonzalez, defeat the Muslim army of Abd al-Rahman III.
- 939 - Battle of Simancas where Ramiro II of Leon defeats Abd al-Rahman III. Christians defeat Al-nasir at Alhandega.
- 939 - Madrid is recaptured from Muslim forces. The encounter between the two rulers finally took place in 939, when, at the so-called ditch of Simancas (Shant Mankus), Ramiro II severely defeated the Muslims, and Abd al-Rahman III narrowly escapes with his life. After that defeat Abd al-Rahman III resolved never to take personal charge of another expedition
- 940 - Hugh, Count of Provence, gives his protection to Moors in St. Tropez if they agree to keep the Alpine passes closed to his rival Berenger.
- 946 - The county of Castile becomes a Kingdom.
- 950 - Ordonho III becomes King of León.
- 953 - Emperor Otto I sends representatives to Córdoba to ask Caliph Abd al-Rahman III to call off some Muslim raiders who had set themselves up in Alpine passes and are attacking merchant caravans going in and out of Italy.
- 955 - Ordonho III of León attacks Lisbon.
- 956 - Sancho I becomes King of León.
- 958 - Sancho I of León is deposed.
- Ordonho IV becomes King of León.
- 960 - Hasdai ben Shaprut, the personal physician of Caliphs Abd al-Rahman III and Al-Hakam II, and inspector-general of customs and an adviser in foreign affairs, begins a correspondence with Joseph, the Jewish King of Khazaria.
- Sancho I of León is reinstated as King of León.
- 961 - Al-Hakam II becomes Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba.
- 962 - Count Gonçalo Mendes of Portugal rebels against Sancho I of León.
- 966 - Count Gonçalo Moniz of Coimbra rebels against Sancho I of León.
- Vikings raid Galicia and kill the bishop of Santiago de Compostela in battle, but his successor St. Rudesind rallies the local forces and kills the Viking King Gundered.
- 967 - Ramiro III becomes King of León.
- 971 - Another minor Viking raid in Galicia.
- 974 - A Cordoban expedition under Ibn Tumlus crushes a rebellion in Seville.
- 976 - Caliph Al-Hakam II dies, and Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir takes over in the name of his protégé Hisham II, becoming a military dictator usurping caliphal powers and lauching a big number of offensive campaignes against the Christians. The Christians take advantage of the resulting confusion and commence raids into Muslim territory.
- Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir sacks Barcelona.
- 977 - Al-Mansur volunteers to lead the army against the Christians, and is successful.
- 981 - Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir defeats his old friend Ghalib in a confused battle near Atienz. Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir force includes Berbers, Christian mercenaries, and Andalusian troops from Zaragoza under Man ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Tujibi. Ghalib's force includes Andalusians and a Castilian contingent under the Count Garcia I Fernandez. Ghalib is killed in the battle. Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir subsequently kills off both Ibn al-Andalusi and Man ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Tujibi.
- Ramiro III of Leon is defeated by Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir at Rueda and is obliged to pay tribute to the Caliph of Córdoba.
- 982 - Bermudo II becomes King of León, having been acclaimed by the Counts of Galicia and anointed in Santiago de Compostela.
- 983 - After failing in a rebellion in the Maghreb, the Berber Chief Zawi ibn Ziri, of the Tunisian royal family, brings a formidable force of Sanhaja horsemen to join Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir. However, they are not allowed to cross the straits for many years (sometime 1002-1008).
- 985 - Under Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir and subsequently his son, Christian cities are subjected to numerous raids.
- 985 - Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir sacks Barcelona.
- 986 - Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir burns down the monastery of San Cugat de Valles.
- 987 - Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir lays waste to Christian Coimbra.
- Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir seizes the castles north of the Douro River, and arrives at the city of Santiago de Compostela. The city had been evacuated and Al-Mansur burns it to the ground.
- Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir has the basilica doors and bells of the Christian shrine of Santiago de Compostela taken to the Córdoba Mosque and has the rest of the Church destroyed.
- Count Gonçalo Mendes takes the personal title Magnus Dux Portucalensium (Grand-Duke of Portugal) and rebels against King Bermudo II of León, being defeated.
- 988 - Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir razes León to the ground. He sacks Leon, Zamora, and Sahagun, and sets fire to the great monasteries of Eslonza and Sahagun.
