Granada surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492, ending the last Muslim-ruled kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula. This created a new Christian-ruled society with a large Muslim population that would later face pressure to convert and assimilate. The later Morisco rebellions in the Alpujarras grew out of this long post-conquest conflict over religion and identity.
Between 1499 and 1501, uprisings broke out in Granada and then spread into the mountainous Alpujarras. The revolt was suppressed and helped accelerate policies pushing Muslims toward conversion and tighter control. It set a precedent for later, larger conflicts in the same region.
On January 1, 1567, Philip II promulgated a decree targeting Moriscos in the Kingdom of Granada, requiring them to abandon key cultural practices (such as language and dress). Many Moriscos saw this as an attack on their way of life and faith, even after formal conversion to Christianity. The decree became the immediate trigger for the later rebellion.
After the 1567 decree, Morisco communities secretly prepared for revolt by stockpiling food, weapons, and other supplies. Leaders met in and around Granada to coordinate plans across villages. This preparation helped the uprising spread quickly once it began.
On December 24, 1568, the uprising broke out, with violence flaring in multiple settlements. Hernando de Córdoba y Válor was proclaimed leader and took the name Aben Humeya, presenting himself as a king-like figure for the rebels. The conflict rapidly expanded through the Alpujarras and nearby areas of the former Kingdom of Granada.
In January–February 1569, royal forces under the Marquis of Mondéjar pushed into the western Alpujarras, winning a series of actions and briefly opening talks about surrender. His campaign showed that the Crown could penetrate the mountains with organized forces. However, disputes inside the royal command and continued resistance prevented a quick end.
Philip II replaced earlier leadership and made Don John of Austria commander-in-chief of the campaign. Don John arrived in Granada on April 13, 1569, and began building a larger, more unified force. Naval patrols also attempted to limit outside help reaching the rebels across the Mediterranean.
On October 20, 1569, Aben Humeya was strangled and replaced by another Morisco leader, Aben Aboo (Mulley Abdalla). The leadership change reflected serious divisions within the rebellion over strategy, authority, and relations with outside allies. It also weakened rebel unity as royal pressure increased.
In early 1570, Don John led major operations on the Granada Altiplano, including the siege of Galera. The town fell on February 10, 1570, and was heavily destroyed, signaling an escalation toward harsh, punitive warfare. This phase aimed to break the rebellion by removing strongholds and terrorizing resistance networks.
By late 1570, royal forces carried out coordinated offensives that destroyed harvests and targeted rebel-held areas from multiple directions. These actions widened divisions among Moriscos between those seeking surrender and those insisting on continued war. Many fighters were driven into caves and remote terrain, where resistance became harder but more desperate.
On March 15, 1571, Aben Aboo was killed (reportedly betrayed by his own followers) as royal forces closed in on the last strongholds. With the main leader gone and remaining groups isolated, coordinated resistance rapidly fell apart. This is widely treated as the effective end of the rebellion, even though mopping-up operations continued.
After suppression, the Crown deported and dispersed a large share of the Morisco population from the former Kingdom of Granada to other parts of Castile and beyond. Many were rounded up, marched under guard, and suffered severe hardship on the way; historians often estimate tens of thousands were removed. The policy aimed to prevent another revolt by breaking up concentrated Morisco communities and was followed by plans to repopulate affected areas with other settlers.
Alpujarras Rebellion (Rebellion of the Moriscos) (1568–1571)