The Reconquista known as The Reconquest of Spain was 770yr crusade. The Seljurk Turks had invaded in 720 A.D. taking most of Christian Spanish lands, and were preceding to take Southenr Italy, parts of Africa, and invading a part of France. It is important ot understand that Spain like most countries in Early and High Middle Ages was collection of fiefdoms, kingdoms, and sophisticated tribes. There was Kingdom of Navarre, The Kingdom of Castille, The King of Aragon, The Kingdom of Leon (Lion), and the Kingdom of Portugo. These kingdoms wared with one another as much as with their Moorish neighbors, the legendary El Cid fought with Muslim allies against radical African Muslims, and even conquered Spanish Christians. But when Reconquista was in full force, Spain with its intrigues and division did find a common enemy, the infidel.
The Reconquista remaisn the most passed over crusade and pales in comparsion to the Crusades in Palestine merely by popular opinion today. Ironically, The Reconquista which is rarely explored in histories was the longest and most successful holy war. The end result in 1492 A.D. was the capture of Granda and the final route of the Moors. Spain accomplished what had been elusive in Outremer, the Levant, The Crusader States in Palestine. This Iberian battle of Immanuel's faithful and infidel triggers some very interesting thoughts as ISIS rises on plains of Syria, and Iraq. Will there be a Reconquest of Europe from the radicals? Will we see a divided and post modern world unite as their ancestors did to curb the tide of this ISIL genocide? It is unlikely that Pope Francis I will declare a Casus Belli, and call for Crusade, but recently the pontiff was noted as saying of the Refugee Crisis, "This is a danger and threat, for ISIS lurks in the trek of these immigrants." (Paraphrase of Pope Francis I). Could the Catholic Church be stirred to support a holy war, even if it is not issued from the St. Peter's steppes? That remains to be seen.
What marks the Reconquista of Spain is that it was reconquest of European lands. The Crusades in East were reconquests of Byzantine Christian terriorties like Edessa, Antioch, and Tripoli, and Jerusalem was liberated. But these were not Western territories lost, and the fervor to restore them to faithful has created events and legends that still captivate people today. While Crusades in Holy Land captivate the adventurer in us, we should recall the Reconquista as a reality check. Spain submitted to the scrimitar of Saracens with suprising speed (711-722 A.D.). The Spainarads found themselves under Saracen Rule, first by Seljurks and then by Ummayads. Then there were poor Moors, who were more benign and less interested in Jihad Akbar. Spain, South of the most Christian land of France, home of Franks, the Saracen had succeeded in taking territory and the struggle to take it back would be almost a millennia.
ISIS/ISIL, Al-Qada, Al-Shabob, Talibaan, and more have their sights on the West. ISIS claims it will sail its black flag with white Arabic letters over Italy, and in Vaticna square. They are threatening to invade The United States, and have already taken over distrincts in France, are setting up in Germany, and intend to do what the ancestors of Jihad did before. They have chemical weapons and are using them in Iraq and smuggling them into Syria (700 Club, CBN NEWS, Monday, March 15, 2016). I beheld the ruins of Sinjar, which is but skulls and stones, a place that once was a thriving city of 500,000 people is not rubble, and boneyards of thousands, with no proper burial; their bodies left to rot under the baking sun. This is what every city in Europe, America, Africa, and Middle East shall suffer if there is no response. Unlike the Seljurks, Almovids, Almorhads, Fatimuds, Ummayads, Ayyubids, Mamlukes, and Ottomans, ISIS wants to "kill, steal, and destroy," (John 10:10). The Muslim Dynastastics had a code of honor, had political ambitions, and even saw value of non-Muslim subjects they could tax with Dhimmi poll tax. But ISIS will not settle until every infidel's head rolls and every western and even eastern city lies in ruins.
It is fitting to consider the Reconquista in a time when a real threat is rising. As I have aforementioned in my post titled "The New Iconoclasts" ISIS will not spare anything: people, paintings, pearls, palaces, or anything. They will burn it all, for they believe this is how they shall inherit heaven. As Christians we believe eternal life is gained through believing in Jesus Christ (John 3:16, Romans 10:9). We do not wage holy war for salvic means, but to defend the innocent, and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Ours is Defesor, theirs an Offesor. My concern is that no nation has the stomach to take a stand, and how much of Spain, and Free world must be subjected to the sword, scorch, and gun shoots before anyone seriously responds?
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