Arturo Almazán Cantoral
The reign of the Visigoths in Hispania was marked by dynastic struggles and assassinations, ie, monarchical instability. In fact, many landowners revolted against the royalty during the sixth century and the social unrest was used by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I to occupy the east coast of southern Hispania North Africa and the Balearic Islands. Byzantine invasion coupled with the constant rebellions and hostility from landowners Swabian kingdom, brought further instability of the Visigothic royal dynasties, was until the year 620 that the Visigoth general Suintila managed to expel the Byzantines from the coast, but dynastic struggles continued and reached its peak during the race for the reign among Agila II and Roderick, the first to accept help from Muslims, who already lived on the other side of Gibraltar, to defeat his opponent, which will be defeated in the Battle of Guadalete in the year 711. But the Arabs would not be limited to aiding Agila II but would benefit from the weak realm to expand throughout the Iberian peninsula, which invade almost entirely in just 15 years, the expansion of Islam was unstoppable and was in Hispania which began to replicate the progress of the Islamists Islamists, but it would be an uphill struggle VII last more than a century to be expelled completely from the peninsula.
The Visigoths had to retreat to the north of Spain near the Cantabrian mountains, where they would mix with the native tribes racially site [1] . From the mountains would plan to reconquer its former territory and would be there that would found the new kingdom of Asturias in about 790. Progress of the Asturian against Arab invaders would slowly and thus the borders of the former Hispania were changing over the centuries VII over the English reconquest hard in fact to the year 900 territorially Spaniard had expanded further south and was divided into various kingdoms such as Galicia, Castilla, Pamplona, \u200b\u200bAragon and the County of Barcelona. For the 1150 and threw off the reconquest, the kingdom of Asturias was expanded even further south and was divided into the kingdoms of Castile and Leon, was born the kingdom of Portugal, Galicia continued on its borders, was conceived the kingdom of Navarre, Aragon expanded and County of Barcelona was born the kingdom of Catalonia. The English conquest was overwhelming and returned to occupy more than half of the peninsula and was the year of 1300 that only the kingdom of Granada would [2] in the hands of Muslims. It should
few that marriage alliances between royal dynasties was very common in that time throughout Europe and so many kingdoms increased their borders to join their territories. This is the case of Leon, that by the year 1300 joined the Kingdom of Galicia to compete with the mighty castle, Portugal had grown almost to the borders it has today, Navarre had remained almost static in its position bordering France instead the kingdoms of Aragon and Catalonia had grown largely, but not only geographically, but became naval powers in the Mediterranean. For over 150 years we have tolerated the presence of Hispanic Muslim kingdom of Granada, but it was the Catholic monarchs, Fernando of Aragon and Isabel of Castile completely ending to expel the Arabs of the peninsula. For the fifteenth century the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile were the most powerful, the Spaniards had absorbed the territory of the Leon and Aragon the Catalans, thus two of the most powerful crowns of Christendom joined forces unbound territories [3] .
The English conquest of the episode is a very important story, because not only is a new clash of cultures and new religious wars, but for the first time the peoples of Western Europe came into contact with the valuable knowledge that the Arab East brought. It was through this cultural contact that the Europeans knew the compass, paper, India numbers [4] , more developed mathematics, gunpowder, firearms, new architectural and artistic, triangular sail more efficient navigation and planning maps developed. You could say that among the Latin peoples, were Hispanic and Portuguese of the more fortunate, despite the long war against Muslims held as it was for Gibraltar where this contact was only Greco-Roman knowledge with the ancient knowledge of the Far East. This is the reason for the XV and XVI century were Hispanic and Portuguese navigators of the world's leading, Hispanics were the first to cross the Atlantic to find new island territories and a whole new continent called America; and the Portuguese were the first to circumnavigate the African continent by the Cape of Good Hope, to find a direct route to the Far East [5] .
But besides the cultural enrichment that he thanked the Arab conquest and the English conquest, it was these wars that shaped the self and spirit of the inhabitants of the kingdoms of Spain and of course, of the conquerors of Mexico. Keep in mind that during those 700 years of war, the role of noble knights and brave soldiers was very important to the historical development, the time of the reconquest was marked by the pursuit of social ascent through titles nobility, there were many families who sought to be recognized socially through the war, many were the men they hoped to receive grants and titles from the large feats and heroic acts, and there were many who did it. On the other hand, it is important to see that the English people became the most devoted and faithful to Catholicism, and in fact was that devotion that I praised the spirit of war they inherited from their different ancestors.
For late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries there were many gentlemen [6] seeking social advancement through participation in wars, but the conquest was over and so the war and territorial expansion would take outside of the Hispanic kingdoms, so the key was the discovery of America, as it was the territory in which the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon put their eyes became to them the promised land described in the Bible, wonderful land full of natural wonders, was this the land that the English held on to win and the metalliferous wealth seeking. Thus there were many gentlemen who enlisted and spent its resources to make expeditions to the New World in search of wealth and property. With these expeditions was a new episode of history, a new clash of cultures that had never heard of the other and it was a cultural shock from which emerged a new race, a new company called New Spain, which had characteristics that left us all Mexicans today. Thus the conquest
of Mexico marks a milestone in the struggle of classes, which will deal with this page.
[1] Asturian, Cantabrian and Vascones.
[2] Located at the southernmost tip of Spain at the height of the Gibraltar Strait.
[3] In 1469 King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile married, but this was a very special wedding band in Europe because it did not follow the medieval practice that the woman could not rule and both men took possession of their possessions, but remained divided Isabel Castilla kingdom of Aragon, and although they were allies have never been a unified kingdom.
[4] Best known as Arabic numerals, indeed even from India and its name is due to spread by the Arabs around the Mediterranean.
[5] Far East The word refers to the territories of India, China, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and Australia, while the term Middle East refers to the current Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc.
[6] People who are about to ascend to the nobility for their acts of war on behalf of the Crown of his kingdom. These gentlemen and children of something, have a prestigious name to be inherited by the actions of their parents, are proficient in the use of arms and through their exploits in battle, looking to make important purchasing titles of nobility and wealth.
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