How a Spanish Town Became Europe’s Proxy War

Spain was shaped by conquest. Roman legions laid down roads and aqueducts. Visigoth kings carved out feudal realms. Christian monarchs bound the kingdoms through marriage and war. Each era left its mark – from imperial stonework to soaring Gothic spires – forging a nation from the remnants of those who came before. From the Reconquista – when Castile, Aragon, and other Christian kingdoms pushed south against Muslim rule from the 8th to the 15th century – to Ferdinand and Isabella’s final victory at Granada in 1492 and the expulsion of the Moors that same year, Spain’s history rests on one core belief: a nation must not only define itself, but defend that definition.