With over a thousand years of history, the Kingdom of Galicia began in the year 411, when the Suebi established their court in Braga and integrated into the local Galician population. Despite enjoying full independence and a sophisticated development of the Church and State, in 585, the Visigoths, led by Leovigild, managed to subdue Galicia.
However, Visigothic rule over Galicia was brief. The invasion of the Islamic caliphate in 711 allowed local Galician powers to regain their autonomy. Thus, by the year 800, the kingdom was already strongly unified thanks to the efforts of Alfonso II. From then on, the monarchs of Galicia (which then comprised the entire northwestern peninsula), began an expansion southward until, finally, in the 11th century, the kingdom began to fragment politically. Gradually, Portugal and Castile took shape.
By the year 1230, following the death of King Alfonso VIII of Galicia and León, the kings of Castile took control of Galicia. Dynastic wars, as well as internal revolts, progressively weakened Galicia's power in Iberian politics. The Galician language, despite being a symbol of prestige, would end up being marginalized from the late 15th century, when the Catholic Monarchs militarily subdued the Kingdom of Galicia. After centuries of foreign monarchs, in 1833 the Spanish government officially dissolved it into four provinces. This milestone marks the end of the Kingdom of Galicia.
14 апр 2024
