This week in Christian history: Granada conquered, Methodist missionary born

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, January 02, 2022

Granada falls to Christian forces – Jan. 2, 1492

A 19th century depiction of Christian Spanish forces under King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella I accepting the surrender of Moorish King Boabdil, ruler of Granada, on Jan. 2, 1492. | Wikimedia Commons

This week marks the anniversary of when Christian armed forces under the rule of King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella I conquered the city of Granada, taking over the last Muslim stronghold in Spain.

Although Granada had been a powerful entity during the Medieval era, the growing power of Christian Spain and internal feuds within the city had weakened the Islamic monarchy.

The centuries-long effort to Christianize the Iberian Peninsula was known as the “Reconquista,” or Reconquest, as the Islamic territory had previously been part of the Christian Roman Empire.

“King Boabdil surrendered Granada to the Spanish forces, and in 1502 the Spanish crown ordered all Muslims forcibly converted to Christianity,” noted History. “The next century saw a number of persecutions, and in 1609 the last Moors still adhering to Islam were expelled from Spain.”