- 989 - Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir seizes Osma.
- 994 - The monastery of Monte Cassino is destroyed a second time by the Moors.
- 995 - Despite stout resistance by the Beni-Gomez clan - Christian counts of Saldaña, Liebana, Carrion, and Zamora - Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir destroys their capital, the city of Santa Maria de Carrion.
- 997 - Under the leadership of Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir, Muslim forces march out of the city of Córdoba and head north to capture Christian lands.
- 998 - Wadih, a Slav and the best Andalusian commander of the time, takes Fez in Morocco with a large force.
- 999 - Alfonso V becomes King of León.
- Muslims briefly attempt to establish a garrison at Zamora.
- 999-1018 - Alfonso V of Leon reconstructs his kingdoms.
- 1000 - Sancho III of Navarre, inflicts major losses on the Muslims, and nearly clinches a remarkable victory.
- 1000-1033 - Sancho III of Navarre gains control of Aragon and Castile, uniting the three kingdoms. But on his death, he splits the kingdom and leaves Navarre to his son Garcia III, Castile to Fernando I, and Aragon to Ramiro I.
- 1002-1008 - Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir's son Al-Muzaffar conducts annual raids against the Christians.
- 1002 - Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir raids into La Rioja, is defeated by a coalition of Christian armies at the Battle of Calatañazor, and dies on his return to Córdoba. Power in Al-Andalus subsequently divided between the old Arab nobility, the Berber mercenaries, and the Slav slaves.
- Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir dies in the village of Salem.
- 1003 - Moors lay waste to the city of León.
- 1004 - Arab raiders sack the Italian city of Pisa.
- 1008 - On the death of al-Muzaffar, Abd al-Rahman ibn Al-Mansur, another son of Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir, takes over the role of unofficial ruler. In winter he leads his army against the Christians.
- Vikings raid Galicia, killing Count Mendo Gonçalves II of Portugal.
- Muhammad II - great grandson of Abd al-Rahman III - deposes Hisham II as Caliph and destroys Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir's palace complex of al-Madinat al-Zahira near Córdoba.
- Mohammed II al-Mahdi becomes Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba.
- The period of anarchy over the next 23 years out of which emerged approximately two dozen small states.
- 1009 - Muslims lay waste to León again.
- The Berbers are expelled from Córdoba and set up camp at Calatrava. Their Generals nominate another descendent of Abd al-Rahman III - Sulayman al-Mustain - as a rival Caliph.
- Suleiman seeks the aid of Count Sancho I Garces of Castille against Mohammed II of Umayyad. The joint Berber-Castilian army defeats the Andalusian militia of Muhammad II and sacks Córdoba.
- Sulaiman al-Mustain becomes Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba as Suleiman II, after deposing Mohammed II.
- The Taifa (independent Moorish kingdom) of Badajoz becames independent of the Caliph of Córdoba and governs the territory between Coimbra and North Alentejo.
- 1010
- Having fled to Toledo Mohammed II seeks the aid of Ramon Borell, Count of Barcelona and Urgel. The Catalan army defeats Sulaiman II's Berbers at Aqabat al-Baqar and again near the river Guadiaro (near Ronda).
- Mohammed II reclaims Córdoba supported by the Slav General al-Wadih, but is assassinated.
- Hisham II is restored as Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba by slave troops of the Caliphate under al-Wahdid.
- 1012 - Berber forces capture Córdoba and order that half the population be executed.
- Sulaiman II is restored as Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba by the Berber armies.
- 1013 - A Berber reign of terror in Córdoba that kills the deposed Hisham II.
- The powerless Sulaiman II is forced to hand out provincial governorships to the Berber chiefs.
- Jews are expelled from the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba, then ruled by Suleiman II.
- Halevi flees to Malaga when Suleiman attacks Córdoba.
- Halevi becomes vizier to the Emir of Granada, as does his son, Jehoseph Ha-Nagid. Many other Jews flee to Granada.
- Caliphate of Córdoba begins to break up. Many Taifas (independent Moorish kingdoms) begin to spring up.
- 1014 - The Berber chief Zawi ibn Ziri - leader of the Sanhaja confederation, and a member of the Tunisian royal family - makes Granada his capital.
