UNIT 5 SOCIAL SCIENCE: THE MIDDLE AGES: THE VISIGOTH KINGDOM & AL-ANDALUS

THE MIDDLE AGES

The Middle Ages is the period marked by fall of the Roman Empire, in 476, up to the discovery of America in 1492.

1. THE VISIGOTH KINGDOM

After the 3rd century, the Roman Empire started to lose its territories and power. It was invaded by Germanic tribes who came from the north and east of Europe. In 476, the last Roman Emperor,  Rómulo Augusto, was defeated and the Empire was divided into small independent kingdoms.

The fall of the Roman Empire marks the beginning of the Middle Ages.

1.1 The Germanic tribes

In 411, taking advantage of the decline of the Roman Empire, three Germanic tribes invaded the Iberian Peninsula:

• The SUEVI TRIBE settled in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Roman province of Gallaecia.
• The ALANI TRIBE occupied the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, the provinces of Lusitania and Carthaginensis.
• The VANDALS TRIBE settled in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in the province of Baetica.

To defend themselves, the Romans asked for help from another Germanic tribe, the Visigoths. The Visigoths came to the Iberian Peninsula in 415. They expelled the Alani and the Vandals, but no the Suevi.

1.2 The Visigoth Kingdom

The Visigoths occupied most of the Iberian Peninsula and founded a powerful kingdom with Toledo as its capital.

In the 6th century, King Leovigildo defeated the Suevi and took control of the whole territory.

In 711, Muslims from the north of Africa invaded the Iberian Peninsula and defeated Lord King Rodrigo, the last Visigoth king.

1.3 Visigoth society

There were not many Visigoths in comparison to the Hispano-Roman population in the Iberian Peninsula. Therefore, the Visigoths adopted the Hispano-Roman culture:

• They adopted the Roman language as their official language.
• They converted to Christianity. The first Visigoth to be converted was King Recadero during the celebration of the Third Council of Toledo in 589.
• They adopted the Roman laws.

The Visigoth population was formed by noblemen and peasants:

• The noblemen had a lot of power. They owned land and elected their king.
• The peasants worked the land and took care of the castle.

1.4 Visigoth culture and art

Saint Isidoro of Seville was a prominent Visigoth writer. He wrote Etymologiae, an encyclopedia in which he tried to include all the knowledge of his times.

The Visigoths built small churches made of stone with thick walls. The major contribution to architecture was the horseshoe arch.

AL-ANDALUS

THE MUSLIM CONQUEST

After two centuries of ruling the Iberian Peninsua, the Visigoth Kingdom came to an end with the Muslim invasion. The Muslims defeated the Visigoths in the Battle of Guadalete in 711.

Muslims from northern Africa conquered most of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. They called this territory Al-andalus and the made Córdoba the capital city.

THE EVOLUTION OF AL-ANDALUS

At first, Al-Andalus was a dependent emirate, ruled by a governor or emir. It was controlled by de Caliphate of Damascus. Later, in 756, Al-Andalus became an independent emirate. The first independent emir of Córdoba was Abd-ar-Rahman I, who ordered the construction of the Mezquita of Córdoba.

In the 10^th century, the Caliphate of Córdoba was established. It was ruled by Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III. A caliph was a powerful political and religious leader. This was a time of great cultural growth. In the 11^th century, the caliphate of Al-Andalus ended and the territory was divided into small kingdoms called taifas.

In 1212, the Christian rulers defeated the Muslim armies in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. After that, they conquered all of Al-Andalus, except the Kingdom of Granada.

AL-ANDALUS SOCIETY

It was divided in 4 groups:

• MUSLIMS: were the most powerful group. They practiced Islam and met in mosques.
• MULADIS: were Christians who converted to Islam. They adopted the Islamic rules and customs.
• MOZARABS: were Christian.  They had to pay a tax.
• JEWS: were a minority group.

THE INFLUENCE OF AL-ANDALUS ON SPAIN: CULTURE AND ART

From the 10^th century, Al-Andalus became an important cultural centre. Two of the most charismatic personalities were Averrores and Maimonides, they were philosopher.

Two of the most emblematic buildings which still exist today are the Mezquita of Córdoba and the Real Alcázar of Sevilla.