In the 13th century, Jaume I's conquest of Majorca and Valencia led to a period of military and trading expansion throughout the Mediterranean that continued until the 15th century. The growth of the cities, the dramatic rise in trade and the consolidation of merchants and craftsmen are just some of the phenomena closely associated with this expansion.

A new and largely urban style - the Gothic - dominated artistic work, including architecture, painting and sculpture. The main governing institutions - the Corts, Generalitat and municipal councils - also developed at this time. The famine of 1333 and the Black Death of 1348 signalled the beginning of a profound demographic, economic and social crisis.

In the countryside, peasants tied to the land raised an armed revolt against their overlords, calling for the abolition of feudal payments, while in the cities, there was serious social upheaval. In the end, the entire country was drawn into the long Civil War (1462-1472) that pitted the governing institutions against the Crown. In 1479, Fernando II brought about a dynastic union with Castile through his marriage to Isabel I.