- 1015 - The Emir of Denia, Mujahid al-Amiri, sets out from his base in the Balearic Islands with a fleet of 125 ships in an attempt to take Sardinia.
- 1016 - Norman invaders ascend the Minho river and destroy Tuy in Galicia.
- Ali ibn Hammud, Emir of Ceuta, declares himself the rightful Caliph and marches on Córdoba. A Berber general deposes and executes Caliph Suleiman II.
- Mujahid al-Amiri is dislodged from Sardinia by a force from Genoa and Pisa.
- 1018 - Self-proclaimed Caliph Ali ibn Hammud assassinated in Córdoba. His brother Al-Qasim replaces him. The Zirids of Granada defeat an Andalusian army of 4,000 under Abd ar-Rahman al-Mutada - the Umayyad claimant.
- 1021 - Abd-ar-Rahman IV becomes Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba.
- Yahya, the son of Alí ibn Hammud, rebels in Malaga with the support of the Berbers.
- 1022 - Abd-ar-Rahman V becomes Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba with the support of Berber troops.
- 1023 - Muhammad III becomes Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba with the support of Berber troops.
- The Abbadid Emir of Seville, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abbad, declares independence from Muhammad III, Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba.
- 1025 - Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abbad, Abbadid Emir of Seville, captures two castles at Alafões to the north-west of Viseu.
- 1027 - Hisham III becomes Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba.
- 1028 - Alfonso V, king of Asturias and León, lays siege to Viseu but is killed by a bolt from the walls.
- Bermudo III, becomes King of León.
- 1031 - Sancho III of Navarre declares war on Bermudo III of León. Navarre, sometimes assisted by Galician rebels and Normans, ravages the lands around Lugo in Galicia.
- The Moorish Caliphate of Córdoba falls.
The Almoravides Era (1031-1130)
- 1031 - The Moorish Caliphate of Córdoba falls.
- Hisham III, the last of the Umayyad Caliphs disappears into obscurity.
- King Sancho III of Navarre takes León and Astorga and drives King Bermudo III of León into the mountains.
- 1033 - The Taifa (independent Moorish kingdom) of Mértola becomes independente.
- 1034 - The Leonese destroy a raiding force under Ismail ibn Abbad of Seville. Ismail ibn Abbad flees to Lisbon.
- Gonçalo Trastemires - a Portuguese frontiersman - captures Montemor castle on the Mondego river.
- By this time, Sancho the Great of Navarre had incorporated Aragon, Sobrarbe, Barcelona, as well as Asturias, León and Castile, and he proclaims himself Rex Hispaniarum ("King of all Spains").
- 1035 - Sancho III of Navarre dies. Bermudo III of León reclaims the Leónese crown, and Sancho's sons inherit his other territories; Garcia IV in Navarre including some territory of Old Castile; Ferdinand I in the new kingdom of Castile; Ramiro I in the new kingdom of Aragon.
- Castile and Aragon become kingdoms.
- Over the next 28 years Ferdinand I of Leon takes Coimbra and obliges the Muslims of Toledo, Seville, and Badajoz to pay him tribute. Before his death, he divides his territories between his sons: Castile goes to Sancho II and Leon to Alfonso VI of Castille.
- Bermudo III of León defeats the Moors in César, in the Aveiro region.
- 1037 - Ferdinand of Castile, son of Sancho III of Navarre, acquires the Kingdom of León in the Battle of Tamarón. The first Castilian king, Ferdinand I, defeats and kills his father-in-law, Bermudo III of León, thus inheriting his kingdom.
- 1038 - Granadine armies under the vizier wage almost continuous war against their Muslim neighbours, primarily Seville.
- 1039 – Ferdinand I of Castille-León proclaimes himself Emperor of all Hispania.
- 1040 - The Taifa of Silves becomes independent.
- 1043 - Zaragoza and Toledo fight over the border city of Guadalajara. Toledo pays the Navarrese to raid into Zaragoza; similarly, Zaragoza pays the Leon-Castillians to raid into Toledo. The Christian armies ravage the respective Muslim lands unchecked.
- Rodrigo Diaz Vivar, whom the Muslims would name "El Cid Compeador" (Lord Winner of Battles) is born in Burgos.
