Muslim Invasions of Christian Europe

Muslim Invasions of Europe started during the decline of the first medieval Christian states. The Iberian Peninsula suffered the most with the rapidly growing power of the Umayyad Caliphate completely disintegrating the Kingdom of the Visigoths. It was through the efforts of this Arab state that Spain became Muslim. Having established themselves on the peninsula, which under Arab rule was called Al-Andalus, the Umayyad conquerors intended to continue their campaign. However, the neighboring Christian kingdoms — the Frankish kingdom and the newly created Asturias and Pamplona — actively hindered Muslim conquests. It was here that the Christian resistance founded the famous Reconquista movement. In this video, we look at how the Arab conquerors moved through the Iberian Peninsula, how they confronted European rulers in the famous battles of Guadaleta and Covadonga, and how they established their new rule in Al-Andalus.