ABSTRACT
In 1492, two momentous events occurred in the history of Spain: the final subjugation of Islamic Granada and the discovery of the New World. As a result of their coincidence, the five-hundredth anniversary celebration of “ the Discovery” which took place in 1992 has afforded military historians a fine opportunity to “ rediscover” the accompanying event-“the last reconquista.” 2
Oddly, the Granada War of 14 8 1-14 9 2 has never been a favorite of military scholars, even though the struggle took place in the dawning decades of the “ Early Modern Military Revolution.” 3 These historians have even more boldly ignored “ the decisive role of artillery in the last struggle against the Moors.”4 Yet, recognized or not, the
Castilian conquest of Muslim Spain was a key milestone in the military revolution process because cannons truly dictated the war’s outcome. Gunpowder weapons and artillery siege operations won the Granadan war. Other factors in the Spanish victory were actually secondary and derivative.