- 1044 - Abbad III al-Mu'tamid, son of the Abbadid Emir of Seville Abbad II al-Mu'tadid, retakes Mértola, since 1033 an independent Taifa.
- 1050 - Count Mendo Nunes of Portugal is killed in battle sometime during this period. Nuno Mendes, son of Count Mendo Nunes, becomes Count of Portugal.
- 1051 - Yusuf ibn Hud, the Banu Hud Emir of Lerida, is paying the Catalans to protect against his own family in Zaragoza.
- 1053 - Emir Al-Mutadid of Seville drives Berbers from Arcos, Morón and Ronda.
- 1053-1071 - Book of Usage is written in Barcelona, defining legal status and privileges of Jews. It put the protection of the Jews under the King, who would decide the punishment for any harming or killing a Jew. Castille has similar laws.
- 1054 - Battle of Atapuerca. The army of Ferdinand I of Castile defeats that of his brother García IV of Navarra, near Burgos). Several disaffected Navarrese knights join the Castilians before the battle and one of these men is believed to have killed Garcia. Garcia's son Sancho is proclaimed King on the field of battle and the war continues.
- Diego Lainez de Vivar, father of Rodrigo Diaz, captures the castles of Ubierna (5 miles north of Vivar), Urbel (10 miles north-west of Ubierna), and La Piedra (12 miles north-west of Ubierna), then in 1055 defeats the Navarrese in a pitched battle.
- 1055 - Emir Al-Mutadid of Seville drives Berbers from Algeciras.
- 1056 - The Almoravides (al-Murabitun) Dynasty begins its rise to power. Taking the name "those who line up in defense of the faith," this is a group of fundamentalist Berber Muslims who would rule North Africa and Islamic Iberia until 1147.
- 1057 - Emir Al-Mutadid of Seville drives Berbers from Carmona.
- Ferdinand I of Castille-León takes Lamego from the Moors.
- 1058- Emir Al-Muzaffar al-Aftas (Abu Bekr Muhammad al-Mudaffar - Modafar I of Badajoz, Aftid Dynasty) pays the Christians to leave Badajoz, but not before Ferdinand I of Castile-León takes Viseu.
- 1060-1063 - Council (Ecumenical Synod) of Santiago de Compostela.
- 1060 - The heretic Berghouata Berbers set up a Taifa in Ceuta, but are eventually crushed by the Murabitun.
- Ferdinand I of Leon imposes an annual tribute on Muslim Zaragoza. Emir Al-Muktadir ibn Hud of Zaragoza drives Slavs from Tortosa when the Tortosans rise against their Slav ruler.
- 1062 - Ferdinand I of Castile and León invades Muslim Toledo with a large army. Emir Al-Mamun becomes a tributary of Castile. Ferdinand I of Castile and León invades Muslim Badajoz, and extracts tribute from Emir Al-Mutadid of Seville.
- 1063 - Battle of Graus. During the spring Ramiro I of Aragon besieges Muslim Graus in Zaragozan territory. The Emir al-Muqtadir of Zaragoza leads his army north accompanied by a Castilian contingent under Prince Sancho (the future Sancho II). Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar later known as El Cid is probably in the Castilian contingent. The opposing armies meet and after a protracted struggle Ramiro I is killed and the Aragonese flee (8 May). Pope Alexander II sends an international force to Spain under his standard bearer William of Montreuil. It includes Italian knights, Normans (Robert Crespin, Baron of Lower Normandy), Frenchmen (Wiliam, Count of Poitiers and Duke of Aquitaine), and Iberians (Bishop of Vic; Count Ermengol II of Urgel). At the start of July the expedition besieges Barbastro in the Muslim Kingdom of Lerida. The Emir of Lerida (the brother of Muktadir of Zaragoza) makes no attempt to relieve the siege and after 40 days the defenders are forced to surrender when a large stone falls from the walls and blocks the only water supply. 50,000 inhabitants are massacred or enslaved. Count Ermengol II of Urgel is left as governor on behalf of Sancho Ramirez of Aragon. Seville feels obliged to pay Christians tribute.
- 1064 - Some time during this period Ferdinand I of Castile and León retakes the area of Old Castile that had been annexed to Navarre by his father Sancho the Great.
