History of Al-Andalus

Muslims settled in the Iberian Peninsula following the expansion of Islam.

In 711, an army of Arabs and Berbers (Muslims from North Africa), under the command of Tariq (lieutenant governor of Musa ibn Nusayr), entered the peninsula by taking advantage of internal strife among the Visigoths over succession to the throne. In a battle fought near the River Guadalete, they defeated the army of the last Visigothic king, Roderic. The consequences of this battle were decisive for the future of the peninsula. After this victory, Muslims quickly occupied almost the entire peninsula, established the capital in Cordoba, and called the conquered territories Al-Andalus. The Visigothic kingdom disappeared, and with it, its culture. The culture of Al-Andalus was one of the most developed in the Middle Ages.

Political Evolution of Al-Andalus

Politically, Al-Andalus passed through several phases from the invasion of the peninsula in 711 until the end of Muslim rule in 1492. In a few years, Al-Andalus became a Muslim province dependent on the Umayyad Caliphate.

Al-Andalus: Dependent Emirate (711-756)

At this stage, the emir of Al-Andalus was dependent on the Umayyad Caliphate, with its capital in Damascus. During these years, Muslims occupied most of the peninsula, except for some areas in the north. They also crossed the Pyrenees and confronted the Frankish army of Charles Martel, who defeated them at the Battle of Poitiers, thus slowing their expansion into the rest of Europe.

Muslims in the peninsula represented a minority population compared to the Hispano-Visigothic population. They either reached agreements with some populations, taxing them, or conquered others by force. They divided the territory into provinces and held the top administrative positions.

Al-Andalus: Independent Emirate (756-929)

In 750, the Abbasid dynasty seized the Caliphate from the Umayyads. Abd al-Rahman I, an Umayyad prince, escaped and settled in Al-Andalus, where he declared himself politically independent of Baghdad and established an independent emirate.

Caliphate of Cordoba (929-1031)

The Emir Abd al-Rahman III proclaimed himself caliph, making Al-Andalus an independent Caliphate, politically and religiously, with its capital in Cordoba.