LESSON 1ISLAM AND AL-ANDALUS

FIVE MINUTES to READ pages 12 and 13.

VOCABULARY

• Visigothic Kingdom Reino Visigodo

• Dependent Emirate Emirato Dependiente

MAIN DATES

• 711 Battle of Guadalete

• 756 Abd-al-Rahman became Independent Emir of Cordoba

1.4. Islam in Iberian Peninsula

• 1.4.1. The Conquest – In 711, there was a civil war in the Visigothic

Kingdom between Roderick, or Rodrigo, adn the family of Witiza, a king’s relative.

– Witiza asked Muslims in North Africa for help– The governor of this region, Musa, and his

general Tariq, took their troops to the peninsula and defeated Roderick at the Battle of Guadalete

continues

1.4. Islam in Iberian Peninsula

• (…continuation)– Musa and Tariq did not give power back to the

Visigothic. Instead, in just four years, their armies occupied most of the Iberian Peninsula.

– They made peace with visigothics main people, with richest one, and a few years they controlled all Iberian Peninsula except the north-west.

– They called the territories in their power Al-Andalus

1.4. Islam in Iberian Peninsula

• 1.4.2. Dependent Emirate of Damascus – Al-Andalus was ruled by an emir or governor,

under the Umayyad Caliphate of Damascus– Cordoba became the capital of this new Emirate

1.4. Islam in Iberian Peninsula

• 1.4.3. Independent Emirate of Cordoba – In 750, the Umayyad family was assassinated,

but one of its members, Abd-al-Rahman, managed (se las arregló) to escape

– He reached the Iberian Peninsula, where he took power

– In 756, he became Emir of Cordoba with the name Abd-al-Rahman I. As independent emirs, the rulers of Al-Andalus no longer obeyed the Caliph, although they recognised his religious authority

Links and photoshttp://www.legadoandalusi.es/es/fundacion/principal/historia-alandalus/

http://www.historiasiglo20.org/HE/2.htm

ACTIVITIES

• What happened in 711?

• What do you remember about Visigothics?

• What is the difference between Emir and Caliph?