Since the 19th century, traditional historiographyhas stressed the existence of the Reconquista, a continuous phenomenon by which the Christian Iberian kingdoms opposed and conquered the Muslim kingdoms,

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Landing in Visigothic Hispania and initial expansion
In 711, North African Berber soldiers with some Arabs commanded by Tariq ibn Ziyad crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, engaging a Visigothic force led by King Roderic at the Battle of Guadaletein

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Beginning of the Reconquista
A drastic increase of taxes by the emir Anbasa ibn Suhaym Al-Kalbiprovoked several rebellions in Al

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The northern principalities and kingdoms survived in their mountainous strongholds (see above). However, they started a definite territorial expansion south at the turn of the 10th century

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Clashes and raids on bordering Andalusian lands did not keep the Christian kingdoms from battling among themselves or allying with Muslim kings. Some Muslim kings had Christian-born wives or mothers. Some Christian warriors, like El Cid, were contracted by

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The Reconquista was a process not only of war and conquest, but also of repopulation. Christian kings moved their own people to locations

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Medieval Christian armies mainly comprised two types of forces: the cavalry (mostly nobles, but including commoner knights from the 10th century on) and the infantry, or peones (peasants). Infantry only went to war if needed, which was not frequent. In an

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