H I S T O RY

OF T H E

M O ORISH E M PI RE
IN E UROP E

S . P . SCOTT
A U TH O R OF “
TH R OU GH SP AI N

C ord uba famosa Iop u ples d c n o mi ne d ic ta,

l n c ly ta d eli cus , re bu s quo que S ple n dida c unc tls

H k osw rmm , P ASSI O S . P z LA G u

I N T H RE E V O LU ME S

V OL . I .

P H ILAD E L P H I A Efl L O N D O N
‘

J . B . L I P P I N CO TT C O M P AN Y
1 9 0 4
 P R E FAC E

T H IS work has en g ag ed the atten tion o f the au

thor for mor e th an twen ty year s I ts obj e c t is an .

attempt to depi c t the c ivili z ati on o f th at g r e at r a c e

wh ose achievemen ts i n s cien c e li ter atur e an d the ar ts

, ,

have been the in spiration o f the mar vellous progr ess

o f the pr esen t a g e The r eview o f this wide spr e ad
.
-

in fluen c e who se r amific ation s exten d to the limits o f

,

both E ur o pe an d Amer ica has r equired the i n tr o d u c

,

tion o f s ome matter a pp ar en tly extr an eous but which , ,

when con sider ed in its gen er al r elation s to the subJect ,

Will be foun d to be n ot for eig n to the pur p ose o f these

volumes .

The li st o f auth or ities c ited do es n o t by an y me an s , ,

in clude al l th at h ave been ex amin ed M an y fr om .

,

which comp ar atively few fac ts h ave been glean ed ,

h ave been omitted Amon g the works th at h ave been

.

made the subJect o f car eful r es e ar ch an d h ave yi elded ,

most valuable in formation —in a ddition to the Arabi c

an d S p an ish c hr on ic les—are tho se o f Al M akkar i -
,

Romey R o s s eu w S t Hil air e Le B on S éd ill ot an d

,
.
, , ,

C asir i The utter un r eli ability o f C on de w ho com

.
,

piled the on ly detailed his tor y o f the M oor s of S p ain ,

is well kn ow n an d his st atemen ts h ave n ot been

,

ado pted ex c ept when a mply ve r ified The histor ies .

o f the l a te R D o zy P r o fess or i n the Un iver sity o f

.
,

Leyden which for le arn in g ac curacy imp artiality

, , , ,

an d criti cal acumen h ave few r iv als in this b ran ch o f

literatur e h ave been the pr in cip al depen den c e o f the

,

auth or w ho gl a dly t akes this o pp or tun ity to a ckn ow l

,

edge his oblig atio n s to the labor s o f on e wh ose gen ius

vi P REF AC E

an d a ttain men ts are r ecogni zed by ever y O r ien tal

s cho lar in E ur o pe .

I t may seem a wor k o f supe r ero g ati on to tr aver se

o n c e mor e a p o r ti on o f the gro un d c ove r ed by I r vi n g

an d P r es c ott The fin al epis o de in the fall o f a g r e at

.

empir e co uld n ot h owever wi th pro p r iety be omitted

, ,
.

M or eover the accoun ts o f these tw o famous writer s

,

swarm with err or s as an y on e can r ea dily dis cover

,

w ho will con s ul t the ch r on i cles o f Pulg ar an d Be rn

al d e z eye witn esses
,
-
an d c o n s equen tly the mo s t r e
,

liable authorities con c ern in g wh at they r el ate The .

quot ation s o f I r vin g it may be added in dic ate a su r

, ,

pr isin g wan t o f famili ar ity with the C astili an l an

gu age .

Th at wr iter best fulfils the o ffic e o f an hist or ian

w ho p a sses befor e the min d o f the r e ader as i n a ,

p an or ama n o t mer ely the mor e str ikin g even ts o f w ar

,

an d dipl omac y but c i r c u mst a n c es o fte n r eg ar ded as

,

un import an t yet whi ch illustrate as n o other s can d o

, , ,

the c on ditio n o f the masses as well as the po lic y o f

the pr in c e ; which in dic ate the c on dition o f public an d
p r ivate mo rals ; whi ch exhibit the e ff ec ts o f domestic
man n er s o f in geni ous in ven tion s o f l iterary p rogr ess
, ,

an d ar tisti c develo pmen t ; whi c h r eve al the un f o ldin g

o f n ati on al ta ste — which p r es en t in sh ort the po rtr a it

, ,

u re o f ever y mater i a l an d in telle c tu a l fe atur e n ec es

s ary to the elucid ati on o f the char ac ter the aspir a ,

tion s an d the fo ible s o f a peo ple With this en d in

, .

view s o urc es o f in formation usually r eg ar ded as be

,

n e ath the dig n ity o f an hist or i cal w o r k h ave be en

drawn on for mater i al i n the followin g p ages .

The author c he r ishes n o feelin g o f an imo sity to

war ds the S p an ish peo ple He r emember s with .

pleasur e a lon g s oJourn amon g them He c an n ever .

forget the dign ified cour tesy o f their men the in com ,

p arable gr ac e an d fascin ation s o f their women Th eir .

faults are th o se en tailed by a pern i cious in h er itanc e

 P REF ACE vii

an d a upt r eligion which h ave perver ted their

corr ,

prin ciples destroyed their p o wer an d tarn ished their

, ,

glory .

As the gr eater p art o f this book w as Wr itten befo r e

1 89 8 an y un f avor able c r iti c ism o f S p an ish p oliti cs o r
,

man n er s which it c on t ain s must be attr ibuted to a de

sire to adhe r e to histor i c tr uth an d n ot to a con temp
,

tible prej u d ic e en gen der ed by ou r un for tu n ate W ar

o f H u man ity
”
.

P HI LA DE L PHI A 1 9 03
, .
 C O N T EN T S OF VO LU M E I .

C HA P T E R I

TH E AN C I E N T AR AB I A N S
P A
GE

T p gr phy f A b i —I t H i st y—I flu n e of Oth

N ti on —An i nt Civil i z ti
o o a o ra a s or n e c er

C u toms n d L gu g —
a s C mm e P i t
c e a on o er c ers s

of Ch t o f th
B doui n—H i I d p d n c —H i P ed t y I tin t
en ce s a an a e ar a c er e

—P w f T ib l C ti —W th N m l C
e s n e en e e s r a or ns c s

diti n f E i t n i n th D t—The Vi tu
o er o r a onn ec on ar e or a on

nd

Vi e f th A b —B l d—
o o x s e ce e es e r r es a

c s o R v g
e d i t D t uc
ra s oo e en e an s es r

— Ab n c f C t — C n diti
Wom n—M i g —
tiv C n qu f
R ligi n— A t l W hip—I d l
e o se en ces se e o as e o on o

t y—P h lli i m—H m S i fi —I mp t

a a rr a e e o s ra or s o

nd

f th J w —
a r a c s u an acr c es or an c e a

P w o er o Ch i ti ity i A bi —P et y i ts
e e s r s an n ra a o r

S ubj t d Ch t —Th M ll k t—P pul ity f

,

th A b P t—H i L i n —
ec s an ar a c er e oa a a o ar o

e ra I nfl
oe f A bi Civi s ce se u en c e o ra c

l i z ti n
a d C ultu
o n S ub s qu nt A g e
an re o e e s

C HA P T E R I I
THE RISE ,
P R O GRE SS , A ND I NF L U EN C E O F IS LAM

Comp tiv R ligi n i t I t t

ar a e e S tu dy—Th B n fit
o s n eres as a e e e s

f I l m—A b i f M h mm d—C n dj
,

o s a t th B i th ra a a e r o o a e o

ti n f Ch i t n d m n d th B yz nti E mp i H P p
I d f th P ph t—H i F mi l y —I—
o o r s e o a e a ne r o u

l I i E ly L if
—Th Fi st R v l tio —P uti f th N w S t
ar ea o e ro e s a s ar e

The H egi —
e r e e a n e r s ec on o e e ec

G ow in g P p e ity f I l m Ch t
f M h mm d—
ra r r os r o s a -
ar ac er

C f H i Su ss —P lyg my

n—
o o a e a u s es o s cc e o a

Th K It A ng m t i t L g d i t S ub li m
M im i t Ab u diti —I t O bli g ti t th C ds
e ora s rr a e en , s e en s, s e

—Th Kibl h—Th P ilg im g d i t C m i

ax s, s s r es s a on s o o er r ee

e a e r a e an s er e on es

R f m mpl i h d b y I l m—U i v l W hip f

—C upti f th R ligi f M h mm d—I t
e or s ac co s e s a n ers a ors o

F
W n de ful A h i v m t —M h mm d th Ap tl f
orc e or r on o e e on o o a e s

o r c e e en s o a e e os e o

G od
x CO N TE N T S or V OL U M E I .

C HA P TE R III
TH E C O N Q U E ST O F AL -
MAGH RE B
P AG
E

G en er al Di s or d er foll ow i n g the D eath of M oh ammed

R e gul ati on s of I s lam—P r o g r es s o f the M os l em A rms
—
N orth ern Afr i ca the L an d o f the E v en i n g I ts F er
— —
-

I ts P o p ul ati on—E x p e d iti on o f Ab d al l ah D e

,

ti l i ty
— —
feat of the Greeks I n va s ion o f Okbah F oun dati on
— — —
o f K ai r oan
—
M ar c h o f H as s an An c i ent C arth a ge I ts
I n fluenc e on E ur op e I ts S plen did Civi l iz ati on I ts —
M ariti me P ower i ts C olon i es , i ts R es ourc es D es cri p
— —
-m
,

tion of the City I ts Arc hitectur al Gran deur I ts H ar

bors, T emples , a n d P u bli c E di fi ces R oman C arth a ge —
—
I ts Lu x u r y an d D e p r a vity I ts D e s truc ti on by the Mos
—
lems Wars w ith the B er bers —M us a a ppoi nte d Gen eral
— H i s R oman tic H i sto r y—H i s Ch a r acter H e s ub du es —
—
Al M a ghr eb A fr ic a in c ap ab l e o f P er man ent C iviliz a
-

ti on

IV C HA P TE R
TH E V OT — M O N A R C H Y
l SI G lIIC

Or i gin and Ch cter of th G ths — T hei I n v s ion of the

P en ins u l —P w er f th Cl gy—E c l s i sti c al C oun
ara e o r a

c il s —The J ew s Vi i g thi C de —P o foun d

a o o e er c e a

—
Th e s o c o r

Wi s d m of I ts E n ctm nts—P vi i s a gainst F au d

P n lti —I ts D efin iti n o f the
o a e ro s on r

an d I n j us ti c S ev
L aw — C on diti on of th M h i l Arts—Ar c hitecture
e er e e a es o

—B yz ntin e I n fl en —M n f tur Votive C owns e ec a n ca

A gr i ultu e — Lite tu — M d i in e —
a u ce a u ac es - r

S l v e L b or
I mit tion f R om n C u tom —P ll l betw een the
c r ra re e c fi
a a

Goth n d the Ar b —
a o a s s a ra e

a s
C oi id n c f S en timents an d
H ab its—C u es of N ti n l D ec lin P erman ent I n
s a s

a o
nc

a
e e o

e —
fluen c e o f the G thi c P oli ty o

C HA P TE R V

A ND C O N Q U E ST O F S P A I N
TH E I N V A SIO N
Gen eral C on di tion an d P hys ic l F eatu r es o f the S p an i s h
P en ins ul a —Vari ou s Cl s s es o f the P op ulati on S u
a

premacy of the C h u rc h—T y r ann y o f the Vi s i gothic

 C O N TEN T S OF V OL U M E I . xi

Ki n gs—F atal P oli c y of W iti z —Acces s i on of R o de ic k

— C ou nt J u li an —I nvas i on o f T arik — B attle of the
a r

Gu ad al ete I ts M omentou s R es u lts P r o gr es s of the

M os lems—Ar iv al o f M us a H i s S ucc s I mmen s e
B ooty s ec ure d by the Vi to s —Q uarrel f T ari k n d
r es

Mus —I nter fe en ce of the Khalif—S u bmis s i on o f the

c r o a

Goths — M u s a s Vast S c h eme o f C on qu st—The Tw

a r
’

G en e als or de d to D amas c u s —
e o

r The T i umph al P r o
re r

ce s s i on th r ou gh Afr i c a F te o f M u s C aus es n d a a a

E ffects o f the M os lem O cc u p ti on of S p in a a

VI C HA P TE R
TH E E M I R A T E
Ab d—l—Aziz H i Wi e A dmi i t ti on H i s E uti n
d d b y th K h li f—Ayub I bn H bi b—H i s R e f m
a s s n s ra xec o

—Al —H r—Al S mh—H i I n v s i on f F nc e—

or er e e a - -
a or s

Hi
—
~
or a s a o ra s

D f t an d D th Ab d—l—
e ea R hm n — F eu d f thea a a a o e

M d ites n d K ht ni t s
aa I ts Di s t
a s E ffe ts a a e a s ro u c

A b h I bn S hi m H i Ab ility H p n etr t
killed—Y hy I bn S lm h—Othm
n as a - -
o t s e e a es o

th R h
——
e an d i on e s a a- -
a a an

I bnAbu N es a l A Al H y
H od he y fa I bn
M h mm d—
- -
a -
w as s -
a

tham I bn O bey d I b Ab d ll h Ab d
—H i P p l ity—P l im th H ly W
- -
o a e n- a a

al —
R hm
—T Ib —
a an s o u ar roc a s e o ar

Th E mi
t mpts th C ques t f F n e—
r eas on f Othm
o Ab N an - n u- es a e r at

M t l—B ttl f P iti —D th of Ab d—

e e Ch t f Ch l s
on o ra c ar a c er o ar e

l R hm n
— I bn l —
ar e a e o o er s ea a -
a a

Ab d l M li k Okb h—
-
a -
H j j
e H i s Wi d m a -
a e a s o

d C p ac ity C h les M tel v g P v

B ber R volt i Af i —Vi to y f th R eb el —Ab d
an a ar ar ra a es ro en c e

M elik—
er e n r ca c r o e s

l— I bn —K tt m B lj I bn B h Th l b
—Abu—l—
a o a a - -
es c r a a a

Kh tt C on di ti n o f W t n E u p
a a ar o e s er ro e

Un tab le n d C upt A dmi is t ti o

s a f the E mi o rr n ra n o rs

I mp t n e of the B ttl f P iti e s

or a c a e o o r

VII C HA P TE R
F O U ND A TIO N O F T H E S P A N IS H M O N AR C H Y
The N th e n P v i ces f S p in T h i D es ol t
te —C lim t —P pul ti n—R li gi
or r ro n o a e r a e an d

—
F bi d d i n g Ch
or

P culi iti
e f the A tu i n P
ar es t y—P l y
ar a c

o
r

s r a
a e o

eas an r
a o

e a
e

us
on

H i s B i th d A tec d t
r H c oll ts an A my
an n e en s e ec r
xii C O N TEN T S OF V OLU M E I .

A
S p ni s h Kin gd m—
P GE

O bs c u r e O r igin E t r di

y C n diti s un de w hi h i t w f un d d—B ttle o f

of the a o x rao

C v d g —R ut of the A b —I n e s e f the Ch is
n ar o on r c as o e a

ti n P w —F vil —Al f n s I —H i E nt p i s e n d
o a on a o ra s cr a o r

—
a o er a a o o s er r a

C n q t —H i P li y of C l ni z ti n S u viv l f
.

— —
o u es s s o c o o a o r a o

th S pi
e i t f L ib ty r R e ligi uos Ab u es St te f er o s a o

S c i ety—B eginn i n g f th St u ggle f E mpi

o o e r or re

VI I I C HA P TE R
T H E M M YA ; RE I G N O F AB D A R A H MA N I L-
-
O E DE S .

Omm y d F mily— I t O igi n — I t H o tili ty t M O

h mme d —The S y i P i n —T h ei P ofli g y
e a e a s r s s o

a r an r c es r r ac

S pl d f D m c —Lu y f th S y i C pi r an a

f th Abb i d e —P s ipti n
en or s o a as us xur o e

t l —R i
a se o f th D e
e as s ro cr o o e

f ted F ti — E p
ea f Ab d—
ac l—
R hm n
on Hi sca e o a a a s

R m ti C H ent S p i — H i S ucc es
m nt f Yu s f —C n t t I n
o an c ar e e r e ers a n s s

D f t d D th
e ea an e ro n e e o u o s an

su ti — E t p i e f the Kh l i f f B gd d
r r ec on s n er r s o a o a a

I t Di t T mi ti o —I v i f Ch l m gn e
—D e th f Ab d l R hm n
s s as rou s er na n n as on o ar e a

S l ght f R s v ll
—H i C h t —H i S e vic t C ivili z ti n—F oun
-
au er o on ce a es a o -
a -
a a

t M s qu —Th F nk
s ar a c e r s r es o a o

d tia f th G
on o e c on qu e
r ea o e e ra s re r

S epti man i a

IX C HA P TE R
RE I N O F H H E M L ; RE I N
G A H AK M I ISC G OF L' E .

Cu t m f R y l S
s o o i n vi l t d b y th Will f Ab d—
o a l
u c ces s o o a e e o

R h m —Ac
a

a i an f H i s h m—R v lt f S ul ym n
c e s s on o c e e o o e a

d Ab d ll h—T h y
an a te d n d th i A mi d i s
a e ar e rou a e r r es

d Cl m n y f th E mi Inv i f S pti
m i —D f t f th F n ks—
er s e
p e e c o e r as on o e

I d i iv R e u lt f
th C mp i g —P u b l i W k f H i h m—
an a e ea o e ra n ec s e s s o

e a a n H i s N b le
T h eol gi n —The
c or s o sc e

t — H i P ti lity f
o

Ch
S b b f C d v —D th f H i ch m
ar a c e r s ar a or o a s

S th
l Di t u t f Al H kem—S ul eym
ou er n u ur o or o a ea o s e

G n d Ab d l
l h g i i n R b ll i o — Civil W —The G thi M c h
en er a s r s o -
a ~
an a a

—Si g d C ptu e f B l —Ap thy f the

a a a n e e n ar o c ar

e e an a r o arce on a a o

E mi I mp t e f th C n qu t Th E d i i te
r o r an c o e o es
—
e r s

Dy ty Di t b n c
n as t T led Th D y of
R y l B d y Gu d—R v olt of the
s ur a es a o o

the Dit h —Th

e a
c e o a o -
ar e
 C O N TEN T S OF V OL U M E I . xiii
A
F qui s—I ts R es ults —Lea gu e o f the Astu i n n d
P GE

F r anki s h P rin ces —Legen d of St J mes the Ap os tle

a r a a

—D e th of Al Hakem—H i s Character
. a

a -

C HA P TE R X

RE I GN A A R A H MA N I ;
OF RE I G N
BD- M O H AMM ED
L- L OF

Acces s i n f Ab d— l R hm n II —D f ti f Ab d ll h
I v s i n f th G thi M c h —E mb y f m th
o o a -
a a e ee on o a a

—R volt f M e id —S diti n t T l d
n a o o e o c ar as s ro e

G k E mp
r ee ero r e o r a e o a o e o

I u s i o f th N m n s—P s uti n f th Ch i s
ti n s—D e th of Ab d l R hm n—H i L v f P mp
-
nc r n o e or a er ec o o e r

—H i Virtu —H i P t n g f A t d L tt s
a a -
a -
a a s o e o o

Zi ry b — H i V s tility— C pi y f T b—St t
s es s a ro a e o r an e er

— —
a s er a on s r ac o ar u ra a

m f M h m m d H i B ig t y T l d g i Re
v lts—R i se of th B ni K s i—W w ith the A tu i
e o o e s a o r o e o a a n
g

—R ebel lion f I b M w —Th S n i d R on d

o e e -
a ar s r as

—
o n- er an e er r a a e a

I bn H f un hi O igin n d E pl it — D th d
f M h mme d—
-
a s , s r a x o s ea an

Ch t a r a c er o I n cipi nt D ec den ce f th
o a e a o e

M s lem P w
o o er

XI C HA P TE R
RE I G N O F AL M N D H ; RE I GN O F AB D ALLA H -
O IR

P arall l b tw e n the P li y f th M o is h d A tu i
C u ts— Al f n II I —H i C qu t —E gy f Al
e e e o c o e o r an s r an

M n dhi
o
r

— o so

S i ege f B ob t o S t t g m f I b H f un
—The Emi i P ois n ed—Ab d ll h
r o
.

as r
s

— on

ra a
es s

e o
n er

n-
o

a s

—Con dition f P ti es n d S c t —P ev l n f D i
r sd the T h o a a a s c en s r on e

d — I n u ti n t E lvi —S u s f the A b
s o ar a o s r a e ce o s

F ti n—Di stu b e t S vill —

or er s rrec o a ra cce s o ra

G n l D i fi cti on ‘

vin es—I bn H f un d f te d t A gui l

ac o r an c s a e e e er a sa e

of the P ro c -
a s e ea a ar

Di st ou n d P man ent E ffects f the C ontinu n

sa r s a er o a ce

of An chy S udd n D th f Ab d l l h I mp rt nt
ar e ea o a a o a

P l itic l C h n ges w u ght by

o a G n ti n f C ivil
a ro a e era o o

W fr ar a e

C HA P TE R X II
R E I GN OF AB D - AL -
R AH MA N III .

Emi nent Q u aliti es of the New R ul er —Hi Fi m —R pid

it y—Di
s r n ess a

S ubj eeti on of the R e b el Te rr or i f th s s en s on s o e

xiv C O N TEN T S OF V OL U M E I .

PAGE
—D f — —D
C hr i sti an s
—I mp i
ea t of I bn Ab i Ab d a ea th
—
of I bn
-
e

War
H afs un a re d P ow e r o f the A r a b N ob l es

with the F atimite s o f A fr i c — R out o f J un qu er a A b d —

— —I ts S i gni fi
a

al R ahman as s umes the Titl e o f Kh ali f

—I nvas i on o f C as tile R ever s e of Alhan d eg a —
C ivil Wa rs of the Ch i s ti an s —
c an c e

The P r i n ces o f L eon an d

N av arre vi s it the M os l em C ou rt— Ab d—
r

al R ah man di e s —
at the Ag e o f S e v e nty Y ea s
—H is R emarkable Achieve
— —
r

t
men s The G k d G m E mb i The S ar a
—The S laves an d their I n flu
r ee n e an a s s e s a r

c ens i n F r an c e an d I taly

P lot o f Ab d ll h C on dition of the C oun tr y

—C or dov —I ts Wealth an d
en ce a a

un d er A b d a l R h ma n I I I
— —
- -
a . a

Ma gn i fi cen c c The R o y al Vil l s The C ity a n d P al ac e

b a

o f M e di n a a l Z a h a -
Mel n c holy R eflection s o f the
-
r a

Gr eatest o f the Kh li fs a

C HA P TE R X III
RE I G N O F AL -
H A K E M II .

S plen di d C eremon i l t th A ces i on f Al H akem I I

e —
a a e c s o -
.

H i s Wi s e n d P r d nt M e O d ono s eek s an Au
di en c e— s—
a u e as u r s r

the C h ri sti an s —
Hi s B s e Su ful E p e diti on a gain st
Di t b n es i n A f i —A my of the
a n es cces s x

Kh li f D e fe ted—
s ur a c r ca r

a Th B b a Chie ft i n s e c orrupted
e er er a ar

an d th ei r F or ce s di b n d—I mp o t
,

e o f C o dov a as a
s a r an c r

i pti n of th G e t M os qu e
D eath of Al H ak m—H i Lit y Attain ments—
R eli giou s C en tre D h
es cr o e r a
-
e Hi s s erar

P at onage of Lett s Th L ib r y I n stituti on s p f

Le n in g—Gen er al P ev l e f E du c ati on—
r er e ra

P u bl ic
I mprovemen ts—
ar r a en c o

es t C ul tu e o f hi s Ag e—
Th Kh li f the E mpl o f the H i gh
e a xe ar

r P p ity f the E mp ire ros er o .

C HA P TE R X IV
RE I G N O F H I S C HE M II
Ami r—
.

Al —M u —Th S cen e i n the G ar

O ri gin
—
of I bn a bi
- -
an s r e

man —
d en G eni us d Att i nm nt f th Youth ful S tates
an a e s o e

H i s S u d den R i s e t P w
T heir C on pir cy D etect d—
I n fluence of the
I bn —
o o er

s p i res to S up r em Auth o ity—

E un uch s abi A mir s a e -

H e i s pp oi nted H aj i b
R ui n of hi s R iv l s—
a e r a

M ili tary S ervi ce—

-
R g n iz tion of the C ivi l nd
a eor a a a

S y t m ti c D eg a d ti on of Hi s chem
s e a r a
 C O N TEN T S or V OL U M E I . XV

A
—Th
P GE

The P al
Z hi
—
H j ib b m M t
of
‘

ac e a ra e a ec o es as e r

of th E mpi S u c s fu l W w ith th C h i ti n
Di tu b n c s i n A f ic —D t u ti
e re ces ar s e r s a s

f L —S k
f S nti g — D th f Al M n —H i G t S vi
s r a e r a es r c on o eon ac

a a o
— ea o a sur s r ea er c es
-
o

the S t t Hi U b k n S i f M il it y T i
Ab d l —
t
o a e s n ro e e r es o ar r
'
umph Al M d h fl R hm n M oh m
m d —S ley m n —
s -
o a er -
a a a a

e uDi pp a f H i hem—R pid

sa ea r an ce o sc a

Di s int g ti ef th E mpi
ra on o e re
 AU T H O R I T I E S C O N S U L T E D I N
TH E P R E P A R AT I O N O F T H I S W O R K

(To promote fa c ility fe en c e the follow in g li st h s b een of re r , a

c l s s i fi e d n ot on ly
a lphab eti lly b y uth s but al s o b y I n a ca a or , a

gu ge s " a .

E NG L I SH .

AL H A R I R I—M k m t 8 v o Lon don 1 8 5 0

-
a a a

AL I BE Y—T v els
,
. . .

2 v ls 4to L n d on 1 8 1 6
ra o o

AL M A KK A R I—H i stor y f the M oh amme d n Dyn s tie s i n S p i n

,
. . . .

-
o a a a .

2 v ol s 4to L on d n 1 8 4 0 o

ANDER SO N—Hi to y f C omme c e 4 vols l to Lon don 1 7 8 9

. . .
,

s r o r « A

ARN O LD—I shmael " The N tu l H i sto y of I s l mis m 8 o

. .
,
. .

a ra r a . v .

Lon don 1 8 5 9
BE ATTIE—C s tl e n d Abbey s o f E n gl n d 2 v l 8 o Lon d n
.
,

a s a a o s v o

BE R N GTO N —Lite
. . . .

I y Hi st y of the M i ddle A g s 4to L n

r ar or e . . o

B LU N T—
d on , 18 14 .

A P il g i m g t N j d r a e o e v ls 2 o 8vo L n d n 18 8 1 o o

B OS W O RT H S M IT H—M ohamme d
.
.
,
. .

-
a nd M h o a mme d n i s m 8v o L a . . on

d on , 1 8 76
B O W ER—H i t y f th P p
.

3 v l 8
s or P hil d lp hi 1 8 4 4
o e o es o s vo a e a,

BRA ND—P p l A tiq iti

. . . .

8
o L d 1 8 10
u ar n u es vo on on ,

B UR C K H A RD T—N t
. . .

th B d i d W h by 2 v l 8
o es o n e e ou n s a n a a s . o s . vo .

L d 183 1 on on ,

B UR C K H A RD T—Tra el s i A bi 2 l 8
.

L d 1 8 29
B UR C K H A RD T—T v l i N bi 4t L d 1 8 2 2
v n ra a . vo s . vo . on on , .

ra e s n u a o on on ,

B URTO N—A P ilg im g t M di

. . .

d M 1 2m N w
r a e o e na an ec c a . o . e

Y k 1856 or

Ch n i l f L d —108 94 4 8 3 I t L d 1 8 2 7
.
,

ro (
c e o on on o on on ,

COSM O III —T v l i E g l d F li
. . .

L d 182 1
C u TT —
. ra e s n n an . o o . on on , .

S s d Ch t f th M iddl A g
c en es 8
an L ar a c e r s o e e es . vo . on

d on , 1 8 8 6
AD AM S —
.

D AV E N P o nT -
Wit h W l k c , ar oc , an d M gi ci an
a . 8vo . L on
d on , 1 8 8 9 .

D AVE N P OR P An A p l gy '
o o for M oh amme d an d the K o r an . 8v o .

Lon don 1 8 6 9
D AV I s—
.
,

C th g e n d he R em in s
ar a a r a 8vo L on d on 1 86 1
D E U Tz—I s l am 8
. .
,
.

L on d n vo o

D I S RA E L I—C u i s itie f Lit tu

. . .

’
r o s o er a re . 2 v l o s . 8vo . L n don o ,

1 8 07
3 .

B X VI I
xv m A UTH O RITI E S CONSULTE D

D n ar E n —Hi t s or y of the I n tellectual D velopment e of E urop e .

8v o New Yor k, 18 7 5
—H i t
. .

E M I L L I AN N E s or y of the M on as ti c Or ders . l 2mo . Lon don ,

—Hi t
1677 .

FE R GU I S ON s or y of Ar chitectur e . 2 vols . 8 vo . New York,

18 8 5
F I N LAY—H i story of the B yz an tin e E mpi re 8v o Lon don
.

185 6
F I NN—H i stor y o f the J ew s i n S p ai n n d P ortu gal 8vo
.
. .
,

a . . L on
d on , 18 4 1
F O R T—M e di c al E con omy du rin g
.

the M iddl e Ag es . 8 vo . New

York, 1883
F OS B R OOK E —B ritis h M on ac hi sm 8 vo Lon don 1 8 43
.

F R ITH—Li fe o f Gi or dan o B run o 8 vo Lon don 1 8 8 7

.
. .
,

G I B B O N—
. .
,

H is tory of the D ec li n e an d F ll o f the R oman E mp ire a .

8 vol s 8vo Lon don 1 8 5 5

H ALL—C hron ic le of E n gl n d 4to Lon don 18 09
. . .
,

H ALL—S oc iety i n the E liz beth an Age 8 v o Lon don 1 8 8 6

a . .
, .

H A RD Y—E aster n M onachi s m 8 vo Lon don 18 5 0

a . .
, .

— ,
. . .

H A Z L I TT P opular Anti quiti es o f Gr eat B itain 3 vols 8vo r . . .

Lon don 1 8 70
HE C K ER—The E pi demi cs of the M iddle A ges S W L on don
.
,

,
. .

1 8 44 .

H I GGI N S Ap ol gy fo th Lif n d C h aracter of M oh am

-
An o r e e a

med 8 o L on don 1 8 2 9
H OD GE TTs—
. v .
,
.

Th E n gli s h i n th M iddl e Ages

e 8 vo Lon don e . .
,

18 85
H O NE —Anc i ent Myste i e D esc ib d S W L on don 1 8 2 3
.

H O NE—P opul Wo ks 4 l 8
r s r e . .
, .

arL n don r . vo s . vo . o .

H O W I TP H IS tory o f th S u p e n tu l 2 v ols 8 vo Lon don e r a ra . . .

,

18 6 3
—Th
.

H UE F F E R T oub dou s 8 L n d n 1 8 78
AL H A KE M—
e r a r . vo . o o , .

I BN - -
H i s to y f the Moh mm dan Con qu est of S p i n
r o a e a .

G otti n gen 18 5 8
H AU K AL—
8 vo .
, .

O i ent l G o gr phy 4to Lon d on 1 8 00

K H AL L I K AN —
I BN -
r a e a . .
, .

I BN -
B i og phi l Di ti n ry 4 vols 4to Lon ra ca c o a . . .

d on, 1 842
—C m i C
.

I sAAc s t ms J ew s 8vo Lon don

J A C K SO N —
er e on es , us o , etc . of the . . .

A A t h c coun of the E mpir e o f M oroc co . 4 to . L on

d 1 809
JENN I N GS—P h lli i m
on , .

a c s . sv a . L on don 18 8 4
—
, .

J ENN I N G S The R os i cru c i an s

-
. 8 vo Lon don .
, 1 8 79 .

J E SS U P The Women o f the A rab s

—
J ON E s H i story o f the W lden s es
. 8 vo
v ol s
. New York
Lon don
.

