Umayyad conquest of Hispania

The eighth-century invasion and expansion that brought most of the Iberian Peninsula under Muslim rule, beginning in 711 and establishing al-Andalus.

Tariq ibn Ziyad: A Berber commander who led the initial Muslim invasion of Iberia in 711. His crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar began the campaign.
Visigothic Kingdom: A Germanic kingdom that ruled much of Iberia from the fifth century until the early eighth century. Its political fragmentation shaped the conditions for invasion.
Al-Andalus: The name used for Muslim-ruled territories in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. The conquest created the territory and political tradition known by this name.
Reconquista: The long-term expansion of Christian-ruled territories into Muslim-ruled Iberia during the Middle Ages. It describes the later reversal of Muslim political control, not the initial conquest.
Battle of Guadalete: A battle in 711 in which invading forces defeated the Visigothic king Roderic’s army. The Visigothic defeat opened the way for rapid territorial expansion.
Roderic: The Visigothic king who ruled when Muslim forces invaded Iberia in 711. His contested kingship preceded the kingdom’s military collapse.
Emirate of Córdoba: An independent Umayyad-ruled state in al-Andalus established in 756. It emerged after the conquest’s initial provincial government broke from the eastern caliphate.
Battle of Covadonga: A battle traditionally dated to 722 between Asturian forces and a Muslim expedition in northern Iberia. Later tradition cast it as the beginning of Christian resistance after the invasion.
Musa ibn Nusayr: The Umayyad governor of Ifriqiya who led a second army into Iberia in 712. His campaign reinforced the invasion and extended its reach.
Umayyad Caliphate: An Islamic empire ruled by the Umayyad dynasty from 661 to 750. The conquest extended this empire’s western frontier into Iberia.

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