Reconquista & Kingdom of Mallorca

On December 31, 1229, Jaume I of Aragon (James I, called "El Conqueridor" — the Conqueror) captured Medina Mayurqa after months of siege. It was a turning point that forever shaped the island's identity. The young king — only 21 years old — had assembled a fleet of 155 ships and over 15,000 soldiers. After the bloody conquest of the city, the mosques were converted into churches, the Muslim population largely expelled or enslaved, and Catalan settlers from the Iberian Peninsula were recruited.

The Kingdom of Mallorca (1276–1349)

In 1276, Jaume's son Jaume II. founded the independent Kingdom of Mallorca (Regne de Mallorca), which included Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, the County of Roussillon (now southern France), and the Lordship of Montpellier. It was a short but brilliant era: Jaume II. promoted trade, crafts, and architecture. He initiated the construction of the Cathedral La Seu — one of the great Gothic masterpieces of Europe, whose construction would last over 350 years (1300–1601).

During this time, the Castell de Bellver (Europe's only circular Gothic castle, 1300–1311), the Palau de l'Almudaina in its current form, and numerous Gothic churches were built. Palma became one of the most important trading centers of the western Mediterranean — Catalan, Genoese, and Venetian merchants made the city rich.

The most famous son of the kingdom was Ramon Llull (1232–1316), a Mallorcan philosopher, mystic, and writer, considered one of the most significant thinkers of the Middle Ages. Llull wrote over 250 works in Catalan, Latin, and Arabic and is regarded as the founder of Catalan literature. His influence extends to modern informatics — Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz referred to Llull's combinatorial logic.

In 1349, independence ended: Pedro IV of Aragon forcibly integrated Mallorca into the Crown of Aragon. But the cultural heritage of the kingdom — the Catalan language, Gothic architecture, trading mentality — lives on in Mallorca to this day.