Medieval Iberia · 722-1248

The Reconquista: Christian kingdoms of Iberia

From a mountain valley in Asturias to the edge of Granada, Christian kingdoms push south over five centuries. Students map their growth, meet the people who lived on the frontier, and ask whether "Reconquista" is the right name for it.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 900 to AD 1212
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

From a mountain valley in Asturias to the edge of Granada, Christian kingdoms push south over five centuries. Students map their growth, meet the people who lived on the frontier, and ask whether "Reconquista" is the right name for it.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Trace the growth of the Christian kingdoms of Iberia on the maps of 900, 1100 and 1279.
  • Explain the importance of Toledo (1085) and Las Navas de Tolosa (1212).
  • Describe how Christians, Muslims and Jews lived together and apart on the frontier, and why historians debate the name "Reconquista".
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 900

A kingdom in the mountains

Open the map in 900 on Spain and Portugal. Find Asturias in the far north and the Emirate of Córdoba in the south. Which is bigger?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1100

The frontier moves

Move to 1100 and find León, Castile, Aragon and Navarre. Then jump to 1279 and compare. Where does the border lie now, and what is left of Muslim rule?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1212

The decisive battle

Set the year to 1212 and turn on Historical Events (Battles). Find Las Navas de Tolosa. Why would a battle at this mountain pass open the road to the south?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. The word "Reconquista" (reconquest) suggests the Christians were taking back what was theirs. Why do some historians question that name?
  2. Kings in the north offered land and freedoms to settlers who moved to the frontier. Why was that necessary?
  3. Christian and Muslim rulers sometimes allied with each other against their own fellow believers. What does that tell us about their motives?
  4. Scholars in Toledo translated Arabic books into Latin. Why was a frontier city a good place for that work?
  5. Muslims who stayed under Christian rule were called Mudéjars. What choices did they face?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Charlemagne, who fought in Spain in 778 and later set up a frontier zone south of the Pyrenees. Afterwards, compare his campaign with the long, slow advance of the Iberian kingdoms.

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.