The castilian naval force on the coast of the Kingdom of Granada (1482-1500)

Abstract

For the Crown of Castile, the last two decades of the XV century, replete of warlike episodes, markede the necessity to revitalize its politics of security in the western Mediterranean adopting a new strategic position. The Catholic Kings endowed, with a continuous military presence the waters of the Alboran Sea, a permanent naval force to respond to the new demands of this traditional frontier between Islam and Christendom. This naval force known at first as “The Armada of the Strait” and later on as “the Armada of the coast of the Kingdom of Granada” fulfilled a complementary and auxliary function of the Castilian Army during the War of Granada. When the war was over, between 1492 and 1500 this presence was not only maintained, but was in fact secured as one of the most important bases in the system of military surveillance of the waters of the Alboran and of those stretching nearly 400 Km of the Granada coast from Vera to Guadiaro. The new scenario of the Alboran frontier and the Muslim threat on the Castilian Southern territory, oblidged the Crown to undertake a reorganization of the Royal Armada, as testify the seats or contracts of 1495 and 1500. Its function was technically perfected and military forces and economic endowment were increased until a model of Armada was consolidate that without any interruption, continued carrying out the military functions of the politics of security of the Mediterranean during the sisteenth century.