Around 711 the first Muslims contingents disembarked in southern Spain ready to advance on the Visigoth Kingdom. The invaders are mostly fighters from Berbers tribes of Northern Africa recently converted to Islam, commanding them is Taric.
The fast invasion and conquest of Iberian Peninsula by Muslims
In the Iberian Peninsula the Visigoths are clearly a weak force when the invasion first starts, decades of infighting among the Goths led to the fall of all the Iberian Peninsula in less than a decade to the Muslim invaders, there were some major battles at Écija, Mérida and Segoyuela, but the fall of the Goths was fast against a better prepared and armed enemy. Somehow parts of northern Spain would still be under Christian control and not fall into the hands of the invaders, the region is known as Asturias, the Muslim Berbers were not able to fully capture these territories for 3 main reasons:
- It is a mountainous region and for that hard to conquer;
- The Muslim focused on invading the Francs past the Pirineus and not "finish" the job in Asturias fully capturing the Iberian Peninsula.
- The Muslim defeat at the battle of Covadonga didn't allow them to conquer Asturias.
Turning point at Covadonga
In 722, just eleven years after the start of the invasion, Muslim forces march into the mountains of Asturias, but are met by a well-crafted ambush at Covadonga, the goths are led by a Leader called Pelagio and using the advantage of the terrain are able to overcome the Berbers, marking an end to the expansion of the Muslims.
Literature from the time says 80 000 Muslims attacked 50 000 mountain Christian defenders, but these numbers are completely wrong, the battle that took place had a couple hundred participants on each side (at best), nothing big like historical records at the time like to portrait. But for Plagio, it marked is ascension as the leader of the Christian and he and his descendants would play a key role in the decades to come.
Covadonga, the mountainous region were Pelagio was able to sustain the Muslim invasion
With eyes set on conquering France and the Mediterranean basis, the region of Asturias was left in Christian command, in 732 at Poitiers the Muslims fail to conquer the Francs in that famous battle, and have in the Iberian Peninsula the only territory in Europe, changing it´s history and traditions in the next 700 years.
On the next chapter, I will write about politics of Pelagio, the northern leader, the military advantage of the Muslim forces and other things. if you haven't, be sure to read the prologue:
https://steemit.com/history/@carlosdaniel/the-iberian-crusades-prologue
Peace, Carlos