After the disorders of the passage of the
Vandals and
Alans down the Mediterranean coast of
Hispania from
408, the history of 'Medieval Spain' begins with the Iberian kingdom of the
Arianist
Visigoths (507–711), who were
converted to Catholicism with their king Reccared in
587. Visigothic culture in Spain can be seen as a phenomenon of
Late Antiquity as much as part of the
Age of Migrations. The
Moorish conquest, completed in the decade after
711, forms a more decisive cultural break with the Roman past.
The Middle Ages in Spain are often said to end in
1492 with the final acts of the
Reconquista in the capitulation of
Granada and the
Alhambra decree ordering the expulsion of the
Jews.
Early Modern Spain was first united as an institution in the reign of
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as Carlos I of Spain.
See the relevant section of
History of Spain.
For 'Early Medieval Spain', see:
★
Hispania Baetica, and to a lesser extent the other Roman provinces,
Hispania Tarraconensis and
Lusitania.
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Vandals
★
Alans, confederates of the Vandals
★
Suevi in northern Hispania, 411–585
★
Basques
★
Visigoths: cultural developments can be followed in the careers of the major Visigothic kings:
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★
Amalaric
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★
Athanagild
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★
Leovigild
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Reccared
The broadest cultural divisions in
Hispania during the medieval period are between Islamic and Christian societies.
For 'Medieval Islamic Spain', see '
Al-Andalus'. For specific Muslim dynasties, see:
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Umayyad Dynasty in Spain:
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★ Umayyad
Emirate of Cordoba, 756– 912(929)
★
★
★
Abd ar-Rahman I,
756–
788
★
★
★
Hisham I,
788–
796
★
★
★
al-Hakam I,
796–
822
★
★
★
Abd ar-Rahman II,
822–
852
★
★
★
Muhammad I,
852–
886
★
★
★
al-Mundhir,
886–
888
★
★
★
Abdallah ibn Muhammad,
888–
912
★
★
★
Abd ar-Rahman III,
912–
929
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★ Umayyad
Caliphate of Cordoba, 929–1031
★
★
★
Abd ar-Rahman III, as caliph,
929–
961
★
★
★
Al-Hakam II,
961–
976
★
★
★
Hisham II,
976–
1008
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★
★
Mohammed II,
1008–
1009
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★
★
Suleiman,
1009–
1010
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★
★
Hisham II, restored,
1010–
1012
★
★
★
Suleiman, restored,
1012–
1017
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★
★
Abd ar-Rahman IV,
1021–
1022
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★
★
Abd ar-Rahman V,
1022–
1023
★
★
★
Muhammad III,
1023–
1024
★
★
★
Hisham III,
1027–
1031
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Taifa kingdoms
For 'Northern Spain' see individual kingdoms and polities:
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Aragon
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★
Valencia
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★
Murcia
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Asturias
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Basque Country
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Castile
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Catalonia
★
★
Spanish Marches
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★
Count of Barcelona
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León
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Navarre (Navarra)
★
★
Pamplona
★ and histories of other individual
provinces of modern Spain.
Medieval Spain was as much as a network of cities, which were cultural and administrative centers, the seats of bishops and sometimes kings, with markets and housing expanding from a central fortified stronghold. Medieval Spanish history can also be followed through its major cities:
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Almería
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Barcelona
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Bilbao
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Burgos
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Córdoba
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Granada
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León
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Málaga
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Oviedo
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Salamanca
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Santander
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Seville
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Toledo
★
Valencia
★
Zaragoza (Saragossa)
and at the great shrine of
Santiago de Compostela.