Lions have not been native to the British Isles since cave lions went extinct there some 12 - 14 thousand years ago. Yet there is one type of lion that, if not native, at least has been prospering on the British isles since prehistory, and one that is centrally important to English history and culture, even if it is not directly represented on the royal coat of arms.
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.