Medieval Iberia: Visigoths, Al-Andalus, the Reconquest and the Kingdom of Valencia
This domain tests the transition from the Visigothic kingdom to Al-Andalus, the Christian expansion and the construction of the Crown of Aragon, with particular weight on the Kingdom of Valencia. Expect questions on institutions, coexistence and conflict, and on the legal identity created by the Furs.
Visigoths and Al-Andalus
- The Visigothic kingdom of Toledo followed the defeat at Vouillé (507); Leovigild strengthened the monarchy and Reccared converted to Catholicism in 589. Councils of Toledo and the Fuero Juzgo (654) are key institutional markers. Valentia remained an urban bishopric.
- The Muslim conquest began in 711 at Guadalete. Al-Andalus passed from emirate (756) to caliphate (929) and fragmented into taifas after 1031; Balansiyya became a major urban and irrigated agricultural centre.
- Society included Muslims, Jews and mozárabes; the Valencian huerta and irrigation systems reflect Andalusi technical and social organisation.
Christian conquest and the Crown of Aragon
- The union of Aragon and Catalonia (1137) created a composite monarchy, not a unitary state. James I conquered Majorca and Valencia, entering Valencia in 1238.
- The Kingdom of Valencia received the Furs de València (1261), issued through the Corts; these defined law, taxation and privileges. The Corts and the Generalitat (1418) gave the kingdom a strong institutional identity.
- Repopulation brought Christian settlers while Muslims remained as Mudejars, often in rural areas; this created a segmented society with legal and religious distinctions.
Worked example
A clause from the Furs de València confirms the kingdom’s own law and courts. Classify it as a legal source issued by the king with the Corts. Explain its context: the need to organise a newly conquered kingdom and to attract settlers. Then assess significance: the Furs became the symbol of Valencian legal identity, defended in 1707 against the Nueva Planta. The key is to connect the clause to the pact between crown and kingdom.
Traps that cost marks
- Calling the Crown of Aragon a centralised state.
- Confusing the taifa of Valencia with the Christian kingdom created in 1238.
- Presenting the Reconquest as one event rather than a long, uneven process.
- Saying the Furs were simply imposed by the king without the Corts.
- Forgetting that Mudejars and Jews were legal and religious minorities, not full citizens.