Spain and Portugal 750 CE

What is happening in Spain and Portugal in 750CE

An Arab-Berber army crossed from North Africa into Spain in 710 and speedily conquered most of the Iberian peninsula, driving the Visigoth rulers into the northern mountains. Here, the Christians elected a Visigothic lord, Pelayo, as their king and organized themselves into the small kingdom of Asturias. The Basques, meanwhile, asserted their independence and successfully defended it against their neighbours, both Muslim and Christian.

The majority of present-day Spain and Portugal now belong to the vast Muslim Caliphate, ruled from far-off Damascus. The Muslims never seriously attempted a conquest north and east of the Pyrenees, but carried out seasonal raids into Christian France. The famous Frankish victory at Tours was over such a raiding party, not a full-blown Muslim invasion.

Next map, Spain and Portugal in 979