In 1492, the Spanish expelled all Jews from Spain, and also rescued the country from Moslem control. What was the last city in Spain controlled by the Moslems?

The year 1492 was a watershed moment in Spanish history, marking the dramatic conclusion of a centuries-long struggle known as the Reconquista. This campaign by the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula to reclaim territory from Muslim rule reached its finale in the southern part of the country. For over 200 years, the Emirate of Granada had stood as the last remnant of Islamic power in Spain, a culturally rich and flourishing civilization. By the late 15th century, however, it was surrounded and weakened.

The final push came from the unified forces of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand (Review) II of Aragon. Their decade-long war against the Emirate culminated in a lengthy siege of its capital city. On January 2, 1492, the last Nasrid sultan, Muhammad XII (popularly known as Boabdil), formally surrendered the city and its magnificent Alhambra palace to the Catholic Monarchs. This event signified the end of nearly 800 years of Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula and the completion of the Reconquista.

The fall of this final stronghold was quickly followed by another pivotal event aimed at unifying Spain under a single faith. Just a few months later, in the same Alhambra palace, the monarchs issued the Alhambra Decree. This edict ordered the expulsion of all practicing Jews from Spain, forcing them to either convert to Catholicism or leave the country within months. Together, the conquest of Granada and the expulsion of the Jews defined the transformative and tumultuous nature of 1492 for Spain.