THE FIRST PENINSULAR

KINGDOMS
Christian resistance groups
 CONTENTS
1) The Christian resistance groups (722-1035)
2) Political organisation and economy
3) Art and Camino de Santiago
4) Consolidation of the Peninsular kingdoms
1) The Christians resistance groups
(722-1035).
■ After the muslim conquest, Christian resistance groups were
formed in the Cantabrian Mountains and the Pyrenees.
■ Over time, these groups became independent kingdoms and
started the Reconquista.

1037
914
722

Kingdom of Asturias Kingdom of León

1035
816

Kingdom of Pamplona

1037
820

Kingdom of Aragón

988
Catalan Counties
785
 2. Political organisation and
economy.
■ The christians in the north were organized in hereditary kingdoms.

Resettlement: consisted of installing a new population and

cultivating the land taken from the Muslims. The land could
be freely occupied by peasants, nobles and monasteries who
became the owners.
■ The administration of the territory was organized into villages
surrounding a castle.
■ In the XI century the most important cities of the Christian peninsular
territory were Santiago, León and Barcelona.
■ Agricultural activities were the basis of the economy. Craft and trade
were very scarce.
3. Art and Camino de Santiago
■ Pre – Romanesque art: they used poor materials and
the buildings had semicircular arches or horseshoe
arches.
■ Romanesque art: it was developed during the High
Middle Ages in western Europe. It was deeply religious
and it tried to strength Christian beliefs. Romanesque
used some roman elements like the semicircular arch
and vaults. Sculpture and painting were developed.
Camino de Santiago
■ In the IX century, the tomb of the apostle St. James
(Santiago) was found in Galicia.
■ Pilgrims who wanted forgiveness for their sins or
reconciliation with God started visiting the tomb. They
arrived from different parts of Europe.
■ The pilgrimage favoured the development of crafts and
trade. It helped cities flourish, and led to the construction of
bridges, churches, hospitals and monasteries.
4. Consolidation of the Peninsular
kingdoms.
■ During the XI, XII and XIII centuries, the christians consolidated its
power in the Iberian Peninsula.
■ The kingdom of Castilla became independent from the Kingdom of
Pamplona. Fernando III united the territories of León and Castilla
under the name of Crown of Castilla.
■ The kingdom of Portugal was part of the Kingdom of León but it
became independent.
■ The catalan counties were included into the Crown of Aragon. This
union increased its military strength.
■ The kingdom of Pamplona changed its name to kingdom of
Navarra but it couldn´t continue its territorial expansion. It was
blocked between Aragon and Castilla.
 Historical text
“I will not associate with the Arabs in friendship nor will I submit to
their authority…for we confide in the mercy of the Lord that from
this little hill that you see, the salvation of Spain and of the army of
the Gothic people will be restored…. *Hence we *spurn this
multitude of pagans and do not fear [them].” *Hence: por lo tanto
*Spurn: rechazar

1) Read the text and underline the important words.

2) Type of text, author and period.
3) Explain with your own words what is the text about.
4) Write about the period of time when this was happening and the
historical events that took place.
“I will not associate with the Arabs in friendship nor will I submit to
their authority…for we confide in the mercy of the Lord that from
this little hill that you see, the salvation of Spain and of the army of
the Gothic people will be restored…. Hence we spurn this multitude
of pagans and do not fear [them].”

a) Type of text 🡪 Speech. The author was sending a direct message

to the audience, he was not going to give up.
b) Author 🡪 Don Pelayo, a visigothic nobleman from Asturias. He
became the first king of the Kingdom of Asturias (718-737).
c) Period of time 🡪 It was the beginning of the Reconquest. In 711 the
muslims started conquering the Iberian Peninsula but when they
reached the north, a few visigothic troops were waiting for them.
3) What is the text about? (explain it with your own words).
Don Pelayo talked to his soldiers and to the muslims troops too. He
was not going to give up. He believed in the mercy of the Lord and
the salvation of Spain. He didn´t want to kneel down in front of he
muslims.
4) Period of time and historical events.
Arabs and berbers crossed the Strait of Gibraltar in 711 and they
defeated the visigoths in the Battle of Guadalete. Since this
moment, they started conquering the territory and in 718 they
have conquered almost all the Iberian Peninsula. The only place
that wasn´t conquered was the north where a group of christians
created a resistance group.
However, in 720, a large army from the emirate was sent to Asturias
to deal with the problem. Around the year 722 Don Pelayo, with a
small band of poorly equipped Christian soldiers, defeated a much
larger and highly skilled army of arabs in a battle that took place in
Covadonga.
 UNIT 3: VOCABULARY
• Marca Hispanica: defensive zone created by
Charlemagne along the Pyrenees. It defended the
frankish kingdom from the muslims.
• Raids: quick and violent attacks organized by the
muslims against the christians troops.
• Presura: free resettlement in which the king
granted land to free peasants.
• Parias: taxes that the muslims living in the taifa
kingdoms had to pay to the christian kingdoms.