MEDIEVAL SPAIN----------------

5TH PRIMARYCOLEGIO SAGRADOS CORAZONES

(SANTO DOMINGO DE LA CALZADA)

I - VISIGOTHIC SPAIN (5th century AD - 711 AD)

In the 5th century some barbarian tribes from north and eastern Europe attacked the Empire. They were the Germanic tribes.

1.1 The end of the Roman Empire

In the 3rd century the Roman Empire began to weaken.The army was not strong anymore and the borders of the empire were unprotected.

Germanic warriors attack the Roman army

In 476 AD, the last Roman Emperor was defeated and the Western Empire divided into several small Germanic Kingdoms.The Fall of the Roman Empire is the landmark to begin the Middle Ages.

1.2 The Germanic Kingdoms

Europe about 500 AD.

1.3 The Visigothic Kingdom Some years before the Fall of the Roman Empire, the Visigoths arrived in Southern France and Spain. Later, they were expelled from France by another Germanic tribe, the Franks. The Visigoths established a kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, with Toledo as its capital.

Visigothic Kingdom in Southern France and Spain (5th and 6th centuries)

The Visigoths decided to speak in Latin, to use Roman laws and to adopt the Catholic religion in all their territories.They built many churches using the horseshoe arch. They were good goldsmiths too.

1.4 Visigothic art and culture

Visigothic crownVisigothic church

Horseshoe arch

There are many words of Visigothic origin in Spanish language, such as aspa, barón, brida, botín, dardo, espuela, hacha, tapa or yelmo.

Visigothic window

Horseshoe arch

Visigothic brooch

II - ISLAMIC SPAIN(711 AD – 1492 AD)

Soon they conquered almost the whole Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. The Muslims were nor Christians. They professed the Islamic religion.

2.1 The end of the Visigothic Kingdom

In 711 A.D. the Muslims from North Africa attacked the Visigothic Kingdom and defeated it in the battle of Guadalete.

In the battle of Guadalete (711 AD) a Muslim army defeated the Visigoths.

In 756 A.D. al-Andalus was converted into an emirate (province) because it was ruled by an Emir.The Emir of Córdoba obeyed the Caliph of Damascus, in Syria (Asia).

They called this land al-Andalus and they established their capital in Córdoba.The only area free of their domination was the mountainous North of the Peninsula, were the Christian Visigoths resisted.

2.2 al-Andalus: the Emirate

al-Andalus in 756 AD.

The Caliphs were supreme rulers. They took all the political and religious decisions. The capital of the Caliphate was Córdoba, which became the greatest city in Western Europe.

2.3 al-Andalus: the Caliphate

In the 10th century al-Andalus became independent from Damascus and turned into a Caliphate, a territory ruled by a Caliph. The Caliph of Cordoba receives a Christian embassy

Along the times of Caliphate of Cordoba the Muslims and Christians were in constant fight. One of the bravest and most intelligent of the Islamic military leaders in al-Andalus was Almanzor, who even destroyed Santiago de Compostela, one of the most important Christian cities.

Andalusian warriors.

In the 11th century the Caliphate of Cordoba disappeared and al Andalus split into small kingdoms called taifas.The Taifa Kingdoms fought each other and against the Christians.

The Christian Kingdoms took advantage of the division of the Taifa Kingdoms. Little by little, the Christian Kingdoms conquered the Islamic territories.

2.4 al-Andalus: the Taifa Kingdoms

Al-Andalus in 1036 AD: the Taifa Kingdoms

After this battle the Christian Kings conquered almost all the Muslim Kingdoms, except the Nazari Kingdom of Granada, which became the last Muslim Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. It was conquered by the Christian Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon in 1492.

In 1212 there was a huge battle in Las Navas de Tolosa (province of Jaén). The Christian Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon and Navarre won the battle against the Muslim troops.

2.5 The end of al-Andalus

Battle between Muslims and Christians.

Islam is the religion of Muslims. It was born in the Arabic Peninsula. There, in the 7th century, Muhammad began to speak about the existence of a One God, Allah. The doctrine of Allah is in the Koran, which is the sacred book for the Muslims.

2.6 The Islamic religion

The Koran is the sacred book for the Muslims.

Every Muslim must fulfill five duties: To accept Allah as the One God and Muhammad as His Prophet. To pray five times a day To go on a pilgrimage to Mecca (in Arabia) once in a lifetime. To fast during the month of Ramadan. To give alms to poor.

Muslims go to mosques to pray and to study their religion´s precepts.

The Kaaba, in Mecca (Arabia).

The inside of the mosque is formed by a yard that provides access to the prayer hall. That is the most important area of the mosque.

2.7 The mosque

The mosque is the building where the Muslims gather to pray and to study the precepts of Islam. Every city had one or more mosques..From the minaret, or tower, the muezzin calls the believers for the prayer. Drawing of a mosque

The Muladíes were former Christians who had converted to Islam.The Mozarabs were Christians under the rule of the Muslims in al-Andalus.The Jews were a minority. They lived in separate quarters in the cities.1

2.8 Society

The society in al-Andalus was composed by people of different religions.The Muslims were the most powerful group. They occupied the ruling roles in government and owned most of the best lands.