- Ferdinand I of León-Castile besieges Muslim Coimbra from 20 January until 9 July. The Muslim governor who surrendered is allowed to leave with his family, but 5,000 inhabitants are taken captive, and all Muslims are forced out of Portuguese territory across the Mondego river.
- The Mozarabic (Christian) general Sisnando Davides, who lead the siege of Coimbra, becomes Count of Coimbra.
- The Hispanic calendar is adopted.
- 1065 - Civil War in Castile-Leon. In April Emir Al-Muqtadir of Zaragoza, aided by 500 Sevillian knights, besieges Barbastro. The governor, Count Ermengol II of Urgel, is killed in a sortie, and a few days later the city falls, whereupon the Iberian and French garrison is put to the sword, thus bringing an end to Pope Alexander II's prototype crusade. At around the same time Emir Al-Muqtadir breaks off relationships with Castile, and Ferdinand I leads a punitive expedition into Zaragoza - taking Alquezar - and then into Valencia. Despite him being a tributaryof Castile, Emir Mamun of Toledo leads to force in support of his son-in-law Emir Abd al-Malik. Mamun subsequently dethrones Abd al-Malik and incorporates Valencia into the Kingdom of Toledo. Ferdinand falls dangerously ill and retires from the field. King Ferdinand dies in León on 28 Dec and his empire is divided between his three sons: Sancho II in Castile, Alfonso VI in León, and Garcia in Galicia.
- 1065 - Independence of the Kingdom of Galicia and Portugal is proclaimed under the rule of Garcia II of Galicia.
- 1066 - Joseph, son of the Jewish Vizier Samuel HaNaged, invites Al-Mutasim of Almeria to come and rule in Granada. The Zirids of Sanhaja defeat the attempt and instigate a pogrom of the Jews in Granada.
- 1067 - The Castilian army under Sancho II and the Alferez Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar - already known as El Cid by this time - besiege Zaragoza. The siege is lifted after Emir Al-Muqtadir pays a large ransom and promises tribute. War of the three Sanchos: Castile versus Aragon and Navarre. Aragon severely mauls the Castilians at Viana, however status quo is restored when the Zaragozan Vali of Huesca invades Aragon from the south.
- 1068 - The Battle of Llantada was arranged to be fought on 19 July by the banks of the Pisuerga River on the boundary between León and Castile. The Castilians under Sancho II and Rodriego Diaz defeat the Leónese and Alfonso flees. Alfonso VI of León leads a campaign against Badajoz, but withdraws when Emir Mamun ibn Dhi-I-Nun of Toledo intercedes. Badajoz becomes tributary to León. Later the Emir of Badajoz dies and his two sons dispute the succession.
- 1069 - Alfonso VI of León overruns Badajoz early in the year. Seville takes Córdoba. The army consists of an advance guard of 300 horse and a main body of 1000.
- 1070 - Count Nuno Mendes of Portugal rises against King Garcia II of Galicia.
- 1071 - Battle of Pedroso (between Braga and the River Cávado) where Garcia II of Galicia suppresses the rebellion of his Portuguese subjects under Count Nuno Mendes, last count of Portugal of the Vímara Peres House. Count Nuno Mendes is killed and Garcia II of Galicia proclaims himself King of Portugal. Sometime after 18 Jan and before May, Garcia II of Galicia is captured by his brother Sancho II of Castile (It is unclear if Garcia was captured in open battle at Santarém or by trickery). Garcia purchases his release and retires to the court of his tributary Al-Mutamid of Seville. Galicia is divided between his brothers Sancho and Alfonso.
- 1072 - Battle of Golpejera. Sancho II of Castile defeats his brother, Alfonso VI of León over the Carrión River (9 miles south of the city of Santa Maria de Carrion - the capital of the Beni-Gomez - Christian counts of Saldaña, Liebana, Carrion, and Zamora). The battle starts at dawn and after a hard fight the Castilians are driven from the field. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar manages to encourage both King and army, and leads them in a new attack the following morning. Alfonso is captured and seeks refuge in Toledo. But Sancho is assassinated when attacking Alfonso's men in Zamora. Alfonso inherits the joint Kingdom of Leon-Castile.
- 1073 - The Emir of Granada rejects the Castilian demand for tribute, however, Abbad III al-Mu'tamid, the Emir of Seville offers to pay instead. Consequently a joint Muslim-Castilian force builds the fortress of Belillos, from which the garrison raid into Granada.
