History of the Moors of Spain

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Title: History of the Moors of Spain

Author: M. Florian

Release Date: August 16, 2007 [EBook #22337]

Language: English

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF THE MOORS OF SPAIN ***

Produced by Al Haines

HISTORY

OF THE

MOORS OF SPAIN

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH ORIGINAL OF

M. FLORIAN.

TO WHICH IS ADDED,

A BRIEF NOTICE OF ISLAMISM

NEW YORK

HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,

329 & 331 PEARL STREET,

FRANKLIN SQUARE

[Transcriber's note: Page numbers in this book are indicated by numbers enclosed in curly braces, e.g. {99}. They have been located where page breaks occurred in the original book, in accordance with Project Gutenberg's FAQ-V-99.]

[Transcriber's note: This book contains a number of variations in the spelling of some words/names, e.g. Haccham/Hacchem, Gengis/Zengis (Khan), etc.]

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1840 by

Harper & Brothers,

In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York

{v}

PUBLISHERS' ADVERTISEMENT.

We are accustomed to look upon the followers of the Arabian Prophet as little better than barbarians, remarkable chiefly for ignorance, cruelty, and a blind and persecuting spirit of fanaticism. As it regards the character of the Mohammedans at the present day, and, indeed, their moral and intellectual condition for the last two centuries, there is no great error in this opinion. But they are a degenerated race. There has been a period of great brilliancy in their history, when they were distinguished for their love of knowledge, and the successful cultivation of science and the arts; nor is it too much to say, that to them Christian Europe is indebted for the generous impulse which led to the revival of learning in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Of the various nations of the great Moslem family, none were more {vi} renowned in arts, as well as arms, than the Moorish conquerors of Spain, whose history is contained in the following pages. The French original of this work has long enjoyed a deservedly high reputation; and the translation here offered is by an American lady, whose literary taste and acquirements well qualified her for the task.

A sketch of Mohammedan history, &c., from Rev. S. Greene's Life of Mohammed, has been appended at the close of the volume, to present to the reader a comprehensive view of that very remarkable people, of whom the Moors of Spain formed so distinguished a branch.

H. & B.

New York, October, 1840.

{vii}

CONTENTS

FIRST EPOCH

PAGE

  The Origin of the Moors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

  The Arabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

  The Birth of Mohammed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

  Religion of Mohammed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

  The Progress of Islamism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

  Victories of the Mussulmans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

  New Conquests of the Mohammedans . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

  The Moors become Mussulmans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

  Condition of Spain under the Goths . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

  Conquest of Spain by the Moors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

  The Viceroys of Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

  Insurrection of Prince Pelagius . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

  Abderamus attempts the Conquest of France . . . . . . . . 39

  He penetrates as far as the Loire . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

  The Battle of Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

  Civil Wars distract Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

SECOND EPOCH.

  The Kings of Cordova become the Caliphs of the West . . . 45

  The Asiatic Mussulmans divide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

  The Dynasty of the Ommiades lose the Caliphate . . . . . . 48

  Horrible Massacre of the Ommiades . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

  An Ommiade Prince repairs to Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

  Abderamus, the first Caliph of the West . . . . . . . . . 53

{viii}

  Reign of Abderamus I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

  Religion and Fêtes of the Moors of Spain . . . . . . . . . 55

  Civil Wars arise among the Moors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

  The Reigns of Hacchem I. and of Abdelazis . . . . . . . . 58

  Reign of Abderamus II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

  Condition of the Fine Arts at Cordova . . . . . . . . . . 60

  Anecdote of Abderamus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

  Reigns of Mohammed, Almouzir, and Abdalla . . . . . . . . 62

  Reign of Abderamus III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

  Embassy from a Greek Emperor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

  Magnificence and Gallantry of the Moors . . . . . . . . . 64

  Description of the City and Palace of Zahra . . . . . . . 65

  Wealth of the Caliphs of Cordova . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

  The Fine Arts cultivated at Cordova . . . . . . . . . . . 71

  Reign of El Hacchem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

  Laws of the Moors, and their Mode of administering Justice 75

  Authority possessed by Fathers and old Men . . . . . . . . 77

  An Illustration of the Magnanimity of El Hakkam . . . . . 78

  Reign of Hacchem III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

  Successful Rule of Mohammed Almonzir as Hadjeb under

    the imbecile Hacchem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

  Disorders at Cordova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

  End of the Caliphate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

THIRD EPOCH.