Social classes in al-Andalus

Most of the Andalusi people lived in the countryside.Muslims introduced many new crops in Spain, such as artichokes, oranges, aubergines, cotton and rice. They built new methods of irrigation and built canals (acequias) and waterwheels.

2.9 The countryside

Waterwheel

New crops brought by the Muslims to Spain

Artichokes

Rice

Aubergines

The cities were surrounded by walls and their governors lived in the alcázar, a fortified palace. The streets were narrow and sinuous. In the center of the city was the souk (zoco) or market, where people traded and met with other people. Besides, in every city there were mosques.

2.10 The city

An andalusian city

2.11 Culture and legacy

From the 10th century on al-Andalus became a very important cultural center where famous doctors, astronomers and philosophers taught in Universities and studied in libraries. Some of them were the Muslim Averroes or the Jew Maimonides.Muslims were also interested in Literature, Mathematics and Astronomy. They took paper and silkworms from China, the compass and the numerals that we use, taken from India, including the numeral zero.

The cordobese doctor Averroes

Nowadays we still conserve many features from the islamic culture. For example, many words (not only in Spanish language) are of Arabic origin, such as aceite, naranja, sandía, limón, zanahoria, bellota, acequia, noria, gandul, rubia, olé, mazmorra, rincón, chisme, jirafa, joroba, jinete, alcohol, baño, almohada, hazaña, hasta, ajedrez or alcalde; or the names of many places, such as Madrid, Albacete or Albelda.

2.12 The influence of Arabic language

Two Muslims playing chess (Ajedrez)

The Islamic architecture mainly used bricks decorated with paintings, tiles and plasterboards. They also used a great variety of arches. One of them was the horseshoe arch, like in Visigothic art. They liked gardens and ponds. Some of the most famous Islamic buildings of the world are in Spain: The Córdoba Mosque, the Palace of La Alhambra in Granada or the Palace of Aljafería, in Zaragoza.

2.13 Andalusi art

Mosque of Córdoba

Palace of Alhambra (Granada)

III -THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS(722 AD – 1492 AD)

the Kingdom of Asturias, which later became the Kingdom of León. The County of Castile (later Kingdom of Castile), The Kingdom of Pamplona (later Kingdom of Navarre), The Kingdom of Aragón and The Catalan Counties.

3.1 The formation of the Christian Kingdoms

The northern Christians put up great resistance against the Muslims. In 722 A.D. a Visigothic army defeated the Muslims in the battle of Covadonga (Asturias).Later, the Christians were organized in different kingdoms and counties:The Iberian Peninsula in 1036 AD

As time passed, the Christians joined together and formed four great kingdoms: the Crown of Castile, the Crown of Aragón, the Kingdom of Navarre and the kingdom of Portugal. At first La Rioja, our Autonomous Region, belonged to the Kingdom of Nájera-Pamplona and later to the Crown of Castile.

The Christian Kingdoms fought for almost eight centuries against the Muslims to conquer their territories and recover the old Visigothic territory. That is the reason why this period is known as "The Reconquista".

3.2 The Reconquista

The Iberian Peninsula in 1210 AD

In 1212 the Christian kingdoms joined together and defeated the Muslims in the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. This was a decisive blow against the Muslims in the Peninsula.

In the following centuries, the Kingdom of Castile conquered most Andalucía and the Kingdom of Aragón conquered Valencia and the Balearic Islands.

3.3 The Christian advance

King Jaime I, “The Conqueror”, of Aragón

King Alfonso X, “The Wise”, of Castile

The Christian advance finished in 1492, when the Catholic Kings, Isabel of Castile and Fernando of Aragón, conquered the Kingdom of Granada, the last Muslim territory in the Iberian Peninsula. This put an end to the Reconquista after eight centuries of wars.

3.4 The end of the Reconquista

Boabdil, the last king of Granada, surrenders. (1492 AD).

Isabel, Queen of CastileFernando, King of AragónBoabdil

The society in the Christian kingdoms was divided into three groups or classes: nobility, clergy and the common people. Among them you can find Christians, Muslims and Jews.

3.5 The societySocial classes in the Christian kingdoms.

The nobility (nobles, lords and knights), who were vassals of the kings, that is, they depended on him. They lived in castles and their main activity was war.

3.6 The noblemen

Medieval knights.

The clergy was formed by bishops, abbots, abbesses, priests, monks and nuns). Monks and nuns lived in monasteries. They were dedicated to praying, medicine, helping the poor and culture.

Monks working in a monastery. They copied books.

3.7 The clergy

The tomb of Urraca Díaz de Haro, abess of the monastery of Cañas (La Rioja).

Most of the common people were peasants who lived in small villages and worked as farmers. Some were artisans or traders and were freemen, Other were serfs, depended on a nobleman or an abbot and had no rights. There were also Muslims living under the rule of Christians: these were the Mudejars. They were very good gardeners.

