Sources for the Reconquista
Including
- Historical sites
- Sites by wargamers
- Books
Historical sites
Libro - Library of Iberian Resources On-line
Some great works on Spanish Medieval history.
De Re Militari - The Society for Medieval Military History
Has some fantastic stuff on Medieval Spain, including all 614 pages of the Chronicle of Muntaner.
Al-Andalus [Spanish]
American Academy of Research Historians of Medieval SpainAn excellent site about Muslim Spain. I particularly liked the page on translating between Spanish and Arabic place names.
Chronology of Medieval Spain: 410-1492 AD
Military Orders
- Aziz
- Alcantara [broken link last time I checked]
- Calatrava [broken link last time I checked]
- Santiago (or the Order of St. James of the Sword) [broken link last time I checked]
Society for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies
A interesting article by Andy Villalon - the names says it all. (If the URL doesn't work then try http://www.geocities.com/wirepaladin.geo)
From Berkley Online Medieval and Classical Library.
Sites by wargamers
The DBA Resources Page offers Notes and ideas about the
Books
Barber, Richard Edward, Prince of Wales and Aquitaine: A biography of the Black Prince Allen Lane, London, 1978
Collins, R. (1983). Early Medieval Spain: Unity in Diversity, 400-1000 [2nd ed.]. NY: St. Martin's Press.
Fletcher, R. (1990). The Quest for El Cid. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Fletcher, R. (1992). Moorish Spain. New York: Henry Holt.
Good but quite short, so short on detail.
Foss, M. (1997). People of the First Crusade. Michael O'Mara Books.
Unrelated to Spain but in the same period. Lots of interesting facts and anecdotes, but I found it light.
Gabrieli, F. (1957). Arab Historians of the Crusades [E. J. Costello Trans.]. NY: Dorset Press.
Heath, I. (1980). Armies of the Dark Ages 600-1066 (2nd ed.). Wargames Research Group.
Excellent.
Heath, I. (1982). Armies of the Middle Ages, volume 1. Wargames Research Group.
Excellent.
Heath, I. (1989). Armies of Feudal Europe 1066-1300 (2nd ed.). Wargames Research Group.
Excellent.
Julien, Charles-Andre History of North Africa translated by John Petrie, Routledge & Kegan Paul, Londo, 1970
Kennedy, H. (1996). Muslim Spain and Portugal: A political history of al-Andalus. London: Longman.
Very good general history, although light on military activities.
Kinder, H. and Hilgemann, W. (1964). The Penguin Atlas of World History Volume 1: From the beginning to the eve of the French Revolution (E. A. Menze Trans.). Penguin Books.
Livermore, H. V. (1966). A New History of Portugal. Cambridge University Press.
Menéndez Pidal, R. (1934). The Cid and his Spain [H. Sutherland Trans.]. Frank Cass.
I've only read the start of this so far, and it is a bit dodgy particularly in the area of dates.
Nelson, L. H [Trans.] (1991). The Chronicle of San Juan de la Pena: A Fourteenth-Century Official History of the Crown of Aragon. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Useful appendices with lists of rulers.
Nicolle, D. (1988). El Cid and the Reconquista 1050-1492 (Men-at-Arms 200). Osprey.
Nicolle, D. (1998). The Fall of Granada 1481-1492: The twilight of Moorish Spain (Campaign Series 53). Osprey.Typical Osprey.
Villalon, L. J. Andrew (2002). Seeking Castles in Spain: Sir Hugh Calveley and the Mid-Fourteenth Century Intervention of the 'Free Companies' in Iberian Warfare" in L. J. Andrew Villalon and Donald J. Kagay (Eds.), Crusaders, Condotierri, and Cannon: Medieval Warfare in Societies around the Mediterranean. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
A slightly earlier version can be found on his website.
Books I haven't seen
González & Lahoz. (?). Guerreros de la Reconquista. Quiron Ediciones. ISBN 84-87314-28-7.
According to Angus Osbourne ... "The text is all in Spanish. It consists of full-page colour pictures of Spanish warriors through the medieval period which has many good shield patterns in it. The pictures aren't of any great artistic merit, but there's lots of good detail for figure painters."