(slide 37) During the latter decades of the 11th c., Muslim forces lost several important battles to the Christian forces. One of the most sobering defeats was the loss of Toledo in 1085, for it had been one of the Muslim strongholds of the northern frontier of Andalusia. Demoralized, the Muslim ruler of Granada asked for help from the leader of the Almoravids. The Almovarids had a growing empire in North Africa, in the region that is today Morocco. The Almovarids came to Andalusia, but they didn't leave. They established their own state in regions that are depicted on the map in slide 37. The Almovarid regime was ultimately unable to recover the territories that had been lost to the Christians. Weakened, its territories in Andalusia were eventually taken over by the Almohads, another dynasty with North African roots. These two dynasties, the Almovarids and Almohads, were a significant force in Andalusia in the 12th and early 13th centuries. Back to slides