3.8 The common peopleSerfs harvesting.

Many Jew and Mudejar farmers stayed in their lands when they were conquered by the Christians. In addition, other Christian and Mozarab (Christians who had escaped from al-Andalus) farmers came.As a result of it people of three different religions lived in the Christian kingdoms: Christians, Muslims (Mudejars) and Jews.

3.9 The repopulation

The Christian kings needed to occupy the conquered lands with people to farm and to defend them. This occupation is known as repopulation.

The house of a medieval farmer.

Fiefs worked as little countries. In their territories, the lords or owners administered justice, had their own armies, collected taxes, controlled the serfs who worked for them and even coined their own money.

When the conquered territories were too large and under populated the king gave them to chief nobles or to some monasteries, thereby becoming great owners. These large territories were the fiefs.

3.10 A fief

Drawing of a fief.

The cities were divided into quarters. The people who lived in the cities were the burghers. Most of them were artisans and worked as traders. Jews lived in separated quarters. They were good traders and doctors.

3.11 Life in a Christian city

In the Middle Ages, most of population were peasants and they lived in small villages. But from the 13th century on, the cities grew thanks to the rise of commerce.

A medieval city.

Walls

Marketplace

Cathedral

There was a large open area, the marketplace, where artisans and traders installed their stalls. There took place the most important events in the city.Cities were ruled by a council in which traders and artisans participated. This was the origin of modern city halls.

Medieval cities were surrounded by walls and their gates were closed by night. The main buildings were the cathedral (the most important church, made of stone), the town hall and the palaces of nobles and wealthiest traders.

The marketplace

Traders gathered in fairs, where products from different places arrived.Commerce made some cities prosper. Thus, bigger and more attractive buildings were built, such as palaces, cathedrals and universities. These were teaching centers that gave prestige to the cities in which they were.

3.12 CommerceCommerce was an important activity at the end of the Middle Ages. Traders or dealers lived in the cities and exchanged their products in the marketplaces.Medieval traders

Those dedicated to the same job lived in a street named following that job. For example, Coopers' street, Cutlers´street, Tanners' street..The craftsmen who had the same job gathered in guilds. There were three categories among craftsmen: master (who owned the workshops), skilled workers and apprentices.

3.13 Craftwork

Many of the inhabitants of the medieval cities were craftsmen: carpenters, weavers, blacksmiths...Craftsmen worked in workshops.

A street in Madrid named following the guild of the Cutlers.

The craft workshops were buildings

owned by a master craftsman. They were homes and

workshops at the same time.

In the ground floor was the shop, where

all the products made in the

workshop were offered.

An emblem referring to that activity was put in the outside of the building. The workshop itself was in the first floor. There, the apprentices and skilled workers had their tools and materials required to make their products.In the upper floor were the dormitories, the kitchen and the dining room.

Emblem of a cobbler (a shoe maker)

3.14 The Toledo School of Translators

Alfonso Xth of Castile supported the School

The city of Toledo was an important cultural center. Many Muslim, Jew and Christian scholars went there and translated classic Arabic and hebrew literary works to Latin.

In architecture the main characteristic is the use of stone and the round arch. In those days many churches, monasteries and cathedrals with thick walls and small windows were built, so that the inside was very dark.

3.15 The Romanesque art

During the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries an artistic style called Romanesque developed in Christian Europe. Through the Road to Santiago this new style came to the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula.

Church of Santa María de la Piscina

Some Romanesque churches survive in La Rioja, such as the apse and other parts of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, the church of La Concepción in Treviana or the church of Santa María de la Piscina in Peciña.

Round arch

Small windows

Stone

Thick walls

The apse of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. 12th century.

Walls were decorated with paintings depicting religious scenes which transmitted the teachings of the Bible. This was very useful because in the Middle Ages few people could read or write.Paintings are made with bright colours and with thick black lines.

Facades, doors and columns were decorated with sculptures. In these sculptures religious and mythological, vegetal and geometric motifs are shown.

Bright colours

Painted on a wall

Religious scene (The Three Wise Men adoring the Virgin and Child Jesus)

Thick black lines

3.16 The Gothic art

During the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries a new artistic style called Gothic developed.The Gothic cathedrals and churches used the pointed arch an were more illuminated than the Romanesque ones. They had large rose windows and stained glass windows. Thanks to the new techniques churches were taller and their pointed towers seemed to touch the sky.

Pointed archLarge stained glass rose window

Tall towers

Cathedral of León.

Gothic paintings and sculptures represented religious figures. They were more realistic and showed more movement than the Romanesque ones.We have some Gothic buildings in La Rioja, such as the cloister of the cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, the churches of Santa María la Real in Nájera and San Juan Bautista in Grañón and the monastery of Cañas.

Gothic sculptures of the Apostles in the door of a Cathedral

Religious figures (Apostles of Jesus)

Realism in faces and clothes

We have some Gothic buildings in La Rioja, such as the cloister of the cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, the churches of Santa María la Real in Nájera and San Juan Bautista in Grañón and the monastery of Cañas.1

Cloister of the monastery of Santa María la Real of Nájera. 16th century.

Pointed arches