J ON E s—Moall akat 4to Lon don

a . 2 . 8 vo .
, 1 8 16 .

. .
, 1 78 3 .
xx AU TH O RI TI ES C O NSU L TED

M I LMA N —Hi t s or y of L tin Ch i sti n ity

a r a . 8 v ol s . 8 vo . New
Y ork, 18 5 9
—
.

Mu m An n als of the E ar l y C a liph ate 8 v o L on d on , 18 8 3

—
. .
.

Mu m Li fe of M oh amme d 8 v o L on don 1 8 7 8
—
.
. .
,

MU R PH Y H i stor y of the M ah ometa n E mpi re i n S p ain . 4to .

—
Lon don 1 8 16 , .

—
N E W T O N P r in c ipi a 8 vo N w Y r k . . e o .

O C K L E Y H is tor y o f the S 8 vo L on don 1 8 48

O MA R A H—
c ns ara e . . . .

Yaman 8 vo Lon d n 1 89 2
Oss o n N—
. . o ,
.

I s lam un der the Kh li fs o f B a gd d 8 vo Lon don a a . .

,

P ALG R A E—
18 78 .

A V Ye ar s Jou r n e y throu gh ’
C entral an d E a s ter n
A rabi 1 2 mo New Y or k, 1 8 7 1
P ALGR A E —
a. . .

E ss ay s on E a ster n S u bj ects SW Lon don 18 72

—S p titi
V . .
, .

P E TT I OR E w u ers on s c o n n ec e t d w ith th e P r ac ti c e o f M e di
i 8 L d 1 844
—H i t y f P
c ne . vo . on on , .

P L U M P TR E th i m v ol s 8 v o L on don 1 8 79
P R I C E—E s s ay tow ar d
s or o an e s . 2 . .
, .

th e Hi t y s or o f Ar b i a a . 4 to Lon don
.
,

—
1 82 4 .

'
R I I o iD I s P op e J oan 8v o L on d on 18 8 6
—
- . .
,
.

R U SS E LL The N atu r a l Hi sto r y o f A l epp o 4to L on don , 18 5 6

—
. . .

R U T H ERF O RD The T r o ub a d o u r s 8 v o L on do n , 1 8 7 3
—
. . .

S H UR R I E F C ustoms of the M us s ulman s of I n di a 8v o . . L on

d 1 83 2
S M ITH—Ki hip
on , .

ns an d M ar r a i g e in E ar ly Ar b i a a . 8v o . C am
b idge 1 8 8 5
S T I R L I N G M A W E LL —D
r , .

-
J h X on o n of A stri u a . 2 v ol s . 8 vo .

L nd 18 8 3
S YED AH M n—E s y n th Lif
o on, .

-
E s a s o e e of M oh ammed . 8 vo . Lon don ,

1 8 70
T H O M SO N—H ist y f Ch mi t y 2 v l 8
.

U R Q U H A R T—
or o e s r . o s . v o. Lo n do n ,
1 8 30 .

The P ill s f H l 2 v l ar o e r c u es . o s . 8 vo . New Yo rk ,

1 8 50
—
.

W E L L S TE D T ravel s i n Ar a b i a 2 v ol s 8 v o Lon don 18 3 7

—
—
. . . .
,

WI LL I AM S On H in dui s m 1 2mo Lon don 1 8 8 2 . .

, .

WR I G HT E ar ly Chr i stian ity i n Ar a bia 8v o Lon don 1 8 5 5

W R I GH 'I —
M an n ers an d S e n ti men ts o f E n gl an d durin g the
h
. .
, .

—
M i ddle A g es 4to Lon d n
WR I G HT N arratives of S o c er y
. .

r
o ,

an
1 8 62
d M a gi c
.

. 2 v ols . 8 vo . Lon

WR I G HT—
d on , 18 5 1 .

Wom n ki d i W t a n n e s ern E u ro p e . 4to . Lon don , 1 8 69 .

 AU TH ORI T IES C O NSU LTED xxi
F R E NC H .

AB D -
AL -
R A H MA N -
AL -
S U P I—D e s cr iption d es E t il o es Fi x es . 4to .

St P ete r s bou r g , 1 8 74
AB D — —T
. .

AL -
B E ZZA
Q ra de ité M atI er e M é di c le A b e a ra . 8v o . P is ar ,

1 8 74
AB D — H AL I M—R ud h l K t
.

-
EL 8 P is 1 8 5 9 o -
e -
ar as vo ar

AB U L H A SS A N A L I—L tt s 8
. .
,
.

P i e re vo ar s

A KA O Y—Q uel qu e s Ch p it
. . .

L -
LI UB d M é d in A b 8 a r es e ec e ra e . vo .

P i 18 56 ar s , .

An d t s A b t M ulm 1 2m P i 17 72
An n o—
ec o e ra es e us an e s . o . ar s , .

P l m t l C iv il i ti S i il P i 189 8
AR N O U LT —
co E a er 8 e e a sa on e n c e . vo. ar s , .

M ém i s d l L n g R m 3 v l
o re 8 T u e a a ue o an e . o s . vo . o

l us 1 8 42
o e,
—M ém i p u
.

ATs RU c vi a l H i t i d l F a ul té d e
o r es o r s er r
’
s o re e a c

M é d i d M tp lli 4t P i 17 77
AUB ER TI N—Hi toi d l L n g
ec n e e on e er . o . ar s , .

t l sLitté tu e F c i s re e a a ue e a ra r r an a es

u M ya Ag 2 v l 8
o P i 1876
en e o s vo ar s ,

N —D u C mm
. . . .

BA BE L O d s A b d n l N d d lE p o er c e e ra es a s e or e
’
u ro e .

8 P i 18 8 2
vo ar s ,

B A I LLY—Hi t i d I A t n mi An ci
. .

t M d 5 v ls
’
s o re e s ro o e en n e e o er n e . o .

P is 1 7 8 1
—L G d J u d l S ll i 8 P i 1 89 0
4t o ar

—
,
. .

BA I s sa c es r an s o rs e a o r ce er e vo ar s ,

M E YN A RD —I b him 8
. . .

—
B AR B IER DE P i s 1 869 l a
‘
. vo . ar , .

B A RE 'I E p g t P v s 8 P i 185 7
a ne e ro en ce . vo . ar s , .

B ARE ' L T b d u
I 8 es P i 18 5 7
rou a o rs vo ar s ,

B A GE —Hi t i
. . .

R s d B e i Z iy R i d Tl m
s o re 8 P ises n -
e an , o s e e ce n . vo . ar ,

—R
1887 .

BAR GEs ec h e c he
r s s ur l es C l n ies P h én ic ien n es
o o . 8v o . P risa ,

18 7 8
—T l
.

B AR GEs P is 1 8 5 9 e mcen . 8vo . ar , .

BAR AU M n fo t et l es Albi geoi s 2 vols 8 P is

B ART H ELE M Y S A I N T H I LA I RE—D u B ou ddhis m
R -
o r . . vo . ar ,
1 8 40 .

-
e . 8vo . P i ar s ,

1 85 5
BARTH ELE M Y S A I N T—
H I LA I RE—M h
.

a o met et le C or a n . 8vo . P r is
a ,

B A SSE T —
1865 .

L P ie A b A té I l miq a l 2moes P i 18 80 ra e n -
s a ue o ar s ,

E —H i t i
. . .

BAT d l A t M um t l P i 1 8 60 ’

A T—
I SS I R 8 s o re e r on en a . vo . ar s , .

BA U DR I L L Hi t i d L 4 v l
R 8 P i 18 8 0 s o re u u xe . o s . vo . ar s , .

L A t B yz ti P i
—
BAY
’
EP 8 r an n . vo . ar s .

BA AN Z Hi t i d l S i i l
C OU R P l D mi ti d s N s o re e a c e s ou s a o na on e or

BE A R M ON T—
m nd 2 v l
a 8 P i 1846s . o s . vo . ar s , .

Hist i d B q 8 P i s 1 8 67
—L es Jni f n F
UD I o re es as u es . vo . ar , .

BEDAR R I DE I t li t E p g 8 s e r an c e, a e, e s a ne . vo .

P is 1 8 6 1ar ,
.
xxii A UTH O RI T IES C ONSULTED

BE L I N— D u R é gi me d es F i efs M ili t i s dan s l I s l ami sme 8vo a re

’
. .

B EN ETR I x—
P ari s 1 8 70 , .

L e s F emmes T u b d u 8 vo P ri s 1890 a

BER GER—L A bi e v t M h met 8 o P ar i s 18 8 3

ro a o rs . .
, .

—
ra a an a o . v .
,
.

—
L CS O igi n e d I Al hi mi P ari s 18 85 ’
B E R TH EL OP 8 vo r s e c e. .
, .

B E R TH E AN D M é d in e t H yg ien d s A ab es
R ec 8 vo P ari s
e e e r . . .

L As tr on mi e I di nn t Chin i s P ar i s 1 8 62
B OE L L—
B I o' 8 vo
’
I o n e e e o e. .
,
.

H i stoi e d l C s e 8 o M il le 18 7 8
B OI S GE L I N —
r e a or . v . a rs e ,
.

M lte An i nn e t M d n e 3 vol s SW 1 809

B O RD I ER—
a c e e o er . . . .

L A t B yz n ti n P is 18 8 5
’
4t
B O U C I I E n—
r a o ar

D eux P oé t An te—
.
. .
,

I l mi q e 8 o P ri s 18 67
B O U R G O I N—
- es s a u s . v . a , .

L es Art A b es
B OU T H AR l c —
4to P is s ra . . ar .

T ité d es D its S ei gn u e ux 4to T oulouse

ra ro e r a . .
,

1 75 1
WH YT E—H is to i e d e L an gues R oman es 3 vols 8 vo
.

BR U C E -
r s . . .

P is 1 8 4 1
B UR N OU F —
ar , .

— E s s i s u L Ve d
C aD o z C ivilité M u ulm n
8
1 2 mo
P is 1 8 6 3
a

Alge 1 8 8 9
r e a . vo . ar , .

C AP E F I GU E —
s a e . . r, .

H i to i d F n u M oy en Ag e
s 4 vol s
re 8vo e ra ce a . . .

B ruxelles 1 84 3
CAP E F I GUE —
, .

H i stoi P hil s phi que d s J u i fs 8vo Brux elles

re o o e . .
,

C
1 839
AR D O NN E—Hi t i .

s o re d e l Afri qu e
’
et d e l E sp ag n e
’
. 3 vols .

C A R O NNE —
12 m P i o . ar s , 1 76 5 .

B Mé a l ng e d e la Litté ture O ri entale ra . 1 2 mo . P aris ,

C A T E L—
7 6
1 8 .

C AT E L—
Hi t i s o re de L an gue doc . F ol i o . Tol os e, 1 6 33 .

Hi t i d C omtes d e Tol os e F o lio Tol os e, 1 6 2 3

P ER C E AL—
s o re es . . .

CAU S SI N DE E ss ai l H i s toi r e d es Arabes avant

’
V s ur
’
l I sl a mi m 3 v l 8 P r is
—Hi t i
s e . o s . vo . a , 18 4 7 .

C HAP O ET B E L Z U N CE s o re d es B s qu a es . 3 vols . 8 vo .

S T E LLA—
P ar is , 18 4 7 .

CH A UM E I L DE E SS31 s ur l H i s toir e d e
’
P ortu ga l . 8 vo .

B u ell es
C H EN I ER—
r x .

R echerc h s H is to iqu s s u l es M ures e r e r a . 3 vols . 8 vo .

P a ri s 1 7 8 7
C H ERR I ER—
, .

H i stoi e d e l Lutte d P p s 4 v ols r a es a e . . 8 vo .

P ari s ,
1 84 1
—
.

C HI A R I N I Le T a lmu d d e B aby l o n e 8 v o L eipzi g 1 83 1

C H OI S E U L D AL L E COU R F De l I n flu en c e d e s C roi sa des
- — ’
. . .

.
.

8vo .

P ari s
—E s uisse
, 1 8 09 .

CH R I S TI AN OW I TS C H q H i t i qu
s or e d e la M us i que Arabe .

4 to .
 AU TH ORI TIES C ONSULTED xxiii
CI R c o u n T —Hi t i s o re d es Mo r es Mu d ej ares et d es Mo ri s qu es . 3
vols 8 vo P ari s 1846
C L O T BE Y—
.
. .
,

-
Ap er cu Gén éral s u r I E g y pte
’
. 2 vols . 8 vo . P risa ,

—
18 40 .

COU P R Y T raité d e l a Vers i fic ati on Ar ab e 8 vo Leipzig, 1 8 7 5

—
. . .

C OYP E L L e J ud ai s me 8 vo
— P ar is, 1 8 77
D AR E M R E R G H i s toi r e d es S ci en c es M é di c al es
.

2 v ols 8 vo
. .

. . .

P ar i s , 1 8 7 0
—
.

D u mas L a Vie Ar abe 8v o P ari s

—
. . .

DAV I LL IER H i s toire d es F a ien c es H i sp an o Mores qu es 8vo -

. .

P i 86 1
DAV I LL I ER—L A t
ar s , 1 .

DAV I LL I ER—
D ec ora ti fs en E s p agn e P r is 1 8 79
“

es r s . 8vo . a , .

N ti s ur l es C u i r s d e C or doue 8vo P ari s 1 87 8

DAV I LL I ER—O i gi
o ce . .
,
.

r n es d e la P o cel ain e en E ur ope

r . 4 to . P ar i s ,

D E LAMB R —
1882 .

Hi t i d e l As tron omi e Anci en n e vols

’
E ~
s o re . 2 . 4to .

P a i s 1 8 17r ,

— .

D E LA P O R TE V i e d e M ahomet 8 vo P ar is 1 8 7 4
—
. .
,
.

D E L I S L E D es T ali s man s 1 2mo P ar i s 1 6 36

’

D E N I s—Chron i qu es et T rad iti on s P ov encal es

,
. . .

8vo r . . Toulon ,

18 3 1
D E P AR C TE L AI N E
.

—Hi t i s o re d e la Guerre c on r e t l es Alb i geoi s .

P ari s 1833
D E PPI N G—
8v o .
, .

H i stoi re d a Commer ce entre l e Levant et l ’

E u r ope .

2 vols 8 vo
—
1 830 . . .

—
D E P I N G L es Jui fs dans l e M oyen Ag e 8vo P is
.

D E RO C H A T Les P ar i as d e F ran ce et d E s p ag n e 8 vo
.

’
.

.
ar ,

.
1 8 34
P ari s
.

18 76
—Ch
.

D E S Ac v mati e A be v ol s . P a i s 1 82 6
—M ém i
re s to ra . 3 8v o . r , .

D E S Ac v o re s s ur I H i stoi re d es
’
Arabes avant M ahomet .

P aris
—
4 to

—
. .

D E S A U L CY H i stoi r e d e l Ar t J u d a qu e P ari s ’
8 vo i . .
,
185 8 .

—
D E VE R GE R s Arabi e
S 8vo P ar i s 1 84 7 . .
, .

D H E R B E L OT
’
B i bli otheque Ori entale 6 vols 8 vo . . . P ari s ,

1 77 3
—
.

—
Les rouveres r s ien s 8vo P aris , 1 8 43
T A té
D I N AU x . . .

D OU AI s L es lbi eoi s 8vo P ar i s, 1 8 79

A g
—
. . .

D ozv E s s a i sur l H i s toi r e d e l I s l ami sme 8 vo L ey d e, 18 79

’ ’

—
. . .

D ozv Glos s ai re d es M o s E s p a gn ols et P or ug a i s de riv es d e t t

l Ar abe
’
8vo L ey d e, 1 8 69
—Hi t i
. . .

D ozv s o re d es Mus ul man s d E s pagn e ’

. 4 vols . 8 vo . L ey d e,
1 86 1
—L C i d
.

D on 8 vo L ey d e, 1 8 6 0
—N ti
e . . .

D ozv o c es s ur Q u elques M an us crits . 8 vo . Ley d e, 1 8 4 7 .

xx iv A UTH O RI TI E S CONSULTE D

D o zv —R h e r
ec c h es s u r l H i s toi r e e t l a L i tté rat ur
’
e d e l E s p agn e
’

p en dan t l e M oyen Ag e 2 v ols 8vo Ley d e 1 860

D uB OI s—
.
. . .
,

H i s toi re d e I H l og eri e 4 to P ari s 1 8 49

—
’
or . .
,
.

D U GAT H istoir e d es P h ilos ph e M us ulman s 8vo P ari s 18 7 8

D U GAT—T raité d e M é dec in e d Abou D j a far 8v o P ar i s 1 8 5 3
o s . .
,
.

D U P O UY—L e M oyen Ag e M é dic al 1 2mo P a ri s 18 80

.
. .
,

E GGER—
.
. .
,

L H ell en i s me en F r n c e 2 v ols 8 vo P ar is 18 69
’

E L BEKR I—
a . . .
, .

-
D e s c ription d e l Af i que S eptentri ona le 8 vo
’
r . .

P ari s 1 85 9
F AB RIC—
.
,

L e T rou ba dou 2 v ol s 8v o P ari s 1 84 3

FAU R I E L—
r . . .
,
.

H i stoi re d e l G ul M é i di on ale 4 vols 8vo P ar is

a a e r . . .
,

18 3 6
—Hi t i
.

F AU R I E L s o re d e la P oes ie P rov en cale . 2 vol s . 8 vo . P ar is ,

—
1 8 46 .

F ERRER A S H istoire Gén érale d E s p a gn e

’
. 10 v ols . 4150 . P ar is ,

1 74 4
—H i t i d l
.

FETI s M us i qu e
v ols 8 vo P ar i s 1 8 69 5
F I GU I ER—L Al himi
s o re e a . . .
, .

t l es Al c h imi s tes 1 2 mo P ari s 18 5 6

’

—Hi t i E
c e e . .
, .

F c l é s i stiqu e 6 v ol s 8v o P ar i s 1 8 4 4
F L U C K I GER et H A N B U R Y—
L E UR v s o re c a . . .
, .

H i stoi r e d es D rogues V é gétales 2 .

vols 8vo P ari s 18 7 8

F OU R I E L —
. . .
,

C on qu éte d e l Afr i qu e p l es Ar abes 2 v ol s

’
4to ar . . .

1 8 75
—
.

F OU R N E L L es B er ber es 2 v ols 4to P ari s , 1 8 7 5

—
. . . .

F R A N C K L a K abb ale 8 v o P a r i s 1 8 4 3
F R EGU I E R—L e s J u i fs Al g ér i en s 8 vo P a r i s, 1 8 6 5
. . .
,

—
. . .

F RE S NE L Lettre s ur l H i s toi re d es Ar ab es av an t l I s l ami s me

’ ’
.

P i 1 8 36
—L
8 vo . ar s , .

GAGN IE n M homet 1 2 mo Amster dam 1 7 32

Vi e d e
G AR C I N DE T A SS Y—
a a . . .
,

M émo i e s u l e s N oms P rop res et l es T itres r r

M us ul man s 8 vo P a is 1 8 7 8
G A RN I ER—
. . r , .

Céli bat et l es C éli b t ires 1 2mo P ar is 1 8 89 a a

G ARN I ER—H isto i re d e l a V e er ie 8 vo T ou rs 1 8 8 6

. .
, .

G A ST I NE A U—
rr . . .
,

Le s F emme et l es M oeu s d Al géri e 1 2mo P ari s ’

G AU F R I DI —
s r . . .

H i stoir e d e P roven c e 2 v ols F oli o Ai x 1 694

GAU TTI E R D AR c —
. . .
, .

H i stoi re d es C on quétes d es N orman ds en I tali e

’

en S i c i l e et en G r ec P ar i s 1 8 30
G H AZ Z AL l —
, 8 vo e . .
, .

L e P r é s erv ati f d e l E reu P ar i s 1 8 7 8 ’

GI R A U L T DE P R A N GE Y—
8v o r r . .
, .

E ssai s u l A c hi tec tu r e d es Ar ab es et
’
r r

d es M aur es P ari s 1 8 4 2
G OL DZ I E H E R—
4to . .
, .

L e C u lte d es An c ét es c h ez l es Arab es
'
8vo r . .

P ari s 1 8 8 5
GR AE Tz—
.
,

L es J u i fs d E s p agn e P ar is 18 7 2
’
8vo . .
, .
 AU TH O RI T IES C O NSUL TED xxv
GR AN GE R E T DE L A G R A N GE —
—Les A bes v
ra en E s p a gn e . 8 vo . P ri s
a ,

—
1 8 24
—L a M éd
.

G U A RD I A ec n e i a t v ra er s l es Sie l c es . 8v o . P is ar ,
1 86 5 .

G '
U I zo I C ollection d es o es e a s l H i s toi r e d e l M ém i r r l tif a
’
a

F r n ce 3 1 v l s 8 v o P i s 1 8 24
a . o . . ar , .

GU I P ZO H i S tOi e d e l C i v il i s ti n en F n ce
r 4 v ls a a o ra . o .

P is 1846ar

GUYA RD—L C ivili s ti on M u s u lm n

,
.

a 1 2m P is 18 8 4
a a e o ar

G UYA RD—Th éo i e d e l M ét i qu e A b
. . .
,

r 8 P is a r ra e . vo . ar .

H i stoi e d es P p es 10 vols 8
r P i s 18 44 a vo ar

H O EFER—Hi t i e d e l C himi e 2 v ls 8v o P i s
. . .
,
.

s o r a o ar

H O EFER—Hi st i e d e M th ém ti que l 2mo P is 1 8 74

. . . .

o r s a a s . . ar ,
.

H OVE L AC Q E L Av es t U8v P is 1 8 8 0 ’
a o ar

HU I L L A RD — E s—H i sto i r
. . .
,

B EH O R D iplom tiqu d e F ede i I I

LL e a e r r e .

4to P is 1 8 5 9 ar

HU I LLARD B EH L E —L a Vi e d e P i e re d l Vign
.
,
.

-
R O L s 8 vo r e a e . .

P ri s 1 8 6 5
a

I B N AL A W AM—L e L iv e d e l Ag i c u l tu e 2 v ol s 8
.
,

- -
P is r
’
r r . . vo . ar ,

1 8 66
I B N— B —T ité
.

E L- E I T H AR ra d es Simpl es . 3 v ol s . 4 to . P is ar ,

1 8 77
IB N—
.

HA U K AL — D es c r i pti o n de P l
a er me au X Si e l c e . 8 vo . P is ar ,

18 45 .

IB N -
KH AL D U N m
H i s to i r e d es B be er r es . 4 v lso . 8 vo . Alg er ,

185 6
J A C O B—C i ité
.

d e l H i s toi r e d u M oy en Ag e 1 2 mo P is
’
u r os s . . ar ,

1859
J A C O B I—H i t i d l C
.

2 v l 8 P i s 1 8 33
J A N A —H i t i
s o re e a or s e . o s . vo . ar , .

G d l Ch imi 2 v l 8v P is 18 9 1
P A SS A—V y g
Ux s o re e a e . o s . o . ar , .

J A U B ER T DE E p g o a e en s a ne . 2 v ols 8v o P is . . ar ,

1 89 1
—Et d
.

J OM AR D P is 1 8 3 9 l Ar abi e
’
8v o
L A BE A U M E —
u es s ur . . ar , .

L C o an An lys é 8v o P ri s 1 8 7 8
e r a a

LAB E SS ADE —L e D it d u S e i gn eu
. .
, .

8v o P i 1878 ro r ar s ,

L ACR OI —M oeu s t U s g es u M y n Ag
. . .

P is
LAC O x —
x r 8 e a a o e e . vo . ar ,
1878 .

R S c i en c es et Lett es u M oyen Age F li

I r a . o o . P is ar ,

1 8 77
LA N GLE—Histo i l d u J n gl
.

8 vo P ris 1 8 29
L A P R I M AU D AI E —L es A b es
r a o eur . . a , .

ra en S i c il e et e n I t li a e . 8vo . P ri a s,

18 6 7
R O Q U E —V y g d
.

LA o a e an s l Ar abi e
’
H eu r e u s e . 1 2 mo . P is ar ,

172 5
LE B E A U—H i stoir e d u B s E mp i e
.

13 vols 8vo P is
LE B O N —
a r . . . ar ,
18 20 .

L C iv i l i s ti on d e A b a a s ra es . 8v o . P is ar , 1884 .
xx vi AUTH ORITIE S CO NS ULTED
—Hi t i S ete d es C ouven ts 1 2 mo
—A l C
LE B R U N s o re ec r B r uxell es . . .

—H i t i d P ar i s , 1 8 74
L E CL E R c bu as is . 8vo . .

L E CLE R c s o re e l a M é dec in e Ara be 2 v ol s 8 vo P ari s, . . .

1 8 76
— .

L EN I EN T La S ati re en F ran ce au M oyen Ag e . 8vo . P ari s ,

1 8 77 .

1 2mo
—La Divi
L E N OR M AN P La Gr an de Grece . . P ar i s , 18 8 1 .

L E N OR MAN T
L E N OR M AN P — P ar i s 1 8 7 5na

L e s P remieres C ivili s ation s 8 va P ar is 1 8 74

ti on . 8v o .
, .

LE N TH ER I c—
.
. .
,

La Grece et l Ori ent en P roven ce 12 mo P ari s ’

. .
,

1 8 78
—L a
.

L E TOU R N E AU x K abyli e et l es C o utumes Kabyles . 3 v ols .

8vo
LI N GU E T
.

— P ris 1 8 72
a ,

E s s a i P hilos ophi que

s ur
.

l e M onac hi s me l 2mo . .

P ari s 1 7 7 7
L L O RE N T E—H is to ire d e I I n quis i ti on d E s pag n e 4 vols 8vo
.
,
’ ’
. . .

P ari s 1 8 1 7
L OU I s L A NDE
-
,
— .

B as qu es et N av ar rai s 8 v o P ar i s 1 8 78 . .
, .

LU C AS D oc u ments s ur l e C i d 8 vo P ari s 1 8 60
M AGEN—
-
. .
, .

L es P retres et l es M oin es a traver s l es Ages 8vo . .

P ar is 1 8 5 7
MAK R I Z I—
, .

H i stoi re d es S ultan s Maml ouks 2 vols 4to P ari s . . .

,

MAx mzr —T ité

1 83 7 .

M A NDE L—
ra M onn ai es M us ulman es 8 vo P ari s
d es . . .

M AR C H A N —
s o r e d e l a L an gue R om n e
Hi t i 8vo P ar i s 1 84 0 a . .
, .

M R M O L— A
D M i o n es et N on n es 1 2mo P a is 1 8 8 1 . . r , .

M AR TI N— S i g
L fri qu e 3 vo ls P ri s 1 66 7
’
A 4 to . . . a , .

Le s n e s N umerau x c h e z l es P e upl es d e l An ti uité

’

q
et d u M o yen A e
g 4to R ome 1 8 6 4
MAR T O N N E —L a P i été d u M oyen Age 8vo P ar i s 1 8 5 5
. .
, .

MAs L AT R I E —
. . .
, .

H is to ire d e l I s l e d e C hyp re 3 v ols 8 vo P aris ’

. . .
,

—
18 55 .

MM L A T R I E Traités d e P ai x d es Ar bes a du M oyen Age .

—
F oli o P ari s 1 8 66
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M A U RY C royan ces et L é gen des

, .

de l
’
Anti qui té . 8 vo . P ari s ,

M A U R Y—ssai
6
18 3 .

E s ur l es Lé gen des P i eu s e s du M oyen Age . 8 vo .

P ari s
M A U RY—H i stoi re d e s R eli gion s d e l a Grece Anti que
, 1843 .

. 3 vols .

8v o
—
P ar i s 1 8 5 7
—
.
, .

M A UR Y L a Magi c et l As tr ol og i e 1 2 mo P aris 1 8 6 0
’
. .
, .

—
M EN A N T Zor oas tr e 8v o P aris 1 8 5 7 .

M ERA Y La Vi e u T emp s d es C our s d Amour 8vo

a
.
, .

’
. .
P aris ,
1 8 76 .
xxviii AU TH O RI T IES C O NSU L T ED

RE N AU L D O N —Di ti c onn a r e i d es F i efs et d es D roits S e i g n eu re au x .

4 to P ari s 1 76 5
R EN O U A RD—Hi s toi r e
.
.
,

de la M é de c in e . 2 vols . 8 vo .
P ar is ,

18 4 6
R O M E Y—H i t i d E p
.

s o re
’
s a
g ne 9 vo l s 8 vo P a is r ,
1 8 39 .

R O NN A—L I ig ti
. .
.

es rr v ls 8 v o P a i s 1 8 8 8
a on s 3 o r .

—
. . .
,

R Q A
O U L a P p té
IR E u u M o y en Ag
a a 8 vo P ris 1 8 8 1
a e a

S A I N T H I LA I RE —H i stoi e d E s p gn e 14 v ols
.
. .
,
’

R OS SE U W -
r a . . 8 vo .

P isar 1859
S ABA TI ER—N ti u G b t 8
.
,

P i 18 5 0
o ce s r er er vo ar s,

S A IN TE— A —H i t i
. . .

P L itté i d T b d
EL IE 3 v l s o re r a re es r ou a ou r s . o s .

1 2m P i 17 74o ar s ,

—E i s u l E l s P hilos ophi qu es h z le
. .

S HM
C OL D E Rs ssa r es co e c e s

A b ra 8 P i 18 42
es vo ar s ,

S C H O E B E L—L B ddhi m t
.

—
. .

O igi e8 P i 1 8 74 ou s e e s es r n es vo ar s ,

S C H O LL—L I l m t
. . .

F d t ’
8 N
s a h t l 1844 e s on on a eu r . vo . eu c a e ,
.

—
SE '
DI L L O IHi t i Gé é l d A b s 2 v l s o re8 P i n ra e es ra e . o s . vo . ar s ,

1 8 77
S ED I L L O '
I Mater i au x p our s er vi r a l H i s toi e C omplete ’
r d es
S c i en c e s M ath émati ques c h e z l es O r i en tau 2 v o ls x 8vo

—
. . .

P isar , 1 84 5 .

S ED I L L O T Mé mo i r e sur l es S y tem s es G éo gr aphiqu e s d es A be ra s .

8 vo P i ar s 18 4 2
—P
. .

S ED I L L O T r ol e
g o men es d es T b l A st
a es r on o miqu es d Ol ou g ’
B eg .

8vo . P isar ,
1853 .

S ED I L L OP Tr ai té d e s I t n s ru ments At s r on o mi qu es d es A b ra es .

4to P isar 1 8 33
S IS M O ND I—Hi t i
. .
,

s o re d e la L itté ature r du M i di d e l E u r op e
’
. 4
v ol s 8 P is 1 8 2 9 vo ar

S IS M O ND I—R épu bli qu e s Itali en n es d u M oyen Ag e 10 vols 8vo

. . .
,

. . .

P ar i s 1 8 4 0
S O L V E T—D esc i pti on d u P y s d e M g e b
.
,

r 8vo Alge 1 8 39 a a r . . r, .

T O RRE S Hi t i e d es Ch é i fs 4 to P i s 1 66 7
-
s o r r ar

VAC H E OF —
. .
, .

H i sto i e C itiqu e d e l Ec ol e d Al ex an d i e 3 v ols

’ ’
R r r r . .

8 vo P is 1 8 4 6
. ar , .

VE R T OP H i S tOi e d es Che v li e s H os pit l i e s

r 5 v ols a r a r . .

Amste d m 1 7 3 2 r a

VI AR O T—Hi s t i e d es A ab es e t d es M ores d E s p ag n e
.
,

2 v o ls
’
D o r r . .

P is 1 8 5 7
V I AR D O —
8v o . ar , .

T S c é n s d e Maaurs A b es 8v o
e P i s 1 8 34 s ra . . ar , .

V I LL E MA I N— H i st i e d e G e goi e VII 8 vo P a i s 1 8 7 4
o r r r r

V I LL E MA I N —T abl eau d e l
. .
, .

Litté r tu e au M oyen Ag e a a r .

P is 1 8 7 8
ar , .
 A U TH ORI T IES C O NSUL TED x x 1x

V I N C EN T—Etu d es s ur la L oi M us u lm n e—L é g i s l ti on C rimi a a

ell P i
—L Al geb
n 8 e vo ar s, 18 42
r e d Oma r Al —
. . .

