The Rise of Spain and Portugal

The region can be subdivided onto three areas, based on the differences in climate. The climate along the coast and northern pains is moderate, due to the airflow coming from the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean. The presence of a vast forest adds to the moderate weather condition.

The Pyrenees Mountains seperate Spain from Portugal. These mountains extend to the central region, which explains the lack of cultivable land. The river valleys of Ebro anf Guadalquivir are exceptions, as the people there earn a living from agriculture and marine industries. The climate in this area is generally cool due to the presence of the mountains.

The southern part is generally rocky and, except for moderate winds coming from the Mediterranean, the climate is relatively hot. Agriculture is quite underdeveloped, as only one-sixth of the land has been cultivated. The Pyrenees, however, contain rich mineral deposits the offset the low agricultural production.

Portugal Survives the Moors… While the different kingdoms in France and Enland were consolidating their power, Spain and Portugal were slowly searching for a national identity.

The Visigoths were occupying the Iberian Peninsula when Rome was in its death throes. The Visigoth rulers were in control until 771 A.D., when the Moors (Muslims in Spain) passed through the Straight of Gibraltar and proclaimed their dominion over the land.

The Moors governed Portugal for over 300 years. In 1147, Count Alfonso I of Portugal led a band of Crusaders in reclaiming Lisbon, the Portuguese capital. Alfonso’s forces continued fighting the Moors and defeated them in battle after battle. By 1212, only the state of Granada remained in Muslims hands.

Alfonso I was the founder of the House of Burgundy, a Portuguese dynasty that ruled for 400 years. His son, also named Alfonso, later changed the countship into a kingship. The Burgundian line of kings was responsible for rebuilding Portugal after the Moorish wars, and molding it into a country known for worldwide voyages of conquest, navigation and trade.

…And So Does Spain! By the 15th century, there were four major Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula. These were Portugal, Castille, Navarre, and Aragon. However, they shared the peninsula with the Moorish kingdom of Granada.

In 1469, King Ferdinand of Aragon married Queen Isabella of Castille. Their unified forces launched the Reconquista, a Christain movement designed to drive the Moors out of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1492, the combined troops of Ferdinand and Isabella retook Granada and liberated it from the Muslims.

Several years later, the kingdoms of Castille and aragon were united to form the new nation of Spain. Part of the kingdom of Navarre and all lands south of the Pyrenees (except Portugal) were also made part of Spanish territory.

King Ferdinand conquered Naples and much of Southern Italy. He married off his children to their heirs of other kingdoms. These alliances gave Spain powerful friends in Europe.

The reign of Ferdinand and Isabella maked a turning point in Spain’s history. It prepared Spain for conquering a world empire and become Europe’s strongest country in the 16th century. This was Spain’s Golden Age.