Al-Andalus: political development, economy and society

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UNIT 2 – THE IBERIAN PENINSULA DURING THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES

1. THE MUSLIM ZONE: AL-ANDALUS

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS BEFORE THE 11TH CENTURY

1. The end of the Visigothic Kingdom

- King Rodrigo’s enemies asked for military aid to the North African Muslims

who sent an army led by Tariq, who defeated Rodrigo at the Battle of

Guadalete in the year 711. The Muslims began to conquer the Iberian

Peninsula.

- Later on, the Muslims were defeated by the Christians at the Battle of

Covadonga in the year 722, by a group of Astures soldiers led by Pelayo.

This is the origin of the Christian Kingdom of Asturias.

THE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF AL-ANDALUS

DEPENDENT EMIRATE

(711 – 756)

Al-Andalus is a province of the Caliphate

of Damascus, with the capital in Córdoba

INDEPENDENT EMIRATE

(756 – 929)

Abderraman I became into the first

Independent Emir, only in politics, not in

religion

CÓRDOBA CALIPHATE

(929 – 1031)

Abderraman III named himself Caliph,

so he gets the independence in religion

too. His general Almanzor began the

expansion of the Caliphate.

TAIFA KINGDOMS

(1031 – 1085)

The Caliphate was divided into small

independent kingdoms called TAIFAS

NORTH AFRICAN EMPIRES

(1085 – 1212)

Almoravids and later Almohads invaded

Al-Andalus

2. THE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY IN AL-ANDALUS

ECONOMY IN AL-ANDALUS

AGRICULTURE Non-irrigated crops (wheat,

grapevines and olives).

New crops and plants (rice, sugar

cane, citrus fruits, palm trees,

pomegranates, saffron and cotton).

Technological advances

(waterwheels, irrigation channels

and wells).

LIVESTOCK FARMING Sheep farming (food and wool)

Bee-keeping (honey)

CRAFTWORK Textiles, ceramics, glass, iron and

leather goods.

TRADE Trade routes with Africa and Eastern

Mediterranean.

Currencies:

- DINAR (gold)

- DIRHAM (silver)

SOCIETY IN AL-ANDALUS

MUSLIMS - Arabs, who were the

dominant group.

- Berbers, from North

Africa and converted to

Islam.

- Muladíes, natives of the

Iberian Peninsula

converted to Islam.

NON-MUSLIMS - Mozarabs, natives or the

Iberian Peninsula who had

NOT converted to Islam

- Jews, who maintained

their own religion in the

SYNAGOGUES

- Slaves, who worked as

servants in the hardest

jobs.

3. THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS FROM THE 8

TH TO THE 10TH

CENTURY

THE CANTABRIAN ZONE

KINGDOM OF ASTURIAS

(OVIEDO)

- Expansion towards the

Duero river

- After Alfonso III ‘s death

the kingdom is divided

into 3 parts: Asturias,

Galicia and León.

- The capital was moved

from Oviedo to LEÓN

KINGDOM OF LEÓN

(LEÓN)

- King of León, Ramiro II,

defeated Abderraman III,

in the Battle of Simancas

(939)

KINGDOM OF CASTILLA

(BURGOS)

- In 1065 the County of

Castilla became

independent from

Navarra under the govern

of Count Fernán González

THE CENTRAL ZONE

KINGDOM OF NAVARRA

(PAMPLONA)

After the Battle of Roncesvalles

(778), Pamplona became

independent from the Franks.

Alliances with Muslims.

After Sancho III’s death the kingdom

was divided into 3 parts: Castilla,

Navarra and Aragón

THE PYRENEAN ZONE – HISPANIC MARCH

CATALAN COUNTIES

(BARCELONA)

Wilfredo the Hairy, Count of

Barcelona, became the county

hereditary.

Borrell II made the County of

Barcelona independent from the

Franks

KINGDOM OF ARAGÓN

(JACA)

In 1035, Ramiro I became the first

independent king of Aragón,

independent from Navarra.

4. THE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY IN THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS

THE ECONOMY IN THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS

AGRICULTURE Subsistence agriculture (cereals)

Use of fallow (land that is left to rest

instead of being cultivated)

LIVESTOCK FARMING Sheep farming

TRADE Bartering system (exchanging

products instead of using money)

SOCIETY IN THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS

NOBLES Landowning nobility

PEASANTS - Vassals, who belonged to

a noble

- Free peasants, who

worked on his land

REPOPULATION

- The Christian Kingdoms reconquered the territories to the Muslims and

began to repopulate them to prevent new Muslim attacks.

- Ways of repopulation:

o Giving plots of land to free peasants

o Awarding fueros (special rights and privileges given to a region)

o Awarding control of the land to the Church – Military Orders