- 1074 - El Cid marries Jimena, niece of Alfonso IV of Castile and daughter of the Count of Oviedo.
- Emir Al-Mutamid of Seville drives Berbers from Jaen.
- 1075 - Toledo takes Córdoba from Seville with the help of Castilian troops.
- 1076 - Emir Ahmad al-Muqtadir drives Slavs from Denia. Ferdinand I of León-Castile besieges Muslims and takes Coria in Badajoz. After the Emir of Toledo dies, Seville takes Córdoba back from his son al-Qadir.
- 1077 - Alfonso VI of Castile and León proclaimes himself Emperor of all Spains.
- 1078 - Ibn Ammar acquires Murcia nominally on behalf of Seville but in reality as his own. Seville takes Valencia from Toledo. As a result Al-Qadir of Toledo is forced from the city by a coup and his opponents acknowledge al-Mutawwakil of Badajoz as their new ruler. Al-Murabitun take Tangier. Ceuta hangs on as the last Zanata outpost because its fleet can supply it from sea.
- 1079 - Battle of Cabra. Rodrigo Díaz, defeats the Emir Abd Allah of Granada, who was helped by the Castilian Count García Ordíñez.
- Battle of Coria. Alfonso VI (already king of Castile & León) defeats the Muslim Emir of Badajoz, Al-Mutawwakkil. Al-Mutawwakkil renounces control of Toledo and al-Qadir is reinstated. A Leonese garrison is established at Zorita to the east of Toledo.
- 1080 - Ibn Ammar forced to flee Murcia (??).
- 1081 - El Cid, now a mercenary because he had been exiled by Alfonso IV of Castile, enters the service of the Moorish king of the northeast Spanish city of Zaragosa, al-Mu'tamin, and would remain there for his successor, al-Mu'tamin II.
- 1082 - Battle of Almenar. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, leading the army of Al-Mutamin of Zaragoza, defeats a combined army of the kings of Valencia (Al-Mundhir), Lerida (Al-Hayib), Aragón (Sancho Ramírez), and the Count of Barcelona (Berenguer Ramón II, who is captured). When Emir Al-Mutamid of Seville pays his tribute in debased coinage, Alfonso of Leon-Castile leads an expedition in Muslim territory.
- 1083 - In June-July Al-Murabitun take Ceuta - the last outpost of the Zanata - and put to death the ruler, al-Muizz ibn Suqut. Ships from Seville may have aided the attack. The same summer Alfonso of Leon-Castile reaches Tarifa overlooking the Straits of Gibraltar.
- 1084 - The Muslim army of Zaragoza under El Cid defeats the Aragonese. In autumn the Castilians start a loose siege of Toledo.
- 1085 - Christians take Salamanca.
- Castile under Alfonso VI of Castile, Emperor of all Spains, takes Toledo. Joseph Nasi Ferruziel (called Cidellus) is Alfonso VI’s physician and Nasi of all the Jews in the kingdom. He owns large estates in and around Toledo (confiscated by the crown on his death).
- 1086- Several Muslim Emirs (namely Abbad III al-Mu'tamid) ask the Almoravides leader Yusuf ibn Tashfin for help against Alfonso VI of Castile. In this year Yusuf ibn Tashfin passed the straits to Algeciras and inflicted a severe defeat on the Christians at the Battle of az-Zallaqah (North of Badajoz). He was debarred from following up his victory by trouble in North Africa which he had to settle in person.
- Raymond of Burgundy, son of William I, Count of Burgundy, comes to Iberia for the 1st time to fight against the Moors, bringing with him his younger cousin Henry of Burgundy, grandson of Robert I, Duke of Burgundy.
- In spring the Castilians besiege Zaragoza, but the siege is called off when the Murabitun land in the south. In June the Murabitun advance guard of 500 men take possession of Algeciras. The remaining 12-20,000 soon follow. Castilians under Alvar Fañez install al-Qadir as Emir of Valencia.
- Fanatic Muslims, the Almoravides, rampage through parts of Iberia, especially Granada and Lucena. There are persecutions and massacres. During the bad times, the wealthier Jews flee to Christian-held Iberia.
- The Christian advance ogliges the Muslim kings of Granada, Seville and Badajoz to call to their aid the Almoravides.
