Reconquista

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

We track developments in the Kingdom of Navarre, up to the end of the Caliphate in the 1030s.

The chaos in al-Andalus continues, with the Caliphate eventually stumbling and coming to an end.

We take a look at the short but disastrous rule of Sanchuelo.

We look back on al-Mansur's legacy following his unexpected death in the year 1002.  Then we examine the rule of his son and successor, Abd al-Malik. 

Al-Mansur reaches the pinnacle of his power and celebrates by launching an audacious attack on Santiago de Compostela.

Having assumed control of the administration of al-Andalus, al-Mansur turns his attention to the Caliphate's military forces.

When a child is invested as the new Calpih of al-Andalus, al-Mansur manipulates events to his advantage.

After al-Hakam II suffers a health setback, a palace official moves to take advantage of the situation.

We take a look at the rule of Abd al-Rahman's successor, al-Hakam II.  We also explore the impact of one of the most prominent Jewish residents of al-Andalus, Hasdai ibn Shaprut.

Abd al-Rahman III continues his wildly successful period of rule.

Having catapulted himself onto the world stage, Abd al-Rahman III builds a palace to match his new status.