The Moors of Spain – Flashcards

(1854-1931) was a 19th century scholar of islamic history

-His life (Lane-Poole) and scholarly career covered the period of British imperial expansion in the Middle east. His 4 major books emphasize histories of Islamic contact with Europe: the Moors in Spain, the Ottoman Empire, the Mughals of India, and the Barbary Coast.

-1839-1967: the colony of Aden (south Yemen) -1865-1956: the Suez Canal -1882-1956: Egypt -1880/92-1971: The British Protectorate of Bahrain -1892-1971: United Arab Emirates -1899-1961: The British Protectorate of Kuwait -1916-1971: Qatar (under British protection) -1921-1932/1958: The Kingdom of Iraq under British administration -1920-1948: British mandate Palestine -1921-1946: The British protectorate of Transjordan

-Coincident with Lane-Poole's life is the growing British role in Egypt from 1860s to the 1950s. -Opened in 1868, the Suez Canal was a French project, initiated by Ferdinand de Lesseps -It later was under the control of the Anglo-French Suez Canal Company in 1875, and eventually was under total British control from 1888 to 1956.

-Britain occupied Egypt in 1882, following a rebellion lead by the Arab nationalist Ahmed Urabi (aka as Arabi Pasha) -See Scawan Blunt's 1885 personal account Secret History of the English Occupation of Egypt - from 1895-97, Lane-Poole was an archaeologist in Egypt. -The Moors in SPain was first published in 1886, not long after the British occupation of Egypt in 1882.

"Eurocentric historians argue that Europe gave civilization to Africa, which is a complete inversion of the truth. the first civilized europeans were the Greeks, who were chiefly civilized by the Africans on the Nile Valley. The Greeks transmitted this culture to the Romans, who finally lost it, bringing on a dark age of five hundred years. Civilization was restored to Europe when another group of Africans, the Moors, brought this dark age to an end."

To position Europe at the center of world; to emphasize the role of Europe in world history; to view the world from the perspective of European cultural values; to dismiss or overlook other people's histories, perspectives and values. often unconscious or ideological.

A response to the racist denial of black perspectives and dismissal of black contributions to human history; an affirmation of the Black origins of human cultural, intellectual and political activity in the classical era; a conscious political and cultural movement that emerged in the 20th century in conjunction with civil rights movements in the US.

-"Moorish monarchs dwelt in splendid palaces, while the crowned heads of England, France, and Germany lived in big barns, lacking both windows and chimneys, with only a hole in the roof for the emission of smoke." (Jackson) -"For nearly eight centuries, under Mohammedan rulers, Spain set all Europe a shining example of a civilized and enlightened state. Her fertile provinces, rendered double prolific by the industry and engineering skill of her conquerers." (Lane-Poole vii)

-Africa, specifically NW -One origin of the word Moor is the Latin Mauri, which may refer to the people of Mauritania (including parts of Morocco and Algeria)

-from the late 7th century until the present, the region of North and Northwest Africa has been majority Muslim, so Moor also is associated with Islam; Muslim Spain is also Moorish Spain' "during the first fifty years of Moorish rule" (52)

-No clear indication of a racial identity. Moors can be dark skinned or fair skinned, white or black. But all Moors are Muslims. -John G. Jackson asserts the Africanness of the Moors: "in ancient times, africans in general were called Ethiopians; in medieval times most africans were called Moors; in modern times some africans were called negroes." -Lane-Poole uses the term Moor to refer to Muslims in general, and Berber Muslims specifically, in contrast with Arab Muslims.

-The Arabs in the classical pre-islamic period (Alexander the Great and Roman empire) -Spain in the 8th century: Visigoths, Roderick, Julian and the story of Florinda

-The Moorish conquest of spain: Tarik (the berber) and Musa (the Arab) -Religious, ethnic and social fractures in Moorish Spain: Arabs, Berbers, Muslims, Jews, and Christians -The Omeyyads (Umayyads): Arab and Syria (Damascus Khalifate) and Abd-er-Rahman and his successors -The Christian Martyrs -Abd-er-Rahman III (the Khalif)

city of the Khalif

-Almanzor, the prime minister -The Berber Dynasties El Cid

-The fall of Grenada -Spain after the Moors

Discourse in general: ideas values, beliefs, but also biases, limitations, contradictions

themes, but also organization, style, voice, point of view, and word choice

identify the values embedded in the narrative and that the narrative expresses, consciously or unconsciously

goths, arabs, berbers, jews

human achievements in arts and sciences

Cordoba or Cordova The architecture (palaces, mosques, bridges) the use of water (fountains, irrigation) gardens arts and sciences (poetry, medicine) crafts (silk, ceramics, leather)

Visigoths "Spain was then under the rule of the Visigoths, or west goths, a tribe of barbarians, like the many others who overran the provinces of the Roman Empire in its decline" "In the beginning of the 8th century, when the saracens had reaches the african shore of the atlantic and were looking across the straits of hercules to the sunny provinces of Andalusia, the Goths has been in possession of Spain for more than two hundred years"

"in 711...Musa dispatched one of his generals, the Moor Tarik, with 7,000 troops, most of whom were also Moors...Tarik landed on the lion's rock, which has ever since borne his name, Gebal-Tarik, Gibraltar, and after capturing Carteya advanced inland" 2 more quotes on slide