Issue date: 29 Feb, 2012
Two major events in the history of Spain, occurring in the 13th and 16th centuries respectively, are shown in the illustrations in this series on Anniversaries.
In chronological order, the first stamp commemorates the 8th Centenary of the Battle of Navas de Tolosa, an event in which the Christian kingdoms were victorious over their Muslim overlords. The battle took place on 16th July 1212, in the town of Navas de Tolosa in the Jaen region, where King Alfonso VIII of Castile, having struck alliances with the sovereigns Sancho VII of Navarre, known as The Strong, and Pedro the Catholic of Aragon, challenged the Arab Almohad army led by the caliph An-Nasir. The battle can be categorised as a crusade since it had the support of Pope Innocent III. The victory of the Christian armies led to their expansion throughout the south of the peninsula, was the first step in the decline of Muslim power and gave a major boost to the Reconquista.
The stamp shows a side view of the famous tapestry of the Battle of Navas de Tolosa which is kept in the Palace of Navarre in Pamplona.
The second stamp is dedicated to the 5th Centenary of the Conquest of Navarre which took place in 1512. This was a lengthy process determined by the civil war in which the Kingdom of Navarre was fighting at the time, as well as the dispute between France and Spain. The war declared by Fernando the Catholic on the King of France was the reason why, on 21st July 1512, the Castilian troops led by Fadrique Álvarez of Toledo, 2nd Duke of Alba, invaded and easily overtook Navarre, meeting with very little opposition. This marked the beginning of the annexation of the Pyrenean kingdom to the crown of Castile.
In 1515, the Courts of Burgos issued a decree incorporating Navarre into the crown of Castile although, according to the legal dispositions, the territory kept its category of kingdom, its legislation and its Courts.
The stamp shows the former territories of the Kingdom of Navarre including the Lower Navarre area, which was later incorporated into French territory.
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