Periodistic article about the last year of the Reconquest

1. THE IBERIAN POST 15/05/1493 Number 4592
Granada
The last
frontier
Fecha de
emisión
In the ante room to the Royal Chapel in
Granada, there is a copy of a 19th-
century painting *** by Francisco
Pradilla depicting the king of Granada,
Boabdil, handing over the key of
the Alhambra to the Catholic Monarchs,
Ferdinand and Isabella. There is nothing
special about the painting, but the scene
portrays a defining moment in Spain’s
history.
Few events figure more dramatically in
Spain’s past than the conquest of
the Nasrid kingdom of Granada , and no
other year is more prominent than 1492.
Not only did the Reconquista finally
end, but by fortuitous coincidence the
“discovery” of America in the same year
marked the birth of the Spanish
“Empire.” The two events were brought
together in the person of the Genoese
sailor-explorerChristopher Columbus.
On January 2 eight months before he set
sail on his historic trip, he witnessed the
entry of the Catholic Monarchs into
Granada**.
The kingdom of Granada had been a
reality in the political map of the Iberian
Peninsula for over 250 years. It was a
tributary state, , and in the 15th century
hardly represented a danger to the
Christian kingdoms of the peninsula
(even Castile with which it shared a
border), despite frequent frontier
skirmishes.
Why then should it have become
necessary to conquer this tributary state
in the late 15th century? Besides being a
constant reminder of territorial rivalry,
the kingdom of Granada clearly
represented a different religion, and
religion had again raised its ugly head at
the eastern end of the Mediterranean.
The fall of Constantinople was viewed as
a major blow to Christendom and
rekindled the crusading spirit
throughout Europe.
Papal appeals found immediate
response in Spain with the taking of
Gibraltar in 1462. By the time
Ferdinand and Isabella took complete
control of their respective kingdoms
(Isabella became queen of Castile in
1474; Ferdinand became king of Aragón
in 1479; in each other’s kingdom, they
were consorts) that crusading spirit was
fully alive. In 1486 they undertook a
pilgrimage to Santiago –the home of
that militant saint and Moor killer,
Santiago Matamoros–to seek divine
help in uniting their land under one
religion. Shortly after, many soldiers
wore crusader crosses on their
uniforms.
** The painting is historically inaccurate because
1 . the keysw ere actually handed over in the
Alhambra itself; 2. Ferdinand and Isabella wore
Moorish clothes. Pradilla was a Castilianfrom
near Zaragoza, which is why he probably placed
Isabella more prominently towards the front;
she is m ore colourfully dressed and isseated
on a dashing white horse. On her head, she
w ears
a crown. Set further back, Ferdinand looks
sm aller,
is dressed in muted red clothes and w ears no
crown.
**It w as in 1492 that the Jews were given
the ultimatum of choosing between baptism
or exile. Culturally, 1492 saw the publication
of the first Spanish (Castilian) Grammar book
Page 1
Fall of the Nasrid kingdom
By Marta Pérez Ortega

2. GRANADATHE LAST FRONTIER| NÚMERO NUMBER 4592 2
The conquest of Granada was
spearheaded by Castile, but Castile
alone had neither the manpower nor the
wealth to fund the crusade. When the
final stage of the conquest finally got
under way, it did so backed by financial
aid from a variety of sources and by
crusading soldiers from beyond Castile.
Help from Aragón, of course, was a
matter of course given Ferdinand’s role
in the venture. Significant funds also
came from the papacy in the forms of a
special tax, thecruzada, levied on the
church, from Jewish sources, and from
Genoese financiers living in Seville;
volunteers came from France, Germany,
Italy, England, Flanders, Portugal, not
to mention Catalonia, Valencia, Galicia,
Asturias etc. What it amounts to is that
the Conquest of Granada was in fact a
collaborativeventure.
Of course, there were certainly practical
benefits that were undoubtedly also on
the Monarchs’ minds as they undertook
the Holy War:
it would rally the people behind them in
a common undertaking;
it would direct the energies of the nobles
away from their internecine feuds,
which had weakened Castile in the 15th
century;
it would increase the territory under the
Monarchs’ rule, despite Ferdinand’s
pious claim to the contrary ("we have
not been moved to this war by any
desire to enlarge our
realms" Kamen Empire 16);
finally, the gallantry and heroism
associated with such a cause would add
lustre abroad to the names of both
rulers and their country.
The Christian conquest began in earnest
in 1482, following a successful attack by
Muslim forces on the Christian frontier
town ofZahara (de la Sierra). It was an
ill-considered movewhich prompted an
immediate responsewith the taking of
Alhama, a fortified town deep in Muslim
territory and almostmid way between
Granada and Malaga.
The mountainous terrain made rapid
movement oftroops difficult and
decisive infantry confrontations almost
impossible. Swift light cavalry
incursions were useful for surprise
attacks, but the numerous fortified hill
towns meant that sieges -frequently
ending with a negotiated surrender-
were the preferred means of
conquest. Here the Christians had an
advantagein that it was they who
carried the wars into Muslim territory
and they who mastered the art of
cannonry as a necessary means of
weakening the defences oftheir
enemies.
Christian success was also enhanced by
fierce factional fighting within Granada
itself, caused by family rivalry between
King Abu’l-Hasan Ali (often called
Muley Hacén/Hassan), his brother,
Muhammad al-Zagal, and a son,
Muhammad XII (better known as
Boabdil). Boabdil rebelled against his
father, splitting the kingdom in two.
Then in a foolish invasion ofChristian
territory in 1483 he was captured. The
kingdom was again reunited under
Muley Hacén but in 1485 he was
unseated by al-Zagal and died in the
same year.
By the end of1489 only the city
of Granada was left in Muslim hands.
Nominally ruledby Boabdil, it was a city
riven by internal feuds.Still, the
inhabitants refusedto surrender, but
the establishment ofa permanent camp
site (Santa Fe - Holy Faith) within view
of Granada left no doubt ofChristian
intentions... a protracted siege. Facing
the inevitable, the Muslims negotiated
surrender, and the long campaign
finally came to an end on January 2,
1492, when Ferdinand and Isabel
entered the city.
Boabdil received them in the Comares
tower ofthe Alhambra, handed them the
keys to the city, and kissed Ferdinand’s
hand. There was a lot of dazzling
pageantry in all this, becausein fact the
keys had already been delivered to a
representative ofthe Monarchs a day
earlier in the same room.
El estiloTítulo2 se utiliza para
agregar títulosde imágenes. Los
títulosse encuentran encuadros
de textoque facilitan su
colocación juntoa lasimágenes.

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