Thisbooktracesthepoliticalevolutionofthe Iberianpeninsulafromacollection oflate Roman imperial provinces to the Spanish and Portuguese monarchies of the fifteenth century. That evolution is explained initially as a product ofthe interaction of the geography of Iberia and the successive invasions of it by the Visigoths in the fifth and sixth centuries and the Muslim invasion of the eighthcentury. Thecharacterofthe Muslimorganizationofpeninsularsocietyis discussedanditsfailure toachieveastable politicalorderisassessed. The rival cultures ofIberia came increasingly under the influence ofEurope north of the Pyrenees and, as the peninsula developed agriculturally and institutionally, acted as the vanguard ofthat western European culture. Never theless, the different opportunities offered by the peculiarities ofterrain and the relativeweaknessofthe Islamicpowerconfrontingthelnledtotheemergenceof thevarietyofChristiankingdomswhosepartialconsolidationhadonlyjustbegun bythelateMiddleAges. Cambridge Medieval Textbooks THE MEDIEVAL SPAINS Cambridge Medieval Textbooks 1bis is a series of specially commissioned textbooks for teachers and students, designed to complement the monograph series Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and 1bought by providing introductions to a range of topics in medieval history. This series combines both chronological and thematic approaches, and will deal with British and European topics. All volumes intheserieswill be publishedin hardcovers and in paperback. For a list oftitles in the series, see end ofbook. THE MEDIEVAL SPAINS BERNARD F. REILLY ProfessorofHistory, Villanova University CAMBRIDGE ££: UNIVERSITY PRESS 11£ PUBLIHSED BYT HE PRESSS YNDICAET OF THE UNIVERSITOYF CAMBRIDGE TheP itBtu ildiTnrugm,p ingtSotnr eetC,a mbridgUen,i teKidn gdom CAMBRIDGE UNIVERPSRIETSYS TheE dinburBguhi ldiCnagm,b ridCgBe2 2 RU,U K 40W est2 0tSht ree,tN ew YorkN,Y I o oI I -42II ,U SA IOS tamfoRroda d,O akleiVgIhC,3 I 66A,u stralia Ruizd eAl arconI 3,2 80IM4a driSdp,a in DockH ousTeh,e W aterfroCnatp,eT own 8001S,o utAfrhi ca htt:p!/ www.cambriodrgge . Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/978052I3943 6 9 © CambridUgnei versPirteysI 9s 9 3 Thibs ookis i nc opyrigShutb.j etcots tatuteoxrcye ption andt ot hep roviiosnosf r elenvtca olleclitcievnes ianggr eements, nor eproducotfia onnyp armta yt akpel acwei thout thew rittpeenr missioofnC ambridUgnei versPirteys s. Firpsutb lisIh9e9d3 ReprintIe9d9 4I,9 96I,9 992,0 00 A catalroegcufoeor rdt hibso oiks a vailfarbolmte h eB ritLiisbhra ry LibraorfCy o ngreCsast alogiuniP nugb licadtaitoan ReillBye,r naF.r,dI 925- Them edievSapla inIsB ernaF.r dR eilly. p. em.-(Cambridmgeed ievtaelx tbooks) ISBoN 5 2I 394386 ( hardba-cIkS)B oN 5 2I 39743I ( paperback) I.S pai-nHisto-r7yII -I5I 6I..T itlIeIS.. e ries. DP99-R3I7959 3 946'.02-9d2c-2203 3C7I9P ISBoN 5 2I 394386 h ardback ISB0N 5 2I 39 74 I pa3p erback Transfetrord eidgi ptrailn t2i0n0g4 CONTENTS Maps pageisx- Xli i I Att hee dgeo fe mpire 1 Thet imoef t roubles 7 A seconVdi sigotkhiincg dom 12 2 TheG ermanikci ngdomi nI beri5a6,9- 7II 17 Thec ountryasniddt eh em agnates 20 Commercaen dc ity 24 Intellelcitfiuenaa ln eww orld 27 Lawa ndi nstitutions 33 Thec lasVsiisci gotkhiincg dom 39 3 Iberiaan dt hed ar-al-Is7l1a1m-,I 009 51 Governmeanntds ocieitnay l -Andalus 56 "Thec ourosefc iviliziasfrt oimo ena sttow est" 6r Theh igchu ltuorfea sl -Andalus 67 Theo theIrb eria 74 Thew axinagn dw aninogf a l-Andalus 79 Vll Vlll Contents 4 Christiraenc onquainsdtM ar icanE mpire1,00 9-1157 90 Thes avagionfag i -Andalus 96 Thep roliferoafCt hiroins tkiianng doimnst hen orth I04 Thea ssaounlM tu rabiItb eria I I 5 Thes tructoufer lee venatnhd-t welfth-cesnotcuireyt ies I1 6 Highc ultuirnee l evenatnhd-t welfth-century IberIi2aI 5 Thed efinitioofnl beriaaunt onomy1:1 57-1295 I29 Thec ontewsitt thh eM uwahhid I33 Thes inewosft riumph I39 Politsioccaile utnyd etrh em onarchy I44 Thoughitt,vs e hicalnedsi tesn velopes I5 3 6 Thee volutioofnt hem edievaolr deirn I beria I6o Socieatnydi tcsr itics I72 Them aturter aditainodtn h ei ntellelcitfuea l I86 7 Thep assionfgm edievaIlb eri1a2,4 8-1474 I90 TheM udejalrisf:ae m idstth ei nfidel 195 Towardtsh ed estrucotfiI obne riJaenw ry 198 Thea ggrandizemoefCn ats tile 203 An introdubcitbolryi ography 2IO Index 215