Granada War

The war began after renewed frontier conflict and the Nasrid seizure of Zahara. Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile committed growing financial, artillery and logistical resources to a methodical series of sieges. Towns and fortresses fell through assault, blockade, negotiation and agreements that offered differing terms to their inhabitants.

Within Granada, Abu al-Hasan Ali, his son Muhammad XII and his brother Muhammad al-Zagal competed for authority. Castilian diplomacy exploited these divisions, at times treating Muhammad XII as an ally or dependent ruler while campaigning against his rivals. By 1491 the capital was isolated and negotiations produced the capitulations signed before the formal surrender in January 1492.

The conflict is central to The Moor’s Last Stand, which reassesses Muhammad XII’s choices under extreme constraint. It also frames Lost Paradise, where the conquest becomes a turning point in Granada’s built environment, religious life and contested cultural memory.