The Rise and Fall of Al-Andalus: A History of Muslim Spain
Al-Andalus:
the reasons for the Muslims invaded Visigoth state q was suffering from a profound crisis by continuing problems of succession of the monarchy and finally by the momentum q expansive Islam conquered a vast territory from the Maghreb to the Persian empire. The army led by Tariq Berbers crossed the Strait of Gibraltar in 711 to intervene in the Civil War between the Visigoths inheritance problems, a few months later, faced with Rodrigo in the river Guadalete q battle ended with the defeat and disintegration of the Goth army. After the defeat of Roderick, the Visigothic kingdom collapsed without offering little resistance. In a few months Tariq conquered Cordoba, Seville and Toledo. The governor Musa with other soldiers had landed q Visigoth occupied the main cities. There were six stages in the conquest of al-Andalus.
1) dependent Emirate of 711 to 756
Muslim Umayyad Caliph was based in Damascus. Cordoba became the capital of Al-Andalus and the government was led by an emir or governor called q vail resident depended on the caliph in Damascus. The emir was first conquered the area abdelaziz q northern to southern Gaul. The period abdelaziz’s death was marked by Islamic domination leading to rivalries between the major factions of the Arab aristocracy, and by conflict with the Berbers, but these conflicts did not prevent the expansion of the Pyrenees with forays into Narbonne and tulousa. The defeat of Poitiers against the Swiss ended the expeditions through southern Gaul. The various governors clashed over the issue of tax collection and the issue of land distribution. Serious were the continued payment of taxes and the allocation of the worst pieces of land after the conquest, and one of the most important battles of Covadonga was the q was the resumption of the reconquest. In 740 a revolt Maghreb q Arab rule ended in the area. The Arab armies sent by the Caliph of Damascus to halt the rebellion was defeated but one of them crossed through the Gibraltar Ceuta. The Umayyad dynasty was overthrown from power by the Abbasid dynasty, led by ousted q Umayyad family, but one was q q Abd al-Rahman fled to al-Andalus and the backing of the Syrians, Yemenis and partly of Berber beat the emir in Córdoba, occupying the capital and proclaimed emir in 756.
Emirate independent from 756 to 929
Abd al-Rahman I established the independent emirate of Cordoba, the q mean the foundation of a new state q emirs exercise the political and military power independently, respecting the religious authority of the caliph of Baghdad. With the Umayyads in the Middle East formed the basis of political, military and administrative infrastructure of new status and this served to establish his own dynasty at the head of the emirate were made military aceifas penalties against the Christian kingdoms in the north. He picked up the administrative organization to make independent and reorganized tax collection and improving efficiency and creating a permanent mercenary army. There were conflicts between the central Cordoba and the governors of the territories known brands and other border provinces had social problems and Arabic population Muladí by increasing the tax burden and deteriorating relations between Christians and Muslims
The caliphate of 929 -1031
First came to power abd al-rahman III q with military victories gave him the prestige of being proclaimed caliph in 929 and to pacify the Andalusian region devoted to subduing the frontier marks were Badajoz and Toledo q and these actions and others like reorganizing the tax collection and to centralize their management for economic resources, enabled him to strengthen the state structure.Appointment as caliph also gave religious supremacy, political and military, the administration said as prime minister. Extracted taxes allowed the payment of a powerful mercenary army made up of Berbers and slaves. He stopped the advance of Christian kingdoms in the north, increased its influence in the Maghreb and organized a protectorate of the Umayyads. When he died happened to al-Hakam II, q had an intellectual and artistic momentum q promoted in al-Andalus. The end of the caliphate comes to the death of al-Hakam II q after it began a period of loss of effective power of the caliphs, who ruled the caliphate but al-Mansur was a great hachib q succeeded in concentrating political and military power. He formed a new army of Christian mercenaries q Berbers and allowed him to make major military campaigns against the Christians called looting raids, these attacks were justified by reference to holy war against infidels. At his death his sons succeeded him in office hachib and exercise of effective power to 1009 by political instability and continuing plots.
Taifas from the early eleventh century caliphate weakness led to a multitude of small independent states called Taifa, but these states were at odds among themselves, their weakness facilitated the intervention of the Christian kingdoms in their rivalries, their support was paid for with outcasts (q paid tribute to the Muslim kingdoms some Christian kings in order to obtain military protection and not be attacked). Given the growing threat of Christian expansionism, the major Taifa kingdoms sought help from the Almoravids.
Q were North African Berber q professed the principles of Islam. The Almoravids led by Tashfin crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and defeated the Spaniards in Sagrajas, later occupied several Taifa but brake valence. Its dominance was based on military occupation and the imposition of strict religious orthodoxy.
Almohades were now dominating the Maghreb in 1146. The defeat of Toulouse craft in 1212 versus Castilian King Alfonso VIII marked the beginning of the decline in al-Andalus Almohad. His weakness was evident in the loss of Cordoba at the hands of Fernando III and in the riots of the Andalusian population. The fragmentation of political power led to the emergence of a third Taifa q were falling into Christian hands except the kingdom of Granada.
Nazari Kingdom of Granada
From the thirteenth century and until the end of XV the kingdom of Granada remained the only political entity Andalus. In the consolidated power of the Nazari dynasty. The Nazari kingdom reached its zenith during the fourteenth century with a great cultural and economic development. Finally, the RRCC Boabdil surrender pact with pomegranate, q was carried out in 1492.