  The principal Kingdoms erected from the Ruins of the

    Caliphate of the West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

  Condition of Christian Spain at this Juncture . . . . . . 88

  The Kingdom of Toledo; its Termination . . . . . . . . 87, 88

  Success of the Christians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

  The Cid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

  The Kingdom of Seville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

  The Dynasty of the Almoravides hold Supremacy in Africa . 92

{ix}

  Conquests of the Almoravides in Spain . . . . . . . . . . 93

  French Princes repair to Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

  Extinction of the Kingdom of Saragossa . . . . . . . . . . 95

  Foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal . . . . . . . . . . 95

  State of the Fine Arts among the Moors at this Period . . 97

  Abenzoar and Averroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

  Dissensions between the Moors and Christians . . . . . . . 98

  The Africans, under Mohammed the Green, land in Spain . 100

  Battle of Toloza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102-104

  Tactics of the Moors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

  The discomfited Mohammed returns to Africa . . . . . . . . 109

  Extent of the Territories still retained by the Moors

    in Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

  St. Ferdinand and Jaques I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

  Valencia is attacked by the Aragonians . . . . . . . . . . 113

  Siege of Cordova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

  Surrender of Valencia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

FOURTH EPOCH.

  The Kings of Grenada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

  The Condition of the Moors; their Despondency . . . . . . 118

  Mohammed Alhamar; his Character and Influence with his

    Countrymen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

  He founds the Kingdom of Grenada . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

  Description of the City of Grenada and its Vega . . . . 121

  Extent and Resources of this Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . 123

  Reign of Mohammed Alhamar I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

  The Moorish Sovereign becomes the Vassal of the King

    of Castile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

  Ferdinand III. besieges Seville . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

  The Taking of Seville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

  Revenues of the Kings of Grenada . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

  Military Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

  Cavalry of the Moors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

{x}

  Disturbances in Castile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

  Reign of Mohammed II. El Fakik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

  He forms a League with the King of Morocco . . . . . . . . 134

  Misfortunes of Alphonso of Castile . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

  Interview between Alphonso and the Sovereign of Morocco . 134

  State of Learning and the Fine Arts under Mohammed al

    Mumenim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

  Description of the Alhambra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

  The Court of Lions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

  The Generalif . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

  Mohammed III. El Hama, or the Blind, ascends the Throne

    of Grenada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

  Troubles in Grenada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

  Reign of Mohammed IV. Abenazar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

  Reign of Ismael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

  Reign of Mohammed V. and of Joseph I. . . . . . . . . . . 152

  The Battle of Salado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

  Successive Reigns of Mohammed VI. and Mohammed VII. . . . 154

  Horrible Crime of Peter the Cruel of Castile . . . . . . . 150

  Condition of Spain—of Europe in general . . . . . . 156, 157

  Mohammed VI. reassumes the Crown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

  Reign of Mohammed VIII. Abouhadjad . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

  Favourite Literary and Scientific Pursuits of the Moors

    under the munificent Rule of Abouhadjad . . . . . . . . 160

  Universal prevalence of a Taste for Fiction

    among the Arabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

  Music and Gallantry of the Moors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

  The mixture of Refinement and Ferocity in the Character

    of the Moors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

  Description of the Women of Grenada . . . . . . . . . . . 169

  The national Costume of both Sexes . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

  Moorish Customs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

  Folly of the Grand-master of Alcantara . . . . . . . . . . 172

  The Result of his Expedition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

  Dreadful Death of Joseph II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

  Mohammed IX. usurps the Throne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

  Singular Escape of a condemned Prince . . . . . . . . . . 176

{xi}

  Generous Disposition of Joseph III. . . . . . . . . . . . 176

  Disturbed Condition of the Kingdom after his Death . . . . 177

  A rapid Succession of Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177, 178

  Reign of Ismael II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

  The Miseries of War most severely felt by the Cultivator

    of the Soil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

  Mulei-Hassem succeeds Ismael II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

  Marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

  The respective Characters of these Sovereigns . . . . . . 181

  They declare War against the Grenadians . . . . . . . . . 182

  Statesmen and Soldiers of the Spanish Court . . . . . . . 182

  Stern Reply of the Grenadian King . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

  Alhama is Surprised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

  Civil War is kindled in Grenada by the Feuds of the

    Royal Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

  Boabdil is proclaimed King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

  Cause of the ambitious hopes of Zagal . . . . . . . . . . 185

  Boabdil is taken Prisoner by the Spaniards . . . . . . . . 186

  The politic Spanish Rulers restore Boabdil to Liberty . . 187

  The Moors become their own Destroyers . . . . . . . . . . 187

  Death of Mulei-Hassem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

  Boabdil and his Uncle divide the Relics of Grenada

    between them . .