WO E P C K E K hay y mi P ari s 1 8 5 7
’ ’

8vo
—
. . .
,
'
W OE P C K E M émo i r e s u r l a P ro p a gation d es Chi flr e s I n di en s .

8v o P ris 1 8 6 3
WOE P C K E —
. a , .

R ec h e h es s u l H i s t i e d s S i n ces
rc M the r
’
o r e c e a

—
mati ques c h e z l es O i ent u 8v P i s 1 8 60
W OE K E S ur l I n t o d u c ti o n d e l A i thméti qu e en O cc i den t
P C
’
r
r a x . o
’
.

r
ar ,
.

4 to P is 18 5 9 ar

ZAM AK H S C H AR I —L es C olli er s d O
.
, .

8 vo Pa is 1 876 ’
r r

ZE L LER—E nt etien s s u r l H i st i e d u M y n Ag e 12 mo
. .
, .

’
r o r o e . .

P ar i s 1 8 6 5
ZELLER—Histoire d All em g n e 7 v l s 8 vo P ri s 18 7 2
.
,
’
a . o . . a , .

S P A N ISH
A A R C A—An l
.

R a es de A g ra 2 v l F li
on o s o o S l a a ma n c a 1 6 8 4
ALDRE TE —V i
. . .
, .

ar a s An ti g ii ed ad e s de E s p afi a . 4 to . Amber es ,

16 1 4
—I
.

AL M AGR o ns cr ip i c o n es A b ra es de Gr an a d a . 4to . G r a n a da ,

1 8 77
—L
.

AL O N s o EL S AR I o as Si t e e P ar ti d as . 3 v lso . 4to . M a dr id,

1 807
AR AQ U I STAN —T r a di c i on es —C a t b
.

V as c o n a r as . T l o os a,

1 8 66
M O L I N A—N o bl z
.

AR G OT E DE e a de A dl i n a uc a . F ol i o . S vill
e a,

—
15 8 1 .

AR G OTE N ue v os P as eos p or G r a n a da . 2 v ol s . 1 2 mo . Gr an a d a ,

1820
B A E ZA—U ltim S
.

os u ce s os d el R ei n o de Gr an a d a . 8v o . M a dr i d ,

1868
B ALAG U ER—Hi t i
.

s or a d e l os T v d ro a o re s . 6 vols . 8 vo . M a dr i d,
18 7 8
B ALA U ER—Los R y
.

G e es C atol i c o s 2 v ol s 8vo M d i d 1 8 94
a r

z—Hi t
.
'
. . .
,

B NA
ER LDE i s or a d e l os R eye s C a tol i c os . 2 vol s 4to S . . e

vill 1 8 7 0a,

B LED A—C
.

i d or on c a e los M o ro s d e E s p a fi a . F oli o . Vl a e n c a, i
16 18
—K tiv
.

B oI x 18 5 7
—D
a a . 8 vo . .

CAN As e la A g i ult r c ura E s p afi ol a 1 6mo

V ll d lid 1 8 6 8 a a o

—A
.
.
,
.

CAR o n ti
g ue d a d e s d e S vill F li S vill 1 6 34
o o e a,

—Di
e a . . .

CAS C AL E s s c u rs os H i s to ri cos b M i F li M i
so re urc a . o o . u rc a ,

1 77 5
CAV ED A—E n s ayo
.

H i s tor i co so b re d iv e s os
los r
g e n er o s d e A hi rc

tectu r a en E s pafi a . 8vo . M drid 1 8 4 8

a ,
.
xx x AU TH ORIT IE S CO NSU LTED
—
C A VED A C ro n ica d e D on Alvaro d e Lun a F oli o M a dr i d, 1 7 8 4
C E B R I A N—H is tori a d e l os Ar abes en M urcia 8 vo P a lma, 1 8 4 5
. . .

—
. . .

C O DER A Y Z A I D I N T r atado d e N u mi s mati c a Arab i g o E s p afi ol a -

.

M a dr i d 1 8 7 9
C oL M E N AR E s—
4to .
, .

H i stori a d e S e govi F oli o M a dr id 1 64 0 a.

CO NDE —H i s tori a d e l a D omi n ci on d e l o s Arab es en E s pafi a

.
.
,

a .

2 v ol s 4 to
—
M a drid 1 820 .
,
. .

C ON TR E R As M onu mentos A r b e s 4to M adr id 1 8 7 8 a . .

,
.

C n ic as d e l os R eyes d e C as till a 3 vols 8 v o M a dri d

ro . . .
,

1875
—H i t i
.

D AM E T o s or a d el R eyn o B al e ar i c o . 3 vols . 4to . P a lma ,

—
1 840 .

D AN V I L A Y C OL L ADo La E x pu ls io n d e l os M or i s c os . 8vo .

DE
M a dr id 1 889
L A P EN A An ales
,

— .

de C ataluna . 3 v ols . F oli o . B ar c e on a, l

1 7 09
—E l
.

DE Los RI os Ar te L ti a n o- B
y za nti n o 4 to . . M dr id a , 1 86 1 .

DE L OS RIOS -
H i st i d e l or a os J u d i o s d e E s p afi a . 3 v ols . 8 vo .

M a dr i d, 18 76 .

DE L OS RIOS -
I n s cripci on e Ar bes s a de C or dob a y S evi ll a . 8 vo .

M d id 1 8 79
—S vill P i t
a r , .

DE L os R I os e a n ores c a . 4to . S evilla , 18 4 4 .

D E Los R IO S T l d P i t M d id
V A L L E —A l d l I
-
o e o n or es c a . 4 to . a r , 18 4 5 .

DE L M adr id 1868
—P i y A t
n a es e a n qu i s i c i on . 8 vo .
, .

DE S c H Ac x oe s a r e d e l os A abes
r en E s p afi a y S icili a .

3 v ols 1 2mo M a drid 1 8 72

D I AGo —H i s tor i a d e l os C on des d e B arc elon a
. .
, .

Fo lio B rce . . a

lon a 16 03
D UR o—M mo i a s d e Z amor
.
,

4 v ol s M adrid 1 8 8 3
E C H E V A RR I A—
e r 8 vo a . . .
, .

P as eos por Gr n a da 2 vol s 8v o Gran ada a . . .

,

18 14
—
.

E S COL AN o H i stori a d e Val en c i a 2 v ol s F oli o Val en c i a, . . .

1 6 10
—
.

FL E C H I E R Hi stor i a d el C ar den a l Ximen es 8 v o Lyon s , 17 12

—
. . .

F L onE z E s p afi a S a gr a da 5 1 vols 4130 M a dr i d, 1 7 5 4

—
. . . .

GAL I AN o H i s tor i a d e E s pa fi a 4 v ol s M a dr id, 1 8 44

G AR I BAY—
8 vo . . . .

C o mp en di o H i st i l or a de l as C hroni c as . 2 v ols .

F oli B rc elon a 1 6 2 8
GO M E Z M I E D E s—
o . a
, .

-
H i stori a d el R ey D on J ayme I d e Ar agon . .

F olio Val en ci a 15 8 4
G ON Gon A—
.
, .

—
H i stori a d e N avar r 4to P amplon a 1 62 8 a . .
, .

G U A D ALA J A R A Y XAVI E R R M emor ble E xp ul s i on d e l os M ori s a

c os d e E s p afi a 4to P mplon a 16 13 . . a
, .
 AUTH ORI TI ES C ON SULTED

H U R T AD O DE M END O Z A — G uerr a d e Gr an ad a c on ra t l os M o is r

c os .

I R N AL J AT H I R
-
4to .

—D 1 77 6 .

e s cri pc i on
'
d el R ein o de G r an a da .

M a dr i d 18 60
JANE R—
.
,

C on dicion S oci al d e l os Mori s cos d e E s pan a .

—
Ma dr i d 18 5 7 , .

J IM EN A Anales d e J aen y B aez 4to Matriti 1 6 5 4

—
a . .
, .

LA F UE N T E AL OAN TAR A E l Libro d el Vi aj ero en G

-
r an a da .

1 6 moGr an ada, 18 4 3
. .

LAF U EN T E A L C A N T AR A His tor i a

- -
de G ran a da . 2 v ol s .

P ari s 1 8 5 2
LA F U EN T E A L C A N T A R A—I n s c ripc ion es Arabes d e Gran d
.
,

-
a a . 8vo .

M d i d 1 8 59
LAF UEN T E—
a r , .

H istori a Gen eral d e E s p afi a 6 vols 4to . . . B ar

ce lon
—
1 8 82 a,

L o zAN o L os R eyes Nu evo s d e T ole do

.

Va l n c i
MaDR Azo—
4to . . e a, 169 8 .

C or dova 4to M a drid 1 8 5 5

MADR Azo—
. . .
,

—
S evilla y C a diz 4to M a dri d 1 8 5 6
M AR I A N A H is tori a Gene l d E s p afi a 2 vols Fo lio . ra
.

e
.

.
,

.
.

. Mad
ri d,
-
165 0 .

—
M A RM O L C A R V A J AL H i stori d e l a R ebelion y C astigo d e l os a

M o i s c os 4to M adrid 1 7 9 7
M A R T I NE Z DE L A ROS A—
r . .
, .

O b r s 8vo P ari s 1 8 44 a

M A S DE U—H i s tori a C ritic a d e E s p n 20 v ols 4to M d i d

.
. .
,

a a. . . a r ,

17 8 7 .

'
Memo ri al H i s té i co E s p aI I ol vo l s M dr id
‘

21 4to
—
r . . . a ,

1 8 5 1 18 89 .

Memor ias d e l a R eal Ac a demia d e H is tori

—
1 1 vo ls a . .

4 to M a d ri d 1 79 6 1 8 8 8
.
,

ME N AN D E z VALD E z L a M on r c hi a As tur i an a 4to M a dr id — .

ME S A GI NE TE—
-
a . . .

-
H is tori a d e J ere z d e l a F rontera 2 vols 4to . . .

J er e z 1 8 8 8 , .

M I LA Y F ON TE N AL s D e l os T r ova dores en E s pafi a 8 vo — . .

B a c elon a 18 6 1
Mo L I N o —
r , .

R o dr igo el C amp ea dor 4 to M a dr id 18 5 7

M O NDE J A R—M emori as d el R ei Al on s o el S abio Folio M d
. . .
,

. . a

—C
ri d , 1 77 7 .

MonAL E s oron i c a Gen era l d e E s p afi a . 15 vols . 4to . M ad

ri d , 1 79 1
M ORE T I—H is tori a d e R on da
.

. 4to . R on d a, 1 86 7 .

Mu No z Y G AV I R I A H istori a -
d el Alz ami ento d e l os M ori scos .

l 2mo M a dr i d 1 8 6 1
—Ch
. .
,

NE B R I X A l ’ on i ca d e l os R e yes C ath olic os . F oli o . V ll d a a o

lid , 15 6 5 .
x xxn AUTH O RI TI ES C ONSULTE D

Nu NE z CA ST R O Coron i c d e l os
DE -
a R ey es d e C as till a . F oli o .

M d i d 1 66 5
a r

O L I V A RR I A Y H U A R T E —T r di c i on es
.
,

a de T l do o e . 12 mo . Ma d
ri d , 1 8 80
—
.

O L I V ER H U R TAD o Gr a n a d a y
-
s us M onumen tos A b es ra . 8vo .

M al a g a 1 8 7 5
O R BA NE J A—Almer i a I lu s tr a da
.
,

. F lio o . Alm i 1 699 er a, .

P EDR AZA— H i stor i a E c l es i a s ti ca de Gr a n d a F li o G a . o . r an a d a

163 8
P I Y M AR GAL —G n d
.

4 to M d r id 1 8 5 0
L ra a a a

R A D A Y D E GA —M u s eo E s p fi ol d e An ti g ii e d a d es
.
. .
,

L Do 9 vols a . .

F li o M drid
o a

R I s c o —L a C s til l
. .

4to M d i d 179 2
a a a r

RI V ER A—Hi to i d e R n d a 1 6 mo R on d 18 7 3
.
. .
,

s r a o a,

RO BL E S—M l g M u s u lm n
. . .

4 to
a a M l g 1 8 80
a a a a a a,

R OJ A —Hi sto i d e T ol e d
. . .

s 2 vol s F oli o M a d id 1 6 5 9
r a o r

S AA V EDR A—E tu di o s ob e l I n v as i on d e l os Ar b es en E s p afi a
.
. . .
,

s r a a .

8 vo M d id 189 2 a r

S ALA A R D M END O ZA—C on ic a d l a C s d e l s P n c es d e

.
,
.

Z E r e a a o o

Leon 4t 1 62 0 o

S ALA A R DE M END O ZA—C on i c d l G n C r den al d e E s p afi

. . .

Z r a e ra a a .

F li o T l ed 1 7 2 5
o o o,

S A ND O V A L —Ch on ic a d e D on Alon s o VII

. .

r F oli o M a drid . .
,

1 6 00
S A ND OV AL—H i t i d l R y d C till y L n F li
.

s or a e os e es e as a eo . o o .

P mpl
a 1 6 34 o n a,

S I M O NE T—L y d H i té i
.

A b e8 M d id 1 8 5 8
en as s r c as ra es v0 a r

T A P I A—Hi t i d l C i i l i z i E p fi l
. . .
,

s or a 4 v l 1 2m e a v ac on s a o a . o s . o .

M d id 1 8 4 0
a r , .

T O RRE S Hi t i d l O d
-
M ilit
s or a 4t M d id e as r en e s a res . o . a r ,

1 62 9
—M
.

V AL D E s hi a As tur i M a dr id
—L
o n ar c an a . 4to . .

V E L As c o os E u skar o s 8v o B ar ce on a , l 1 8 79
—P i
. . .

V I E G As ip i os d el R eyn o de P o tu gal B l
—A
r nc r . 4to . a rc e o n a .

Z U E I GA l n a es de S vill e a . 5 v ol s . 4to . M d id a r ,
1 79 6 .

Z U R I TA m -
An les a de A g n ra o . 7 vols . F oli o . Z ar a go z a , 1 6 10 .

P OR TU G U E S E .

—R i h d P t g l
B E N AV I D E s v ol s Lis b
BR AGA—Hi t i d P i P p l
a n as e or u a . 2 . 8vo . o a, 1878 .

s or a a oes a o u ar P o tu gues a
r . 1 2 mo . P orto ,

1 867
—M
.

BR ITO E B R AN D Ao on a r c hi a Lu s it an a . 8 vo ls . F oli o .

Li s boa , 1 6 90 .
 AU TH O RI T IE S C O NSULTED xxxiii
T v A tig
C an c i on e i r i n ho d e 1 2m Vi e n 1 8 5 7
D A SERR A—
ro as n as . o . n a, .

C l c d L iv I n d it d Hi t i P tu gu
o ec ao e ro s e os e s or a or es a .

5 v l F l i Li b 1 79 0
o s o o s oa ,

D E S O U S A—V tigi
. . .

d l Li g A bi es m P tu g l 8 os e a n ua ra ca e or a . vo .

Li b s17 89 oa,

E N N —Hi t i d P t g l
.

Es 2 v l 8
s or a L i b 1 8 76 e or u a o s vo s oa,

AN —Hi t
. . . .

H E R CUL i d I n qu i i c
o m P t g l 3 v ls
s or a a s ao e or u a . o .

1 2 mo 1 8 74
—Hi t i
. .

H E R C U L AN o s or a de P ortu g l a . 2 v ols . 8v o . L i s bo a,

1 8 80
—Ch
.

Nu N E z DO L I Ao r on i c a s d os R ei s d e P ortu g l a . 4 v ols .

Li s b o a, 1 774 .

I TA L I A N .

AR R AT E —Ita li a n el M e dio E v o Alb

AI R O LD I—C d i D ipl m ti d i Si ili
. 8vo . a, 1 8 92 .

o 6 v l
ce 4t o a co c a . o s . o . Pa
l m 1789
er o, .

AMA R I B ib li t A b Si ul 3 v l 8
-
o ec a T in ra o- c a o s vo or o, 1 8 80
AMAR I—I Diplomi A bi F li F i z 1 8 6 3
. . . .

AMA R I—R i di A bi i 8
ra . o o . r en e, .

Gc or v 1 8 73 ra c vo en o a,

AMAR I—S lw
. . .

l M t o l 2m F i z 18 5 1
an e o a o r en e,

AMA R I—St i d i M
. .

lm n i di S i ili
or a e u ssu a c a .

Fi n z 1 8 5 4
re e,

AMAR I—U P i d d ll I t i S i cili

.

n 8
er o P e e e s or ae an e . vo . an or mo ,

1 8 42
B A RD I—St i d ll L tt
.

or a e a e e ra u ra t A b ra a so tt o il C li f to
a a . 2 vols .

8 vo Fi z 1 8 4 6 r en e,
—L Ul ti m
. .

BE N N I C I
’
o d ei T vt i ro a or in S i i li c a . 1 2 mo . P lermo
a ,

1 8 74
—Gl i A b i
.

B E R TAL O TT I ra in I t li
a a 8v o T in o
or 1 838
BR U N O—O p
.
,
. .

Lip s i a 1 8 3 0 v ls
C AV E D O N I —
er e . 2 o . 8v o .
, .

R i cer c h e s u i T rov ator i F olio M o den a 1 8 44

~

C O R B E TT A—S a degn e C or s i c 8 v M il n o 18 77
.
. .
,

r a a o a

GU S A—I Dipl mi G e i e d Arabi

. .
,
.

o F oli P l mo 1 8 6 8
r c o a er

D E R EN Z I—C oll ec ti o S ale n it n

.
.
,
.

5 v ol s 8v o N p oli 1 8 5 2 r a a a

FE RR AR I o —S tor i de gli Anti c hi R om n z i di C avall er i

.
. . .
,

a 4 vo ls a a . .

8 o
v M il an o 1 82 8
GAL I L E O—O p ere 1 6 vol s 8v o F i ren z e 18 5 3
. .
,

G I A NN O NE —I s tor i a d el R e gn o di N ap ol i 8 v ol s 8v o 1 8 8 2
. .
. .
,

G U I C C I AR D I N I —
. . . .

Stor i a d It li 6 vol s 8 v o P igi 18 3 7 ’

a a ar

MAN N o —S to i di S r d gn a 8v
.
. . .
,

—
r a F i ren z e 1 8 5 8
a e . o .
, .

M A R I G N Y S tori a de gli Ar b i 4 vols 1 2mo Ven e zi 1 7 5 3 a . . . a, .

x xxiv AU TH ORI T I ES CONSU L T ED

—
M A R T I N I Stori a delle I n v a s ion i de gli Arabi i n S ar de gn a 8v o . .

C gli ar i 1 8 6 1
M o n s o—D es c rizion e d i P alermo Antic o 8 vo P a lermo 1 8 2 7
a ,
.

MU R A TO R I—Ann ali d I tali a 1 7 vols 8 vo M il an o 1 820

.
. . ,

’ .
,

—
. .
.

V i ggi F t i S p g t i n F r an c i a 1 2 mo
NAV AGI E R O I l t n a n e a .
o a
.
or a

Ven eg i a, 1 5 6 3
R—
.

N AZA I D ell a Tran s mutati on e M e t lli c

a a 4 to B e ci r s a, 1 599

RE —
.
. .

t Pa
P IT U s i e C os umi d el P o p o lo S ic ili 4 v ol s 8
an o . . vo .

l moer 1 8 89
E TI—I l
.
,

T R e gime
F eu dal e 8 vo N ap oli 1 8 9 0 ,
.

TI R AB O S C H I —Sto i a dell a L etter atu a I ta li an a

. .

r 2 7 v ol s r . . 8vo .

Ven e zi a 1 8 2 4
VE TR I—D ei P imo di della I n vas ion e Ar ba 8 vo 1 8 82
.
,

r r a . . .

GE R M AN
—
.

AH L W AR D T D ie Alte A bis ch ra e G e di c hte . 8 vo .

Grei fs w ald,
1 872
AH L W AR D T
—
—
P
.

i d er Araber 4 to Goth a 1 8 5 6 '

o es e . .
,
.

APP E L P roven z li s c he I n ed ita 8vo Leipzig 1 8 9 0a .

AS C H BA C H—Ges ch ic hte d er Ommai j d en i n S pan i en 2 vols 8vo

. .
,

. . .

Wi en 1 8 60
AS C H BA C H—Geschi chte d er W es tg othen 8 vo F ran c am M ain
.
,

. . .
,

1827
A S C H BA C H—Ge hi c hte S p ni en un d P ortu gal s 2 v ls 8vo
.

sc a s . o . .

F n c m M in 18 3 3
A SS MA NN—G s hi hte d s M ittel lte s 4 v ols 8 o B nn
ra . a a ,
.

e c c e a r . . v . ra

s hw eig
c 18 57
B A T H —G un d n i s s zu G e hi ht d
.
,

R sc r P oven z li s ch e Litte r r sc c e er r a a

8 E lb e f ld 18 7 2
B AUD S N —
t ur . vo . r e ,
.

I S tud i n zu S emiti c hen R ligion s ges c hi c hte 8 vo

Sl e r s e . .

L ipzig 1 8 76
e

BE B E L—D i M oh mmed n i h A bi s h e Kultur P e i ode 8vo

.
,

e a a sc e- ra c r . .

S tuttg t 18 8 9
BE C KER—Chemi c he An kd ten 8
ar , .

L ipzig 1 7 8 8
BER E L—Di e M di zin d T l mudi ten 8 o L eipzig 1 8 8 5
s e o . vo . e , .

B I R C H H I R S C H FE L D—U eb e ' di e d n P oven z ali s c hen T ub

G e er a s . v .
,
.

-
l e r ro a

d u E pi h n S to ff 8vo L eipzi g 1 8 7 8
B LA U—Ar bi im VI J h hun d ert 8
o rs sc e e . .
, .

—G chi cht d e C th ge 8 o B e lin 1 8 2 7

a en . a r . y o .

B TT H
O IC ER es e r ar a r. v r

B N C K M AI E R—Di e P ov en z li s c h en T oub dou s

.
,

RI 8v Got r a r a r . o .

tin g n 1 8 82 e

H N —D i
, .

C HW OL S O S s bi un d d e S s bi mu s 2 v l
e 8 vo St a er r a s . o s . . .

P ete s bur g 1 8 5 6r , .
 AU TH O RI T IES CO NSUL TED

J OSP G es chi c hte d es J ud en thums Leipzig 1 8 5 7 8 vo .

KAE M P F —P oesie A n d lu s i s c h en Di c hte

. .
,

8vo P r a g 18 5 8 r

—
a .
,
.

KA PP—D i e Alchemi e 2 vol s 8v o H eidelbu g

.

. . .
r ,

K AY S E R L I N G D i e J u d i s c hen F r au en Le ipzi g 1 8 79
—
sv o . .
,
.

K AY S E R I N G S e phar d i m 8 v o
L Leipzig 1 8 5 9
K E ST NER—Der K reu zz u g F i e d r ich s I I 8 v o G ottin gen 1 8 7 3
.
. .
,

r ,
.

KI E S E W E TTER—Die M u s ik d e Ara b er 4to L eipzig 1 8 4 2

. .

KO P K E —
r . .
,
.

Die An f n g e d es K on i gthums bei d en Goth en 8 vo

a . .

B e li n 1 8 5 9
r ,
.

K R A U S E D i e B yz antin er d es M ittel lte s 8 vo H alle 1 8 69

K RE H L—D as Leben d es M u h mme d 1 2mo L eipzig 1 8 8 4
- a r . .
, .

a ,
.

K RE H L—D i e R elig ion d er Vo i s lami s ch en Arab e

. .

8vo Leip r r . .

zig 1 8 6 3
K RE M ER—C ul tu g es chi c hte d es O ri ents 2 v ols 8vo Wi en
.
,

r . . .
,

1 875
K U GL ER—Ge s c hi c hte d er B aukun st
.

8 vo S tuttg t ar , 18 5 9
L E MB KE—Ges c hi c hte on S p an i en
. . .

v . 4 vo l s . 8vo . H a mbur g ,

M A H N—Ge di chte
18 3 1 .

d er T r ub dou
o a rs . 3 vo l s . 12 mo . B e li n r ,

1856
M O V ER S—D as
.

P hon i zi s c he Al ter thum . 2 vo l s . 8 vo . B li er n,

1 8 50
MU LL ER—D i e Letzten Z eiten
.

v on Gran a d a . 8y o . M un chen ,

18 63
MU LL ER—P hilos ophi e
.

un d T he logie o vo n Av e rr oes .

M u n c hen 1 8 7 5
Mu N z—U eb e r d i e Ju d i s c he Aer zte i m M ittel a lter
.
,

. 8vo . B e lin r ,

1887
NE S SE L M AN N
.

—ersu h V c i
e n er G es c hic hte d es Algeb ra . 8 vo . B er
l i n , 1 84 2
—B
.

NO L D E c itr ag e zur K n n tn i s s d er P oes i e d er Alten Araber

e e .

8v o H nn over 1 86 4
a

N OL D E C K E —Das Le b en M u h mma d s
.
.
,

8vo H an n over 1 8 6 3 a

N O RD A U—V om K eml bi s zu Alh ambra 2 vols 8 v o Lei p zi g

. . .
,

r r . . .
,

OL
18 89 .

DEN B ER G B ud d ha 8 — B e lin 1 8 8 1 vo

P AR T H E Y—D s Al a d i n i h e M u s um 8
. . r , .

B e lin 1838
P A T H E Y—
a ex n r sc e . vo . r .
,

R W d un g n d c h S i ili n 2 v ols 12mo B er

an er e ur c e . . .

li n , 1 8 34
—D
.

P I S C H ON er E i n flu s s d e s Il s a ms 8v o Leipzig 188 1
z—A
. . .
,

P RUT P hii n i zi en Leipzi g

—G
us . 8 vo .
, 18 70 .

R AU M E R es c hi c hte d er H oh en sta u f en . 4 v ols . 8v o . Leip zi g ,

Russ ian —
18 78
G
.

esc hichte d er Baukunst . 8 vo . Lei pzi g , 18 66 .

 AU TH ORI T IES C O NSULTED

—Die A
RI TT ER
ROH R I C H T —G es c
ra b i h P hilos phi 4t
c
sc

hi ht d e K zz u g e
e

r
o

r eu
e .

e .
o .

2
G ottin gen ,
vo l s . 8vo .
1 84 4
B l in
.

er ,

1 8 74
—G hi ht
.

S c H AAc x es c c e d er N o r man n en in S i ili c en . 8vo . St ttu

g t 8 89
S C HAFER—G hi ht
ar ,
1 .

es c c e v on P o tu g l
r a . 5 vo l s . 8vo . H a mbur g ,

S C H I RRMA C H ER—K i
18 8 3 .

a s er F i ed i c h II
r r . 4 vols . 8vo . Gottin gen ,

18 59
— .

S C H M I D T G s hi ht A g i 8 L ipz i g 1 8 2 8
S C H M I EDER —
e c c e ra on e n s . vo . e , .

G hi ht d Al h mi 8
~
H lles c 1 8 32 c e er c e e vo a e,

S C H U LTZ—D s H Ofli h L b z Z it d Mi n i g
. . .

a 2 sc e e en ur e er n es n er .

v l 4 t L ipz i g 1 8 8 9
S C H U LTZ—It li i h T b d
o s . o . e ,
.

B li 1 8 8 3
S P A N EN B ER —Di e Mi h f d Mitt l lt
8 a en s c e ro a or s . vo . er n, .

G G 8 L ipzig nne o e es e a er s . vo . e ,

182 1
S P ITTA—Zu
.

r G es c hic hte Ab l H u as a n Ali As ar i s . 8 vo . Leipzig ,

1 8 76 .

S P R E N GE L fi
G e S Chi chte d er A z n ik d
r e un e . 6 vo l s . 8 vo . H a lle,

S P REN ER—D L b
18 2 1 .

G d di L h das Muh mm d 3 v l e en un e e re es a e . o s .

8 B li n 1 8 6 1
S P REN GER—D i Alt G g phi A bi
vo . er , .

B 18 7 5
S T MM N w —
e8 e eo ra e ra en s . vo . er n , .

B t d B H ll 18 79
S T MM N —
I I 8 e r ra n e o rn . vo . a e, .

I I D T b d u J uf Rud l 8
G er Ki l 1 8 7 3
rou a o r a re e vo e

S T OW E —D i H d l g d A b
.
,
. .

B li 1 8 3 6
—D kmal d P v z lis h Litt t
e 8 an e s zu e er ra er . vo . er n, .

SUC H IE R en er er ro en a c e er a u r .

H ll 1 8 8 3
U N G ER—
a e, .

G h i ht d P fl n z w l t 8
es c Wi 1 8 5 2
c e er a en e vo en ,

V N K RE M ER—G b i t d
. . .

O Ilm 8 L ipzig 1 8 7 3
e e e es s a s vo e

V N K RE M ER—G
.
,
. .

O hi ht d H s h d I d d I l ms
es c c e er e rr c en en e en es s a .

L ipz i g 1 8 6 8
V N L EDE B U R—
8 vo . e , .

O Z ug i s i H n d l V k h mit d m e n s e e n es a e s
-
er e rs e

O i t 8
r en B lin 18 4 0
. vo . er , .

WAH 4 t ti ti k d A b i S i ili
L a s 8 er ra er n c en vo

WE I L—D i P ti s h Lit t d e A b
. .

e oe M h mmed c e er a u r r ra er v or o a .

12 m Stuttg t 1 8 3 7
o ar

WE I L—E i l it g i d K
. .
,

12m Bi l f ld 1 84 4 n or a n

WE I L—G hi hte d Ch l i f
n e un en . o . e e e , .

3 v l 8 M h im 1 8 4 6
WE I L—G hi ht d I l mi s h V lke
es c c er a en . o s . vo . an n e ,
.

es c c 8 e Stuttg t er s a c en o r . vo . ar ,

1 8 66
WEN I GER—D as Al e n dr in i s che M us eum 8 vo
.

xa B lin er 18 75
WI L KEN—G es c hi chte d e Kr eu zzu ge 8 vols
. . .
,

r . . 8vo . Leipzig ,

1 830 .
xx xv iii AU TH ORI TI ES C O NSUL TED

WI NKE LMA NN—Ges chichte d e Kun st d es Al terthums 8 vo r . .

—
H eidelb er g 1 8 8 2 ,
.

W I N K E LMA NN Kai s el ' Fr iedr ic h I I 2 v o ls 8 vo L e ipz i g ,

—
. .
.

1 8 89 .

WI NK L ER hi ht G esc B t n ik 8 o F r nkfort 1 8 5 4
—
c e d er o a . v . a ,
.

W OE P C K E U ebel' E in Ar bis ch s A t ol bium 4to B

a e s r a . . li n,
er-

1858
W U ST ENFE LD
.

—Die Acad emi en d er A be r ra . 8 vo .

G ottin gen ,

WU STENFE L D—
18 3 7 .

G es chichte d er A bi ch en
ra s Aer zte un d Natu r forz
s h G ottin ge
—D
1 8 40
’

c 8v er . o. n, .

Z E R s c H W I Tz as Kai s ertr au m d es M ittel alters . 8vo .

L eipzig ,

Z I MM ERMA NN—
1 8 77 .

G e chichte s d er H h o en s au t fen . 8vo . S tutt g t ar ,

1 8 65 .

DUTC H .

D O ZY—D e I s rael i ete n te Me kk 8 vo H aar lem 1 8 64

H O U T S M A—
a . .
,
.

De S tri j d over het D o gma in d en I s lam 8v o . . L ei

d en , 1 8 7 5
—D e L t ll i g
.

KE I J Z E R d M h mm d h G d di eer s e n en v an e o a e a an s c e o s

t 8 o G i h m 85 1 4
—H d b k
en s . v . er n c e ,
.

K E IJ ZE R H t M h mm d h R gt
an oe vor e o a e aan s c e e .

G v h g 185 3
KERN—H t B d d hi m i I di
ra en a e, .

2 v l
e 8 H l m 18 82
u s e n n e . o s . v o. aa r e ,
.

K ' D P
' i J h 8 G v h g 1 845
K O ENEN—V i 8
IsI -
e au s n o ann a . vo . ra en a e, .

—D e B l di t d I l 8
a r a. v o.

K
—D e G d d
UE NE N aa s en s on er s r ae . vo .

