Leonese reconquest ideology rested on Gothic political rebirth rather than crusade.

Evidence

The kings of León and Castile are the heirs to the Asturian kingdom of the ninth century, whose carefully constructed ideology of reconquest is examined in chapter 4: the kings of Asturias were heirs to the Visigothic kingdom and were destined to restore its hegemony over the whole of the Iberian peninsula. This ideology of “Gothic revival,” unlike the Catalan- Aragonese ideology of crusade, gives prime importance to ideas of political rebirth and reaffirmation, the restoration of a legitimate, Christian order. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 934

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the ‘Gothic revival’ ideology and distinguishes it from the crusade ideology — a useful conceptual contrast.