Reconquista

Following the bunch of deaths which occurred in the last episode, we have a bunch of new Christian kings - most of whom are named Alfonso.   As the Third Crusade is launched, we see the new king of Portugal, King Sancho I, join with a fleet of crusaders to attack the Muslim town of Silves. 

 We cover the Caliph's campaign against the Christians in 1184 and wave goodbye to three major players from our narrative.

We track the progress of the two new kids on the block in Christian Spain - King Alfonso VIII of Castile and King Alfonso II of Aragon.

We continue to follow the Caliph on his less than optimal military campaign against the Christians in 1172.

In 1172 the Caliph embarks on an ambitious campaign to conquer Christian Spain.

The Almohads finally achieve their goal, becoming the uncontested rulers of al-Andalus.  Their next move will be to focus on defeating the Christians.

When the new Caliph turns his attention to al-Andalus, he concentrates on two threats - the Portugese freelancer Geraldo the Fearless and the Almohad's traditional foe the Wolf King.

Ambitious plans by the Almohads to dominate al-Andalus are interrupted by the death of the Caliph.

Some unexpected deaths among the leaders of Christian Spain, result in two kingdoms being ruled by children named Alfonso.  Meanwhile, over in the Almohad camp, things aren't going much better with the Caliph and his armies preoccupied in northern Africa.

Following the fateful decision by the late King Alfonso VII to split his kingdom in two, we meet his sons - King Sancho III of Castile and King Fernando II of Leon.

King Alfonso VII of Leon and Castile becomes seriously ill just as the Almohads begin to go on the offensive.

King Alfonso VII's attempts to conquer al-Andalus falter, causing him to search far and wide for extra troops.

At the same time as the King of Portugal is besieging Lisbon, King Alfonso VII and the Count of Barcelona are embarking on conquests of their own.

We bring the siege of Lisbon to its conclusion.

The siege of Lisbon commences, with the crusaders attacking the suburbs outside the city walls.  Construction then begins on some impressive siege equipment. 

The fleet of crusaders makes its way southwards to discuss its participation in the siege of Lisbon with King Alfonso I of Portugal.

King Alfonso I of Portugal decides to take advantage of the crusading movement for his campaign to attack Lisbon.

As Almoravid rule collapses, the Almohads arrive on the Iberian peninsula. 

We switch our focus to the southern portion of the Iberian peninsula, where Almoravid influence is waning.

The succession drama following the death of Alfonso of Aragon finally comes to an end with the Christian parts of the Iberian peninsula forming themselves into four separate kingdoms - the Kingdom of Leon & Castile, the Kingdom of Aragon/Catalonia, the Kingdom of Navarre and the Kingdom of Portugal.   

As the succession drama following the death of Alfonso of Aragon continues, the Kingdom of Aragon struggles to survive.

Fall out from the death of Alfonso of Aragon leaves leaders from across the region scrambling to take advantage of the situation. 

After an action-packed life, Alfonso of Aragon dies in 1134.  However, the terms of his will leave the Kingdom of Aragon facing an uncertain future. 

In an unexpected turn of events, King Alfonso of Aragon finds himself bogged down by events in France.

Following the death of Queen Urraca in 1127, a scramble for power takes place in the north -  resulting in the coronation of King Alfonso VII.