- Battle of az-Zallaqah: At Sagrajas (Friday 23 Oct) north-east of Badajoz, the Murabitun (12,000 or 20,000 men) under Yusuf ibn Tashfin and Andalusians (including Kings of Seville, Granada, Malaga, and Badajoz) defeat a predominantly Leonese-Castilian army (possibly 50-60,000 men including Jews, Aragonese, Italian and French) under Alfonso VI of Castile. The Andalusians encamp separately from the Murabitun. The Christian vanguard (Alvar Fañez) surprise the Andalusian camp before dawn; the men of Seville (Al-Mutamid) hold firm but the remaining Andalusians are chased off by the Aragonese cavalry. The Christian main body then attacks the Murabitun, but are held by the Lamtuma, and then withdraw to their own camp in response to an outflanking move by ibn Tashufin. The Aragonese return to the field, do not like what they see, and start a withdraw which turns to a rout. The Andalusians rally, and the Muslims drive Alfonso to a small hill. Alfonso and 500 knights escape in the night to Toledo. Al-Mutamid proposes that the Christians are pursued and crushed, but Ibn Tashufin retires back to his African domains leaving only 3,000 troops to defend the east of Al-Andalus. Al-Mutamid and the Murabitun generals Sir ibn Abi Bakr and Dawud ibn Aisha are reported to have fought well during the battle.
- 1087 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes the fortress of Aledo in the territory of Murcia, blocking the route from Seville and Granada to the eastern provinces.
- After his crushing defeat at Zallaqa, Alfonso VI of Castile swallows his pride and recalls El Cid from exile.
- 1088 - Yusuf ibn Tashfin arrives back in Algeciras (May-Jun) and is joined by al-Mutamid of Seville and Abd Allah of Granada, plus support from Almeria and Murcia (but not the Emirs). The combined army besieges Aledo for 4 months, but Yusuf ibn Tashfin returns to Africa unsuccessful.
- 1090 - Yusuf ibn Tashfin returns to the Peninsula for the third time, takes over the kingdoms of Granada and Malaga in September and is back in Africa by the end of the year. However, this time his nephew Sir ibn Abi Bakr is left to continue the conquest. Between 30 April and 8 May Christian troops enter Santarém, Lisbon and Sintra. These were recently ceded by the Al-Mutawwakil of Badajoz in return for protection from the Murabitun.
- Yusuf ibn Tashfin, King of the Almoravids, captures Granada.
- 1091 The Murabitun led by Muhammad ibn al-Hajj take Córdoba and the Guadalquivir valley early in the year, and then defeat a Castilian force under Alva Fañez who were attempting to aid Al-Mutamid of Seville. In September Seville surrenders without much of a fight to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. Subsequently other Murabitun armies take Aledo and Almeria. Ronda also falls and the Murabitun commander Garur executes al-Radi (the son al-Mutamid of Seville).
- Alfonso VI of Castile gives her daughter Urraca of Castile in marriage to Raymond of Burgundy together with the fiefdom of Galicia.
- The Taifa of Mértola falls to the Almoravides.
- 1092 - With El Cid away in Zaragoza, the Valencians under the qadi Ibn Jahhaf and supported by a small Murabitun force, drive the Castilian garrison out and execute their Emir al-Qadir. Ibn Jahhaf promptly sets himself up at Emir and starts negotiating with both El Cid and the Murabitun.
- 1093 - An Murabitun army (Abu Bakr ibn Ibrahiim) approaches Valencia but then retreats without striking a blow.
- Raymond of Burgundy and Henry of Burgundy sign a treaty whereby Henry promises to recognize Raymond as king upon the death of Alfonso VI of Castile, receiving in exchange the Kingdom of Toledo or of Portugal.
- 1094 - Alfonso VI of Castile grants Raymond of Burgundy the government of Portugal and Coimbra, who marries Alfonso VI of Castile's illegimate daughter Teresa of León.
- Almoravid Sir ibn Abi Bakr takes Badajoz and Lisbon. Fall of the Taifa of Badajoz.
- El Cid captures Valencia from the Moors, carving out his own kingdom along the Mediterranean that is only nominally subservient to Alfonso VI of Castile. Valencia would be both Christian and Muslim, with adherents of both religions serving in his army.
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