The Umayyads in Spain
In the Middle Ages, the Muslim world referred to modern-day Spain and its African territories as "al-Andalus." This name stuck to the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. In Andalusia, the Arabs divided themselves into tribes based on lineage, primarily North Arabs, Yemenis, and Mudarites. Opposing them were the Berbers, who also formed tribal groups, along with the masses of the Iberian indigenous population. The native population was not homogeneous either (Goths, Suebi, Romanized Iberians, Celts, and Greeks), though the unifying influence of the Catholic Church and significant Romanization had almost completely erased tribal distinctions. Only the Gothic nobility remained distinctly separated as a well-defined class, joined by the new rulers.
The initial Arab landing was successful due to their exploitation of the power struggles among Gothic princes. It was the children of King Vitiza, who had been dethroned by Roderic, who invited the Arabs. The victors granted control of Seville, Jaén, and Toledo to Vitiza's heirs. Even Abd al-Rahman I, who fled to Spain in 755 to escape the Abbasids who massacred the Umayyads, relied on the help of Vitiza's granddaughter, Sara, the ruler of Seville, to conquer Spain. The ruler ensured the Umayyads received the support of the Gothic aristocracy. This forced the Arabs to consider the interests of Christians, whose rights continued to be represented by Gothic princes. Religious tolerance facilitated the assimilation of the native population and the newcomers. By the 11th century, even the clergy used Arabic as their mother tongue, and synodal decrees had to be translated into Arabic for them.
The Umayyads' enemies found allies in the Franks to the north. The Franks sought friendship with the Abbasids, which led the Byzantines to support the Spanish Umayyads. Frankish armies advanced as far as Zaragoza, and from 795 onward, they held the area north of the Ebro under the name "Spanish March." Abd al-Rahman successfully quelled numerous uprisings. In Cordoba, construction began on the great mosque under his orders.
His successors (after 788) faced revolts everywhere, supported by the Asturians and the Franks. Religious fanatics incited uprisings among both Jews and Christians. By the late 9th century, the empire had fragmented into warring groups of Muslim and Christian landlords and cities. Only Abd al-Rahman II (912–961) managed to reassert central authority. He was the most significant Islamic ruler in Spain and declared himself caliph in 926.
The Normans appeared on the Spanish coasts in 855, forcing the Umayyads to build a fleet. After Abd al-Rahman's death, Norman fleets plundered the Spanish coastline. Trade with the Normans flourished as well; they purchased Slavic slaves from them, who became bodyguards and the elite administrative class. Under Abd al-Rahman III and his son Al-Hakam II, the country's economy thrived. The Arabs introduced sugarcane, palm cultivation, and silkworm farming to Spain. Art, craftsmanship, and science flourished.
The golden age ended with the attacks of Al-Mansur. He fought the ruler's Slavic troops with Berber and Christian forces. In northern Spain, his rule extended as far as the Pyrenees, but he lost Africa to the Berbers. The golden age of the Umayyads came to a close with his death in 1002, as the caliphate collapsed in a 22-year civil war involving up to nine claimants to the throne. Almost every city or fortress had its own dynasty.
The Umayyads could not stand alone against the young Castilian state, so in 1086, they called upon the Berber Almoravids for help. The Almoravids defeated the Christian armies, signaling the end of Arab rule in Spain. From 1090, the Berbers ruled over the Maghreb. The era of Arab empires had come to an end, and Islamic power shifted into the hands of the Berbers, Turks, and Iranians.
Burchard Brentjes "Izmael fiai", Kossuth könyvkiadó, Budapest, 1986