K UR NEN o s i en s t v an Is ra e l . 2 vols . 8 vo . H aar e lm ,

1 8 69
—M
.

hamme d Ams tel d a mi , 1 7 5 8

—H
NO M s z o . 12 mo . .

S N O U K H U R GRO N J E
-
et Mekkaan s che F eest . 8v o . Leiden ,

1 8 80
E L E—D e G d d i en s t n Z thu tr 8vo H aarlem 1 8 64
.

TI
WE I L—L egen den d er Mus l m n en 8vo S c hi ed m 1 8 5 3
o s va ar a s a. .
,
.

WE I L—M oh mmed d e P ph t 2 v ols 8vo Am t d m

e a n . . a ,
.

a ro ee . . . s er a ,

WU NDER L I C H—
1 8 46 .

Geschi ed en i s d er Ge n ees kun d e . 8 vo . Ti l e ,

1 8 61 .

D A N IS H
F AR R I C I U s—
.

Forbin d el s ern e mellem N or den 0 g d en S p an ske

—
H al v o i azl d r e T i d er
, 8 o K j ob en h av n 18 82 . v .
, .

M O L R E C H E urop a i Mi d d el al d eren 8v o K j ob en h avn 18 19 . .

,
.
 AU TH O RIT IES CON SU L TE D xxxix
—
RYD B ER G Mi d d el al d er en s M a gi 1 2 mo K j ob en h avn 18 73
—
. . .
,

S O REN S EN Al abern e 0 g deres Kultur i Mi d d el al d eren

‘
. 1 2 mo .

Kj oben h vn a , 18 88 .

SWE D ISH
—S
.

AF Z E LI U s v en s ka Fo lk t S g H e
’
s a o- a fd e r . 11 vo l s .

St kh lm
oc o 1 84 4
—C m d
.
,

B OTT I GE R I tal i en s ka K u l tu r en s U p s a l a, 1846

BR A N D E L—Om h
en . 8vo . .

oc ur d en a r abi s ka geo g raphen I dri s i ,

. 8v o .

Up l 1 894 s a a,
—Om
.

E N GE S TR OM j u d arn e i R om un der al d e re tid er . 8 vo .

St kh lm 1 8 7 6
—T u ki t i v
oc o , .

HE L L WA LD r e ar a d g a ar . 2 v ol s . 8 vo . St kh lm oc o ,

1 8 77
H I LDE B R A ND—Om d
.

et V ati ka n s ka ar ki vet 8v o St kh lm oc o
—O m
. . .

Jo N Q U I E n E
— hi stori St kh lm 1 8 8 2
s a n i ka r ikets a . 8 vo . oc o .
,

LI ND B ER G M ohamme d o ch Q or a n en 8 vo GOteb or g , 1 8 9 7
R E I N A C H—I s r el i te n s h isto i
. . .

a r a r a 8 vo St kh lmoc o 189 1
S J O GREN—S ve i ges kul tu hi s tor i
. . .
,

r r a . 4 to . S t kh lm
oc o , 189 1 .

LA NGUE A N D LA NG U E D O I L D OC
’ ’
.

B A RTS C H—Ch t m ti P v c l 8 E lb f ld 1 8 6 8
B O RN BER TR A ND DE—P e i C mpletes 8
r es o a e ro en a e . vo . er e , .

P is '

—H i t i d l C i d
, o s es o . vo . ar .

FA URI E L s o re t l H é étiq Al bi e a ro s a e co n r e es r u es

g ieo s 4t P is 1 8 3 7 o ar

M N T A ON T R AY N A U D —R u il G é é l d
. . .
,

O I GL E F bli u 6 ec e n ra es a a x .

v l 8
o s P i 1 878 vo ar s ,

A D—Ch i
. . .

RAYN OU d s P é i
R d T ub d u 6 v ls
o x 8 e o s es es ro a o rs . o . vo .

P i 1 8 16
—(E
ar s , .

R T
U
’

E B OBU F C mplet 8 P i 1 8 39
u v r es o es . vo . ar s , .

L I M OU S I N A N D C ATA LAN .

C AR B O NE LL—C hron i c a d e E s pan y F l i o B c el on 1 5 4 6

D ON J A I M E D E AR AG O N—
a . o . ar a, .

L ib e dels fey ts es d even g uts en l a v i d r a

d el molt l t s en y r E n J ac me l o C on qu e d o r
a o F olio 1 5 5 7 ra

MAR C H—L es O bres 4 to B a celon a 1602

. . .

MU N TAN E R —Ch on i ca F oli o B r cel on 1 5 6 2

. .
, .

P U J AD E s—
r . . a a, .

Cor on i c u n iv ers a l d el P r i n c ip t d e C athal u n y

a a a .

—
F oli o B arcelon a 1609
.

ROI G L ib e d e C os ell s 1 2 mo B a celon a 15 6 1

,
.

TOR N I C H —
r . . r , .

H i stori s e C on qu es t s dels E cell en ti s s i ms e C tho

a a x a

l i c s R e y s d e Ara go F ol io B celon a 15 3 4 . . ar , .
x1 A UTH ORI TIES C O NSULTED

LATI N .

ARD — AL AL L AT I F —
-
H i stor i a E gypti 4to Ox on iae 1 8 00 ,
.

AR U L F ED A—H i stor i An tei s l ami c a 4to L i ps i az 1 8 3 1

. .

-
a ,
.

AR U L P H AR AGI U S—H i sto i a D y n as ti arum 4to Ox on i ae 1 76 3

. .

AN S P A C H—Histori C al i f tus Al —
- .
. .
,

W al i d i 8 v o L ey d en 18 5 3
a a ,
.

AV I C ENN A—Op e
. .

F oli o V en iti i s 1 5 9 5
B A C O N—O p era I n e dit 8v o Lon don 1 8 5 9
ra . .
,
.

C AP As s o —H i sto r i a Diplomati c a R e g n i S i c ili an

.
. .
,

4to N ap oli . .
,

189 4
CA REN A—T r act tus
.

a d e Oflic i o I n qui s i ti on i s . F oli o .

C r emon a ,

1 74 1
CA SI R I — B i bli oth ec Arabi c o H i s p an E s c u i al en s i s 2 vols
.

a
-
a r . .

F olio M at iti 1 7 60
. r ,
.

F u r o J u zg o F li o M a d id 18 15
e . o . r ,
.

GE (E n v r es 4 to P ris 1 8 6 7
G I L DE R M E I S TE R —
RBE R F -
. . a ,
.

S cri p tor um Ar abum d e R eb u s I n di c i s .

B on n 1 8 38 ie ,

H A D J I K H AL F A — Le ic on B i bli og raphi cum 7 vo ls

.

-
x . .

Leipz i g 1 8 3 5
H I LL E—De M e di c i s Ar abi bu s Oc ul s 8 vo L i p s i
.
,

ar I I ae

H U I L LA RD B R EH O E s—Chron icon P l c en ti n um 4to P ari s ii s

. . .

-
LL a . .
,

18 56
—T i i m M
.

L o N GI N o g i c um 18 mo F r an c o fu r ti , 1 6 1 4
—C mm
r n u a . . .

MI DD L E D OR F F o e n ta ti o d e I n s ti tuti s L i ttera r i i s i n Hisp an i a

quae Ar b es au ctor es habu er un t 4 to G otti n gen

MU R AT O R I—Anti qu i t tes
a . . .

a I tal i ae M e dii E vi . 6 v ols . F olio .

M e d i ol a n i , 1 740
—Hi t
.

P AU L U s D I AC O N u s s or a i L on g obar d or um . 8 vo . H an n o

v er ae, 18 78
P o c o c —S p ec imen H i sto i A bum 4to O on i ae 1 806
.

r es ra x

R A S M U SS EN—Ad d i t men t
. .
,
.

4 to a a

B R IS KE—O p u s c u l M e di c e M on i men ti s Ar abu m

. .

a 8v o 1 7 76 a x

R E I S K E —S ail ol Ar em 4 to
. . .

L i p s i ae
R E N AU L D O N —
. . .

H i stori P c ipuorum Arabum R e g n orum 4to a ra

e . .

H au n i ae, 18 1 7
—D
.

R H AZ E s e V a r i ol i s et M orbilli s 8vo L on d i n i , 1 7 66
—Hi t i J m
. . .

R u T GE R s s or a e a n aa 4to L u g d B a ta v o ru m, 1 8 3 8
S P REN GE L—H i t i R i
. . . .

s or a e H erbar i ae . 2 v ol s . 8 vo . Ams teld ami ,

1 807
tt T r ac a us T lmu di ci a E r ubhi n 4to L i ps i ae, 1 66 1
WENR I C H—R
. . .

eru m a b Ar a bi bi s i n I t li a a I n s ul i s que G es tarum

C ommen tarii . 8v o . L i p s i in , 1 8 4 5 .
 AU TH ORI T IES C O NSUL TED xli

GR E E K
—Hi t i
.

AP P I AN U s s or a R oman a 2 v ols 8 vo L i p s i aa, 1 8 8 1

—H i
. . . .

H E R OD O T U s s tor i a r u m L ib r i I X L i p s i ae, 18 9 0
—A kd
. 8v o . .

P is
—G
P R O C OP I U s ne ota . 8vo . ar ,
1856 .

S TR AR o eo g r a phi c a . 3 v ol s . 8 vo . Lip s i z
s , 1 8 77 .

HE B RE W
BEN—T h l Nu fu (E t t " 8
.

AR M I N J o sE P H 18 73
AL F A —
- -
a -
u -
s x r ac s . vo . .

H l kh th R b Alf
SI (E p itia af th T lmu d "
o -
a -
as . x os on o e a .

O f d 18 75
—
4t o . x or ,
.

MA M N I S l ti n f m th Y d H h k h 8 v
O I DE s e ec o s ro e a ac a za a . o .

C mb idg 1 8 3 2
N —
a r e, .

S U E NH
R M i s hn 6 v l
USI F li Am t l d mi 1 69 8
s a . o s . o o . s e aa a ,
.

T lmu d B bli 1 3 v l 4 t Am t d m 1 6 54
a a . o s . o . s er a , .

A R ABI C .

AR D AL - -
WA H I D —H i st y f th Alm h d 8 L yd n 1 8 8 1
or o e o a es vo e e

B E ZZA Q —
. .
,
.

ARD E L R v el ti d s E i gm 8 P i 1 8 74
A—
- -
e a on e n es . vo . ar s , .

AB O U L F E D A l M u l mi i 5 v l 4 t L ipz i g 1 79 4
A—
n n a es s e c . o s . o . e ,
.

AB OU L F E D D c ipti n d s P ys d M g b 4t
es r Alg o e a e a re . o . er ,

1 8 39
AB U L FED A—J ct n i d o um H i sto i 4t H d G l 1 7 8 6
.

o a r r a . o . ar . e . .

Aj b M hmu 8 ar M d id 1 8 67 ac a vo a r

AL B K H A —C
. . .
,

-
O i l T diti RI F li B mb y 1 8 5 6
an on c a ra on s o o o a

A I S F A H A N I—Th S g
. . .
,

f th A b 10 v l 4t C i
A M A KK A R I—
L- e on s o e ra s . o s . o . a ro .

L -
A l t u I Hi t i t l Litté tu e d
n a ec es s r
’
s o re e a ra r es

A bs Ep g ra 2 v le 4t en L yd 1 8 5 5 s a ne . o s. o . e en , .

AM KA
R OL L Div n 4t Is P i 1 8 37
-
a a o ar s ,

AN TA R A H—R m
. . .

6 v l B i t 1883
D E S O U S A—
8 o a n ce . o s . vo . e ru , .

D u m nt A b i p Hi t i P tu gues
oc e os ra co s ar a a s or a or a .

4t Li s b 1 7 9 0
D O ZY—S i pt m R um A bum d Abb d i d i s 4t
o. oa , .

cr or u Lu g d er ra e a . o . .

B atav or um, 1 84 6 .

E DR I s 1 -
D es c ipti on r d e l Af ri qu e
’
et d e l E s pagn e
’
. 8vo . L ey d e,
1 8 66
—H i t i
.

E L M AC I N S aracen i c a 4to Lu gd B atav or um

— A —
s or a . . . .

FAR I s ALS V y g H IDI P a is 18 5 5 es 8v o

—L g l D i i
-
c o a . . r ,
.

FAR U K I e c s on s 2 v ls F li o B u lak
L AGR A N GE —Anthol gi e A be
e a . o . o . .

GR AN GE R E T DE o ra . 8v o . P a isr ,

1828 .
xlii A U TH O RI T IE S CONSULTED

H AM Z AE I S P AH AN E N S I s —A nn al i u m L i b er X . 8v o . P etrop oli ,

1 8 45
I B N AD H A R I—H i t i
.

-
s o re d e l Afr i que
’
et d e l E sp a gn e
’
. 2 v ols .

8vo L ey d e, 1 8 4 8
A W AL I D—
—
. .

I RN Th L mp f Ki g 4 to C a i ro
N—
L- e a o n s

N—
. . .

IR BA C mm t i H i t iq 8vo L ey d e , 1 8 4 6
—V
DR OU o en a re s or ue . . .

I R N B AT O U TAH
-
ya ges 8 vo C i ro o a

H A J A R—B i o graphi c al Di ction r y

. . .

I RN -
a . 4 vol s . 8 vo . C alc utta,
18 53
— —CE
.

I BN JU N I s u v r es 4 to P a is r

I B N K H AL D U N —I nt du ti n to H i t y 8 o B i ut 1 8 8 6
. . .

-
ro c o s or . v . e r , .

L oi d M u en E p g e F oli
s es M S X II C n tury
a res s a n o e

I —L s P
. . . . .

M AC OU D i i dO 9v l 8 e P is 1 86 1
r a r es
’
r o s vo ar

M O H AMM ED—Al K n 8
.
,
. . .

L ipzig 1 8 8 1 ora vo e

GAN I —E l m
.
. .
,

MU H AMM ED A t A st mi
S H A A T AN —
-
LFE R 4to e en a r on o ca . .

R S B ook of th R ligi us n d P hilos ophic l S ects 2

I e e o a a .

v ls 8o .1842 vo . .

W H P Op u ul A bi c L yd n 1 8 5 9
WUST ENFE LD —D s Leb Muh mm d
RI G 8 sc a ra a . vo . e e , .

3 v ls
a 8v o Got en a e s . o . .

ti g n 1 8 5 9
n e

W U STENFE L D—Die Ch n iken d

,
.

S t dt M c 4 vol s 8 ro er a ec a . . vo .

L i pzig 1 8 5 8
e , .
2 H IS T ORY OF TH E

I ts coa sts ar e l ow an d un he althy I ts h ar b or s ar e few .

an d u ns a f e I ts min era l r es o ur c es are to this d ay un

.

explor ed an d u nknown I ts impen etr able deserts , .

guar ded by a fi erc e an d martial p o pulation , h ave

alwa ys set at defi an c e the best matur ed pl an s o f in -

v a si on a n d c o n quest I n the p r in cip ality o f Y emen ,

.

app r o p r i ately n amed The H a ppy , the c ultiv ati on o f

the s oil has fl our ished fr om time immemo ri al bu t in ,

almo st every o ther p r ovi n c e the r etu rns o f a g r i cultur al

labor are dis cour agin g an d un r emuner a tive I llimit .

abl e w a stes o f s an d o ver whi ch sweeps the de adly ,

blast o f the simoom; moun t ain s , bald cr aggy, an d ,

volcan i c wh o se slo pes ar e destitute o f ever y t rac e o f

,

vegetable life ; plai n s str e wn with blocks o f tufa and

bas alt ; valleys dotted her e an d the r e with stunted
sh rubs or en crusted with a s alin e dep o sit similar to
,

that upon the shor es o f the Dea d S e a ; a s oil impr eg

n ated with n itr e ; su c h a r e an d h ave bee n from r e
p ,

historic times the physi c al featur es o f the Ar abian

,

Pen in sula N o str e am wor thy o f the n ame o f river

.
,

dispen sin g we alth an d fer tility in its win din g cour se

to the sea flo ws through this dr e ar y an d i nho spit able
,

land Wher ever a spr in g w a s foun d a permanen t

.
,

settlemen t ar o se an d the black ten ts o f the Bedouin

,

g ave place to huts o f su n d r ied bri cks while the dig -

n ity o f the sheik w ho n o w a spi r ed to the title o f

,

pri n c e w a s s atisfied with a dwellin g superi or to those

,

o f his subj ec ts on ly in p o i n t o f size The o asis .

,

generally suggestive o f sh a dy g ro ves an d purli n g

str e ams is o ften i n r e ality nothing mor e th an the
, , ,

d ry bed o f a mou nt ain t orr e n t al on g wh o se b orders ,

a little withe r ed veget ati on fu r n ishes the h a r dy camel

with p astur e an d wher e a s c anty supply o f b r ackish

,

water can by laborious diggin g b e ob ta in ed O ver

, , .

head glitter s a sky o f br ass un flecked by a single ,

c l oud an d
, morning an d evening the r ays o f the
, ,

sun mellowed an d r efr ac ted b y the v ap or s o f the

,
 M OORIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O PE 3

earth c lo the ever y elev atio n with s c arlet azur e an d

, , ,

violet tin ts whic h blen ded in exqui site h armo n y r ival

, ,

the Splen dor s o f the r ain bo w ; develo pin g un der the ,

eff e cts o f r adi ation o pti c al illus ion s an d c h armin g

,

pictur es o f the mirage attr ibuted by s uper s titi ous

,

ign oran c e to the in fluen c e o f en c han tmen t The u n .

broken stilln es s o f the De s ert the wide exp an se o f ,

un in h abited terr itor y pro duc e a s en s e o f men t al de

,

pr ession accomp an i ed by an a ppr ehen s io n o f d an ger

,

from the con vulsion s o f n atur e an d the v i olen c e o f

man whi ch n o exper ien c e seems able to r emove ;
,

affec ti n g eve n the stu r dy c amel d r ive r f amili ar with

-
,

thes e s olitudes fro m childho o d w ho shudder s as he ,

ur ges his strin g o f p an tin g be as ts o ve r the d rifted

san d he a ps an d thr ough the mo u n t a in f a s tn es s
-
the ,

r eputed h aun t o f evil ge n ii an d the v an t a ge g ro u n d

from when c e the mur der ou s ban ditti o ft beset the

carav an S o deeply r oo ted an d te n aci ous i s this feel
.
-

in g that the Ar ab r eg ar d s a j ourn ey s u cc e s s fully per

formed as j ust cause f or con gr atulati on an d in deed ,

n ot in fe r i or to a t r i u mph as is i n di c ated by hi s
,

famili ar pr overb T r avel i s a vic tor y

, .
”

The mo dern ge o gr aphic al divis io n o f Ar abi a in t o

The S ton y The De s er t The H a ppy is ar bitr ar y an d
, , ,

u nkn own to the pe o ple the b oun d ar ie s o f wh o se co un

try it pur p orts to est ablish The distin c ti on s between

.

the variou s tr ibes o f the Pen in sula h ave always been

determin ed by mo de o f life h abits an d tradition , ,

rather th an by the a cc iden t o f lo c ality ; h a v e been ,

in fact rathe r pe r s o n a l th an te rr it or i al
, This p ecu .

li arity is the r esult o f an extraor din ar y per sisten c e o f

a n ati on al type whi c h n eithe r a n ew phy s i c a l e n vi r on

ment n or the ch an ge o f p ol itic al an d e con omi c co n

,

d iti on s n o r the l a pse o f c en tur ie s has bee n a ble to

,

modify sen sibly still le s s to er adi cate co mpletely

, .

Hen c e ha s arisen the divisio n o f the Ar abi an pe o ple

into tw o c la sses n oma di c an d seden t ar y the o n ly on e
, ,
4 H IS T O RY OF TH E

un iver s ally r eco gn ized by them an d wh o se lin e o f,

demar c ation has always been sh ar ply defin ed .

The pr imor di al sto ry o f Ar abi a is lo st in the u n

f athomabl e d arkn ess o f an tiqui ty The an n als o f n o .

pe o ple ar e in vo lved in mor e un c ertain ty or p r esen t

gr eater difficultie s in their in vestiga ti on th an th o se o f
the Bedouin s as the p o pul ar ac cou nts whic h w e pos
,

sess o f their e ar ly hi story bear un questi on able in dica

tion s o f r e c en t d ate an d fictitious origin I gn oran t .

o f the ar t o f w r iti n g fo r c en tu r ies befo r e the ti me o f

M oh ammed their tra dition s we r e or ally tran s mitted

, ,

a n d in a dditi o n to bei n g n e c ess ar ily sub j e c t to all the

,

defec ts o f this mo de o f c ommun ic ati on we r e co lor ed ,

by th at love o f ex agger ation an d falseh oo d which

seems to be an in tegr al p art o f the O r ien t al ch ar
a c te r . The meagr e hin ts whi c h can be glean ed fr om
these un s atis fac tor y mater i als are all th at we can r ely
up on in the almo st h o peless attempt to con str uct a
c h r on o l o gi c al an d hist or i c al outlin e o f pr e I slamic -

even ts The statemen ts o f M o slem wr iter s con c ern

.

in g these even ts must be subj e c ted to r igid c r iti cism .

They supp r essed man y facts an d con demn ed in dis ,

c rimin ate l y the p r ac ti c es o f thei r he athen an c est or s ;

a lth o ugh they kn ew th at the P r o phet dr ew his i n spi r a

tion lar gely fr om this s our c e an d th at I sl amism could

,

n ever h ave been est a bli shed with o ut the a cc ept an c e o f

man y o f these ido l atrous c er emon ies in all their in

teg rity As far as can at pr esen t be determi n ed by
.

the aid o f the impe r fe c t an d suspic io us d at a at ou r

comman d an d by a comp ar is o n o f the physi cal an d
,

men tal ch ar acter i s ti c s o f surroun din g n ation s Ar abi a ,

has lo n g been a b ase o f exten sive e mig ration chiefly ,

in to Cen tral Asi a ; while her s outhern an d e astern

p rovin c es h ave fr om the d ays when s ome f ami shed
,

Bedo uin fi rst dis cover ed the marvellous fer tility en

j oyed by the Va lley o f the N ile b een the pr olific ,
 M O ORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E

sourc e from whenc e E gypt r e cruited her dimi n ishin g

population .

O n the other h an d the in fluen c e o f n eighb oring

,

coun t r ies up on Ar abi a h as been atten ded in its tur n , ,

with consequen c es o f the g r e ates t i mp ort an c e I t w as .

peculiarly fortun ate th at her ge ogr aphical situ ati on

r ender ed her mar itime c ities —an d in a still g r ea ter de

gree her interi or settlemen ts—en trep Ots f or the di s

tribu tion o f the luxur ies o f the E a st an d West Of .

the latter in an c ien t times an d in deed until super

, ,

sed ed by the doubtful a dv an t a ges o f Me cca Petr a ,

w as the most r emar k able The latter w as a veritable

.

troglodytic c ity I ts dwellin gs exc avated in the solid

.
,

rock , dis close by thei r v ast exten t that at on e time

they must h ave shelter ed a p o pulation o f at le ast a
hundr ed an d sixty thous an d s ouls N or w as Petra the .

on ly to wn o f thi s ki n d i n N o rtheI n Arabi a M an y .

other s almost r iv all ed it in s ize an d o pulen c e i n the ,

splen did archite ctur e o f their temples in the v ast ,

ramific ati ons o f thei r co mme r c i a l in ter ests in the sy b a ,

r itic luxur y o f thei r i n h a bit an ts Under such condi.

tion s a high degr ee o f c i v iliz ati on must n e cess ar ily

h ave b een r eached whic h h owever had dis appe ared
, , ,

with the declin e o f Phoen i ci an in fluen c e at a peri od

lon g befor e the dawn o f the Chr istian era F rom .

an ep och n ot iI n p r ob abl y co ev a l with the est ablish men t

o f the fir st E gypti an dyn a sty ther e had been an ahn os t

inc ess an t p assin g an d r ep a ssin g o f str an ger s attr acted ,

by the pro fits o f the E thio pian an d I n dian trade upon ,

the highways which in ever y dir ec tion traver sed the

,

Penin sul a This con tin u al in terc ourse with foreig n

.

er s the c ur i ous in for mati o n o f dist an t l an ds whi ch the

,

latter imp arted the myster ious dogmas o f un kn own

,

faiths which they pr o fes s ed their exten sive learning

,

an d p oli shed mann er s in sen s ibly en l ar ged the spher e

,

o f obser v ati on an d a c tivity devel o ped the men t al f ac

,

ul ti es an d s o ften ed the r uden es s o f the wild tr ibes o f

,
6 H IS T O RY OF TH E

the Deser t M an y o f these tra der s wer e Ph oen ic i ans

.

an d Jews wh om a c o mmo n or igi n in dicated amon g , ,

o the r t raits by a str iki n g similar ity o f l an gu age

,
.

bro ught at on c e in to famili ar an d in timate con t act

with the Ar abs The comme r ci al in ter co ur se o f
.

Arabi a with E gypt i s kn o wn fro m i n s cr iption s to

h ave existed f or thir ty fi v e hun dr ed ye ar s befor e
-

Ch r ist an d th at with Phoen ic i a may n ot imp rob ably

, , ,

h ave been o f equ al an tiquity .

N o g r e ate r co n tr ast c an be imagin ed th an th at pr e

sen ted by the r e s pe ctive lives o f the Ar abs an d their
n eighb or s an d ki n d r ed the de n izen s o f the V alley o f
,

the N ile The a ction s o f the fo rmer li ke tho se o f all

.
,

p astor al n atio n s we r e irr egul ar un c e rtain cap r icious

, , ,
.

The existen c e o f the l atter w as c o n tr o lled by the u n

v aryi n g phen omen a o f the G r e at Rive r wh o se in flu ,

en c e w as per c eptible in ever y ph a se o f p o litic al r eli ,

gion s an d s o c i al life ; who se in un d ation s wer e s y m

,

b ol ic al o f p r o spe r ity an d wh o se r ise w as an n oun c ed

,

by the c elesti al messen ge r S ir ius the mo st ma gn ificen t ,

st ar in the he aven s The subj e c ts o f the Ph ar aohs

.

wer e depen den t up on Ar abi a fo r the gu ms an d aro

mati es so exten sively used in emb almin g ; an d these
p r ec ious subst an c es which must h ave been p ro du c ed
,

far mo r e abun d an tly then th an n o w we r e als o ex ,

p o r ted to Ph oen i c ia an d P alestin e when c e con sider ,

able qu an titie s ann u ally fo un d thei r w ay i n t o E u ro pe

to be con s umed i n s ac r ific i al c e r emon ies i n the se rvi c e ,

o f medi c i n e an d i n the o ste n t ati ous p omp o f p at r i c i an

,

luxur y .

The mar itime an d ag ri cultur al a dv an t ages p o ssessed

by the s outhe rn coast o f the Pen i n sula— design ated by
the Roman s as Ar abi a the H appy an d a fter war ds by , ,

the n atives as Y emen , The C o un tr y on the Right

,
”
H an d (be c ause the speaker w as supp osed to st an d
at Me cca " —had en abled th at r egion to att ain to a
degree o f pro spe rity an d c iviliz a tio n un kn own to the
 M OO RIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 7

p astor al settlemen t s o f the in ter i or N o thin g c an .

n ow be a s c e r t ai n ed c on c er n i n g the e ar ly hist or y o f

Yemen the r oyal gen e al o gie s o f who s e s o ver eign s

,

n ever theles s in c lude a pe r i o d o f twen ty tw o hun dr ed -

ye ars N or c an specu lation with an y degr ee o f

.
,

pr ob ability assign even an app r oximate d ate to the

,

begin n in g o f its commerc i al r elatio n s with the E a st

.

N ot o n ly did the b o ld an d a dven tur ous spir it o f the

Ar abian s ailo r s le ad them to the extr eme O r ien t but ,

their co astin g vessels r egular ly visited the s hor es o f

the Per si an Gulf an d the b ays an d in lets o f the
Afr ic an c o ast ; un dert akin gs far mor e h az ar do us if ,

n ot mo r e lu c r ative th an v o y ages to dist an t Hin dust an

,
.

F rom the latter co un tr y the n ative an d for eign mer

cha n t s in tr o du c ed with ar ti c les o f t r affic man y ido la
, ,

trou s p ractic es an d do gmas o f a corr upt philo s o phy ,

destin ed subsequen tly to man ifest the p owe r ful ho ld

they had o btain ed up on the p o pular min d by their
in cor p orati on in to the cr eed o f I slam .

Al l c lassic wr iter s w ho h ave wr itten up on the sub

j cet a gr ee in attr ibutin g gr e at we alth to S outhern
Ar abia a lan d fami li ar to an tiquity as S ab a or S heba
, , .

Hero do tus S tra bo an d Plin y fr equen tly allude to it

, ,

a s the r i c hest cou n tr y o n the gl obe I ts agri cultural

.

r es ou r c es ,depen den t up on a v ast an d in tr ic ate hy

d r au l ic system whi ch embr ac ed hun dr eds o f le agues
o f p r o du c tive terr it or y wer e the pr in c ip al b as is o f
,

its p ro sper ity I ts str e ams wer e co n fi n ed by massive

.

w al l s o f mas on r y o f c yc lo pe an dime n s io n s an d by
gr e at emb an kmen t s On e o f thes e r eservoir s w as
.

eighteen miles in cir cuit an d a hun dr ed an d twen ty

feet deep I ts ston es wer e laid in bitumen an d b o lted
.

together with ir on ro ds M an y other s in fer i or in

.
,

dimen sio n s an d o f n o t les s s olid con str uctio n colle cted ,

an d r et ai n ed the melted s n o ws o f the mo un t a i n s The .

flo w o f w ate r w as r egulated by S lui c e s an d its app or ,

ti on men t r igidly p r es cr ibed by l aw This tho rough

.
8 H IS T O RY OF TH E

system o f irr ig ation applied to a s oil o f p ro digi ous

,

fer til ity un der a tro pical s un even tually p ro duc ed re ,

sul ts r iv allin g th ose o f the v au n ted pl an t ati on s o f

B abylon i a An in n u mer able p o pulation distr ibuted

. ,

thr ough out this fav or ed terr it or y in hun dr eds o f

c ities an d vill a ges c arr ied to its high e st pe r fe c ti on
,

the cultivation o f the s o il The d aily expen ses o f .

the r o yal h ouseho ld wer e fifteen B a bylon ian t alents ,

eighty fi v e thous an d five hun dr ed doll ar s o f ou r

-

mon ey I t is r elated th at M ar eb the capital st ood

.
, ,

in a v a st exp an se o f pe r enn i al ve r du r e whe r e the ,

br an ches o f the tr ees t o uchin g e ach o ther formed a

, ,

v ault o f con tin uous sh ade over the highwa ys o f such ,

exten t that a h or seman would r equir e a j ourn ey o f tw o

mon ths du rati on to traver se the cultiv ated p or tion o f
’

the r e alm o f the mon archs o f S aba On e o f the latter .

w as the f amo us Quee n B alkis the fr ie n d an d a dmir er ,

o f S o l omon .

I n a r egi on so for tun ately situ ated for comme rc e ,

mer c an tile ac tivity kept p ac e with a gr icultural de

v eIO men t The me rch an ts o f S ab a en j o yed a r epu
p .

tati on f o r sh r ewdn ess ability we a lth an d e n te r pr ise

, , ,

n ot i n fe r i or to th a t o f the Phoen i c i a n s themselves .

They en gaged in tran s actio n s in v o lvin g immen se

pe cun iar y in vestmen ts They desp a t ched gr e at fleets .

to Chin a .Their c ar av an s tr aver sed the S yr i an an d

Afr ican deser ts They exp or ted to Per si a ann ually
.

a th o us an d t alen ts weight o f f ran kin c e n se N o t onl y .

did they pur ch ase dir e ctly the commo dities in which
they dealt but they als o bought an d s old exten sively
,

on com missi on Their war eh o uses wer e fill ed w ith

.

the r ich pr o du cts o f a s cor e o f climes ; silver vessels ;

in gots o f co pper tin ir on an d le ad ; h on ey an d w ax ;
, , ,

silks ivor y ebon y c or al ag ates ; c ivet musk myr rh

, , , , , , ,

camph or an d o the r ar omati c s

, s ome o f whi ch wer e ,

worth man y times their weight in go ld S uc h w as .

their p ro digal luxur y th at onl y s an d al woo d an d cin -

10 H IST O RY OF TH E

p o pul ation o f the kin gdom may h ave h a sten ed the,

ultimate c at astro phe th at is suppo sed to h ave oc curr ed

du rin g the fir st c en tur y o f the Ch r isti an era .

