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spiration and special protector of soldiers in the Reconquista, earning the sobriquet
Matamoros (Moor-slayer). Today Santiago is the patron saint of Spain.
By 757, Christians occupied nearly a quarter of the Iberian Peninsula, although
progress thereafter was slow. The year 121 2, when the combined Christian armies
routed a large Muslim force at Las Navas de Tolosa in Andalucía, marked the be-
ginning of the end for Islamic Al-Andalus. The royal wedding of Isabel (of Castilla)
and Fernando (of Aragón) in 1469 united two of the most powerful Christian king-
doms, enabling the armies of the Reconquista to make a final push. On 2 January
1492, Isabel and Fernando entered Granada. The surrender terms were fairly gen-
erous to Boabdil, the last emir, who was given the Alpujarras valleys south of
Granada and 30,000 gold coins. The remaining Muslims were promised respect for
their religion, culture and property, but this promise was quickly discarded.
The Golden Age of Empire
Isabel and Fernando were never going to be content with Spain alone. In April
1492, the Catholic Monarchs
(Los Reyes Católicos)
granted the Genoese sailor
Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón to Spaniards) funds for his long-desired
voyage across the Atlantic in search of a new trade route to the Orient. Columbus
set off from the Andalucian port of Palos de la Frontera on 3 August 1492, with
three small ships and 120 men. After a near mutiny as the crew despaired of sight-
ing land, they finally arrived on the island of Guanahaní, in the Bahamas, and went
on to find Cuba and Hispaniola. Columbus returned to a hero's reception from the
Catholic Monarchs in Barcelona, eight months after his departure.
Why Madrid?
When Felipe II chose Madrid as Spain's capital in 1561, it was hardly the most obvious
choice. Madrid (population 30,000) was much smaller and less powerful than Toledo and
Seville (each with more than 80,000 people) or Valladolid, the capital of choice for Isabel
and Fernando. Unlike other cities, however, Madrid was described by one king as 'very
noble and very loyal': Felipe II chose the path of least resistance. Another reason was the
location: 'a city fulfilling the function of a heart located in the middle of the body,' as Felipe
II was heard to say.
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