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Reconquest of the land from Arab rule: Until the 11th century, the Reconquista was characterised by political and religious tolerance. However, the war campaigns against the small Muslim states of the Iberian Peninsula in the 12th century increasingly took on the character of a crusade. The collapse of the Caliphate and the establishment of the Taifa kingdoms as a result of territorial power struggles led to the weakening of Moorish-ruled Al-Andalus and thus facilitated the Christian advance. The marriage of Isabella of Castile to Ferdinand of Aragon (1469) – the so-called “Reyes Católicos” – marked the beginning of the unification efforts of the Christian kingdoms. In 1492, Boabdil, Nasrid ruler of the last Muslim bastion of Granada, hands over the keys of the city to the Catholic Monarchs.

The marriage (1469) of Isabel of Castile (1451-1504) and Ferdinand of Aragon (1452-1516) united the two most powerful kingdoms in Spain. As “Los Reyes Católicos”, they brought the Reconquista to a close with the conquest of Granada in 1492. The discovery of America by Christopher Columbus also took place during their reign. The subsequent conquest and colonisation of the double continent led to the establishment of the great Spanish colonial empire overseas. Domestically, the two improve the power of the crown by recovering alienated crown property. Throughout Spain, the Church is subjected to the strict control and leadership of the royal power. Jews (1492) and also the Islamic population (1502) are forced to be baptised or to emigrate. Fearing the Inquisition, many new Christians fled from the formerly tolerant Spain. After the death of the Catholic Monarchs, the Aragonese and Castilian kingdoms fall to their daughter Joan the Mad (1479-1555).