Reconquest Day in Spain ― Date, History, and Details
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History of Reconquest Day in Spain and How to Celebrate/ Observe It
Reconquest Day, or Día de la Reconquista, is a public holiday in Spain that commemorates the country’s victory over the Muslim Moors in 1492. The holiday celebrates the end of Muslim rule in Spain and the beginning of Christian rule. It also marks the start of the Spanish Inquisition, which was a period of religious persecution against Muslims and Jews.
The Reconquista was a centuries-long conflict between the Christian kingdoms of northern Spain and the Muslim Moorish kingdom of al-Andalus. The conflict began in 722, when the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the Visigothic Kingdom of Hispania and established Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula. Over the next few centuries, the Christian kingdoms of Asturias, Leon, Castile, and Aragon slowly reconquered Muslim-held territory.
In 1469, the marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile united the two largest Christian kingdoms in Spain. The joint monarchy became known as the Catholic Monarchy. In 1492, the Catholic Monarchy launched a final campaign to drive the Moors out of Granada, the last Muslim-controlled kingdom in Spain. On January 2, 1492, the city of Granada fell to the Catholic Monarchy, and Muslim rule in Spain came to an end.
The Inquisition was established in 1478 by Pope Sixtus IV to root out heresy in Spain. Muslims and Jews were targets of the Inquisition, and many were forced to convert to Christianity or face execution. The Inquisition continued until 1834, when it was abolished by the liberal government of Spain.
Reconquest Day is celebrated with church services, parades, and other events across Spain. In Granada, the day is marked with a reenactment of the city’s fall to the Catholic Monarchy.