A terrifying tale from the Age of Sail. The website of the Penobscot maritime museum was likely being deliberately understated when they wrote: “As one can imagine, wooden ships and fire do not make for a good day at sea.” The fire aboard HMS Queen Charlotte is history that deserves to be remembered.
The Reconquista, or Christian reconquest of Iberia, took nearly 800 years. The fighting did not come without great attempts by Muslim powers across the strait trying to reestablish their presence in mainland Europe. The last gasp of that effort came in the 1330s, when the powerful Marinid sultanate of what is modern Morocco invaded in an attempt to reverse Christian gains and secure the perilous position of the Sultanate of Granada.