F r om this ep och the tradition s o f the Arabs b ecome

mo re an d mor e con fused S ome tr ibes seem to h ave
.

emigr ated to Mes o po t ami a other s to h ave settled in

,

the vic in ity o f Medin a then called Yathr eb wher e

, ,

they in termarr ied with the Jews alr e ady est ablished
in th a t c ity .We kn o w n o thin g fur ther o f Arabian
a nn als till the p ro mulg a ti o n o f the f a ith o f I sl am

beg an a n ew ch a pter in the histor y o f n atio n s Befo r e .

the Hegir a n o d ate c ould be fixed with c er t ain ty as ,

the r e w as n o ch r on olo gic al system by whi c h to as cer

t ai n the ye ar o f an histor ic al occur r en c e an d n o pub ,

lic o r p r iv ate r e c o r d s existed to p r ese r ve it But a step .

beyo n d the u n r eliable t ran smission o f p ast even ts by

tradition we r e the i n s cription s occ asi on ally ma de upon
the sh oulder blades o f an imals N o t o n ly w as the ma
-
.

ter i al in dispen s able to the s c r ibe en tir ely w an tin g but ,

the ability to use it w as p ossessed by on ly an in s i g

n i fi c an t n umbe r o f the pe o ple Amon g the n omadic
.

Bed ouin s con tempt for liter ar y accomplish men ts ex ,

c ept th a t o f exte mp or an e o us p o eti c a l comp o siti on ,

un iver s ally p r evailed E ven in the gr e at c ommerc ial

.

c ity o f Me cca at the ti me o f the publi cati o n o f the

,

K or an ther e w as but o n e man w ho co uld write I t

, .

w as n o t with o ut r e a s on th at M o h ammed design ated

the lon g an d o bs cur e per io d pr e c edin g the Hegira ,

the Age o f I gn or an c e .

Ar abi a alon e amon g the c oun tr ies acc essible to the

,

ambiti o n o f the p o wer ful s o ve r eig n s o f an tiquity ,

es caped the humiliati on o f con quest The gen ius o f .

Al ex an der had pl ann ed its subj ug ati on but de ath ,

p r even ted the r e aliz ati on o f his v ast perh aps im ,

p racti cable design The legio n s o f Augustus t rain ed

, .
,

un der the dis ciplin e o f the gr e atest o f the C aes ars ,

pr oved un equ al to the t ask o f t riumphin g o ver a

 M OO RIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 11

r egio n wher e the s oil the elemen t s an d the valor

, ,

o f i ts defe n de rs for med a c o mbin a ti on invi n c ible by

hu man pr owess . The Per si an s f or a per i o d o f

,

in sign ific an t dur ati on o ccupied the western an d

,

s outher n co asts h av in g pr eviously expelled the

,

Abyssin i an s w ho had in v aded an d r et ain ed a p ortion

,

o f Y emen du r i n g the s ixth c en tu r y N o n ati on .

,

ho wever w a s ev e r able to claim sup remacy o ver an y

,

con side r able p or ti o n o f the A ra bi an Pen i n s ul a F or .

this immu n ity it w a s in debted n ot on ly to the n atur al

o b s t a c le s whi c h defied the a dv an c e an d the main te n

an c e o f an i n v a di n g a r my but a ls o to the supe r s titi ous

,

fe ars with whi ch cun n in g an d cr edulity had su r

roun ded its n ame I t w a s a lan d o f myster i ou s por
.

ten ts an d pro digies who se bor de r s wer e guar ded by

,

malign an t demon s ; wh o se de s er ts all but impen e ,

tr abl e to the b o ldest a dven tu r e r wer e in h abited by

,

cann ib a l gi a n t s a n d mon st r ous bi r d s o f p r ey th a t

wat ched over tr e asur es pl ac ed by evil spir its un der

the Spell o f en c han tmen t E v er y caravan th at left
.

Phoen i c i a for Cen tr al Ar abi a c arr ied qu an tities o f

stor ax whi ch the Tyr i an merch an t s de cl ar ed w as
,

burn t in the n eighb orh oo d o f the fran kin cen se shrub s ,

that its o ff en s i v e fume s might dr iv e away the w in ged

ser pen t s which wer e their custo di an s The c limate .

w as s aid to be s o pe s tilen ti al th at sl aves an d cr imin als

alon e wer e e mpl o yed to g athe r the p r e c i ou s g u m ,

their liber ty bein g con ditio n al upon thei r succ ess .

These po litic in ven tion s implicitly believed by the

,

ign or an t while they in s ur ed to the sh r ewd trader s

,

o f Ph oen i c i a a mon o p o ly o f the v alu able p r o du c ts

o f the Pe n i n sul a exer c is ed n o in c on s ide rable in flu

,

en c e over the p o pular min d o f the an cien ts an d ,

c lo thed the De s e r t with te rror s whi c h even the r epu

tati on an d allu r emen ts o f its p r o digi ous we alth we r e

un able en tir ely to over come .

As a r esult o f its exemption fr om for eign domi n i on ,

12 H IST O RY OF TH E

no o ther coun tr y has p r eser ved the in tegr ity o f its

c ust oms its lan guage an d the per s on ality o f its in
, ,

h abit an ts to such a degr ee a s Ara bi a I t alon e still .

p r esen ts a pictur e o f the g overn men t an d the do mestic

e con omy o f p atri arch al an tiquity I ts man n er s are .

th o se which pr ev ailed c en tur ies befor e the time o f

Abrah am The won de r fully s on or o us an d flexible
.

idiom o f the K or an w a s al r e ady fo rmed befor e the

Bible or the I li a d w as wr itten The abs o lute im .

mobility o f the Ar abi an in his n ative h aun ts con ,

tr as te d w ith his r e ady a d apt ati o n to di amet r i c ally

o pp o site c o n diti on s elsewher e is on e o f the mo st
,

str ikin g an omalies o f human ch ar ac ter The in flu .

en c e o f G r ee c e an d Rome wh o se t aste in art an d

,

maxims o f go vern men t h ave left their tr ac es

wher ever either the v alo r or the en ter p rise o f th ose
n ati on s ha s been a ble to o bt ai n a f o o th o ld is n ot ,

pe rc eptible in the p olitic al or domesti c histor y o f

Ar abia N o r uin s o f an y maj esti c str uctur e raised
.
l

by the master h an d o f the Athen ian or Roman archi

-

te et h ave ever been dis cover ed in the gr e at Pen in sul a ,

the accoun ts o f who se c ommer cial we alth we r e matters

o f p o pul ar f aith an d won de r th r o ugho ut the an c ien t

wor ld An d wh a t is pr o b ably a mo r e con c lusive in

.
,

d i c atio n o f the pe r man e n t absen c e o f fo r eign i n flu

en c e th an an y other h owever pl ausible n o n ame with
, ,

a G r eek or L ati n ter mi n ati on ha s su r vived in the d i a

lects o f th ose Ar abian settlemen ts mo st in timately

a ss oc i ated with the t r a de o f E u r o pe f o r man y cen

tu r i es .

This in flexibility o f n ati on al pecul i ar ities be c omes

in v alu able in t r acing the c auses o f the de cay an d dis
r upti on o f the g r e a t M o slem empi r es whi c h s u b se

quen tly domin ated s o lar ge a p or tion o f the globe .

The ethn o gr a phy o f a peo ple w ho h ave st amped their

c h arac ter isti c s deeply up on su cc eedi n g a ges ; who se
c ustoms l aws an d l an gu age h ave to a c e r t ai n deg r ee
, , , ,
 M OO RIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O PE 13

sur vi ved their do min ion ; the an alogy between the r e

li g iou s d o gma s whi c h they p r o fessed an d tho se whi ch
have suppl an ted them; the pl ay o f p as sion s d estru c ,

tive or ben e fi c en t exhibited by tho se r u ler s whom

,

her editar y des c en t or the acciden t o f for tun e raised

to sup r eme auth o r ity ; the develo pmen t o f the tr an s
plan ted r ac e its pr e coc iou s matur ity the las tin g
, ,

e ff e c ts o f its in telle c tu al supr emac y an d its slow ,

but in evitable dec lin e are ci r cumstan c es well de

,

servin g the atten tive s crutin y o f the philo s o phi cal

histo ri an The absen c e o f r eli able in formation r en
.

ders imp os s ible an accurate con c eptio n o f the men tal

an d phys i c al tr aits o f the Ar ab o f tw o th ous an d ye ars

a o
g . But as we kn ow the extr eme con se rv atism o f
,

Or ien t als thei r pr on oun c ed aver sio n to ch an ge the

, ,

o bsti n a te per s isten c e o f thei r t ra diti o n s a n d the

g en
,

eral outli n es o f their charac ter we may with s a fety

,

a ssu me th at the shephe r d w ho n o w ro ams o ve r the

deser t plate aus o f N ej d an d Oman i s the in telle ctual

coun ter p ar t o f the Ar n al ekite o f the Bible an d th a t ,

the Arab wh ose fe atur e s are s culptur ed upo n the

etern al walls o f E dfou an d K arn ak did n ot di ff e r
in an y mate r i al r espe c t from the p r ed at or y Bedo uin
o f to d a y I t is a s tran ge an omaly in a l an d the
.
,

gr e ater p or tio n o f whi ch either thr ough the o bduracy

,

o f N a tu r e or the i n do le n c e o f its i n h abit an ts had ,

been fo r ages c on demn ed to etern al ster ility an d

isolated by s ea an d deser t fr om con tempor an eous
c iviliz ati on to en co un te r a r ac e wh o se ge n iu s w as
,

c a p able o f at on c e a d a pti n g itself with equ al f a c ility

, ,

to the fo rmation an d develo pmen t o f an agr ic ultur al

.

system sur p assin g th at o f an y other peo ple an c ien t ,

or mo de r n ; to the i n ven ti on o f me c h an i ca l devi c es o f

marvellous in gen uity ; to the s olution o f the mo st

abstr use mathe ma ti c a l pr oblems ; to the pe r fe c ti on
o f a g ra c eful an d exquisite o r de r o f arc hite c tu r e ,

un ique in de s ign in fin ite in det ail r emarkable in

, ,
14 H IST O RY OF TH E

execution un r iv alled in beauty o f orn amen t ; t o the

,

p r otracted in vestmen t o f c ities an d the a tt a in men t

an d exe r c ise o f th at p r o fi c ien c y i n the i n t r i c a te syste m

of m i lit ar y t a c ti c s in di spen s able to su cc ess in the art

o f w ar ; to the foun d a ti on an d the p r ese r vati on o f
empi r es A lo n g an d tedio us a ppr en tic eship is usu
.

a lly r equi r ed f or the a tt a i n men t to pe r fe c ti on i n an y

o f these a ccomplish men ts ; but the ve r s atile Ar ab

seemed by in tuitio n to be able to gr asp them all
, , ,

witho ut p r evious exper ien c e o r in str u ctio n I n lit .

e r atu r e , as well w as this pre emin en c e o f gen ius

,
-

dis c lo sed P o etr y w as the s ole form o f literar y man i

.

festati on app r e c i ated by the Ar abi c mi n d ; imp r ovi

s a ti on the on ly t ale n t it deemed w o r thy o f a ppl ause .

E ven amo n g the mo st i n telligen t n o thin g deser vi n g ,

o f the n ame o f hist or y w a s p r ese r ved ; a n d the gen e

al o gie s up on whi c h the A r a bs p r ided themselves we r e

mer ely in termin able lists o f b ar b ari an s o f loc al o r

tr ib al c elebr ity an d dr e ar y c at alogues o f ido ls Y et
,
.

their p r ed ato r y h or des e ff e cted a g r e at in telle ctual

r ev o luti on in ever y co un t r y whi c h sub mitted to thei r

swa y I n addition to their o w n memorable achieve

.

men ts they develo ped an d exp an ded to the utmost

, , ,

the men tal faculties o f their sub j e c ts an d tr ibut aries .

By pr e c ept an d ex ample they aroused the emul ation

,

a n d r ew ar ded the e ff o r ts o f all w ho st r uggled to

es c ape from the fetter s o f ign oran c e which had been

r iveted by the super stiti on a n d p r ej udi c e o f a ges
p assed in ign omi n io us servitude Their con quests in .

the wor ld o f letter s o ff er a f ar mor e n oble title to

r en o wn th an the l au r els w on on fields o f a pp a lli n g

c arn a ge or the p r e s tige a c qui r ed by the subj ug a ti on

o f v ast p ro v i n c es an d kin gdoms To the fin est liter

.

ar
y p ro du c ti on s o f mo de rn times d o es this sub tle
i n telle ctu al p ower exten d The imp r ess o f Arabi an
.

gen ius c an be dete cted in the n ovels o f B o cc acc io in ,

the roman c es o f C ervan tes i n the philo s o phy o f V ol

,
 M OO RIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O PE 15

t air ein the

, P r in cipi a o f N ewton , in the tragedies
o f S haks p e ar e I ts domai n is c oi n c iden t with the
.

boun dar ies o f mo dern c iviliz ation , its in fluen c e im

perishable in its ch arac ter .

These far r eachin g r esults are n either derived fro m

-

spon t an eous impuls e n or are they o f for tuitous o rigin .

They in di cate u n mist ak ably a gr adual an d in c ess an t

adv an c e th ro u gh lo n g pe r i o ds o f ti me The in ex or .

a ble l aws whi c h c o n tr o l the desti n y o f man r equi r e a

tr an siti on thr ough man y con n ected forms in s en s ibly ,

mer gin g in to e ach other even tually to e ff ect r a di c al

,

ch an ges in the men t al an d physi c al c h ar ac ter isti c s o f

in dividu als an d n ati on s The ev olutio n o f a ra c e

.
,

like the develo pmen t o f architectural con s tru ction is ,

Slow but pro gr es s ive The un io n betwee n the foun da

.

tion an d the s uper structur e is ev iden t although the ,

forme r may n ot at the fir st glan c e be visible A gr e at .

dist an c e sep arates the b arb aric sheik o f pr e I s lamic -

Ar abi a an d the p ower ful an d en lighten ed kh alifs o f

B agdad an d C or dov a Y et both the Abb as ide an d the
.

Ommey ad e dyn asties tr ac ed their lin e age dir e ctly to

the Bedouin r o bber s w ho e ach year waylaid the
, , ,

Me cc a c arav an Ther e is n o app ar en t r esemblan c e

.

between the ru de s tru ctur es o f pr ehistori c an tiquity

an d the ma t chless edific es e r e c ted by Athen i an gen ius

an d skill I t c an n ot be disputed h owever that the

.
, ,

un hewn an d mi s s h apen sh a ft o f the c yclo pe an qu arr y ,

which had n either flu ti n g n or volute b as e n or c apit al , ,

w as the ar chite c tur al pr o t o type o f the supe r b co lumn s

which ad orn ed the temples o f an c ien t Gr ee c e an d
Rome I n view o f the ra pid a dv an c e o f the Ar abs
.

un der M oh ammed s succ ess or s we are forc ed to con

’

c ede to thei r p a g an an c est or s n o t o n ly i n telle c tu a l

power s o f the highest or der a pp ar en tly in con sisten t ,

with the degraded con diti on s o f s av age life but also ,

an extr a or din ar y c a p ac ity f or p oliti c al o r g an iz ati on

an d for the p rac ti cal a ppli c a ti on o f the p r i n c iples

16 H IS T O RY OF TH E

of ever y ar t ben efici al to man kin d ; t alen ts un c on

s ciou s l y fo rmed an d d o rman t th ro ugh coun tless g en

e r ati on s ; a f a c t whi c h ma well ex c ite the a dmi ra ti on

y
o f eve r y s c h o l ar an d o f whi c h hist or y in p r evi o us or
,

subsequen t times aff or ds n o ex ample .

The Ar abs de s pite their a pp ar en t b ar b ar is m oc

, ,

c u py n o con temptible pl ac e in the an n a ls o f an tiquity .

They con que r ed E gypt an d un de r the dyn a sty o f , ,

the S hephe r d Kin gs gover n ed th at c oun t ry f or man y

,

c en tu r ies .On e o f their r a c e en listed a s a p r iv ate ,

s o ldier w as by a se r ies o f r a pid pr omoti on s r aised

, , ,

to the th r on e o f the R o man empir e Their cav alry .

fought with con spicu ous distin c tion i n the imper ial
ar mies . M or e th an on c e the v alo r o f B edouin mer
cen ar i e s dete rmi n ed the f a te o f the Pe r si an mon arc hy .

They con s tituted the gr e ater p ar t o f the fo r c es o f

Zen obi a Queen o f P almyr a in her desper ate str uggle
, ,

with Aur eli an Un de r wh atever b ann er they served

.
,

thei r cou rage an d ten a city o f pur p o se wer e n ever

question ed I t must be a dmitted h o wever th at their
.
, ,

fidelity w as n o t beyon d suspic ion an d th at on ly too , ,

fr equen tly the n ame o f Ar ab w a s a syn on ym of

,

tr e acher y .

The mo st r emarkable pe c uli ar ity o f Ar abi an life is

its r estless e n er gy The con tin u an c e o f this c on diti on
.

fr om p r imev al times expl ain s man y o f the distin c tive

t raits so p r omin en t in the ch ar a cter o f the rac e The .

well kn own r elati on exis tin g between commerc ial ac

-

ti v i ty an d c iv ilized h abit s w as p o we r less to c h an ge the

existen c e o f the n oma dic Arab His p r ed at or y in .

s tin c t w as alw a ys st r on ger th an the a tt rac ti on s o f

seden t ar y comfor t an d o pulen c e F amili ar ity with .

O r ien t al luxu r y on ly i n cr e ased his c on tempt f or th ose

w ho e n j o yed it His v a gr an t impulse carr ied him
.

ever ywhe r e He fe ar lessly pen etrated the myste r ious

.

depths o f the Libyan Desert He ser ved in the armi es .

o f Hi n dust an He w as e n rolled in the P r ae tor i an

.
18 H IS T O RY OF TH E

wer e the moun t ain eer s w ho in their in acc essible , ,

haun ts in ur ed to pr ivation skilled in al l man ly ex er

, ,

c ises an d ig n or an t o f luxur y c lun g with o bstin a te

ten ac ity to their idols an d defied all attem

, ,

,
pts o f the
P ro phet to con vert o r subdue them N or did I slam .

en list her adher en ts in the purlieus o f cro wded cities .

I n P ag an a s i n M o slem Ar abi a tr a de a n d r eligion ,

wer e closely a ss oci ated The symp athies o f the or gan

.

i zed commun ity we r e with the an c ie n t r eligi o n whi ch ,

con tr ibuted to its we alth its e mpl o ymen t its pe r s on al

, ,

p ro fit an d its s o c i al distin c tion The mer c h an ts an d

,
.

their nu merous depen den ts lo oked co ldly upon a r eve

lation which men ac ed their r even ues an d their im
po r tan c e The p riestho o d r ecrui ted from the n oblest
.
,

famili es o f the Pen in sula fo ster ed this pr ej udic e with

,

an a r do r b or n o f i n sti n c tive h a tr ed an d p ro fessi on al

p ride These tw o classes ther efo r e con tributed little

.
, ,

to the p r o p a g ati on o f the n ew d oct r i n es ; it w as the

wild h or des o f the Deser t th at con quer ed the world .

The Himy ar ite in s cr iption s r ec en tly de c ipher ed , ,

h ave est ablished the f ac t th at at an un kn o wn ep och , ,

tw o mig rat or y p o pul atio n s on e p roc eedin g from the ,

N or th the o ther from the S o uth c ame to gether in

, ,

their cour se an d wer e so blen ded by ass oc iation an d

,

in termarr ia ge a s to form in a shor t time a sin gle , ,

peo ple This r a pid fusion p oin ts to a common r acial

.

de riv ation an d it is n ot imp rob able th at the n orthern

,

division wer e the C an aan ites expelled by the sword

o f J o shu a .

The ve r y con ditio n s o f their existen c e in early ,

times n ec ess arily pr ec luded the ide a o f systematic

,

or g an iz a ti on or c on c e r ted un i on a mon g the v a g ab ond

tr ibes o f Ar abia Their polity if it may be dignified

.
,

by th at n ame w as essen tially p atriarch al C hiefs an d

, .

r ul er s we r e sele c ted from f amilies r en o w n ed fo r in di

vidu al merit n oble des c en t an d an tiquity o f or igin

, , ,

an d, in accor d an c e with the p ate rn al c ust om o f the

 M OORIS H EM P IRE IN E UR O P E 19

Orien t , et ain ers o f the pr in c e—w ho in fact wer e

a ll r , ,

usually r el ated to him—wer e in time en rolled as mem

bers o f his h ous ehold ; an d i n thi s w ay fragmen ts o f , ,

c ert a in tr ibe s dr awn to a common c e n t r e by the ties

,

o f r e a l or f an c ied kin dr ed or th ro ugh the fe ar o f an

n ihil ation a c qui r ed a g r e at p r ep o n der a n c e ove r thei r

,

n eighb or s Befor e the establis hmen t o f M ohamme

.

d an rule ther e w as n o g ove rnme n t n o co de o f l aws

, , ,

n o super i or auth o r ity eithe r deleg ated to or a ss u med

by the magistr ate E ac h family w as in depen den t ;

.

each member o f it r e cogn ized n o obligation to s o c iety

exc ept the pr otec tion o f hi s c lan s men The in s tin ct .

o f self pr ese r v a ti o n the f orc e o f publi c o pi n i on a n d

-
, ,

the a ppr ehen s ion o f the e n c r o achmen ts o f r iv al tr ibes

were the on ly motives suffic ien tly p o wer ful to e ff e c t
a temp orar y u n i on o f tho se wh o se vit a l i n ter est s we r e

thr eaten ed The p o we r o f the sheik w as n omin al ; his

.

fun ction s advi s o r y r ather than exe c utive His s ta .

tion w as o n e o f mor e h on or th an u s efuln e s s ; o f his

ow n vo liti o n he co uld n eithe r di r e c t milit ar y o pe ra

tion s en forc e o bedien c e r ewar d merit n or in fli ct

, , ,

pun is hmen t The a ff air s o f the tr ibe wer e ad min is

.

tere d by s u c h o f its member s as we r e con spi cu ou s for

ag e dig n ity an d wisdom
, , E ven the dec isi on o f su ch
.

a coun c il w as n o t i mpe ra tive i n c as e s whe r e the g e n

eral welfar e w as c on c ern ed ; for un der such c ircum ,

s t an c es the j udgmen t o f eve r y pe r s o n a ge o f we a lth

, ,

ran k , or s o c i al di s tin c ti o n w a s co n sulted Abs olu .

tism s o p ro min en t a fe atur e o f Asi atic go ve r nme n t

, ,

an d c arr ied to s u ch an extr eme by M o h ammed s s u c

’

ces so r s w a s thus un kn own in an c ien t Arabi a

, D omi .

n ated by the tumultu ous fr eed om o f i n dividu al c a

pr ic e its is olated commun ities wer e n ot even s ub j e ct

,

to the or din ar y leg al r e s tr i ctio n s imp os ed by the v o i c e

o f demo cra c y ; an d thei r con t r o l a pp r o a c hed a s n e ar

to an ar chi c al li c e n s e as w as comp atible with the b ar e

pr eser v ation o f s ociety N atur al o bst ac le s suc h as
.
,
20 H IST O RY OF TH E

the s carcity o f water an d the b ar renn ess o f the s o il ,

a dded to l on g in he r ited p r ej udi c e t ra diti on a l enmity

-
, ,

an d difficul ty o f in tercommun ication h ave alw ays ,

pr even ted the p oli tical an d in tell e c tu al develo pmen t

o f the Ar abs i n thei r n ative l an d The pe rsisten c e
.

o f his o r igi n a l i n s tituti on s a fte r the mighty rev o l u

tion s elsewher e wrought by I slam p r ove con clusively

th at n atio n al r egen er ati on o f the Ar ab un der the sky
o f the De s e r t is a p ra c ti cal i mp o ssibility .

The life o f the Bed ouin w as p assed in u n remit

tin g h o stility W ar w as the n ormal con dition o f
.

his existen c e ; it suppli ed the s o le in c en tives he

deemed wor thy o f atten tion —the gr atification o f
r even ge ,
the a c quisiti o n o f glor y the a ppr o pr iation
,

o f the p ro pe r ty o f his n eighb or .The in dulgen c e

of these p assi on s an d espe c ially o f the ign oble
,

p ro pen s ity to r a pin e an d his c r uelty wer e his most

, ,

con spi c u o u s an d dis cr edit able c h ar ac ter isti c s The .

o cc up a ti on o f r o bbe r y w a s i n the eyes o f the Arab

rathe r h o n or able th an o ther wise a s it w a s in ti

,

mately ass o c i ated with the p r o fessi on o f arms I n .

a s oc iety with o ut the r es ou r c es o f a g r i c ultu r e man u ,

f ac tur es or c o mme r c e vi olen t mean s must be r elied

, ,

o n fo r the susten a n c e o f life . I n the Dese r t the on ly

av ail a ble expedien ts to this en d wer e the plu n de r o f

en emi es an d the bl ac kmail o f tr aveller s The t otal .

absen c e o f o r g an ized g ove rn me n t r e n de r ed the pos

session o f p r o pe r ty doubly pr e c ar ious N o wher e else.

w as the fi ckl e n e ss o f f ortu n e s o a pp ar en t The att ack .

o f a h o stile t r ibe might r en der the mo st o pulen t in di

vidual a p aupe r in a sin gle n ight N o vigilan c e could

.

p r even t such a c at astr o phe in a r egion a ffor din g u n

limi ted Oppo r tun ities for sur prise an d ambus cade ,

whe r e ther e w a s n o title to the s o il wher e the wealth

,

o f a commun ity con sisted l ar gely o f fl o c ks o f sheep

an d he r ds o f c amels . Un der ci rcumst an c es wher e a

man s imp or t an c e an d p o sition amon g his fello ws were
’
 M OO RIS H EM P IRE IN E UR O PE 21

depen den t up on his i n clin ati on to en c oun ter dan ge r

an d his c a p a c ity to elu de dete c ti on in the pu r suit o f

pillage po ver ty be came di s grac eful C on s t an t ap

, .

pr ehen si on br ed dis tru s t o f str an ger s un til it be came

"

a p r ed omi n an t n ati o n al t ra it Wher e tw o p ar ties o f

.

Bed ouin s unkn own to each othe r met in the Deser t

, , ,

the stron ger immedi ately attacked the we aker A .

dar in g p r edato ry en ter pr ise con fer r ed the highe s t

po pul ar di s tin c ti on u p o n its her o A gr e at r o bber
.
,

w ho un ited the qu alitie s o f co ur age an d dupli city an d ,

w ho had amassed we alth by his expl oits w as the ido l ,

o f his tr ibe The memor y o f the famous br igan d

.

H arami i s even n ow cher is hed in the Hedj az with

an admi r i n g ve n e r ati on s c ar c ely i n fe r i o r to th a t co n

ferr ed up o n his coun tr yman M oh ammed .

The men t al con stitution o f the an cien t Ar ab pr e

sen ted man y r emark able in c on sisten c ies mos t o f ,

which ar e still a pp ar en t in the ch ar ac ter o f his

des cen dan ts B rave even to temer ity he felt n o
.
,

c ompu n c ti o n at the se c r et ass a ssi n ati o n o f a fo e .

Pr o fes s in g r ever en c e for ag e an d r elyin g for guid

an c e up on the a dvi c e o f the elde r s o f his t r ibe he ,

did n ot hesit ate to d rive the old an d in firm fro m the

public fe as t While the gr e ate s t r en own atten ded
.

the plun der o f an en c ampmen t the c ommissio n o f

,

a t r iflin g theft ma de the per pet rat or an o bj e ct o f

un ivers al detest ation He as s is ted the un for tun ate

.

an d plu n de r ed the defen cel e s s with equ al al acr ity .

The exer c ise o f a gen erous an d un selfish h o spit ality

w as n o b ar to the pur suit o f a guest a fte r he had left
the in vi olable p r e c in c ts o f the c amp I n man y r e .

sp ec ts,
however the ch ar ac ter o f the Bed ouin w as
,

emin en tly wor thy o f admiratio n H is courage w a s

.

un disputed He p o s sessed a high se n se o f per son al

.

hon or The fugitive w ho s o lic ited his pro te ctio n

. ,

even th o ugh he wer e an en emy w as s a fe s o lon g as

,

he r emain ed within the en clo sur e o f hi s ten t an d he ,

22 H IS T O RY OF TH E

esp oused the cause o f the un kn own suppli an t as if

it wer e his o wn After sun set his blazin g w at c h —
.
,
fire ,

li ke a fr ien dly be acon guided the cour se o f the b e

,

lated wan der er o ver the deser t s ea He disputed with .

his n eighbor s f or the hon or o f en ter ta in in g the

str an ger an d the deepest r eproach he could u n
,

d er g o w as the imput a ti on th at he w as defic ien t i n the

vir tue o f h o spit ali ty His sen se o f chiv alr y n u r
. ,

tu r e d amidst the c on s t an t per ils o f an un c er t ain exist

en c e w as con spi c uo us i n the r espec t an d c on sider a
,

tion he a fter wards exh ibited in the tr e atmen t o f

woman His simplicity o f mann er an d gravi ty o f
.

deme an or imp arted an air o f digni ty to his a ppear

an c e whi ch eli c ited the r espe c t o f th o se f ar super i or
,

to him i n ran k edu cation an d kn o wledge

, , P atien t in .

a dve r sity he c o n s ider ed the displ ay o f gr ief a s an

,

un p ar don able evi den c e o f we akn ess His love o f .

li ber ty domin ated his n atur e to an exten t imp o ssible

o f a pp r e c i a tio n by th o se subj e c t to the s alut ar y re

str ain ts o f civilized c ommun ities The existen c e o f .

man y n oble qu alities in the ch ar acter o f the Ar ab ,

h owever o n ly r en der ed its defec ts the mor e glarin g

, .

His a pp ar en t imper tur bability s cr een ed fr om the

publi c g aze man y vic es an d imper fec tion s Like .

all b ar b ar i an s , his disp o sition w as lar gely in fan tin e

an d c a p r i c i o us petulan t diver ted by tr ifle s con
, , ,

trolled by in s tin c t r ather th an by r e as on quick to t ake ,

o ff en c e an d r elen tlessly vin di c tive

, O f al l bein gs he .

w as pr e emin en tly the cr e atu r e o f impulse

-
His p ride .

w a s i n or din ate his ra p ac ity i n s a ti able

, With hi m the .

prosecution o f ven ge an c e w as a s acr ed duty which ,

to o k p r e c eden ce o f eve r y mor al an d s oc ial oblig ation ;

an d su c h w a s his e n mity th at he r eg ar ded the fo r iv e
, g
n ess o f a se r i ous i n j u r y a s the b a dge o f a co w ar d An .

in corr igible bragg ar t he n ever hesit ated to employ

,

t r ea cher y when it would a ccomplish the pur p oses

o f v al o r .He prac tised c an n ib alis m an d like the ,
 M OORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 23

feroci ous S c an din avian s dran k fr om the skulls o f

slaughter ed vi ctims P ar tic ip ation in these horrid
.

ban quets w as n ot con fin ed to warr ior s ; women als o

wer e pr esen t at them an d wor e with s avage pr ide
, , ,

n e ckl ac es an d amulets comp o sed o f the e ar s n o ses , ,

an d b o n es o f the de a d .

Un der the pr etext o f pr even tin g futur e dishon or ,

but r eally with a view to econ omy un der con dition s ,

o f existe n c e i n v o lvi n g a per petu a l str uggle he o ften ,

buried his female childr en alive I t is s aid th at O th .

man w a s n ever kn ow n to weep ex c ept when at the ,

bur ial o f his little d aughter she r e ached up an d c ar ess

,

in g ly wi ped the dust o f her gr ave fr om his be ar d .

F rom suc h un spe ak able atr ocities as this did M o

harnmed deliver his co un tr yme n .

