Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain

Historically, the modern country of Spain was formed after the process known as reconquista.

Several independent Christian Kingdoms and political entities mostly independent (Asturias, León, Galicia, Castile, Navarre, Aragon, Catalonia) were formed by their own inhabitants efforts under aristocrat leadership and coexisted with the Muslim Iberian states and had their own identities and borders.

Eventually, the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon grew in power and size through conquest or by dynastic inheritance and their Crowns holders merged in 1469 with the marriage of the Catholic Monarchs.After this, the Muslim kingdom of Granada was conquered in 1492 and Navarre was invaded and forced into the union in 1512 through a combined effort of conquest and collaboration of the local elites.

Portugal, formerly part of Leon, gained independence in 1128 after a split in the Royal inheritance of the daughters of Alfonso VI and remained independent through all of the reconquista process.

For a short time starting with Philip II of the House of Habsburg, Portugal was reunited along all the other realms under the same Head of State, in the Iberian Union. However the Portuguese will revolt as the Dutch provinces and other Habsburg dominions and became officially independent again from their Sovereigns in 1640.

These kingdoms sometimes collaborated when they fought against the Muslim Spain and sometimes allied with the Muslims against rival christian neighbors.This common enemy of a different...
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