Following the expulsion of Muslim power from Spain, many Muslims were given the choice between expulsion and baptism. Those that only superficially converted eventually began to revolt until even all the Christianized Muslims sought refuge from the peninsula. The refugee Muslims, or their descendents, that sought safety in North Africa helped to start a new era in Mediterranean warfare which became known as the Barbary wars. Andalusian culture, as defined by its former Muslim residents, permeated into North Africa and some Ottoman domains.
| 1496 | Portuguese King Manuel I orders expulsion of all Muslims and Jews by October 1497 |
| 1499 | A minor revolt in Albaicin, Granada's Muslim quarter, occurs against a policy of mass baptism. |
| 1500 | Minor Muslim rebellions break out in Spain. |
| 1501 | Spain takes more forceful steps in the mass conversion of its Muslim population. A royal decree orders a huge bonfire of Arabic books in October. |
| 1502 | Queen Isabella offers the Muslims of Castilian territory the option of baptism or exile; many choose baptism due to the strict conditions of emigration. Francisco Boabdilla (Abu Abdullah), Royal Commissioner, puts Christopher Columbus in chains and brings him from Santo Domingo to Spain. |
| 1504 | A jurist from Oran issues a fatwa allowing Muslims of Granada to utilize taqiyya, outward renunciation of faith while maintaining inward loyalty, to withstand Christian pressure to covert. |
| 1524 | Pope Clement VII issues a bull to relieve Charles V of any obligations he has to the Muslims in Spain. |
| 1526 | A royal decree forces Muslims in Aragon, Spain to accept Christianity. These converted Muslims are known as moriscos. The Inquisition in Granada is established to ensure the sincerity of the Moriscos. |
| 1529 | Khairuddin Barbarossa brings Moriscos to Algeria from Spain. |
| 1546 | Suleiman and Charles V acknowledge a truce |
| 1557 | Moriscos are prohibited from using Arabic, wearing traditional clothes, using their surnames, public bathing, celebrating matrimonial rites, or listening to traditional music. |
| 1561 | Draghut Rais (Turghud Ali) destroys seven Spanish galleys. |
| 1568 | On Christmas Eve the moriscos of Granada revolt, led by Muhammad ibn Ummayya against Spanish rule. Support for this rebellion is drawn primarily from the Alpujarra region's villages. The revolt rises from 4,000 members to possibly 30,000 by the summer of 1569. North African Muslims under the Sardinian-born Oloudj (Uluj) Ali begin to send aid to this movement. 4,000 Turks and Berbers are said to have been among the ranks of the rebels in 1570. |
| 1569 | Don Juan of Austria, the King of Spain's half-brother, assumes leadership of the campaign to quell the morisco revolt. |
| 1570 | Don Juan suppresses the morisco revolt. The Spanish government decides in November to disperse the morisco population throughout Spain. Many die during the marches after being forced out of their home; even Don Juan of Austria considers their hardships one of the most tragic sights he has seen. |
| 1575 | Algerian corsairs capture Miguel Cervantes who is returning to Spain after years of fighting against the Ottomans. He will spend the next five years as a captive of the Barbary nation. Cervantes will reflect the traumatic experience in many of his works including The Dungeons of Algiers, The Gallant Spaniard, The Captive's Tale, and his masterpiece Don Quixote. The Algeria of this time is said to be one of the most multicultural nations in the Mediterranean region. Converts to Islam (known as renegados) from every European nation, as well as Indians from America, reside there beside native Arabs, Berbers, and Turks. |
| 1579 | Moriscos are forbidden to live near the coasts of Andalusia and later Valencia (1586). |
| 1580 | Morisco conspiracy in Seville is revealed; authorities punish the leaders and enforce strict regulations on the Morisco population. |
| 1601 | Three members of the party of Husayn Ali Beg covert to Christianity during the Persian ambassador's stay in Rome. The embassy moves on to Spain. |
| 1602 | The Persian ambassador leaves Spain for his native land returning a few members short. While in Spain, another three members of the Persian ambassador's party abandon Islam for Catholicism: Ali Quli Beg, the ambassador's nephew and now godson of Philip III; Uruch Beg, the First Secretary of Embassy; and Buniyad Beg, the ambassador's cook. Their Christian names are Don Philip of Persia, Don Juan of Persia, and Don Diego of Persia, respectively. |
| 1603 | Don Juan of Persia completes his Relaciones in Spain. He divides the piece, an account of his experience, into three books: a description of Persia government, land, and history; recent battles between the Ottomans and the Persians; and his personal journey from Persia to Europe. |
| 1605 | Don Juan of Persia dies in Valladolid, Spain. |
| 1610 | The last Muslim revolt in Spain occurs; many Muslims are deported following this rebellion. |
| 1690-1691 | Hamet ben Hassu, ambassador of Moroccan ruler Muley Ismail, comes to Spain to negotiate the release of 500 Muslim captives and 5000 Arabic manuscripts. An account of his observations was kept at the Royal Library of Madrid. Hamet, about 10 years earlier, had served as ambassador to England as well. |
| 1769 | A report of the Spanish Inquisition to Carlos III claims verification of the existence of a mosque in Cartagena established by moriscos. |
| 1808 | 2nd May (in the infamous "Dos Mayo" riot), Napoleon's Mamluk guard present in Madrid to suppress a local revolt against French invaders. The exotic garb of the Mamluk harkening back to the days of Moorish rule in Spain is seen as an exacerbating factor in Spaniard response. Francisco Goya painted a depiction of an attempted revolt against the Mamluk. They will participate in the battles of Medina del Rio Seco and Benavente this year. The Mamluk will have two more stints in Spain in 1810 and 1811. |
| 1936-1939 | The Spanish Civil War occurs. General Francisco Franco utilizes Moors (Moroccans) in his forces to fight off the Loyalists of the Second Republic. Known as the regulares, these volunteers were tribesman from the Rif commanded by Spanish officers. Widespread unemployment in Spanish Morocco prompted thousands of Moroccans to enlist. Regulares were known for their efficiency, stealth in "dead ground", and brutality. Regulares also gained fear from them for their use of triangular knives and machine guns. Nationalists made the regulares "honorary Christians" and the troops were a significant part of Franco's victory parade. |