The Arabs practised b oth p o lyan dr y an d po lyg

amy to a n exten t rar ely coun ten an c ed by other b ar

b ar i an s. On e w oman wh o se car eer would seem to

,

be un ique i n the histor y o f matr imon ial achievemen t ,

w as c eleb rated for h avin g been the wife o f for ty

husb an ds I n a s o c iety wher e commun al marri age
.

prev ailed the p assion o f j ealo usy w as n ec ess ar ily

,

un kn own .The P a g an Arab in dulged to the utmo st

the vi c e o f drun kenn ess an d p rided himself upon ,

his c ap ac ity to abs or b gr eat quan tities o f liquor

ther e wer e s ome Himyar ite pr in c es w ho obt ain ed an
un envi able immor tality by d rinkin g themselves to
de ath G amblin g w a s so p o pular in the Deser t th at
.

the Bedoui n like the an cien t German o ften staked

, ,

his l iberty his mo st pric eless po s sessio n on the t o ss

, ,

o f a pebble Like the Hebr ew p atr i archs he con

.
,

tracted in c estuous marr iages He glor ied in the .

n ame o f b rig an d an d r eg ar ded the c a ptu r e o f a

,

c arav an a s the pr i n c ip al obj e c t o f life I t w as n o t .

unusu al for him a fter plun der in g the de ad to muti

, ,

late them wi th a brut al malign ity th at would disgr ac e

an Amer i can I n di an He tested guilt or inn o c en c e
.
24 H IST O RY OF TH E

by or de als o f fir e an d water which he an d his kins ,

man the J ew had in herited fr om a r emo te an tiquity .

The p r acti c e o f li c en tious g allan try un iver s ally p r ev ,

al en t i n the Peni n sul a an d c eleb r a ted in man y an

,

amator y st an z a o f the B ed ou i n p o et w a s temp orar ily ,

c he cked by the auste r e rule o f I sl am; but r evivi n g ,

er e l o n g un der the con gen i al skies o f S p ain an d

,

S i c ily spr e ad n or thwar d an d i n sep ar ably ass oci ated

, , ,

with deeds o f chivalr y an d r oman tic adven tur e in ,

fected i n time the r ude an d comp aratively vi rtuous

, ,

bar bar i an s o f E uro pe .

An un usu al degr ee o f i n telligen c e a lively imag ,

in ati on a vivid cu r i o sity a r eten tive me mor y a child

, , ,

ish love o f the marvello us distin gui shed the Arab o f ,

the Age o f I gn or an c e from the other p asto ra l n ation s

o f Afr i c a a n d Asi a F euds between tr ibe an d t ribe
.
,

n o u r ished by i n j u r ies mutu ally b o rn e a n d i n fli c ted

fo r a hun dr ed ge n e rati on s i n ten sified the fe r o city ,

o f a n a tu r e whi c h be came under s u ch pr ovo c ation s , ,

in cap able o f pity E verythin g co nn e cted with the

.

d aily life o f the warr ior ha d a dir e ct ten den c y to

fo ster an alr eady too vi olen t in c lin ati on to deeds o f
bloo d The w ar h or se had his bio gr aphy ; the swor d
.
-

o f eve r y f amo us c hieft ain ha d a n ame a n d a hist or y .

The s ayin gs o f the succ essful marauder o ften utter ed ,

with epigrammatic te r sen ess p a ssed in to p ro ver bs , .

an d we r e qu oted with extr av ag an t admi ration by

, ,

his mo st r emo te des c en d an ts ; his exploits immor ,

talized by the sti rr in g ver ses o f the p o et we r e re ,

coun ted n ightly by the c amp fi r es o f his t r ibe In -

.

ca se o f the mu r de r o f a ki n sman n o mou r n i n g w as ,

t oler ated un til ample ven gean c e had been t aken for
the cr ime The exe cution o f the s av age l aw o f bloo d
.

feud while it con tr ibuted to stifle every sen timen t o f

,

human ity wher e an her edit ar y f oe w as the off ender ,

do es n ot appear to h ave had an y marked e ff e ct in

in cr e asin g the fi er c en e ss o f the ch arac te r o f the Ar ab
26 H IS T O RY OF TH E

ne c ess aries o f life the un c ert ain ten ur e o f pro per ty

, ,

the men ac in g p r esen c e o f d an ger the p over ty o f the ,

s oil the n ation al pr ej udic e ag ain st in dustr ial occup a

,

tion s wer e n ot con du c ive to in dulgen c e in those vic es

,

whi ch fl ourish most vigorously u n der the artifici al

con diti on s o f an est a blished c iviliz a ti on The s can ty .

h arvests o f the S o uth wer e in sufficien t to main tain

even the p opulati on o f tho se thin ly settled p r ovin c es .

Amon g the pr o duct s o f the veget able kin gdo m the ,

d ate w a s the p r in c ip al r eli an c e o f the n omadi c pe o ple

o f A r a bi a O f this mo st v alu able fru it a hun dr ed
.

v arieties g r ew in the n eighb orhoo d o f Medin a alon e .

I ts highly n ut riti ous p ro per ties its e asy pr eser vati on, ,

the con ven ien c e with whi ch it could be t ran sported

fo r g r e at dist an c es r en de r ed it an ar ti c le o f foo d
,

espe c i ally ad apted to the den izen o f th o se arid an d

un pro ductive r egi on s in whi ch it flourished an d which , ,

with out it woul d h ave been dep o pulated E ven its

, .

seeds wer e an o bj e c t o f tr affic an d wer e fed to hor ses

,

an d c amels With the Ar abs as with other n omadic

.
,

r ac es a veget able diet w a s r es or ted to on ly i n c ase o f

,

n e c essity The quan tity o f me at served at a r ep ast

.

w a s an in dex to the h o st s imp or t an c e as well as the

’

me asur e o f his ho spit ality A brass c ald ro n w as .

con sider ed as o f on ly o r din ar y size whe n it w ould

e asily h old a sheep an d s ome wer e s o lar ge th at a

,

horseman co uld without difficulty eat fr om them

, ,

with out dis moun tin g The mor sels ser ved from
.

these seethin g r e c ept ac les wer e p r o p ortion e d to the

vessels in which they wer e cooked an d to the vora
c iou s a ppetites o f th o se w ho co n su med them The .

bel ief p r evalen t amon g b arb ar ian s th at the ch arac

, ,

teri s ti cs o f an an i mal ar e tr an s mitted with u n d imin

i shed vig or to al l w ho feed up on its flesh w as sh ar ed ,

by the Ar abs As their favorite me at w as th at o f the

.

c amel they attr ibuted to its use thei r i r as c ible temper

, ,

a t rait whi c h is p r omi n en tly devel oped i n th at be ast ,

 M OORIS H EM P IRE IN E URO PE 27

also no mon g qua dr uped s for its dogged oh

ted a

s tin ac y I n a lan d wher e b ar r en n ess s o dis coura ged

.

the labor s o f the husban dman an d the shepher d n o ,

obj e c t a ff or din g n utr itio n c o uld be n egle c ted an d ,

even the in se ct world w as c alled up on to co n tr ibute

its shar e to the ur gen t n e c essities o f human ity L o .

ousts dr ied an d s alted h ave alw ays fo rmed a st a ple

, ,

ar ti c le o f diet amon g the p oo r er c l a s s es o f Ar a bi a ,

an d an i mp or tan t p ar t o f the l ar de r o f eve r y c amp

, ,

are s o ld i n v ast qu an tities in the markets o f the

Pen in sula .

The di ff er en c es an d the prej udic es o f caste the ,

most ser ious impedimen ts to p ro gr ess wer e un kn own ,

to the pr o ud r o ver s o f the Dese r t wher e in dividu al ,

mer it w as the highes t title to r espe c t The author ity .

o f the c hief w as foun ded o n the con s idera ti on he had

o bt ai n ed amon g the me mber s o f his t r ibe r athe r th an

on the illustr i o u s c i rc umst an c es o f hi s bi r th or the

an tiquity o f his li n e age Age w a s an essen ti al r equi

.

s ite to the att a i nmen t o f o ffic i al dign ity a s in di c ative ,

o f the wisdom s upp os ed to be the r esult o f l on g ex

peri en ce With the Bedo uin ther e w as n on e o f th at

.
,

gr eed o f po wer wh os e i n dulgen c e so o ften disturbs

the peac e an d in flames the p assio n s o f s o cietie s in an
,

a dv an c ed st ate o f c ivi liz a ti on The sheik gover n ed

.

through the r espe ct en tert ain ed fo r his ch ar ac ter ,

thro ugh the in fluen c e o f hi s mann er s ab ove all , ,

thr ough his r elation ship with his clan smen The .

p atern al sen timen t w as p aramoun t amon g the

Ar abi an peo ple They cherished the memor y o f
.

their for ef ather s with pe culiar r espe ct The r ight .

o f s an c tu ar y a tt a c hed to thei r sepul ch r e ; the trib al

o r g a n iz ati on an d d omesti c t ra diti on s o f the Bedoui n

wer e derived fr om this feelin g o f an c estr al ven era

tion . Like o ther Asi ati cs they con sider ed a n u
,

merou s family the gr e atest o f distin ctio n s ; the father

o f ten s o n s w as en n o bled by a title o f h on or ; an d n o
28 H IS T O RY OF TH E

na tion att ached mor e imp ort an c e to the p o ssession o f

phen omen al vir ility I n their tr e atmen t o f women a
. ,

str ikin g con tr ast exists i n n umer o us in st an c es be

, ,

tween the P a g an an d the later Ar abi an s With both .

,

it is true woman w as gen erally a slave Y et s ome

,
.

times i n the Age o f I g n or an c e she w as r a ised to

, ,

o ffi c i a l dign itie s even to the th r o n e itself

,
her o pi n i on
w as s oli c ited i n momen t ous a ff a i r s o f st ate ; an d in
the r Ol e o f divi n er an d s or c er ess She wielded a p o wer ,

un limited for go o d or evil o ver her super stitio us f01 ,

lower s O ften gifted with r ar e p o eti c t alen t she

.
,

competed n ot with out disti n c ti on

,
f or the co veted ,

p ahn o f liter ar y ex c ellen c e T ra diti on has also .

h an ded d own the n ames an d achievemen ts o f c er tain

i n tr epid amazon s w ho f ought by the side o f their
,

husb an ds an d br o ther s ; an d wh o se dete rmin ed cour

a e c on t r ibuted
g i n a mar ked degr ee to c h an ge the
, ,

for tun es o f mor e th an on e d oubtful b attle But as .

,

a r ul e ,both befor e an d a fter M oh ammed the ad , ‘

v an c emen t o f the sex from a con diti on o f servitude

w as r es olutely di s co un te n an c ed by the Ar abs I n the .

Age o f I gn or an c e it w as stigmatized by the un g al

,

l an t epithet o f N ets o f the Demon ”

The s ac r ed .

ties o f bloo d an d the f ac t th at with marr i a ge woman

,

did n ot r en oun c e her her edit ar y pr ivileges could ,

alwa ys comman d the a ssi s t an c e o f he r kin s me n , seek

r efuge amo n g them an d be a ve n ged by thei r v a lor

,

in c as e o f g r ievo us pe r s on a l i n j u r y g ave her a con ,

s i d er abl e deg r ee o f i mp o r t an c e i n the s o c i al system

o f A r abi a I t is v ery ev i d en t th at in e ar ly times

.
"

p olyan dry p r ev ailed ev ery wher e in th at coun tr y an ,

in dic ation o f a s c ar city o f females an d a c us tom ,

alw ays i n c iden t to a c er t a in st age i n the f ormati on

an d devel o p men t o f s o c iety I ts pr i or existen c e is

.

demo n s tr ated by the vestiges o f c ommun al marr i age

to be trac ed to d ay i n r e mo te p orti on s o f the P en in
-

s u l a an d in the well authen ticated t ra dition th at

,
 M OORIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O PE 29

female kin s hip w as or igin ally the ru le in the De s er t ,

the c hild belon gin g to the tr ibe an d follo win g the

fortun es o f the mo ther Amon g the Bed ouin s the .
,

on ly r e c o g n ized meth o ds o f o bt a i n i n g a wife we r e

tho se o f c aptur e an d purch ase The former w as .

thoro ughly c on gen i al with the war like in s tin c ts o f a

ra c e wh o se p o ssessi on s a c qui r ed a n espe c i al v alue a s

the r es ult o f mar tial pr owe s s ; the latter r ep r e s en ted

an i n demn ity f o r the p o ssible l o s s o f s on s w ho un der ,

o ther c i r cums t an c e s would h ave be c ome war r ior s o f

,

the matern al tr ibe The r e w as h o wever n o r e al dif

.
, ,

fer en c e between the l ot o f the bride w ho as the p r ize ,

o f vi c t or y w as dr agged sh r ieki n g fr om the fo ld s o f

,

her ten t an d th at o f the s milin g vi c tim wh o se be auty

,

had been b ar te r ed f o r a hun dr ed c amel s B o th wer e .

r eg ar ded a s c h attels an d des c en ded with o ther

, p er
s on a l p r o per ty to the hei r As the p o pul ati on in
.

cr e a sed
, a n d the me an s o f livelih o o d be c ame mor e

difficult to p r o cur e the a ppe aran c e o f a female child

,

w as looked up o n as a c alamity ; i n f an ti ci d e gr ew
commo n ; a n d n o thi n g but the h o pe o f bei n g able at ,

s ome futur e d ay to ad d to his her d the c amels o f s ome

,

pros pe c tive suitor ever r e con c iled the mer c en ary

,

Bedo uin to the bir th o f a d aughter .

The att ain men t to a high degr ee o f c ivilizatio n with

all its demo r ali zi n g i n flu en c e w a s n o t able to destr oy

the n ative p oliten e s s the air o f con s c i ous dign ity the
, ,

n oble h o s pit a li ty an d the c o u r tly g r ac es o f ma nn er

,

whi ch di s tin gui s hed the fier c e an d un taught tr ibesman

o f the De s er t H i s s en se o f i n depen den c e w as n o t
.

hamper ed by in vidi ous distin ction s o f r an k or in co n

ven i en t r egul a ti o n s o f p ro per ty H i s in tuitive kn o wl
.

edge o f human n atur e his r ar e sus c eptibility to ever y

,

impr es s i o n which c an impro ve an d develo p the min d ,

his cap ac ity to de al with the mo st diffi cult question s

o f p oli c y his willin g n e s s to e n coun ter the mos t a p
,

p all in g dan ger s wer e qu alities which in sur ed his

,
30 H IST ORY OF TH E

succ ess in the mo st distan t cou n tr ies an d under the

most a dverse an d dis couragin g co nditions D espite .

his r e adiness to pro fit by the superi or kn owledge o f

his adver s ar ies he en ter t ain ed the most extr avag ant
,

ideas of his ow n impor tan c e an d looked down up on

,

al l w ho we r e o f di ff e r en t mann e r s r eli g ious faith or , ,

n ational ity His in o r din ate family pr id e pr eserved

.

for the aston is hmen t o f subsequent generations the

en dless n omen cl atur e o f his pro gen itor s ; an d at the ,

bir th o f M oh ammed the mo st obs cur e an d po verty

,

stricken in dividua l co uld n ame with a fluency b orn ,

o f l on g p rac ti c e an d t ra di ti on al inh er it an c e his an ,

ces tors for six hun dr ed ye ar s His langu age w on

.
,

d er fu lly c omplex but flexible o ff e r in g to the pu r

p oses o f the p o et an d the orator—by r e as on o f its
,

pro dig al r i chn ess an d i n exh austible v ariety—every

r es ou rc e o f sen timen t p a th o s an d el o quen c e yet so
, , ,

e asily ac quir ed th at it w as sp oken b y young children

with grammatical c orr ectn ess an d fluen cy he j ustly ,

boasted as on e o f the mo st per fe ct idi oms ever in

v en ted by man . I n sh or t the Ar ab r eg ar ded himself
,

as the highest exempl ar o f hu man ity ; his arr o g an ce

r evolted at the ide a o f ma tr imo ni a l c onne ctions with

ra c es whi ch he deemed i n fe r i or to his o w n ; an d the

pre emin en c e he cl aimed fo r himself an d his country

-

men w as in dic ated by the pr ero gatives whi c h he

asser ted Allah ha d v o u chs a f ed to them alone o f all

nation s ; that their tur b an s sh ould b e their diadems ,

their tents their ho uses their swor ds their intr en ch

,

men ts an d their po ems their l aws

,
”
.

The pr e I slamitic r eligion o f the Ar ab s w as mainly

-

a deb asin g id ol atr y p o lluted by human s acr ific es an d ,

as c ending b y ill d efi n e d g r a d ati on s fr om the lowest

,
-
,

forms o f f etichism to the a doratio n o f the stars .

Their f aith w as far fr om un if orm an d ahn ost every ,

tr ibe had spe cial obj e cts o f ven er a tion an d peculi ar

mo des o f wor ship S ome we r e ab s olutely destitute
.
 M OORIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O PE 31

of the ide a o f a G od ; s ome gr ovelled befor e ro ughly

hewn blo cks o f st on e ; other s wors hipped tr ees an d
spr in gs —the mo st grateful gifts o f n atur e in a
,

p ar ched an d thir sty l an d ; other s again gr eeted , ,

with p raise the r i s in g s un as its be ams illumi n ated

the pur ple mi sts o f the De s er t or bo wed r ever en tly
,

at n ight befor e the glitter i n g ma j esty o f the he aven s .

The member s o f c er tain tr ibes wer e mater i ali s ts ; n ot

a few acc epted the metempsych o si s ; man y we r e
fami li ar with the philo s o phi cal cr eed o f the Buddh is t ,

whi ch r egar ded death as the irr evocable en d o f all

spir itual activity the beginn in g o f a st ate o f abs olute
,

qui es c en c e o f etern al an d immut able r e s t The ma

, .

j ority o f the Arab r ac es however looked upon their

, ,

idols as medi ator s between the S u pr eme Bein g an d

man Hen c e they er e cted temple s in their h on or
.
,

n amed thei r childr en f or them ma de pilgr i ma ges to

,

their shrin e s an d s oli cited their good offic e s with

,

pr ecious gifts an d O ff er in gs The he aven ly b odies

.

wer e plac ed in the s ame categor y Their in ter c essio n .

with the Deity w a s als o in voked by fr equen t a ppli ca

tion s ; an d to their p ower thus in dir ec tly exerc ised
, ,

wer e attributed the mo st imp or tan t as well as the

mo st tr ivi al o cc urr en c es o f life the ben efits o f for
,

tun e the i n flic ti o n o f c al amities the myster i ous an d

, ,

terrifyin g e ff ec ts o f n atural phen omen a I t is a .

super stitio n as old as the human rac e to imagin e the

un iver se to be pe o pled with myster ious bein gs an d ,

the l ives o f men to be moulded by the b en efi cen t or

malign an t in fluen c e o f the star s The wor s hip o f the
.

S un the ge n i al dispen s e r o f light o f war mth o f

, , ,

health in who se train foll ow the in cr ease o f flocks

, ,

the bur stin g o f buds the wel co me sight o f r efr eshin g

,

ver dur e the autho r o f all th at is useful an d attractive

,

in eve ry spe cies o f org an ic life a wor ship which in ,

ages o f p r i mev al simpli c ity ha s alw ays mo st stron gly

a ppe aled to the g r atitude a n d ven eration o f man w a s ,

32 H IS T ORY OF TH E

highly po pul ar in P a gan Ar abia C lassic histori ans .

h ave est ablished the fact th at it w as at one time

ahn os t univer s al in the Pe n i n sul a wher e the idol
,

which w as the te rr estr i al man ifest ation o f th at gr e at

lumin ar y w as design ated by the appellatio n Nur
All ah The Light o f G o d
, His authority w as
.

ever ywher e p ar amo un t whether o pen ly worshipped

, ,

r ep r esen ted by fi r e the gr e a t pu ri fyin g a gent or ,

exhibited un der v ar io us symbo ls o f forc e an d power ,

which all n ation s ho wever sep a rated an d di ff er ing

, ,

in physical an d men t al c h arac te ristic s h ave with , ,

won der ful un an imity a do pted a s his pec uliar em

,

hl ems Temples wer e als o r aised to the Moon S irius

.
, ,

C an opus the Hyades Mer cur y an d Jupiter

, , , But .

o f all the st arr y b o dies n o n e e n j oyed g r e ate r f av or ,

or w as wor shipped with mor e splend or th an S aturn , .

His attributes wer e o ften con foun ded by his vot aries
with th ose o f his kin dr ed divin ities M ars an d the S u n .

I t has b een p roved by the le ar n ed r ese arc hes o f D ozy ,

th at the f amous K aab a w as origi n ally a shr in e dedi

c ated to th at deity He w as the B a al o f the Hebr ews
.
,

an d on c e thei r tutel ar y g o d as well a s th at o f the

Phoen ician s—c arried by the former durin g their so

j o urn in the wilde rn ess ven er a ted b y the l atter in
,

the magn ific en t temples o f S idon an d Tyr e The .

exten t o f his wor ship in the E a st w as it might b e ,

s aid coin ciden t with the view o f the br illiant planet

,

by which he w as r ep r esen ted in the tro pical heavens .

The giver o f all materi al blessin gs he w as in thi s , ,

c a p ac ity invoked as the cr e ator an d p r eserver o f

,

terr estri al life ; but he w as als o p r opiti ated a s the

aven ge r o f s acr ilege an d cr i me Amon g di ff er ent
.

peo ples he w as ad or ed un de r inn umer able manifest a

tions The f amili ar wo r d I s r a el is a syn onym o f
.

S aturn ; the Hebr ew p r iests kn ew him as S abbathai

—when c e is derived ou r S abb ath ; an d in Judea as ,

in E gypt the fir st d ay o f the week w as dedi cated to

,
34 H IS T O RY OF TH E

In Ar abi a the wh ole Deser t w as the temple o f the

S up r eme G o d .

Ass oci ated with the mo st ex alted ide as o f div in e

p o wer we r e to be fou n d super stition s usu ally en co un
ter ed o n ly in the p r imitive ep o chs o f s o c iety The .

wide sp r e ad wor ship o f the gen erative for c es o f n a

-

tur e wh o se r ema in in g mon ume n ts seem to the un in

,

structed sen se o f o u r c avillin g ag e mer e eviden ces o f

a dep r aved ima gi n a ti o n ha d its sh ar e o f pub li c favor
,

in Arabi a whe r e the male an d fe male p r in c iples we r e

,

a d or ed un der v ar i o us symb oli cal forms M an y o f .

these h ave survived in the mon o liths s cattered

through out the Pen in sula wh o se to wer in g masses ,

are r eg ar ded eve n by dev o ut M o slems with n o s mall

, ,

deg r ee o f s upe r stiti ous aw e The ston e c ir c les an d .

-

men hir s men ti on ed by traveller s as existin g in O man

an d N edj d ar e eviden tly o f the s ame gen eral type

as th o se o f C a r n ac an d S t on ehe n ge an d fr om the , ,

des cription s give n o f them o f s carcely in fer io r d imen

,

si on s an d per h a ps o f still higher an tiquity I t is a

, .

Sin gular c ir cumstan c e th at gig an tic str u ctur es bear

, ,

in g su ch a commo n r ese mbl an c e as to suggest th at they

wer e e r e cted by the s ame r a c e o f builder s an d designed
f or simil ar pu r p o ses should be foun d in coun tr ies so
,

di ff er en t i n physic al fe atur es c limate in h abit an ts re , , ,

l ig i ou s tr aditi on s l an gu a ge an d hist or y as Cen tr al

, , ,

Arabi a an d Western E ur o pe .

Like o the r n ation s o f an cien t times the Arabs in ,

vested c er tain tr ees with a s a cr ed c h arac ter a custom ,

in dic ative o f the lin ge rin g in fluen c e o f ph allicism; a

wor ship who se o r igin al p rin c iples lo n g f or g otten in ,

the Pen in sula sur vived o n ly in the exhibition o f its

,

pe cul i ar emble ms an d in the pr ac tic e o f a gro ss an d

s h ameless i mmo ra lity Amo n g the P ag an Ar abs n o
.
,

for m o f supe r stitio n w as too deb asin g to c laim its

vo t ar ie s They r aised a lt ar s to fir e They attr ibuted
. .

supern atural p o we r s to the cr o c o dile an d the ser pen t .

 M OO RIS H EM P IRE IN E UR O PE 35

E ach ten t hadits image ; ever y hovel o f s u n dr ied -

br icks w as filled with tutel ar y deities S h apeless

.

masses o f sto n e which tr adition had ass oci ated with

,

r emar k able even ts o r en d owed with c elesti a l or igi n ,

wer e a ppr o ached with a r ever en c e n o t v o u chs a f ed to

idols o f the mo s t co s tly mater ials an d el aborate work
man ship O f these blocks which p artook o f the n a
.
,

tur e o f the fetic h the bl ack wer e s acr ed to the S u n

, ,

the white to the M oon I n the P ag an wor ld tw o o f

.

the former wer e espe c ially famou s ; o v er on e w as

er e cted a splen did temple o n the moun tain n e ar
E mes a in S yri a when c e the in famous R oman em
,

pero r Helio g ab alus de r ived his n ame ; the o ther w as

built in to the wall o f the K aab a o f Mec c a The latter .

w as the mo st r emar k able o b j e ct o f the kin d kn own to

an tiquity A plain fragmen t o f b as alt seven in ches
.
,

in di amete r who se c omp o s iti on is a pp ar en tly iden

,

ti cal with th at o f a n eighbor in g moun tain it had ao ,

quir ed in the eyes o f the peo ple o f Ar abi a a s an c tity

, ,

n ot sh ar ed by a n y o the r emblem o f ido l at r ou s w or ship .

I t w as pro b ably in its or igin a ph alli c symbo l an d

, , ,

stood alon e in an o pen s quar e o f the city ages pr e ,

c edi n g the buildi n g o f the K aab a an even t whi c h

,

tr adition has as s ign ed to a d ate four hun dr ed ye ar s

befor e the fo un d atio n o f the temple o f S o lomon .

Thus in vested with the s an ction o f immemor ial pre

s cr iption an d the vir tues o f a mir acu lous r elic it has ,

r e c eived the r ever en t h oma ge o f milli on s up on mil

lion s o f idolate r s an d M o slems I t has sur vived the.

a c c iden ts o f c o n que s t o f i c on o c l a s m o f c on fla ratio n

, , g .

The s ilver b an ds which un ite its fr agmen ts be ar wit

n ess to the vi c issitudes an d r ough us age to whi c h it

has been subj e c ted The he alin g po wer it w as sup

.

posed to p ossess attrac ted the sick an d the di s abled

fr om r egi on s far beyon d the limits o f Arabi a I t .

w as the st ar tin g p o i n t o f c e r emon i al an d pilg r image

-
.

I t imp arted its virtues to the K aab a that temple ,

36 HISTORY OF TH E

wher e alon e in all the Pen in sul a her edit ar y feuds

, ,

wer e suspen ded ; whe r e vio len c e w as f or go tten ; wher e

r uden ess g ave w ay to cour tesy ; wher e the te mp orar y

sur r en der o f in dividu al fr eedom an d the vo lun t ary ,

r elin quish men t o f t r ib a l an i mo sity seemed to an ,

n o u n c e the existen c e o f n ati on a l sen timen t an d the

p o ssibili ty o f n ation al un ion The r e co gn ition by

.

M oh ammed o f the claims o f the Black S ton e an d

the K aaba—the an cien t temple o f S aturn —to public
ven e r atio n i n a c r eed o the rwise un co mpromisin gly
,

ho stile to ido l atr y demon str ated the high estimation

,

in whi ch they we r e held by the Ar abs The latter .

,

with their n umero us shri n e s their swarms o f deities

, ,

thei r el ab or ate p araphe rn ali a o f w or ship an d imp ost

u re we r e h o weve r f ar f ro m bei n g a r e l igi o us pe o ple
, , ,
.

They evin c ed a de c ided ave r si on to met a physics .

Their ide as o f pe r s on al libe r ty wer e n o t con sisten t

with un questio n i n g submission to the tyr an n y o f a
pr iesthoo d Their n ative in telligen c e r en der ed them
.

skeptical ; their n omadic h abits wer e un fav or able to

the main ten an c e o f a per man en t ecc lesi astical estab
l i shme n t . The multiplic ity o f deities ha d as is in ,

v ar i ably the c ase we aken ed the f aith o f the masses

,

in a n y . The gen uin e piety o f a pe o ple is alwa ys in an

in ver se r ati o to the n umber o f its go ds .

The e arly Ar abi an s pr ac tised ma gic an d divin ation ,

had r e co urs e to or ac les ma in t a in ed wiz ar ds an d s or

,

c er er s — c h ar l a t an s wh o se a s c en den c y w as l ar gely due

to the n ar co ti c s they ma de u s e o f to o pen a p r eten ded

commu n i c a ti on with the spi r it w or ld Amulets were .

un ive r s ally w or n as a pr o te c tion a gain st the b an eful

con seque n c es o f the evil eye H an d in h an d wi th
.

p r es ages an d magical ar ts auguries an d in c an t ations

, , ,

c ame the i n c ipien t d oc tr i n e o f the i n flue n c e o f the

plan ets up o n min e ral subst an c es as well as a belief in

,

their p ower to aff e ct the destin y an d welfar e o f man ;

the or ies whi ch even tu ally develo pin g in to the v ain
,
 MOORIS H E MP IRE IN E URO P E 37

pur suits o f alchemy an d j udic i al as trolo gy in dic ate ,

an ac qu ai n t an c e with the p r i n c iple s o f s c ien c e o n ly

ac qui r ed by mu ch study an d r epe ated expe r imen ts .

The p r ac tic e o f these r ites s o sever ely r ep r o b ated i n

,

the K o r an w as as s oci ated in the min d s o f the pe ople

,

with the c er emo n i es o f publi c wo r ship dur in g the ag e

o f p olyt hei s m The wor ds altar an d t ali sman ar e
.

pr acti c ally syn on ymou s in Ar abic a fac t which dis ,

c lo ses the i n ti ma te alli a n c e or igin ally exi s tin g between

divin ation s orc er y an d r eligio n in the Pen in s u la

, ,
.

Human s acr ific e s s o r epugn an t to all ou r ide a s o f

,

piety an d justic e but common to n ati on s o f S emitic

,

or igi n wer e o f fr equen t o c c u rr en c e amon g the Arabs

,

befo r e M o h ammed The mode o f de ath w as by fi re

.
,

which r emo ved ever y e ar thly impur ity ; but it w as

only i n the ful fil men t o f a s o lemn v ow on an o cc a ,

sio n o f n atio n al r ej o i c in g or to aver t s ome impen d

,

in g c alamity th at su c h a cos tly expi ation w a s ex ac ted

, .

The I s r a elites allied to the Ar abs by the tie s o f con

,

s an guin ity an d by s imilar r eligiou s con c eption s had

, ,

als o l o n g been f amili a r with the s e r evo lti n g an d c ruel

r ites ; i n s t an c e s o f wh o s e obse r v a n c e will at o n c e s u g

gest themselves to all w ho ar e famili ar with the Pen t a

ten ch .

The Hebr ew has always exer ted a r emark able in

flu en ce up o n the publi c s en time n t the r eligi o us faith , ,

an d the fo r eign an d do mesti c r el ati on s o f the i n habi

t an ts o f Arabia A gr eat an alogy exists between the

.

lan guages o f the tw o n atio n s an d the Hebr ew alph a ,

bet w as used by the pr ehis tor i c Arab s I t i s believed .

by man y O r ien t al s chol ar s th at I s r ael w as n ot the

foun der o f the pe ople w ho be ar his n ame ; th at the
twelve tribes h ave a mys tic r elation to c er t ain o f the
he aven ly bodies or to the mon ths o f the ye ar ; an d
it is kn own th at the wor d Ketur ah me an s simply
”
fr an kin c en s e N o doubt n ow exists th at the J ew
.

an d the Ar ab a re o f com mon an c estr y F or a per io d .

38 HIS TORY OF TH E

of twen ty fi v e hun d red years befor e the Hegi ra the

-

fo rmer had been est ablished in Y emen The trade o f .

th at kin gdom with all its v ast ramificati on s w as in

, ,

his h an ds His p o wer en abled him con st an tly to

.

dic t ate the p oli cy o f its s ove r eign s .

