The conquest by James I in 1229 of Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands held by the Muslim Almohads, and his consequent founding of the Kingdom of Majorca, probably inspired him to start the dictation of his chronicles, he having had an active part in the "Reconquista" of the Iberian Peninsula (in the context of Europe's medieval Christian Crusades). The "Llibre dels fets" narrative ends with James' death in 1276. Though the original is lost, many ancient copies of the codex have survived.