What was the Reconquista?

• A. The driving out of Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula
• B. The discovery of the Americas
• C. The unification of the French kingdoms
• D. The rise of the Ottoman Empire

Answer: (A)

The Reconquista was the long Christian effort to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule, a process that began after the initial conquest in the early 700s and ended in 1492 with the fall of the Muslim-ruled kingdom of Granada. Over centuries, Christian kingdoms like Castile and Aragon expanded southward, culminating under the Catholic Monarchs, whose union helped finalize the reclamation of most of Iberia. This description fits because it captures both the gradual reclaiming of territory and the religious dimension of the era. It’s not about discovering the Americas, the unification of France, or the rise of the Ottoman Empire.