His wo r ship equ ally id olatr ous with th at o f the

,

Be d o uin — fo r he w as the des c en d an t o f the S ime on

ites ag ain st wh om amon g other s the an athemas o f
, , ,

the Bible wer e dir e cted—sur p assed the l atter in the

splen d or o f its a pp oin tmen ts an d the in s o len c e o f its
pr iests I n a l an d whe r e t oleratio n w as o ther wise
.

un iver s al he w as en abled to per se cute with im

, ,

placable en mity Chr i s ti an exiles whom even the

, ,

r a p a c ity o f the dese r t f r eeb oo te r had sp ar ed The .

r i c h settlemen ts o f n o r thwester n Ara bi a we r e to al l ,

i n ten ts an d pur p oses Jewish co lon ies I n the b arr en

,
.

an d inh o spitable r egion o f the Hedj az the Jew ,

foun ded the to wn s o f Medin a an d Mecca I n su ch .

a con gen i al a tmo sphe r e the super stitio n s o f Asia

,

Min or o btain ed a r e a dy acc eptan c e He established .

the wor ship o f B aal the most r en o wn ed o f the ,

Phoen ic ian divi n ities H e in tr o du c ed the r ite o f

.

c i rc umc i s i on hither t o un k n o wn i n A rabi a

, He com .

mun icated his id olatr ous Obser van c es to the popul a

ti on o f the coun tr y whi ch had o ff er ed him a r efuge .

He g ave a n ame to its p r in cip al c ity for the wor d ,

Mec c a is Hebr ew sign ifyin g , G r e at F ield o f “

B attle ; the P a g an c er emon i al o f the Hedj az can

be t rac ed to P alestin e an d the K aaba w as origin all y
,
”
kn own as Beth E l The H ouse o f G od
-
,
“
Qui ck .

to r e co gn ize the a dv an t ages to be de r ived by com

mer c e fr om r eligi ous pilgr image he made th at c ity ,

the c en tr e o f n atio n al dev o tion as well as the c hief

distr ibutin g p o in t o f the v ast t ra de o f E ur o pe Asia ,

Min or E thio pi a an d I n di a The ex c ellen t commer

, , .

c i al situ ati on o f Me c ca n e ar the R ed S ea an d on

,

the gr eat carav an highway co nn ec tin g S yri a an d

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 39

Y emen ul d s carc ely compen s ate h owever for the

, co , ,

ser io us physi c al dis advan t ages whi ch un fr ien dly n a

tur e had impo sed up on it I ts hou s es wer e cro wded
.

in to a n arro w v alley tw o mi les lon g by o n ly n in e

hun dr ed feet wide The r ays o f a ver tical su n beat
.

pitiles sly dow n up on a lan ds c a pe destitute Of ver dur e .

Water the mo st p r ic eless Of bles sin gs in the Deser t

, ,

w as s c ar c e an d u n p al at able A s alt e ffer v escen ce

.

cover ed the n eighb or i n g pl a in s The se as on s wer e

.

ir regul ar ; s torms wer e vi olen t ; the co as t Of the

Hedj az p osse s s ed the un en viable r eput ation o f bein g
o n e o f the mo st pe s tilen ti a l in the w or ld The c ity .

w as depen de n t up o n tra de fo r the n e c ess ar ies Of life ,

an d the u n expe c ted del ay o f the c ar av an o ften men

a c ed the p o pul ati on with f ami n e Y et with all these .

,

drawbacks the commer c e Of Me cc a flo ur ished almo st

,

beyon d pr e c eden t C arav an s o f mor e than tw o th ou

.

s an d camels wer e n o un common sight in its n arr o w

s tr eets
. E ach Of these be asts o f bur den c ar r ied a lo ad
Of four hun dr ed p oun ds o f r ar e an d co stly co m
mod itie s — silks spi c es ivor y g old dust an d per
, , , ,
-
,

fumes The an n u al expor ts o f the town i n the c lo sin g

.

days o f P agan a s c en den c y r e ached the en ormous s u m

o f fifteen mi lli on d o ll ar s h alf o f whi ch w as pr o fit
,
.

N ot the least Of the s our c es Of g ain to the pe o ple Of

Me cc a wer e the v aluable O ff erin gs left by pilgrims
an d mer ch an ts i n thei r temples F or a dist an c e Of
.

leagues the gr oun d w as h oly an d all w ho tr o d up on

,

it coul d c laim the r ight Of s an c tuar y The blo o d Of .

n eithe r man n or be ast co uld be shed withi n these

s acr ed p r ecin c ts without in curr in g the imput ation o f

s acrilege an d the pu n i s h me n t Of de a th Ther e w as .

n o t r avelle r fr om wh atever coun try he c ame w ho

, ,

could n o t fin d amon g the i n nu me r able idols o f the

,

K aab a a familiar divin ity upon wh om to bestow the

,

tr ibute Of his dev otion or gratitude O f the immen se .

pr o fits r esultin g from the politic co mbin ation o f

40 HIS TORY OF TH E
’
traffi c an d supe r stition the Hebr ew ex ac ted the li on s
,

sh ar e His ruler s met e ach d ay at the K aab a to

.

ex ch an g e vi ews on fin an c e an d theolo gy The .

he athen legen ds Of P alestin e wer e in c or p or ated in t o

the n ew system with the astr al wor ship o f the
,

S abe an s an d the p olytheis m o f the a b or igin al in

h abit an ts Of the Dese r t itself der ived from a tho u
,

s an d di ff er en t an d un c ertain s ourc es The mon o .

theism o f I s r a el w as n ot r eco gn ized by the tribe o f

S ime on whi c h had been driven in to exile lon g befor e
,

the Pen t ateuch w as written I de as thus blen ded in

.

the po pular min d for c en turies might un der f avo r ,

a ble co n diti on s be mo dified but n ev er obliterated

, ,
.

Ther e is n o questio n th at I slam is lar gely Hebr ew in

origi n alth ough a c o n side r a ble n umbe r o f its c er e
,

mon ies can be dedu c ed from the customs o f P ag an

Ar abi a I n thei r mig ra tio n s whi ch clo sed with the
.
,

settlemen t Of the Hedj az the J ews while wan der in g

, ,

f ar had at la st r etu r n ed to the c r adle o f their rac e

,
.

The ar bitr ar y rules o f c er emon i al c le an lin ess ; the

ex clusi on o f bloo d fr om the p r e cin c ts o f the temple ;
the c lassification Of c e r t ain an imals as h oly which ,

a n e rr o r o f the tr an s l a t or ha s tr an sf ormed i n t o un

c le an the pen alties fo r man y O ff en c es ; the ado r a

tio n o f Ph oen i ci an divin ities ; the n omen c latur e dis
c lo sed by fam i ly gen e al o gies ; the corr esp o n den c e in
me an in g o f man y te rms used in their languages
pe culi ar ities common to bo th the Arab an d the J ew
g o f ar the r to p r o ve an in ti mate r el ati on ship between
the tw o rac es th an the un c er t ain ties O f traditi on or
the ass oc iation Of n eighborh oo d wo uld ten d to est ab
lish The an tip athy to the Heb r ew subsequen tly s o
.
,

bitter amon g M oh ammed an s did n ot exist in an cien t

,

Ar abi a The Jew ser ved with distin c ti on in the

.

armies o f Kh aled a n d Amr u Mutu al ave r sion how

.
,

ever gr e at in subsequen t times w as n ever sufficien t to ,

in duc e the I sr a elite to destro y th o se wh om he r eg ar ded

42 HIS T ORY OF TH E

ar ms The o n ly mark o f atten ti on its adh er en ts

.

r e c eived w a s thei r c l assific atio n with the despised

Hebr ew as Ah l al Kitab The Pe o ple o f the
- -
,

I n its a d apt ability to the r equi r e me n ts an d

”
B o ok .

the men t al c ap acity o f the multitude it w as ill fi tted ,

-

to co pe with the r eligi on th at even tu ally suppl an ted

it On on e side wer e the in comp r ehen sible do gmas
.

Of a deb ased Ch r istian ity in disp en s able to its acc ept

,

an c e ; on the o the r the simplic ity o f the p r o fession

,

o f I sl am whi c h eve n a c hild c ould u n de r st an d

,
F or .

these r e as on s it made comp ar atively f ew p r o selyt es

in the Pe n i n sul a an d at n o time w as ackn o wledged
,

o ve r an y con sider able ar e a ex c ept dur in g the sh ort

,

per io d whi ch in terven ed between the Abyssin i an c on

quest Of Y emen an d the r ise o f M oh amm ed an is m .

M an y o f the r ites an d customs a d o pted by the gr e at

L awgive r o r p r eser ved by his fo llo wer s an d g en
,

er al l
y r eg ar ded as pe culi ar to I sl am an t e d ated the ,

Kor an by c en tur ies The M oh ammed an attitudes Of

.

wo r ship ar e the s ame as th o se depicted up on the

ete rn al mo n u men t s o f the Ph araohs The hea then .

pilgr ims cla d in the I h ram o r s ac r ed g ar men t seven

, , ,

times made the cir cuit o f the K aab a ; embr ac ed the

Black S ton e ; r an the cour ses between the h oly sta
tion s o f Al S a fa an d Al M arw a ; c a st ston es in the
- -

v alley Of Min a ; per formed the an cien t duties o f

s a cr ific e an d local pilgr image an d we r e sy stemati ,

cally plun der ed by the g r eedy an d s c offi n g Me ccan s ,

j ust as al l go o d M o slem pilg r ims ar e to d ay The -

.

p r imitive Ar abs in c ul cated the duty Of per s on al

c le an li n ess by fr eque n t a bluti on They sh aved thei r .

he ads an d used the depilator y f or the r emov al Of

,

super flu ous h ai r fr om the b o dy Like the E gypti an s .

,

they st ain ed their h an ds an d feet with henn a an d ,

blacken ed their eyelids with an timon y They re .

moved their s an dals as M o ses did when they sto o d

, ,

o n h oly g ro un d They s crupulously abst ain ed from

.
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 43

e t i kin ds o f fo o d an d their a ctio n s we r e Often

c r a n ,

govern ed by r egulation s p r actic ally iden tic al in thei r ,

gen eral c h arac ter with th ose pr es cr ibed by the can on s

,

o f Jewish an d M o slem l aw .

The spirit Of Ar abi an gen ius de s tin ed in s u bs e ,

quen t ages to e ff e ct such a r evolution in the liter ary

an d s c ien tifi c hist or y Of the w or ld had i n the sixth ,

c en tu r y o f the Ch r i s ti an era dis c l o sed n o i n di c ati on s

o f its gig a n ti c p owers N O con diti o n o f exi s ten c e

.

could be less suggestive Of a c a p a c ity f or i n tellec tu al

achievemen t th an th at wh o se mai n depen den c e w a s

violen c e an d plun der The Ar ab o f th at ep och had

.

n o w r itten r e c o r ds s ave a few Ob s cu r e i n s cr ipti on s in

the Himyar ite diale c t whi ch h ave bee n de cipher ed by

,

the plo ddin g in du s tr y o f mo dern s cho lar s an d ar e , ,

for the mo st p ar t epit a phs

, T r adition s mo dified or
.
,

corr upted by the va n ity or the p r ej udi c e Of e a ch

succ es s ive gen er ati on wer e the s ole an d un c ert ain

,

r eli an c e o f the ch r on i c ler The po wer Of memor y

.

by which these wer e r et ain ed an d tran s mitted fr om

an un kn own an tiquity seems abs o lutely mi racul o us

an d in cr edible .

Al th ough destitute o f authen ti c histor y an d even ,

un skilled in the commo n ar ts by whi ch a n ation s glory ’

may be per petuated the e ar ly Arab ex c elled in a

,

spe cies o f liter ar y comp ositi on i n whi ch b arb ar i an

r ac es h ave alw ays exhibited the g r e a te s t p ro fic ien c y .

A talen t for p o etr y which in v ar iably attain s its

,

highest develo pmen t amon g th ose le ast expo sed to

the prac tical ide as an d r efi n ed vi c es Of civiliz ation ,

w as con sider ed by the Bed o uin as the mo st n o ble Of

human acco mplishmen ts His temperamen t his situ
.
,

ati on his pur s uits r en de r ed him pe cu li ar ly sus c eptible

, ,

to the c h arms Of the Muse His spi r it w as impetuous

.
,

his in ven ti on in exh austible his imagin ation r i otous , ,

his en thusi asm un boun ded F ro m an abn o rmally .

sen sitive n ervous org an iz ati on which n atur e had be

44 HIST ORY OF TH E

sto wed up on him on occ asi on s o f pr o lo nged men t al

,

ex c itemen t Often pro c eeded an hysteric al fr en zy a ,

st ate de clar ed by the mo st r en o wn ed Of p o ets to be

in dispen s able for pe r fe c tion in his art The s c en er y .

o f the Dese r t ; its imp r essive s o litudes ; the en ch an tin g

illusi on s Of the mi r age ; the magn ific en t con stellati on s

o f the tr o pi c a l he aven s ; the l ife Of in c ess an t per il ;
the explo its Of roman ti c gallan tr y ; the n o cturn al
ex cursion —the s ur p r ise the b attle the r et r e at the
, , , ,

r es cue —these al l stimul a ted the imagi n a tive f a c ulty

,

o f the A r ab a n d u r ged him to the c ultiv a ti on o f a

,

t alen t whic h might tran s mi t to po ster ity even ts who se

immort ality w as at on c e his pe r s on al title to h on or ,

the p astime o f his camp fir e an d the glo r y o f his -

,

tr ibe I n the me an s at his dispo s al the p o et en j o yed

.

a r ar e almo st a u n ique a dv an t a ge
, The en e r gy an d .

s o ftn ess Of the Ar abi an l an gu age its melo dio us ch ar ,

a c te r , the abun dan c e an d v ar iety o f its met aph or s ,

r e n de r it pe c uli ar ly av ail a ble as the vehi c le Of p o eti c

sen timen t Ther e is per h a ps n o idiom whi ch len ds

.

itself with such facility to the con st ruc ti on o f rhyme ;

for its ve r y p r o se is fr eque n tly musi c al The r e .

se arc hes O f mo de rn philo lo gy h ave br o ught to the

n o ti c e Of E u r o pe the complexity an d pe r fe c ti on o f

its gr ammati c al con str uc tio n the r ich n ess Of its ,

v oc abular y its boun dless s co pe an d grac eful i magery

, .

M o st appr o pr i ately did the Old philo s o pher M oh am ,

med al D amiri r efe r ri n g to the n ative elo que n c e an d

- -
,

exuber an t dic ti o n Of his coun trymen ex clai m" Wis ,

d o m h a th lighted on th r ee thin gs — the b r a in o f the ,

F r an ks the h an ds o f the Chi n ese an d the t on gues o f

, ,
”
the Arabs .

The p o etr y Of the Arabs is even mo r e Obs cur e in

its o r igin th an the pr imitive history o f their rac e .

With out the assist an c e o f wr itin g n o liter atur e how , ,

ever p o pular c an main t ain its in tegr ity for even a

,

sin gle gen eratio n E ven the phen o men al memo r y O f

.
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 45

th at pe o ple—a gift s o un ivers al as n ot to elic it com

men t amo n g them an d whi ch w as str en gthen ed by
,

the daily r ehe ar s al Of favor ite c omp osition s—could

on ly impe r fe c tly supply the pl a c e o f per man en t an d

authen ti c r e co r ds The matter o f the Ar abi an p o ems

.

w as ther ef or e co n st an tly ch an gin g while the subj e c t s

,

an d v e r s i fi c a ti on r emai n ed the s ame Their form w as

.

gen er ally that o f the dr amatic p astor al ; s ometimes

the elegi ac Ode whi ch o ff er ed an Opp or tun ity for
,

the en umeratio n o f the vi rtues Of the de ce ased an d ,

in c iden t ally o f the achie v emen ts Of his tr ibe w a s

, ,

a do pted . The gen ius o f the pre I s lamiti c p o et n ever

-

a ttempted the epi c whi c h s o Often p r o fit s by the i n

,

exh austible r esour c e s o f the fabulous ; an d although ,

su rrou n ded by an atmospher e emin en tly f avorable to

the in s pir ati on o f s uch pr o du c tion s it do e s n ot s eem
,

to h ave ha d a n a dequ a te con c epti o n o f them I ts .

r ep r esen t ati o n s exhibited to the en r a ptur ed li s te n er

the s tir r in g even ts o f hi s adven tur ou s life whic h his ,

p r ide taught him to r eg ar d as v as tly super ior in all ,

that promo te s the dign ity Of human ity to the corrupt ,

an d i n e r t existe n c e Of c iviliz ati on The un iver s al po s

.

sessi on O f the p o eti c faculty w a s on e o f the pecu

l iar ities Of the Ar ab n ati o n O ld an d you n g alike
.

s eemed gifted with it The ru les o f pro so dy an d

.
,

even the s implest c an on s o f metr ic al comp o s ition ,

wer e un kn o wn Y et s uch w as the in stin ctive per

.

ce ti on o f r hyth mi c a l corr e ct n es s th a t the v er s i fi c ati on

p ,

Of the mo st humble w as c h ar acterized by pr o pr iety

an d eleg an c e , qualities whi ch ten ded to enh an c e the
fierc e en thu s i asm the sublimity o f tho ught the
, ,

touc hin g p atho s the bur n in g p assion whi ch per v ade

, ,

the n o ble p o ems o f the Dese r t M an y o f the latter

.

be ar a s trikin g r esemblan c e to the S on g o f S o lomo n ;

s ome are r emar k a ble for thei r r h a ps o dies ; o the r s for

their weighty an d s en ten tious wisd om; o ther s ag ain

fo r thei r sp arklin g wit an d p o in ted epig rams The .
46 HIS T ORY OF TH E

seven p o ems called M oall akat The S uspended , ,

a w or d o f d o ubtful sig n ifican c e s o fa r as its r el ati on

to these p ro du ti
c on s is con c e r n ed — h ave always been
con side r ed the ma ste r pie c es Of the an c ie n t Ar a bs an d ,

fo r m the prin c ip al s our c e fr om which ou r ide as o f

their att ainmen ts in the ar t Of po etr y must be d er1v ed .

P o pular c r edulity as c ribed the n ame o f these compo

s iti o n s to thei r p r esumed suspen si o n in the K aa b a as

eviden c e o f the tr iumphs o f their auth or s o ver all

competit o r s ; the mor e r a ti on a l con j e c tu r e h owever
, ,

conn e c ts the title Of M o a ll akat with a n e c kl a c e or

pen d an t o f whi c h e ach po em formed a j ewel a fi g u

, ,

r a tiv e mo de o f desig n ati n g liter a r y w orks amo n g

O r ien t als an d on e espe c i ally a ff e cted by po ets an d

,

hist ori an s The en tir e b o dy Of tr adition combin ed

.
,

with facts accumul ated by subsequen t writer s Of every

r a c e a n d c r eed d o es n o t a ff or d su c h a th oro ugh i n sight
,

in to the public an d domesti c life the p r ev ailin g sen ti

,

men ts an d pr ej udi c es the h abits an d cust oms Of the

,

inh abit an t s o f the Pen in sula as d o the M oall akat

,
.

They en able us p ar ti ally to r ec on stru ct the p oliti cal

an d r eligi o us syste ms Of the e ar ly Ar a bi an s an d to
,

establish by comp aris on their iden tity with the con

, ,

d itio n s o f mo der n existe n c e in l oc alities whe r e the

,

swo r d Of I slam has n ever been able to exter min ate

the detested p ra ctic e Of id olatr y They plac e befor e .

us in all its imp r essiven ess the silen t maj esty o f the
, ,

Deser t its d azzlin g sky its waves o f quiverin g va por

, , ,

i ts i n te rmin a ble w a ste Of s an d ; they p ass in r eview

the in d o len t life Of the c amp v aried on ly by a n oc
,

tu rn al al arm or by s o me d ar in g in t rigue ; they r el ate

the ex c itin g s c en es o f the fo r ay ; they delin e ate with
ero tic fr eedom the c h arms Of the lo vely Bedouin
maid ; they des cr ibe the fate Of the female p r is on er
wh ose c aptivity w as Often the r esult o f artific e or
b ar ter ; they r ehe ar se the midn ight mar c h u n der the
st arr y fir mamen t whi ch in the flor id lan g uage Of
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 47

the E ast a ppe ar ed like the folds Of a silken s ash

var iously decked with gems ”
N or is the exc ellen c e
.

Of the M o all akat co n fin ed to me r e des cr iption The .

proud bo ast Of explo its n ot un wor thy Of the Age Of

Chivalr y whi ch in fact r e c eived its in spirati on fr om
, , ,

this s o ur c e ; the s acr ed duties Of a lavish ho spit ality ;

the rar e qu alities Of a fav or ite hors e or c amel ; the
abs o r bi n g p a ssi o n o f lo ve its pe r ils an d its ple a sur es ;
,

the Herc ule an feats o f vir ile manhoo d —these wer e ,

the cho sen themes Of the Arab po et His ver s es .

ab oun d in mor al p r e c epts an d philos o phi c al apo

the g ms con veyin g le s s on s o f wo r ldly wisd om whi ch
,

r e c all i n b o th thei r ph ra se ol o gy an d thei r p r o f oun d

,

ac qu ai n t an c e with hu man n atu r e the S uras o f the ,

Kor an an d the P r over bs Of S olomon I n addition .

to ma xims o f a mo ral t on e s catter ed th r ough these ,

pro duction s they exhibit on the other h an d much

, , ,

that is r epul sive cruel an d bar barous E picur ean i sm

, , .

is ho wever the pr omin en t ch ar acter i s ti c o f the M o al

, ,

lakat as in deed it is o f all pr imitive Ar abi c po ems

, , ,

whi ch h ave des c en ded to us The ch arms Of win e an d .

women an d an in dulgen c e in the ple asur es o f the

,

ban quet to the extr eme limit Of bacchan ali an r evelr y ,

are ever ywher e c eleb r ated with a li c en se w or thy o f

the gro ssest co uplets o f C atullus an d M ar ti al I n the .

r el a ti on Of s c en es o f i n tr igue an d midn ight a ssig n a

tion Often laid in the c amp o f a h o stile tr ibe wher e

, ,

dis c over y would have led to in s t an t de ath the ad v en ,

turon s spir it o f the lover is deemed wor thy to ran k

with th at whi ch sust ain s the hero in the fron t o f b attle .

The mo st fuls ome adulation c h aracter izes the homage

ten der ed by the ar den t lover to the Obj e ct o f his
ido latry M o dern fa s tid iou sn es s would n o t tolerate
.

the des cription s given by the po et o f the phys ic al

per fec ti on s o f his lady love in all their cir cumst an ti al
-

det ails ; th ough tr an s latio n s exist they ar e mer e p ar a ,

phrases ; an d the vo luptuous images Of the po et s ’

48 HIS T ORY OF TH E

f an c y still r emain dis cr eetly hidden in the Obs cur ity

o f the or igi n al idi om .

Ther e is mu ch similar ity an d r epetition in Ar ab

p o etr y whi ch the in ter p olati on s an d substitution s
,

i n evit able amon g a peo ple depen de n t for the

p r eserv ation Of their lite r atur e up on oral tra dition
will h ar dly a cc oun t for .

The existen c e Of the Bed ouin w as b oun ded by a

n arro w h o r iz o n the Dese r t w a s his wor ld
,
I ts f amili ar .

Obj e c ts an d loc alities whic h n ever ch an ged ; the deeds

,

whi ch they r e called ; the h o pes whi c h they in spir ed ;

the memo r y o f an c estr al r en o wn with whi c h they wer e
a s s o c i a ted suggested the t o pic s o f his s on g The
,
.

h aughtin e s s whic h w as on e o f hi s mo st O ff en sive c h ar

ac ter i s ti c s an d f o r b a de his pe r man en t alli an c e o r his
,

i n termarr i age with o ther r a c e s st r en gthen ed the feel

,

in gs Of r ese rve whi c h had bee n a n ation al pec uliar ity

fo r co un tless gen e r ati o n s H i s ide a s his a spi r a ti on s
.
, ,

his j o ys his s orr o ws evoked by the mo n o ton ous cir

, ,

c ums tan c e s Of hi s en vi ro n me n t we r e little subj e c t to

,

dev i ati on du r in g the c our s e Of c en tur ies While his .

r eligi o n w as a comp ou n d Of a ll deg r ees Of feti c his m ,

id ol at r y an d a str al wor s hip his p o etr y w a s o r igin al

, , ,

pur e artless an d n atur al His a ptitude fo r v er sifi ca

, , .

tio n w as dis c lo s ed by the mo st tr ivi al occurr en c es Of

life A r hymin g st an z a whic h set forth an a ppr o
.
,

p r i ate sen ti me n t w as Often the r eply to an o r din ar y

,

questio n Whe r e allu s i on w a s ma de to an hist or ical

.

in c iden t the spe aker w as Often ch allen ged to c on firm

,

his st atemen t by the r e cit ati o n Of an origin al verse ,

or by a n a pt p o eti ca l qu o t ati on a s the mo s t r eli abl e

,

auth or ity The qui ck per c epti on Of the Ar ab w as

.

sho wn by his ability to fin ish in st an tly a couplet corr e

s pon d i n g in sen se a n d me as u r e with a li n e r epe ated

by a competit o r I ts gen er al simil ar ity to all o thers

.

r e n de r s the a ssig n men t o f an y Ar abi c p o e m to a cer

t ain ep oc h imp ossible for the n atural t aste has n ever

,
50 HIST ORY OF TH E

p r o duc ed n o per c eptible e ff ect up on the p r ehisto ric

liter atur e Of the Arabs The Hebr ews Of Ar abi a . ,

n eve r theless had their p o ets wh o se p ro du c ti on s on

, , ,

the o ther h an d exhibit a marked c oin c iden c e Of

,

th ought an d style with th o se Of their Ar ab kin s men .

Their sen timen ts are lo fty an d admi r able their l an ,

gu a ge pu r e an d their mer it while in fer i or to th a t Of

, ,

the M o all akat is still f ar fr om con temptible

,
The .

B ook o f J ob whi ch has n o a pp ar en t con n e cti on with

,

the r est Of the S c riptur es has been pr on o un c ed bv ,

compete n t cr iti c s a tr a n sl a ti on Of a n A rabi c p o em .

I mpr o vis ati on a t alen t po ssessed on ly by tho se en

,

do wed with un usu al r e adin ess Of perc epti on a l ively ,

ima gin atio n an d an in exh austible comman d Of l an

,

gu age w as p rac tised with gr eat succ ess by the itin er

,

a n t p o ets o f Ar a bi a F r om thei r audito r s a co uplet

.
,

h a ppily applied by the in spir ati on Of the momen t to

, ,

s ome well kn o wn even t elic ited far mor e appl ause

-
,

th an e ff or ts ho wever meritor i ous whi ch ha d co st days

, ,

Of ar du ous labo r This art Of extemp or an e ous c om

.

p o sition whi ch when tho r o ughly develo ped implies

, , ,

the po ssessio n o f extra or din ar y men t al ability carried ,

in to E ur o pe by the M o slems an d lon g emplo yed by ,

the troub adour s n ow survives on ly amon g the lo west

,

c l a ss o f the I t ali an pe a s an tr y I t is in ou r d ay most .

, ,

difficult to deter min e wh at degr ee o f authen ti city may

p r o per ly be as c r ibed to the p o etr y o f the an c ien t
Ar abs n on e o f whi ch a s c en ds to a higher an tiquity
,

th an tw o hun dr ed ye ar s befor e the Hegir a The un .

r eli abili ty O f o r al t ra diti o n the v ar iety Of di ale c ts the

, ,

fr equen t substituti on s o f mo der n ph r aseolo gy the b ad ,

f aith in ter p o lation s an d mistakes o f un s crupulous

, ,

comme n t at o r s the corr uption an d supp r essi on Of

,

p ass ages th r ough tr ib al pr ej udi c e— all Of these c auses

h ave had their sh ar e in e ff e ctin g the gr a du al deter iora
ti on Of the g r an d an d stirrin g p o ems Of Ar ab i a .

I t is imp o ssible for us to a ppr e ci ate the in fluen c e

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 51

exer cised by th o se w ho had att ain ed to emin e n c e in

the p o eti c art o ver their imagin ative an d p assion ate
coun t r ymen The Ar ab bar d w as with out ex c eption
.

the most imp or t an t per so n age o f hi s tr ibe We alth .

,

r an k be auty per s o n a l p o pul ar ity milit ar y disti n c ti on

, , ,

a like p aid tr ibute to his gen ius T O his t alen t for im .

pr ov i sati on an d v er s i fi c ati o n he Often un ited the thr ee ,

fold ch ar acter Of statesman warr io r an d kn ight , ,

erran t an d thu s be c ame the mo del o f his asso c i ates

, ,

the idol o f the fair sex an d the terr or o f his en emies , .

w ho we r e as sen siti v e to the p oi s on ed s h a ft s Of hi s

s ati r e a s to the keen n ess o f his swo r d The most .

famo us o f these rhymin g p aladin s an d the auth or o f ,

on e o f the M o all akat wh o se life an d achievemen t s

,

h ave been made the s ubj e c t o f a r oman c e which ap

proache s mor e n e ar ly to the n atu r e o f an epi c th an
an
y o ther p ro du c ti o n i n the Ar abi c lan gu age w as ,

An t ar By i n s tin c t an d tr ain in g a Bedo uin he w as

.
, ,

however o f Ar ab blo o d on ly on his f ather s side his

,
’

mother h avin g been an Abys s i n i an sla ve Acc o r din g .

to the cust om Of his coun t r y he sh ar ed her l o t un til his ,

br avery in b attle i n duc ed his father to eman c ip ate him .

H is amat ory explo it s a s well a s his d ar in g en te r pr ises

,

a g ai n s t the en emy ma de him the admi ra ti o n Of the

,

fier y Ar abi an yo uth I t w as the r egr et o f M oh am

.

med Often expr essed th at he had n ever seen thi s

, ,

kn ight e rr an t o f the De s er t w ho sh ran k from n o

-
,

d an ger h owever app allin g w ho r edr essed the wron gs

, ,

Of woman w ho r e s tor ed the pr o per ty Of the pl u n

,

der ed an d wh o se f av or ite maxim w as

, Be ar n ot ,

mali c e for o f malic e g oo d n ever c ame

,
.
”

The un br idled lic en s e o f the Ar abi an po et O ff er s a

cu r i ous c om m en t ar y o n n ation al mann e r s The most .

ex alted dign ity the s acr ed attributes o f the go ds the

, ,

pride o f o pulen c e the delic acy o f the sex wer e n ot

, ,

exempt fr om the att ack s Of his ve n om an d s ar c asm .

He exp osed wi th r elen tless s e v er ity the fr ailties Of

52 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the wife an d daughter s Of the sheik He bo asted o f .

his o w n in tr igues with a sh ameless aud ac ity which ,

un der mo r e r efin ed s oc ial c on diti on s co uld on ly be ,

at on ed for with bloo d The immun ity he en j o yed w as

.

o n e Of the p r e r o g atives o f his c a llin g A c er t ain .

s acr edn ess o f c h arac te r w as believed to att ac h to the

latter by r ea s o n Of the demo ni ac p o ssession to which
w a s p o pular ly attr ibuted the i n spi r a ti on o f the p o eti c
f aculty His ver s es ab ou n ded in chiv alrous sen ti
.

men ts but un iforml y ign o r ed the c laims Of r eligion

,

to the ve n e ra ti on Of man ki n d N O be autiful my .

tho l o g y like th at Of an c ien t G r ee c e w as at h an d to

, ,

pro mpt the e ff or ts Of his muse The maxims o f the .

luxur i o us E pi cur e an we r e th os e th at exerted the

g r e atest po we r ove r his imagin ation an d his life .

