Treaty of Granada

What it is

Signed and ratified on 25 November 1491, this treaty set out the terms of surrender between Boabdil, the last Nasrid sultan of Granada, and Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. It ended the decade-long Granada War and the centuries-long Reconquista.

Why it matters

The treaty shows Isabella and Ferdinand negotiating, not simply conquering: it promised Granada's Muslims protection of their religion, laws, and property. Many of these promises were later broken, making the treaty a key document for understanding both the end of Muslim rule in Spain and the beginning of later religious persecution under the same monarchs.

Look closer

• Why might the monarchs have offered such detailed protections if they later did not keep them?
• What does the treaty suggest about the state of Granada's population by 1491?
• How might the different groups mentioned in the treaty - Muslims, Christians, Jews - have experienced its outcome differently?