The Christian kingdoms began forming in the 8th-9th centuries as the Visigoths established rule in northern Iberia after the Muslim conquest. The first were the Kingdom of Asturias and León in Cantabria and the Kingdom of Navarre and counties of Aragon and Catalonia in the Pyrenees. Over eight centuries, Christians and Muslims coexisted on the peninsula. The kingdoms of Castile and Aragon later evolved and expanded through the Reconquest, with Castile becoming the most powerful under the Crown of Castile and Aragon gaining territory along the Mediterranean coast.

1. The Christian Kingdoms
Unit 6 - 2º ESO

2. 1- How did the Christian kingdoms
begin?
Christian resistance
The muslims conquered almost the entire Iberian
Peninsula.

3. The remaining visigoths in the northern area
founded the Christian kingdoms between the 8th
and 9th centuries.
These kingdoms would lead the Reconquest, that
means the fights to recover territories under
muslim rule.

4. The first kingdoms formed were:
.The kingdom of Asturias and León, originated in
the Cantabrian mountains.
.The kingdom of Navarre and the Aragonese and
Catalan counties, originated in the Pyrenees.

5. During eight centuries christians and muslims
coexisted in the Iberian Peninsula (from 711 to
1492).

6. Asturias and León
KINGDOM OF ASTURIAS
Pelayo was chosen as the king of Asturias in 718.
He won the Battle of Covadonga (722) to the
muslims, stopping its expansion.

7. Kingdom of Asturias
The court (or capital) was established in Oviedo.
During the 9th century Asturian kings expanded their
territory.
Their greatest expansion coincided with the reign of
Alfonso III (866-910).
In the 10th century the court was moved to the city
of León, and the kingdom changed its name to
Kingdom of León.

8. Kingdom of Léon
From 910 the Kingdom of
Asturias became known as
the Kingdom of León, because
of the change of its capital.
The capital was moved due to
its expansion towards River
Duero.
It will last until 1230.

9. Activities
Homework: Exercise 1 on page 57.

10. 2- How did Castile evolve?

11. CASTILE COUNTIES
The Kingdom of León declined after the 10th
century, and Castile counties increased their
power.
Castile territory was in frontier with the muslims, so
they had a lot of castles to defend the Christian
territory from attacks.
Castile counties became united under the count
Fernán González (930-970).
From 951 he governed Castile independently from
León.

12. Kingdom of Castile
In 1035 Castile
became an
independent
Kingdom, in
the hands of
King
Fernando I.

13. The Pyrenean region
Origin -> It was the Spanish March in the
Carolingian Empire.
In the 9th century the Carolingian Empire
finished, and three different regions emerged:
.Navarre
.Aragón
.Catalan counties

14. Kingdom of Navarre
The count Íñigo Arista formed
the Kingdom of Pamplona, after
renamed Kingdom of Navarre with
its expansion towards the south.
From the 10th century, the Jimena dynasty
ruled in Navarre and extended their
influence.
Sancho III the Great (1000-1035) became a
powerful king in the peninsula. He added to
his kingdom the Aragonese counties, Castile
and part of León. But after his death, his

16. Sancho III's legacy
After his death, the kingdom was divided between his sons:
.His first-born son García Sánchez III inherited Navarre.
.Fernando I received Castile county.
.Ramiro I got Aragón.
.Gonzalo received the
counties of Sobrarbe and
Ribagorza.

17. The Aragonese counties
Origin - They were part of the
Carolingian Empire until:
820 - The count Aznar
Galindo achieved
independence for Aragón.
922 - Aragón came under the
rule of the Kingdom of
Navarre.
1035 - After the death of
Sancho III, Aragón achieved
its independence again.

18. The Catalan counties
Origin -> in the Carolingian Empire the Catalonian
territory was divided into different counties.
Wilfred the Hairy united the Catalan counties in 874.
He ruled them independently from
the Carolingian Empire.
It had stability due to good relations
with the Caliphate.
From the 10th century it obtained its
independence.

19. Activities
Exercise 1 on page 58.

20. 3- What was the art of the Christian
kingdoms like?
-During the Reconquest period, Art developed in the
Christian kingdoms, as it did in Al-Andalus.
-We can distinguish different art styles in the
different regions.
-The most important styles were:
.Asturian Art
.Mozarabic Art
.Mudejar Art
-Afterwards Romanesque and Gothic Art began.

