The Spanish (712 On)
The history of Spain
in the Middle Ages is written in three principal chapters: the creation of
Visigothic Spain, then Muslim Spain, and then Reconquista, the reconquest of Spain
by Christians.
The Iberian
peninsula was an appendage of the Roman Empire
that was discarded as the empire disintegrated because it could not be
defended in the face of barbarian invasions that brought devastation to the streets
of Rome itself. The peninsula was
occupied in large part by one of the migrating barbarian groups, the
Visigoths, who had come most recently from the southwestern plains of modern Russia,
displaced by the Huns. The Visigoths became Christian and occupied the center
of the peninsula for several centuries.
When one of the Visigoth lords
appealed to Muslims in North Africa in the 8th century
for aid against the king, the door was opened for Muslim expansion across the
Straits of Gibraltar. Within 50 years the Muslims had taken most of the
peninsula, leaving only small areas in the mountains and to the north outside
their control. Muslim, or Moorish, Spain
quickly developed into one of the most advanced European civilizations of the
Middle Ages. It prospered in relative peace thanks to good agriculture,
trade, coinage, and industry. It benefited from the spread of learning
throughout the Muslim world. Cordoba
became the largest and most sophisticated city in Europe
after Constantinople, featuring a population of over
500,000, wonderful architecture, great works of art, a fabulous library, and
important centers of learning.
Peace and prosperity were
disrupted by internal disruption, however, as important local rulers competed
for overall power, and by external attack, both from the Christian north and
Muslim North Africa. By the middle of the 13th
century, Muslim Spain was reduced to a single kingdom centered on Granada.
The Christian kingdoms of the north gradually ate away at Muslim power,
though their effort was often dispersed when they fought with each other. Portugal
split off and created a separate kingdom. Muslim Granada survived for several
centuries thanks to liberal tribute paid to the Christians to its north and
to clever diplomacy that played their enemies against each other. In 1469,
however, Isabel I of Castile
married Fernando II of Aragon,
uniting the two competing Christian kingdoms and foreshadowing the end of
Muslim Spain.
Spain
of the Middle Ages was a world of contrasts. It featured the great advantages
of a multi-ethnic society, merging Latin, Jewish, Christian, Arab, and Muslim
influences into a unique and rich culture. At the same time, however, many of
these same cultural forces clashed violently. When two different cultures
clash, the result is often grim. The reconquest dragged on for eight
centuries, mirroring the Crusades in the holy land and creating an atmosphere
that became increasingly pitiless and intolerant. The Christian warriors who
eventually expelled the Muslims earned a reputation for being among the best
fighters in Europe.
Granada
fell to the forces of Aragon
and Castile
at the start of 1492, a momentous year, as under the patronage of Queen
Isabel, Christopher Columbus subsequently discovered for Europeans the great continents
of the New World and their native populations.
|
