Reconquista

Episode 49 - Succession issues

The Kingdom of Leon and Castile and the Christian territory of Valencia both grapple with succession issues.

Episode 48 - El Cid

Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (aka El Cid) scores a memorable victory against the Almoravids at the battle of Cuarte in 1094.

Episode 47 - Valencia

El Cid manages to conquer the wealthy taifa of Valencia.

Episode 46 - The Almoravid advance

The Almoravids invade al-Andalus in 1090 and begin to conquer the taifas.

Episode 45 - Another interlude

Between the departure of the Almoravids in 1088 and their return in 1090, a number of significant events take place. 

Episode 44 - Interlude

In the period of interlude between the departure of the Almoravids and their return to al-Andalus, some significant events take place.

Episode 43 - The Almoravids

The Almoravids of northern Africa arrive in al-Andalus and clash with King Alfonso VI at the battle of Sagrajas in October 1086.

Episode 42 - A serpent in the basket

As King Alfonso VI and Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar prepare to face off in Zaragoza, a new threat emerges to the south.

Episode 41 - The struggle for Toledo

As King Alfonso's attentions turn to the east, different factions inside Toledo struggle for supremacy.

Episode 40 - Toledo Part 3

In the first major victory of the Reconquesta, Toledo falls to King Alfonso VI.

Episode 39 - Toledo Part 2

The taifa of Toledo hits a rocky patch which King Alfonso VI swings to his advantage.  Meanwhile, Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (later known as El Cid) makes a couple of bad choices and ends up in exile.

Episode 38 - Toledo Part 1

During the 1070s, two assassinations - one in al-Andalus and one in the Christian north - send shockwaves across the Iberian peninsula.

Episode 37 - Barbastro Part 2

Christian armies from France and beyond, hit some speed humps in their attempts to conquer parts of the taifa of Zaragoza.

Episode 36 - Barbastro Part 1

We turn our attentions to the Christian Kingdoms in the Pyrenees where the King of Aragon has been attempting to conquer territory in Muslim Zaragoza.

Episode 35 - Succession

Following the death of King Fernando I of Leon and Castile, his heirs embark on a messy succession journey.

Episode 34 - King Fernando I of Leon and Castile Part 2

We follow the exploits of King Fernando I until the end of his reign in 1065.

Episode 33 - King Fernando I of Leon and Castile Part 1

Taking advantage of conflict between the Taifas, King Fernando begins his policy of raiding into and extracting tribute from, regions across al-Andalus. 

Episode 32 - The Taifas

Following the collapse of the Caliphate, a number of regional kingdoms called Taifas, emerge across al-Andalus.

Episode 31 - Galicia, Leon & Castile

We complete our look at the Christian kingdoms by examining the Christian North.

Episode 30 - Aragon & Catalonia

We continue our focus on the Christian states by taking a look at the establishment of Catalonia and the rise of the Kingdom of Aragon.