Medieval Iberia: Readings from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Sources (The Middle Ages Series) (Paperback)

~ Olivia Remie Constable (Editor) "Of all the lands from the west to the Indies, you, Spain, O sacred and always fortunate mother of princes and peoples, are the most..." (more)
Key Phrases: nonnoble knights, lord infante, probi homines, Inés López, King Pedro, Abd Allah (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The editor is to be warmly congratulated for having gathered together an impressive collection of sources which should prove of great interest to specialist and nonspecialist alike."—English Historical Review

"With the assistance of a large team of acknowledged experts, Constable has succeeded in assembling a distinguished miscellany of unusual interest which deserves to be warmly and widely welcomed."—History Today

Product Description

For nearly eight centuries, the Iberian Peninsula was remarkable for its political, religious, cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity. In Medieval Iberia Olivia Remie Constable brings together nearly one hundred original sources that testify to the peninsula's rich and sometimes volatile mix of Christians, Muslims, and Jews. The documents collected here date mostly from the eighth through the fifteenth centuries and have been translated from Latin, Arabic, Hebrew, Judeo-Arabic, Castilian, Catalan, and Portuguese by many of the most eminent scholars in the field of Iberian studies. The selections include chronicle materials, poetry, and legal and religious sources, and each is accompanied by a brief introduction placing the text in its historical and cultural setting. Arranged chronologically, the documents are also keyed so as to be accessible to readers interested in specific topics such as urban life, the politics of the royal courts, interfaith relations, or women, marriage, and the family.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812215699
• ISBN-13: 978-0812215694
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #72,710 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best anthology of primary sources available, June 3, 1999

By A Customer

This is the most thorough and up-to-date collection of primary sources relating to the history of medieval Spain yet available. It brings together a vast ocean of important and illustrative Jewish, Christian and Muslim sources, many of which have never before been translated. Readers, especially historians, will find much of value in this carefully-selected and thoughtfully arranged anthology. Few other collections give such a sense of the richness and diversity of medieval Iberian society.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff, May 25, 2001

By	Ashareh (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This collection of primary sources concerning the history of Medieval Iberia is quite good for undergraduate study of Muslim Spain, with useful introductions to each source. The predominance of Christian sources may be explained by the fact that many Muslim sources are no longer extant(or did not exist in the first place), particularly concerning the Mozarabic population(Christians under Arab-Berber dominion).

21 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Peculiar, but an adequate introduction to Christian sources, July 29, 1998

By A Customer

This book actually focuses largely (almost entirely) on Christian sources for medieval Spain (hardly "Iberia," since with one exception Portugal, for instance, is not mentioned). Muslim sources are few and the obvious ones, and the rare and altogether inadequate Jewish sources are thrown in as an afterthought. Still, a useful undergraduate textbook, perhaps.