21. Asturian Art
-Main examples near Oviedo.
-Santa María del Naranco.

22. San Miguel de Lillo

23. San Julián de
los Prados

24. Cross of the Angels

25. Victory Cross

26. Mozarabic Art
San Miguel de Escalada (León)

27. San Miguel de Escalada

28. San Cebrián de Mazote (Valladolid)

29. Beatus of
Liébana

30. Mudejar
Art
Teruel Cathedral

31. San Tirso (Sahagún)

32. San Lorenzo (Sahagún)

33. Santa María Church, Illescas (Toledo)

34. Activities
Exercise 1 on page 59

35. 4 - How did the Christian kingdoms advance?

36. -The expansion of the Christian Kingdoms
.The Duero Valley - during the 9 and 10th centuries the
Reconquest arrived to the River Duero. Colonizations of
the land was the system of Repopulation.
.The Tajo and Ebro valleys - during the 11-12th
centuries the Reconquest continued in an easier way
because the Taifas (1031) were weaker than the Christian
kingdoms. This was a period of big expansion.
The Repopulation was made creating cities or towns
(capital) and small villages depending on them. Kings give
fueros to towns.
After the 11th century much of the land was
underpopulated so kings gave big feudal estates to
nobles, the Church or military orders.

37. .The Guadalquivir Valley, Levante and the Balearic
islands - the defeat of the almohads in Las Navas de
Tolosa battle in 1212 was the beginning of the end for
muslims. Christian kingdoms expanded and almost finished
with the muslims territories.

39. Three cultures
Three main cultures (and religions) coexisted in the
Christian kingdoms after the Reconquest:
.The Christians, who were the more numerous.
.The Mudejars, who were muslims in christian territory.
.The Jews, with tense relations in this period.

40. Activities
Exercises 1 and 2 on page 61.

41. 5 - How did the Crown of Castile evolve?
THE CROWN OF CASTILE
-Castile became the most powerful christian kingdom.
-Alfonso VI conquered Toledo in 1085.
-In 1212 the Christian kingdoms won the battle of Las
Navas de Tolosa, and the Almohads almost
disappeared.
-In 1139 (12th century) Portugal became an
independent kingdom.
-In 1230 Fernando III united León and
Castile founding the Crown of Castile.

42. The Crown of Castile
GOVERNMENT
The Crown of Castile was a state in the Iberian Peninsula
that formed in 1230 as a result of the definitive union of the
crowns of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the
accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the
vacant Leonese throne.
The Kingdom of León and the Kingdom of Castile kept
different Parliaments, different flags, different coin and
different laws until the Modern Era.
The Castilian king had great power, and Castilian Cortes
could not legislate, their function was to regulate new
taxes.

43. The Crown of Castile
ECONOMY
The economy was based on agriculture and
stockbreeding. In stockbreeding merino sheep stood
out.
Wool of high quality was exported, and it was used to
textile industry as well.
Sheep breeders were important and had privileges,
recognized through the creation of the Honourable
Council of the Mesta in 1273.
Craftsmanship and trade developed
as well thanks to the importance of the
merino wool.

44. Homework
Activity 1 on page 62.

45. 6 - How did the Crown of Aragón evolve?
The Crown of Aragón
originated in 1137, when the
Kingdom of Aragón and the
County of Barcelona merged by
dynastic union by the marriage
of Ramón Berenguer IV of
Barcelona and Petronilla of
Aragón; their titles were
combined in the person of their
son, Alfonso II of Aragón, who
ascended to the throne in 1162.
This union respected the
existing institutions and
parliaments of both territories.

46. The Crown of Aragón
Alfonso II conquered the region of the Ebro valley.
In the 13th century, James I the Conqueror
expanded their territories to the mediterranean coast
and the Balearic Islands.
After him, at the beginning of the 14th century,
Peter IV the Ceremonious and his successors
continued the expansion towards the Mediterranean
area, arriving to Sicily, Sardinia and Naples.

47. The Crown of Aragón
GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY
The Crown of Aragón kept the
institutions and individual customs of
every kingdom forming part of the
Crown.
The king of Aragón had to agree with
the Cortes of each kingdom to introduce
any change.
In economy the main activities were
agriculture and trade (Mediterranean
trade, consulates).