Moorish Spain (Paperback)

~ Richard Fletcher (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Fletcher, author of the well-received The Quest for El Cid ( LJ 3/1/90), intends his new work to be an introduction to the culture and history of Moorish Spain. He has written for the traveler who wants more background than the average guidebook provides or for anyone who wants a thoroughgoing overview of the subject. Fletcher uses translations from Moorish poetry and historical anecdotes to illuminate a significant period in European history, arguing that Moorish Spain acted as a channel through which the philosophical and scientific works of the Islamic world passed to European Christendom. One example given by Fletcher is the development of Thomist philosophy, which sought to reconcile revelation and reason. The Moorish philosopher Averroes, whose treatises on Aristotle had attempted such a reconciliation of philosophy and religion in an Islamic context, was cited by St. Thomas Aquinas 503 times. This is recommended for public and academic libraries.
- Robert Andrews, Duluth P.L., Minn.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

An excellent, introductory text. . . . Richard Fletcher manages to give us a picture of Hispano-Arab culture -- its thought, architecture, poetry and politics (in under 200 pages. (New York Newsday

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Product Details

• Paperback: 189 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (December 29, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520084969
• ISBN-13: 978-0520084964
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #138,402 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Richard Fletcher is the Bernard Lewis of Moorish Spain, June 13, 2002

By A Customer

Any casual reader traveling to Southern Spain for the first time should read Fletcher's book before departure. Simply put, it is one of the best summaries of the 700 years of Islamic rule in Moorish Spain. Fletcher's sharp analysis and story-telling skills make this book a real stand-out. If you are familiar with the work of Bernard Lewis, the gifted and prolific Middle East historian, I suspect you will appreciate the efforts of Richard Fletcher.

My wife and I own a home in one of the oldest Moorish & Jewish quarters in Southern Spain, have visited many significant Moorish sites and have read dozens of books about Spain's Islamic period, including Maria Rosa Menocal's "Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain."

We want you to know Fletcher's book remains one of the most dog-eared, and borrowed books about Spain in our library today. If you are a fan of Moorish architecture, history, music, poetry and art, I suspect Fletcher's book will become an important companion for many years to come.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Arabs and Moors in Spain, May 21, 2005

By	events3 - See all my reviews

Richard Fletcher's MOORISH SPAIN is an excellent addition to the library shelf holding Bovill's GOLDEN TRADE OF THE MOORS and Peter Russell's PRINCE HENRY 'THE NAVIGATOR': A life. The book is an easy and enjoyable read, but probably intended more for the lay reader than for scholars of al-Andalus (indeed, the author states that the work "is intended as an introduction to the history and culture of Islamic Spain" which lays "no claim to deep or original scholarship" which explains why it only includes a list of recommended reading rather than a complete bibliography with chapter sources). That being said, the book should deepen the understanding of the general reader.

Fletcher details the Islamic, Arab-led Berber invasion of Visgothic Spain (formerly a Roman territory) from northern Africa in 711 (after the conquest of northern Africa). We are informed that in large part the conquest was intended to further the Islamicization of the Berbers. Many of the cities were originally surrounded and reached an accomodation with the invaders allowing the continued existence of djimmis of Christians. Those which did not were crushed and the lands of those who made any attempt to oppose the invasion were taken and redistributed (with the Arabs getting the most arable land and the Berbers getting the remnants). Captives were either ransomed or - if too poor or otherwise unable to pay ransom - sold into slavery. Conversion from Christianity meant an opportunity to advance oneself and to avoid periodic outbreaks of anti-Christian violence. In the meanwhile, the conquest was pushed back from those northernmost areas considered least habitable, setting the stage for the slow "reconquest" of Spain.

Following Arab-Berber conflict, a descendant of the expelled Umayyad dynasty took control of Cordoba and his descendants, including the blue-eyed, red- (except when dyed)haired Rahman III who also had the blood of enslaved Christian concubines and hostages. The rule of the Amir of Cordoba extended to cover al-Andalus and he took the title of Caliph. During this time, periodic "crusades" and slave raids took place against inhospitable northern (and Christian) Spain while the Islamic conquest of Christian lands (as in Sicily) continued. Despite this, the weak Christian states of the north slowly began extending southward. Then in the 11th Century, civil war erupted in al-Andalus, resulting in the eventual establishment of various independent ethnic states (taifas).

These taifa states were slowly consolidated leaving 6 major states: Seville, Granada, Bajajoz, Toledo, Valencia & Zaragoza in which the arts and crafts blossomed. On the other hand, instead of al-Andalus interfering in the affairs of client states in the Christian north, the Christian kings and counts began interfering in the affairs of the taifa states while the al-Andalusian influence in northern Africa waned. Then a new wave of invasions occurred as the Almoravid fundamentalists came to buttress the Spanish Islamic states against the Christians. Shortly thereafter, the Almohads entered Spain took control of the Islamic states but lost ground to the Christians as they continued to push southward from the 11th to the end of the 15th Centuries. The last chapters deal with the existence and fall of the kingdom of Granada, last of the Islamic states in al-Andalus. Here we see the interactions and tensions between the Spanish Nasrids and the Moroccan Marinids (and the latter's successors, the Fezzans). During this time, an uneasy peace existed between the Nasrids and the Christian Spaniards; however, the Turkish conquest of Constantinople resulted in a determination to complete the Spanish reconquest.

Fletcher touches on the existence of djimmis (or "protected" communities) of Christians and Jews in al-Andalus and of Muslims communities in Christian controlled areas. In both cases, these communities managed to survive and flourish, to some extent, despite their second-class status. These communities were very vulnerable and were often used as tools in Christian-Muslim relations. Just as many Christians in al-Andalus either converted to Islam or immigrated north, so many Muslims in Christian Spain either converted or moved south; however, the Mozearabs (arabized Christians under Muslim control) and the Mudejars (westernized Muslims under Christian control)continued to exist and develop their own, unique cultures. Both groups faced massacres, forced conversions and ethnic cleansing as the powers faced off and as more or less fundamental influence predominated (as with the Almohads and the Inquisition). With the end of Granada, conversion or expulsion eventually became the rule although the Moriscos (often only publically Christian) were expelled in the 1600s due to their sympathies with Turkish Corsairs. The conquest had ended.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read for curious, non-specialist., August 24, 1999

By	Kenneth East (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fletcher's goal is to serve the "inquisitive traveller." That's a perfect description of me. I'm going to Spain next year and have been trying to learn more about the country and its history. I've already read a book on medieval/Visigoth Spain. It was OK, but it was more detail than I need and it was not written in a very engaging style. Fletcher's book, in contrast, fit my needs perfectly. He treats the topic broadly--but you never feel that he's trying to tell you everything there is to know. He illustrates issues with vivid, but select, examples. His style is easy and inviting. As a former history major, I appreciate how he discusses what kind of evidence exists for the period and how he evaluates it. But these musings are never a barrier to his just telling a good story about an interesting period in Spanish history.