THE MUSLIM CONQUEST AND THE INDEPENDENT EMIRATE
Why and when did the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula begin?
The Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula
began in 711 due to a conflict
between the Visigothic nobility.
When was Abd-al Rahman III in charge?
912-961
Name 5 groups that existed in society.
Arabs, Berbers, Muladi, Mozarabs, Jews, Slaves
Name 3 of the stronger Taifas.
Toledo, Zaragoza, Seville and Badajoz
Where did the first centres of resistance to the Arabs arise?
the first centres of resistance
against the Arab conquest arose
in: – The Cantabrian region – The Pyrenees.
What happened in 756?
The family of the Umayyad dynasty were killed by the Abbasids in 756, with the exception of one prince, Abd al-Rahman, who emigrated to Al-Andalus to avoid that fateful destiny.
Why did Abd al-Rahman III declare himself Caliph of Al-Andalus?
This appointment allowed him to be the highest political and religious authority within Al-Andalus and definitively ended his dependence on the rest of the Muslim empire.
Name 3 activities that made Al-Andalus have a very prosperous economy.
Agriculture, Crafts, Trade
Who did the Taifas ask for help and why?
following the capture of Toledo by Alfonso VI in 1085, the remaining Taifa kingdoms sought help from tribes in North Africa. These tribes were:The Almoravids and the Almohads
Among the descendants of Don Pelayo, who was the most important and why?
Alfonso III (866-910), who managed to halt the Muslim advance that took place during the Emirate of Córdoba. He also initiated the Christian repopulation of the area around the River Duero.
How long were parts of the Iberian peninsula an emirate of the Umayyad empire (omeya) and where was the capital of the EMPIRE during this time?
During 711-756 they were established as an emirate (province) of the Umayyad empire that had its capital in Damascus.
Who reorganised the Al-Andaluz and describe the new positions he created during the reorganisation.
To organize his new caliphate, Abd al-Rahman III decided to create three offices: the hajib (a kind of vice president), viziers (as ministers), and walis (provincial governors).
What role did women have in society?
Women were subject to the authority of their father or husband.
Who was the last Muslim king of the Iberian peninsula and where was his territory?
Boabdil of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, which occupied
the current provinces of Granada, Malaga, Almeria,
and part of Cadiz.
Compare and contrast the economies of Castilla and Aragon.
Both have thier main economic activities
as agriculture and livestock farming,
but trade was also important in Aragon.
They had a large number of trade routes.
In the event that merchants had any
kind of dispute, they created the figure of the
consulates of the sea. These consulates were
offices responsible for resolving such
disputes in accordance with the
laws in force.
Along with trade, other economic activities
of lesser importance in
Aragon were shipbuilding, the
iron industry and textile production.
Describe how Al-Andalus became independent including who their leader was, what their capital was and who they became independent from.
Abd al-Rahman would become known as Abd al-Rahman I. He would establish Al-Andalus as an independent emirate, that is, an emirate that would not depend on the decisions made in the capital of the new Abbasid empire (Baghdad).
Who inherited the throne from Abd-al Rahman III and how long did he rule for?
Al-Hakam II (961-976) continued the work of his father, making Al-Andalus during his caliphate one of international centres of culture.
Describe how groups in society were structured.
The most powerful group was the Muslims. Within this group, we can distinguish two factions: the Arabs and the Berbers.
The Arabs owned land and controlled political power.
The Berbers had less land and wealth than the Arabs. Politically, the Berbers' role was to hold positions in the administration.
The Muladi were Christians who had converted to Islam and adopted the Muslim language, customs, and religion.
Among the minorities, we can find three groups:
The Mozarabs, who were Christians residing in Muslim territory who had chosen not to convert to the new religion.
The Jews, who worked as artisans and merchants. They also lived in isolated neighbourhoods known as Jewish quarters.
The slaves, who occupied the lowest rung of society.
Give 2 facts about each north African tribe that entered the Iberian peninsula.
The Almoravids, a Berber tribe with their capital in Marrakesh. They entered the Peninsula in 1086, but their extreme measures, combined with Christian attacks, made them very unpopular. In the end, the territories of Al-Andalus were divided once again (the second Taifas).
The Almohads were another tribe from North Africa. They entered the Iberian Peninsula in 1146. At first, they managed to halt the Christian advance, but the Christians decided to carry out a crusade that ended with the acquisition of a large army that finally defeated the Almohads at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212).
Describe structure of society in the Christian Kingdoms.
The society of the Christian kingdoms followed the model of class-based society. Therefore, society was made up of three classes, to which one belonged by birth and from which one could not escape. These three classes were the nobility, the clergy and the peasantry. They were divided into:
Privileged (did not pay taxes): nobility and clergy
Non-privileged (paid taxes): peasantry
Describe 3 problems that occurred when it was an independent emirate.
Attacks on border territories, such as Zaragoza, Mérida, and Toledo, which demanded greater dependence;
internal revolts within Al-Andalus due to increased taxes;
clashes with the Franks and the Christian kingdoms of northern Spain.
What happened after the caliphate of Al-Hakam II?
After the caliphate of Al-Hakam II, the caliphate entered a period of crisis, and the figure of the caliph was highly questioned.
This led to the rise of Almanzor, a general who gained fame and became the most important figure in Al-Andalus.
His rule was characterized by raids, which were incursions carried out by Almanzor and his army into Christian territory. This period marked the point at which Christian expansion was most effectively controlled.
Finally, after Almanzor's death in 1031, Al-Andalus entered a period of crisis and was eventually divided into territories known as taifas.
Describe the 3 activities that made the Al-Andalus economy prosperous in detail.
Agriculture: Their main crops continued to be dryland crops such as wheat, olives, and grapes. However, they also developed a very important irrigated farming industry, especially for fruit trees and irrigation works (to channel water).
Crafts: The Muslims created products of immense quality. Their most sought-after products were silk, ceramics, leather, and precious metals. The artisans were grouped in neighborhoods called souks, similar to the guilds.
Trade: To carry out this activity, they had to build storage facilities in the cities called warehouses. Their main exports were luxury goods, gold, and slaves. They also developed two currencies for trade: the dinar (gold) and the dirham (silver).
Describe the conflicts characterised the period.
Internal conflicts between the Taifa kingdoms, as the most powerful Taifas attempted to take control of the weaker Taifas.
Conflicts against the Christian kingdoms, as many of the Taifas were forced to pay tributes to avoid being attacked by the Christian kingdoms.
Describe what happened to the kingdom of Navarra.
The problems for the Kingdom of Navarre began with the death of Sancho III and the division he made among his sons of the territories that belonged to him
He gave Navarre to García Sánchez III.
He gave Castile to Ferdinand I.
He gave Aragon to Ramiro I.
He gave Gonzalo the counties of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza.
After this event, the Kingdom of Navarre would no longer play any significant role in the Reconquista and would become linked to France.
The Catholic Monarchs finally managed to retake the Kingdom of Navarre in 1512, thanks to the conquest carried out by Ferdinand the Catholic.