[MUSIC] [MUSIC] The Islamic Conquest at Visigothic Spain began in 711 CE, but there were a series of important precursor events in the Mediterranean world that facilitated its success. Not only had Islamic civilization rapidly sprung out of Arabia and into present day Syria during the 7th century The Muslims made quick work at the Byzantine Empire's holding to North Africa. With the Byzantine's loss of Egypt in 644 to the Muslim caliph Umar, a significant military roadblock was removed from Islam's western expansion along the North African coast. By 670, the Umayyad Caliphate out of Damascus had established a permanent military base in Tunisia. And in 681, a Muslim army under the leadership of ibn Nafi arrived in the Atlantic coast of North Africa. At this time, Spain was ripe for conquest. The Islamic Conquest of Visigothic Spain was brief and expeditious. It lasted just from 711 to 719. And in those few short years, less than a decade, Islamic civilization would come to dominate at minimum two-thirds of the Iberian Peninsula, and vastly reshape its political and cultural trajectory. Both Islamic and Christian sources speak of the initial conquest. And we can turn to the Chronicle 754 which details a complex picture of internal disorder in the Visigothic state, multiple invading Muslim military parties and critical captures of Visigothic cities. The Chronicle records that in 711, King Roderic extended to the kingship of Visigothic Hispania with the death of former King Wittiza. And with the limited support of the Visigothic nobility, although the succession details are uncertain, King Roderic's crowning was opposed by the other members of the Visigothic nobility, namely his brother, Achila II. As a result, the Visigoths fell into a civil war as Achila II and Roderic wrestled for political supremacy. At that precise moment the Muslim conquest commenced. King Roderic met the Muslims, specifically a war party led by Tariq ibn Ziyad at the Battle of the Guadalete River. The Visigoths suffered a resounding defeat. At this calamitous event, it was believed the Visigoth army was quite factionalized. And Roderic actually attacked, in a preemptive strike, portions of his own army led by his Visigothic rivals. Further, Roderic met his own demise in the battle. In addition to Tariq's Muslim War Party, his superior and governor of North Africa, Musa ibn Nasyr, also entered Hispania and took the city of Cadiz, Visigothic Capital of Toledo in 711 to 712. Now at this point we have to take a breather and think about the author of the Latin Chronicle 754, also known as the Mozarabic Chronicle, or the Chronicle of Isidore of Beja. We must take in account who is the author of the chronicle, and he was most likely a christian. And in unambiguous terms he speaks of the slaughter and the devastation of many cities across the Iberian Peninsula, which stands in contrast to other documents we have. Such as surrender treaties for cities in Iberia where Muslims generally applied the principles of the people of the book, and dhimmi, or the protected people, and allowed Christians and Jews to continue to worship as long as they were loyal to the political structure. The author of the Chronicle describes Governor Musa's advance in this way, and his treatment of Spain during the invasion in this manner. Musa himself invaded Spain, plundered and godlessly destroyed it. After forcing his way to Toledo, the royal city, he imposed on the adjacent regions an evil and fraudulent peace. He decapitated on the scaffold those noble lords who had remained, arresting them in their flight from Toledo with the help of Oppa, King Egica's son. And with Oppa's support, he killed them all with the sword. Thus he devastated not only Hispania Ulterior, but Hispania Citerior up to and beyond the ancient and once flourishing city of Zaragoza, now, by the judgement of God, openly exposed to the sword, famine and captivity. He ruined beautiful cities burning them with fire, condemned lords and powerful men to the cross, and butchered youths and infants with the sword. While he terrorized everyone in this way, some of the cities that remained sued for peace under duress and, after persuading with a certain craftiness, the Saracens granted their requests without delay. When the citizens subsequently rejected what they had accepted out of fear and terror, they tried to flee to the mountains where they risked hunger and various forms of death. So from this source, a christian source,we can see a very definitive point of view about the Islamic invasion. It stands in contrast to other sources we have. Specifically in Spain, we can look to treaties, those surrender treaties that were mentioned. A one still survives today, and that is one called the Treaty of Tudmir. Lets take a look at it now. The Treaty of Tudmir of 713 reads as follows. In the name of God, the merciful and compassionate. This is a document granted by Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa ibn Nusair to Tudmir, son of Ghabdush, establishing a treaty of peace and the promise and protection of God in his Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. We will not set special conditions for him or for any among his men, nor harass him, nor remove him from power. His followers will not be killed or taken prisoner, nor will they be separated from their women and children. They will not be coerced in matters of religion, their church will not be burned, nor will sacred objects be taken from the realm, so long as he, Tudmir remains sincere and fulfills the following conditions that we have set for him. He has reached a settlement concerning seven towns, Orihuela, Villena, Alicante, Mula, Bigastro, Ello, and Lorca. He will not give shelter to fugitives, nor to our enemies, nor encourage any protected person to fear us, nor conceal news of our enemies. He and each of his men shall also pay one dinar every year, together with four measures of wheat, four measures of barley, four liquid measures concentrated fruit juice, four liquid measures of vinegar, four of honey, and four of olive oil. Slaves must each pay half of this amount. Thus we see a very different picture of the conquest and the taking at these cities. [MUSIC]
