HIST 107 Introduction to Medieval History Lecture 12 El Cid and the Three Cultures of Spain Main Questions 1 What sorts of societies emerged in Spain in the post Carolingian world 2 What were the most distinctive features of the cultures found there Preliminary Remarks Part of the massive expansion of Islam is the conquest of most of the Iberian peninsula in the eighth century which destroys the Visigothic kingdom one of the Germanic successor states to the Roman empire in the West Only small pockets of Christian ruled territory survive in the far north These will eventually be the nuclei of a slow Christian re conquest of the peninsula culminating in the final defeat of the last Moorish Muslim polity in Granada in 1492 So this will be a very gradual process and it would be a mistake to see it as inevitable We start our story in the early eleventh century when most of Spain is Muslim ruled For orientation see map in Rosenwein Short History p 200 Key Points Three main questions to address A What was Muslim Spain in 1000 and what happened to it next B What was Christian Spain and what factors changed it over the same period C How distinctive was the Spanish experience A What was Muslim Spain in 1000 and what happened to it next In 1000 Spain ruled by dynasty of caliphs the Ummayads in fact they claim to be the original caliphate but their power limited to Spain and small parts of north Africa see map in Rosenwein Short History p 148 region now known as al Andalus whence modern Andalusia invasion and settlement largely the work of north Africans Berbers but Arabs constitute the political and military elite The Visigothic kingdom had preserved structures of Roman governance these taken over by the Arabs in many ways al Andalus more an heir to Rome than Christian West e g countryside exploited with irrigation systems tax collected stable urban culture coinage education including translations of ancient Greek and Roman science and philosophy late Roman in attention to grand building projects e g Great Mosque in C rdoba begun early 10th century inspired by surviving Roman structures such as aqueduct at M rida In 1000 the most advanced part of western Europe in terms of civilization part of the energy of its culture interactions between religions Islam shows some tolerance to Jews and Christians dhimmis people of the Book before 12th century majority of population in fact non Muslim the 12th Jews important as mediating group despite relatively small size of population NB later Jews from Spain will have an important role in the transmission of Arabic learning to the West in century Christians Mozarabs Arabic speaking their forms of Christianity diverging from Western norms the in Both Jews and Christians taxed in return for partial toleration therefore suits the caliphate to sustain them and not convert However socio cultural pressures gradually lead to conversions this especially evident in towns It is arguable that the greater militancy between Christians and Muslims evident from the 11th century partly flows from the shrinkage of between population acting as a bridge Interesting case of the martyrs of C rdoba 850s known to us mainly from writings of supporter Eulogius but not representative of religious interactions generally scratch the surface of the martyrs circumstances and interesting patterns emerge lots of intermarriage between religions and cultural syncretism In 1000 caliphate clearly the dominant element in Iberian politics e g 980s and 90s raids deep into Christian Spain under generalissimo alMansur including sacking of Barcelona 985 and raid on Santiago de Compostela and taking of bells 997 But soon thereafter a political collapse still puzzles scholars similar sort of fragmentation seen in late Carolingian world and the rise of warlords key political not economic collapse al Andalus remains rich caliphate regime collapses in period 1008 31 successor states numerous small regional entities taifas Significance of shift now Christian polities in the north not so relatively small they can become more proactive in dealings with individual taifas by mid 11th century emergence of protection rackets parias very lucrative e g Cluny III built off Spanish gold But we now need to ask who was collecting the parias So next question is B What was Christian Spain and what factors changed it over the same period Muslim control of Spain always concentrated in south and east most urbanized agriculturally exploited and prosperous area therefore remote Christian polities allowed to survive in the north a sort of buffer no man s land in the Meseta limits contact Christian kingdoms politically marginal until 11th century though it is possible that early on they nurture an ideology of reconquest especially in largest kingdom Asturias Only in the 11th century do the Christian polities become major players in peninsular politics still divisions multiple kingdoms and counties but over 11th and 12th centuries gradual coalescing into two main units 1 Leon Castile heir to Asturian and ultimately Visigothic tradition 2 Aragon Navarre linked to Catalonia more European in influences Two changes worthy of note in this period I greater use of military force as instrument of relations with Muslim south number of signature gains Toledo 1085 symbolic currency as old Visigothic capital ideology of RE conquest now emphasized after First Crusade crusading ideas and imagery enter Spain main exemplar Alfonso I of Aragon Navarre 1104 34 steals part of the True Cross from Sahag n liberates Mozarabs on 1125 6 raid into al Andalus evidence of bogus crusade bull in Historia Turpini c 1140 Spain recast as the birthplace of crusading in legend military pressure will culminate in signpost victory of alliance of Christian rulers over the Muslims at Las Navas de Tolosa 1212 But important to remember Muslim Spain still has more than 250 years of life in it II second key change opening up of Christian Spain to European esp French influences e g changes in personnel of Church more contacts with papacy abolition of idiosyncratic customs of Mozarab church more in mainstream huge influence of pilgrimage traffic to major shrine of Santiago de Compostela by c 1100 Compostela on par with Jerusalem and Rome opening up of Christian Spain to European influences especially seen along the pilgrimage route camino franc s French road in architecture growth of towns significant migration Given this unusual combination of cultures and