The 12th century witnessed significant Christian advances in the Reconquista, including the capture of Zaragoza (1118), Lisbon (1147), and the decisive Christian victory at Las Navas de Tolosa (1212, just outside our period). These military successes gradually reduced Muslim-controlled territory in Iberia while creating zones of cultural contact and conflict.

Reconquista warfare generated epic poetry like the Cantar de Mio Cid (c. 1200), which celebrated Christian heroes while reflecting complex realities of Christian-Muslim coexistence. The frontier environment fostered bilingual poets and hybrid literary forms, while the need to legitimize conquest produced chronicles blending history with legendary material. Cultural exchanges in contested territories enriched both Christian and Muslim literary traditions, introducing new themes, forms, and vocabulary.