An ide a may be formed o f the i n fluen c e Of po etry

on the publi c min d when we r emember th at the
K or ei s h in v ain attempted to br ibe the p ag an b ard
As ch a to deliver a p an egyri c on M oh ammed at the
comme n c emen t Of the l atte r s c ar ee r an d un able to
’

, ,

se cur e his complian c e suc c eeded with mu ch difficulty

,

pur ch a sin g his n eutr ality an d silen c e at the expen se

o f a hun dr ed c amel s The P ro phet w as s o sen sitive
.

to the keen th r usts o f the s atir ist th at whe n Me cc a ,

w as c a ptur ed an d a ge n e ra l amn esty p rocl aimed on e ,

Of the four un for tun ates wh om he expr essly ex cluded

fr om this act Of clemen c y w as an Obs cur e p o et H ab ,

b ar I bn As w a d by n ame w ho had published a l am

- -
,

p oon a g ain st him The Ar abi an b ar d like his lite rary

.
,

des c en d an t the tr oub a dour w as atten ded by min str els

,

w ho c h an ted his ve r ses o ften to the a cc omp an imen t

,

o f musi c a l i n st ru men ts The latter v oc ation r egar ded

.
,

as deg ra di n g by the Bed o ui n w as a lw a ys exe r cised

,

by a sl ave .

I sl amism while in other dir e cti on s it ze alously pro

,

moted the in telle c tual develo pmen t Of its adher en ts ,

fell like a blight up on the p o eti c t aste an d gen ius Of

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O P E 53

Ar abi a The dr e ams Of the p o et dis a ppear ed befor e

.

the stern f an aticism Of the so ldier w ho had n o time ,

for rh aps o dies an d car ed fo r n othin g s ave in dulgen c e

,

in r a pin e the ac qui s ition o f empi r e an d the exten si on

, ,

Of the F aith .

I t is n ow gen er ally ad mitted th at the liter ar y c on

tests s aid to h ave t aken pl ac e dur in g the an nual fair
at O kh ad wher e fr om p o ems r e a d befor e a n i mmen se
, ,

c on c o u r se the o n e to be su s pen ded in the K aab a w as

,

sele cted are a p ocr yph al T r ibes o f v agran t r obber s

, .

w ho p as sed ten mo n ths o f the ye ar in plu n de r in g their

n eighb o r s w ould h ar dly con s en t to spe n d the o the r

tw o in an o r der ly assembly comp o s ed main ly o f their ,

en emi es in determin in g by a po pul ar v ote the com

,

parativ e me r it o f thei r r espe ctive p o ets The settle .

men t Of such r ival claims f or in tell e ctu al pr e c eden cy

by the v oic e o f the peo ple implies a degr ee o f cultur e
an d c r iti c al ac umen c er t a i n ly n ot p o s s e s s ed by the

Ar abs Of that ag e Thi s idle t ale has do ubtless b een

.

suggested by the literar y exhibiti on s Of the O lympian

g ames an d is perh aps in debted to the imagin ation Of
,

s ome g arr ulo us an d men d a c i ou s G r eek for its or igi n .

I t is h owever un questi on able th at the p o et as well a s

, , ,

the stor y teller—th at o ther imp or tan t per son age in

-

the E ast— w as in high favor at all the fair s an d

assemblies Of Ar a bi a The mixed multitude which .
,

impell ed by mo tives p ar tly mer c en ar y p ar tly r elig ,

ious colle cted on these oc casion s a n d in its hour s Of

, ,

leisur e listen ed to the ver ses Of the p o et co n st an tly ,

pr omo ted his in spirati on an d r efin ed hi s lays by the

ho pe o f a pplau s e the fear o f c en sur e the c ollis io n
, ,

with for eign er s an d the powe r ful in flu en c e Of tr ibal

,

emulation .

The later histo r y o f the Ar abs is de cked with all the

gor geous imager y o f the E as t The fas c in ati o n s o f .

r oman c e i n ve s t an d e mbellish it With the c ommon .

plac e facts in c iden t to the var iou s stages Of n atio n al

54 HIST ORY OF TH E

p rog r ess ar e in ter wo ven n arratives Of in disput able

truth but whi ch in their deman ds up on human cre d u
, ,

li ty almo st sur p a ss the f abulo us legen ds Of c hiv alr y or

,

the en ch an tin g t ales o f S cheher ez ade The p r imitive .

li fe Of the Ar abi an pe o ple p r evi ous to the a dven t o f

M oh ammed Off er ed n o in dic ati on Of their ex tr aord i
n ar y ca p ability f o r i mp r o vemen t C ommerci al in ter .

co u r se wi th o the r n a ti o n s f or a ges had , h o wever en ,

l arg ed thei r expe r ien c e exp an ded their f aculties an d

, ,

ar o u s ed thei r ambiti on The car av an w in din g amidst

the lon ely s an d hills o f the Dese rt—the p r e c ur s o r Of
.

th o se gr e at expediti o n s whi ch subsequen tly in ter

c h an ged the com mo dities Of Asi a Min or E gypt , ,

An d alusi a an d I n di a—w as als o the mor e imp or tan t

,

a gen t o f s c ien c e o f r efin emen t

, Of c iviliz atio n I t ,
.

in cr e ased the sum Of ge o graphi c al an d historical

kn owledge I t fami li arized the tr ader an d his cu s
.

tome r s with the mann e rs the l aws the s oc i al systems

, , ,

the me ch an i c al skill the ar ts an d the in ven tion s o f

, ,

the mo s t en te r p r isin g n ation s Of the glo be These .

a ss oc i ati o n s a ssisted i n n o s mall deg r ee to gen e r ate

the pr ac ti cal utility whi ch the mo st imp or tan t fe atur e

,

o f Ar a b le ar n i n g a fte r w ar ds co n fe rr ed su c h s u b s tan
,

ti al blessin gs on man kin d The phen omen al adv an c e .

o f the ra c e to matu r ity i mp o ssible with o ut p r evi ous

,

pr ep ar ati on w as stimulated by per petu a l war s an d

,

ex c iteme n t Less th an o n e hun dr ed an d twen ty ye ars

.

in ter ven ed between the v a g ab on d age an d ign o r an c e o f

the Des e r t an d the st ability an d in telle ctu al culture
o f the g r e a t Abb a side an d Ommey a d e c a pit a ls The .

car eer o f the Ar ab w a s too r a pid to be pe r man e n t .

I n fou r gen er atio n s it had c o ve r ed the grou n d or di

n ar ily t r ave r sed i n twen ty I ts delusive splen d or c on
.

ceal ed the de c a y whi c h w a s c o in c iden t with the er a

Of its gr e atest p r o sper ity The s ame c auses which .

f ac ili t ated the foun d ati on an d a dvan c emen t Of his

p ower an d cultur e wer e a ctive durin g their de clin e ,

an d con tr ibuted to thei r ul ti ma te destr u ctio n .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 55

The st atemen t may a ppe ar p ar a do xi cal in view o f ,

the ackn owledged in fluen c e Of me r c an tile associ atio n s

upon the fac ulties o f the hu man min d ; but a c er tain
degr ee o f i s o lati on seems to be n e c e s s ar y at le ast in ,

tro pic al an d semi tro pic al r egi on s for the complete

-
,

develo pmen t o f the ar ts Of c ivilization ; an d these ar ts

have usually att ain ed their highest per fec tion amo n g
n ati o n s whi c h i n h abit pen i n sul a s E gypt an d Chin a
.
,

whose r eli an c e w as en tir ely up on their ow n r e s our c es ,

wer e the mo s t ex clu s ive o f n ati on s in the an cien t

wor ld a s wer e Mexico an d Per u in the mo dern The
,
.

vas t maj o r ity Of the p o pul ation s Of In di a J a p an an d , ,

S p ain had but little in terc our se wi th thos e outside

their boun d ar ie s whi ch wer e defen ded by stormy an d
,

myster ious se as I n n o o ther coun t r ies h ave the

.

power s o f the human in telle ct in the cr eation o f all,

th at is gran d an d impo s in g o f all th at is be autiful

, ,

o f al l th a t i s ar ti s ti c o f all th a t c on tr ibutes to the

,

ben efit the cultiv atio n an d the mater ial impr ovemen t
, ,

Of man kin d been man ifes ted as in G r ee c e an d I t aly

,
.

Ari d Ar a bia although den ied by N atur e the ad v an

,

tages Of s oil an d climate en j oyed by mor e favor ed

lan ds yet p o s s es s ed wh at in the c r isis Of her fate
, , ,

r en de r ed her s uper io r to al l her a dve rs ar ie s —a r ac e o f ,

bold an d h ar dy warr ior s in ur ed to h ar dship by the

pr ivati on s Of an ab s temious life an d by h abit an d ,

in c lin atio n c a p able o f the mo st ar duou s an d desperate

en ter prises Their exper ien c e with the surroun din g
.

e ff emin ate n ation s had t au ght them n ot on ly the weak

n ess o f the l a tte r but als o how thei r co veted we alth
,

might be Obtain ed ; an d at a pr o pitious momen t un der ,

the guid an c e o f an imp as s ion ed en thusi a st a h or de o f ,

o utl aws d r iven fr om thei r h omes by thei r s c an d alized

,

n eighb or s be c ame the n u c leus o f vi c t or i ous ar mies the

,

fame Of wh o s e gallan tr y filled the wor ld An d yet .

,

while glo r yin g in the deed s Of mar ti al her oi s m whi ch

in sur ed the es tablishmen t an d main ten an c e o f her
56 HIS T ORY OF TH E

P r o phet s faith s he w as con s c io us Of the in st abil ity Of

’

an empi r e sust ain ed by a r ms al on e an d l ab or ed to

,

ra is e up on mo r e subst an ti al an d en du r in g fo und a ti on s

the splen did fab r i c O f her gr ea tn ess .The s ame fervi d

impul se which pr ompted an d carr ied to a su cc essful
issue the con quest or extermi n ation o f tho se design ated
by the c ompr ehen sive ter m o f in fidel w as able to ad apt
itself with sin gular f acility to all the con dition s Of
pe ac e an d to en able the p o ster ity o f the h alf n aked
,
-

b an ditti th at swarmed ar o un d the b an n er o f M oh am

me d to accomplish r es ul ts wor thy o f the mo st ex alted
gen ius an d in ever y dep artmen t Of kn owledge to
,

a s c en d to the highest r an k Of th o se c elebra ted fo r thei r

liter ar y an d s c ien tific att ain men ts in the mo st p oli shed

co m mun ities Of Asia an d E ur o pe .
58 HIST ORY OF TH E

cr iti c al sec t ar ies ? Wher e do es this pr esumed in spir a

tion begin an d en d ? To use the wor ds Of the K or an ,

Wh at is the in falli ble ? And w ho sh all cause the e

to un de r st an d wh at the in f allible is ? ”
W ho in sh or t , ,

po ssesses the t ou chsto n e Of tr uth ?

The exper ien c e o f all ages the histor y Of all n ati on s
, ,

h ave establi shed the mel an ch oly fa ct th at systems o f

r eligi o n are like i n s tituti o n s Of human o r igi n sub j e c t
, ,

to the or din ar y in c ide n ts Of mo r t ality They h ave .

their ag e Of yo uthful vigor an d en thu s i a sm; their

s t a ti o n ar y ep och whe n thei r p r i n c iples h ave l o st thei r
,

exp an sive p o wer ; thei r per io d o f degen er ac y an d de

c ay . Their du r atio n like th at o f c r e ated bein gs co rr e
, ,

s p o n d s to the deg r ee o f vit ali ty whi c h they ma y pos

sess ; their vit ality is in p r o p orti on to the in tr in sic

mer it o f their doctr in es an d their a d a pt abili ty to the
,

moral n atur e o f man As omn is c ien c e is den ied to him

.
,

hi s est imate Of the value Of a divi n e r evel ati o n must

n e c ess ar ily be spe c ul ative an d un c e r t a i n l ar gely de ,

pen den t up on his in telle ctu al cap ac ity an d c o lo r ed by ,

the in fluen c es to whic h he has been expo sed On the .

o the r h an d man y le arn ed met a physi c i an s h av e ar gued

,

with tr an s c en den t ability th at fa ith is n ot acc iden t al ,

an d me r ely de r ived fro m v o liti on an d a ss oc i ati o n but ,

i s a ma tter o f i n ex o r able n e c e s s ity in whi ch the will

,

is abs o lutely p o we rle s s As a r esult o f in her ited

.

p r ejudi c e the p r in c iples o f ever y r eligion always

,

a ppe ar hete r o d o x f alse an d absur d to sin c er e b e

, ,

li ev er s in o the r fo rms Of f a ith O f all theo lo gi cal

.

do gma s n on e h ave su ff er ed mor e fr om the e ff ects

,

Of ign oran c e an d in j usti c e th an th o se Of I sl ami s m .

The n ame o f its foun der has for thirteen c en tur ies
been a syn on ym Of imp o stur e His mo tives h ave been .

impugn ed his sin c er ity den ied His ch ar a c ter has

, .

been br an ded with ever y vic e whic h degr ades or afflicts

man kin d The gr e atest absur dities the g ro ssest in
.
,

human ity h ave been attr ibuted to his te achin gs E c

, .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 59

cl e s i as ti c almali c e has exh austed its r es ou rc es in e fforts

to blacken his memo r y E ven in Ou r d ay c omp ar a
.
,

tiv el y few per s o n s ar e even supe r fic i ally con ve r s an t

with the do ctr in es whi ch in less th an a c en tur y wer e
, ,

able to usu r p the spi r itu a l an d te mp or al d omi n i o n o f

a con sidera ble p o r ti o n o f the h abit a ble glo be .

The love Of n ovelty whi ch r eign s supr eme in the

human br e as t is n owher e mor e str ikin g in its man i
fe stati on s th an in the fa c ility with whi c h men a d o pt
a fr esh r evel ati on N o n ew r eligio n ever l acks p r o se
.

lytes I magin ation sen timen t ho pe fe ar in ter est

.
, , , , ,

combi n e to i n du c e its acc ept an c e n o twith s t an di n g the ,

Obs cur ity which may in vest its doctrin e s or the illit
er ac
y whi ch o ften is the mo st p r omi n e n t c har ac te r isti c
Of its in ter p r eters ; an d if the co n ditio n s which atten d
its pro mulgation are n ot de cidedly un pr o pitiou s it i s ,

morall y c er tain o f succ ess .

S ome embr ac e it thr ough c ur io sity o ther s from c on ,

vi cti on man y fr om mo tives o f selfi s h n e s s

, I ts p o wer .

is fr equen tly i n a dir e ct pr o p or tion to the aw e with

which it in spi r es its vo t ar ies As milit ar y glor y is mo st
.

admi r ed by the p o pul a c e g r e a t p r estige mu s t o f n e c es

,

s ity att ac h to a c r eed whi c h p r o selytes by con que s t .

On the o ther h an d a p o the os is w as co n side r ed the

,

highes t di s tin c tio n att ain able by the hero es an d s ov

erei n s
g Of P ag an an tiquity I n dividu als who s e
.

gen ius had c o n ferr ed gr e at ben efit s up on the human

r a c e wer e a ssig n ed by publi c g ratitude to a pl ac e

amon g the g o ds All the Roman emper o rs from

.

C aes ar to C on st an tin e wer e deified An atmo s pher e .

o f pe c uli ar s an c tity i n vested the e agles g r ouped in the

post o f h on or in the c amp Of the legion The cr uc ifix .

an d the r eliqu ar y we r e b o rn e in the v an o f cru s a di n g

ar mies . A mor e or less in timate as s o ci ation has thus

alw a ys existed between the s ac er d ot a l an d the milit ar y

pr o fession s The l atter ha s r epe atedly fur the r ed the

.

r o j e c ts o f the fo rme r The p r ie s t has r ar ely r efused

p .
60 HIS T ORY OF TH E

to a b s olve the O ff en c es Of the th o d ox s oldier M o st

or .

r eligi on s h ave in f ac t been est ablished o r mai n t a ined

, ,

by for ce When we r e call the overthro w o f P a g an ism

. ,

the su cc essive attempts to r ecover the H oly S epulch r e ,

the r econ quest o f S p ain the I n quisition the atr o

, ,

c ities a tte n di n g the subj ug ati on Of the N ew W or ld ,

the utte r devast ation o f P ro ven c e an d L an guedo c the ,

r eligi o us w ar s Of the sixteen th an d seve n teen th cen

tu r i es we sh o uld c e r t ain ly n ot subj e c t to in vidious

,

s c rutin y the p olity Of M o h ammed wh o se histor y is ,

fr ee fr om the r ep ro ac h o f per se cuti on an d wh o se ,

sup remac y w as on ly p arti ally est ablished by arms .

The ex amin ation an d criti cis m o f a r eligion wh ose

can o n s h a ve bee n h o n o r ed with the impli c it a n d rev

e r en t Obedien c e Of milli on s Of men ; wh o se do gmas

h ave been r e cogn ized by the devout o f man y diver se
rac es as i n spi r ati on s o f the wisdo m O f Ahn i g hty G o d ;

a r eligi on whi c h by the we a p o n s Of ar g u me n t o r by

,

the r esistless f or c e o f en thusi asm subve r ted the p ower ,

an d abs or bed the le a di n g p r in c iples Of o the r c r eeds

wh o se tr aditi on s had hitherto en thr a lled the world ,

a n d whi ch despite the degen e rac y o f its p rac ti c e the

, ,

division s an d c on sequen t an t ago n is m o f its se ct aries ,

the vi c issitudes Of man y c en tur ies an d the in evit able ,

acc iden ts Of w ar pe r se c utio n an d t r e a s on still man i

, , ,

fests an aston ishin g an d to al l appe aran c es an in

, ,

e x h austible vit ality is a gr eat an d ar du ous un der

,

t akin g The st ory O f I sl am by wh o se in fluen c e the

.
,

n a tives Of the E a st an d West he r eto f or e h o stile wer e

, ,

j o in ed in a b on d Of fra tern al un ion an d guided

thr ough a mar vello us c ar eer Of p r o spe r ity an d glo r y ,

i s the r e al iz ati on o f wh at wo uld h ave o r din ar ily ap

p e ar ed a mo st ext ra v ag an t d r e am o f con quest an d
domin ion an d is with out p ar allel in the ann als o f
,

human ity I n the moral as in the mater i al w orld the

.
,

mo st per fe ct an d durable for ms an d systems usually

ar r ive slo wly an d by almo st i mperc eptibl e g r a d ati o ns
, ,
62 HIST ORY OF TH E

mo sque an d un de r pen alty Of the lash to kn eel ah

,

j ectly in the dust befo r e the h aughty I shmaelite ;

while the capit al Of the lan d from whi ch he had
been b an ished en de ar ed to him by the memor y Of
,

his s o ver eign s an d the tr adition s Of his f aith w as in ,

the p o wer Of his her edit ar y en emi es wh o se s acrilegious ,

h an ds had raised the gilded d ome o f on e o f their

pr oudest fan es upon the ver y sp o t lon g c on sec r ated
by the mo st r eve r ed as soci ati on s o f his r a c e an d his
r eli gi on The l aw Of compen s ation which con tro ls the
.
,

f ate o f man w as at last fulfilled an d r etributi on if

, , ,

lon g delayed w a s then ex acted with r elen tless severity

,
.

The ben efits w rought by M oh ammed an s— espec i ally

duri n g the Middle Ages —h ave un til the en d Of the ,

last c en tur y been silen tly ign o r ed or studiously depr e

,

c i ated by hist or i a n s ; i n s o me i n st a n c e s th r ough w an t

o f i n formati on but for the mo st p ar t be c ause the

, , ,

phen omen a l pro gr e s s Of I sl am when comp ar ed with ,

the ap atheti c con dition o f o ther r eligion s suggested ,

a fo r mid able r iv al r y But in this ag e in s atiable o f

.
,

kn owledge an d equipped with ever y mean s o f Obtain

in g it it is n o lo n ge r p o ssible fo r c le r i c al in t o le ran c e
,

to Obs cur e the sple n did achievemen ts Of M o sle m s ci

en c e The d ay has lo n g sin c e p a st when the labo rs
.

Of astron omers like I bn J un is Of histori an s like Al

-
,

M akk ar i o f philo s o pher s like Averr o es o f physi c i an s

, ,

like Avic en n a an d Of b otan ists like I bn B eithar can

,
-

be tr e ated with oblo quy be cause they wer e n ot au

thor ize d by the de cr ee o f an E c ume n i cal C o un c il or
a pp r o ved by a bull Of his H o li n ess the P o pe .

The histo r y o f a r eligion the exp o sitio n Of a form

,

Of f aith is n ot in fr equen tly the memo ir Of an in di

,

vidual an d the ch ron i cle Of a r ac e As a rule the .

,

un io n Of the Offic es o f P r o phet an d L awgiver in a

sin gle pe r s on age deeply impr esses the i n dividuality
Of th at per s on a ge up on the ch ar ac ter o f his n ation .

The an n als Of the Hebr ews ar e in diss o lubly b oun d

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 63

up with the H oly S cr iptur e s an d the pr ec epts o f

M o s ai c l aw The men ti on o f an cien t Per si a suggests
.

at o n c e the texts Of the Z en d av e s ta an d the o r di n an c es

Of Zo ro aster The K or an is p ractic ally the bio gra phy

.

o f M o h ammed the t a le o f his s o r r o ws hi s as pi ra ti on s

, , ,

his failur e s an d hi s triumph s An d wh at mor e n o ble

, .

mon umen t c ould Ar abi a b o as t th an the pro ud d i stin c

tion o f h avin g been the home o f a pr o phet an d the
c r adle Of a f a ith f or c en tu r ies iden tified with r eligi ous

toler ation with pr in c ely mu n ifi c en ce with s c ien tific

, ,

in ve s tigatio n with liter ary mer it —

, a ll i n timately a ss o ,

c i ate d with her n ame a n d with the v ar yin g fo r tun es

o f her c hildr e n ? The latter fr om the fir st devoted , ,

thems elve s to the in ter ests o f c iviliz atio n They .

settled colon ies Of s killed artis an s in the w ake Of their

ar mies They p r omoted man ufactur e s en c ou raged
.
,

c om mer c e an d in eve r y dep artmen t o f in dustr i al

,

occup a ti o n s timul ated the e ff or t s Of me c h an i c a l in

g en u ity They develo ped the s cien c e o f astr on omy

. .

To them chemist r y an d ph armac y o w e their or igi n .

While pers eve r in g bo t an i s ts explor ed the flor a o f

man y l an ds the mathemati ci an in his s e cluded r e
, ,

tr eat exp an ded an d per fe c ted the s cien c e Of algebr a

, .

When a n ew r egion w as subj ected to thei r r ule all ,

fruit s plan ts an d her bs whic h ex amin ation or ex p eri

, , ,

en c e had foun d to be either edible or c ur ative wer e ,

in s cr ibed upon the lis ts o f tr ibute an d their im ,

por tati on an d di s tr ibutio n be came compul s o r y They .

br an ded idlen e s s with c on tempt ; they enn obled labor ;

an d eve n r o ya lty did n o t disd ai n to f o ll o w the ex ample

Of the P r o phet w ho w ith hi s o w n h an ds assisted in

, , ,

the er ection Of the mo sque Of Medin a the fir s t temple ,

o f I sl am They tran sl ated an d pr ese rved for the

.

ple asur e an d in structio n Of po ster ity the immor tal

produ ction s Of the s a ges Of G r ee c e an d Rome They .

fo ster ed le ar n in g an d en co ur aged its pur suit by

,

maxim r ewar d an d ex ample un til it became a matter

, , ,
64 HIS T ORY OF TH E

Of p o pular belief a s firmly g roun ded as the mo s t

,

s a cr ed tra diti on th at the dil igen t cultiv ation o f the

,

men t al fa culties w as an imperative r eligio us duty .

I n an c ie n t times to compel the Obse r v an c e o f a s alu

,

t ar y l aw it w as con n e cted with public wor ship an d

,

dir ec tly s an ction ed by the pr ec epts Of r eligion I n .

this w ay h allowed by divin e autho r ity it ac qui r ed a

, ,

for c e n ot obt ain a ble by human en actmen t an d con ,

c l u s iv el y i n di cated the wisd om o f the s o ver eig n or

l awgive r w ho pr omulg ated it I t w as thus with c ir .

c u mc is i on a mon g the Jews with the c ultiv ati o n o f the

,

s o il in Meso po t ami a an d with ir r igati on in E gypt

, ,

whe r e the N ile w as deified as the cr e ato r an d pr eserver

o f the h ar vest s an d the s ou r c e o f the ma te r i a l p ro s

er ity Of the n a ti on M oh ammed w a s n ot blin d to the

p .

a dv an t a ges to be se c u r ed by this the o c r a ti c supe r v isi on

Of the aff airs o f mortals an d by r ecour se to it en

, , ,

for c ed the ado ption an d pra c ti c e o f man y he althful

c ust oms an d p r o fit able emplo ymen ts whose e ff ects
up on the subj ects Of his succ ess or s wer e Of the
gr e atest i mpo rt an c e .

The c on tagion o f super stition the impr ession pr o ,

d u ced by the gran deur o f s c en e r y an d the pe r io di c al ,

r e c urr en c e Of myster i o us n atu r al phen ome n a must

a lw a ys be a tten tively co n side r ed i n dete r min in g the

philos o phi cal belief an d r eligio us ten den c ies Of a

peo ple I n timate r elation s with E gypt sust ain ed
.
,

for a v ast but un kn o wn per i o d o f time h ave left ,

in e ff ac e able tr ac es up on the tr adition s o f Ar abia .

I n the r eligio us system o f the f orme r co un tr y ther e

w as on e S up r eme Bein g All othe r divin ities wer e
.

but man ifest ati on s o f his maj esty an d omn ipo ten ce
con c e aled un de r di ff er en t n ames F rom him ema .

n ated the multif ar i ous t r i a ds the pers on ific atio n o f

,

the N ile the coun tless arr ay Of go ds to wh om the

,

d ays the mon ths an d even the ver y pro du ction s o f

, ,

the e ar th wer e s a cr ed The g r e at se cr et th at these

, .
66 HIST ORY OF TH E

en c e O f s oil an d cli mate in the mo dificati on Of his

physical aspec t an d temperament The mor e im .

p o sin g th ose fe atur es the mor e pro foun d the emo

,

ti on s they ex cite ; an d p ar tly for this r e as on Asia

, , ,

whi ch N atur e has en d owed with the most stupen dous

man ifest ation s Of her en ergy has been pro lific o f
,

th o se super stition s whi c h h ave exer c ised the most

exten sive an d lastin g domin ion o ver the human min d .

F o r mor e th an a c e n tu r y befo r e the bi r th Of M oh am

med the mo st deplorable ign oran c e had o bs cur ed
,

the f ac e Of the Ch r isti an wo r ld The gen tlen ess an d

.

beauty o f the r eligion o f Jesus had been supplan ted

by the dir est fan atic is m; its alt ar s had been pro fan ed
by he athen s ac rific es an d the ad or ation Of images ; its
p r iesth o od had become in con c eivably co rr upt an d im
mor al The coun tless sects evoked by the machin ation s
.

an d w or ldly ambitio n Of the c le r gy had by mutu al ,

r e c r imi n ati on r ev o lti n g c r imes r elen tless pe r se cuti on

, ,

Of their a dver s ar ies an d o bstin ate r efus al to listen

,

to an y pl an Of r e con c ili ati on al mo st dest ro yed the

,

faith Of r ea s on able men in ever y r eligion E ach of .

these sects had a le ader w ho w a s r eg ar ded by his

follo wers as en d owed to a g r eate r or less degr ee
, ,

with th at myster i ous p ower con fe rr ed by divin e in

spiration Disputes fr equen tly settled by mass acre
.
, ,

wer e con st an tly main tain ed upon abstr use an d friv o

lo us questi on s in thei r ver y n atur e un an swerab le ; the
p r e c epts o f j ustic e an d the laws Of mor ality wer e
con temptu o usly dis r eg ar ded ; an d the s ac e r d o t a l c l ass .

in ste ad Of settin g an ex ample Of piety an d mo der ation

to its co n g r eg ation s w a s co n spi c u o us i n the d aily
,

s atu rn alia o f rapin e lust an d mur de r The Chur ch

, , .

ha d lon g sin c e dep ar ted fr om the simpli c ity an d pu rity

o f its o r igi n al in stituti on F or a c e n tur y on ly a fter
.

the de ath o f the S avio ur it had r emain ed fr ee fro m the

in fluen c e Of s chismati c d octr in es While in comp ara .

tive Obs cu r ity an d ackn o wledged we akn ess it O ff ered ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 67

no in duc emen ts to the disturbin g spir it o f fan atic al

in n ov ato r s or to the selfish s chemes o f p olitical ag
g ran d izemen t an d e cc lesi asti cal ambition I n the .

beginn in g divided in t o a n umber Of feder ated r e

,

public s pr actically in depen den t yet b oun d t o gether

,

by a common in ter est govern ed by their ow n laws

, ,

r elyi n g up o n thei r ow n r es ou r c es gui ded by the

,

wisdom Of their own min ister s their th oroughly or

,

g an ize d p olity thei r obstin ac y their c l aims to supe r ior

, ,

h olin ess n atur ally exc ited the Odium o f the P agan
,

p opul ac e an d fr equen tly pr ovoked the wr ath an d the

,

in ter fer en c e o f I mper ial autho r ity F r om a co n di

.

tion Of meekn ess hu mility an d self abn egati on the

, ,
-
,

Church had be come the pr ey o f h o s tile fa ction s an d ,

w as alr e a dy t ain ted with s c an d al I ts s yn o ds wer e

.

polluted with the bloo d Of con ten din g se ct ar ies I ts .

c oun c il s r es ou n ded with the un seemly dispute s an d

mutual r e cr imin ation s Of pr elates mor e ambitious for

the attain men t Of supr eme p ower th an for the di s
cov er
y o f divi n e t r uth The T rin it ar ian con tro ver sy
.

had n o ur ished p r ej udic es whi c h c en tur ies Of a pp ar en t

tr an qu illity had failed to era dic ate The spir it o f .

per secution in compr ehen sible to the p olytheists the

, ,

essen c e Of who se c r eed w as un iver s al t oler ation an d ,

w ho could n ot a pp r e c i a te the mo tives impellin g the

Chr isti an to the emplo ymen t Of forc e to est ablish his
doctr in es had e ar ly begun to man ifest itself M on as
,
.

ti ci sm s y n o n ymo us w ith ig n or an c e an d i n t o leran c e

, ,

r epr esen ted the sen ti men ts an d h o pes o f the mo st de

gr aded O f the p o pulac e in every commun ity Of the

E mpir e At Alex an dr i a an d N i c e a it had forc ed by
.
,

weight Of n umber s an d by tur bulen t demon str ati on s

o f vi olen c e the a d o pti on o f s o me Of the mo st imp or
,

tan t articles Of Chr isti an faith I n ever y e ccle s i asti

.

c al fen d it ha d i n v ar i ably esp oused the c ause Of big o tr y

an d i mp o stu r e The mon k o f the sixth c en tury uni ted

.

in his c h ar ac te r the in con sisten t attr ibutes o f the pr iest

68 HIS T ORY OF TH E

an d the p olitic ian the s ain t an d the demago gue His

,
.

r etr e at in the s o litude o f the dese r t w a s visi ted b y

th ous an ds o f weepin g pen iten ts suppli an ts for the ,

do ubtful but cherished pr ivi lege o f his blessin g With .

his comp ani on s armed with c lubs an d ston es he

, ,

fomen ted dis or der in the str eets o f g r e at c apit als .

His vo lun tar y r en un c i ation o f the f ollies o f the

wor ld w as n o b ar to hi s gr eed o f p o wer He d ic .

tated the p o li c y Of the Chu rch He settled in vo lved .

p oin ts o f casuistr y He formulated can on s o f eccle

.

s i as ti c al dis c ipli n e He en forc ed the c laims o f his

.

f ac tion by in tr igues by corruption by the commi ssion

, ,

o f the mo st r ev o lti n g c r i mes He aspir ed to an d O ften

.

a tt ai n ed the epis co p a l dig n ity The supe r ior nu m .

ber s the f an ati cal spi r it the un an imous r es o lution o f

, ,

his or der gave him a p r epon deratin g in fluen c e in the

,

Chur ch n o t to be heedlessly r es isted Befor e the im .

per i al or g an iz ation o f the P ap ac y the mon k w a s the ,

domin an t f act or in the deter min a tion o f the l aws the ,

measur es an d the r egulation s Of C h risten dom

,
.

I t must be r emember ed th at at th at time there

w as n o est ablished c en tr alized s a c er d ot al auth ority
, , .

N ever theles s for mo r e th an a c en tur y imper i al Offi

, ,

c i al s desig n ated f o r th a t p u r p o se ha d dete r mi n ed the

, ,

degr ees an d in flicted the pun ishmen t o f her esy Con .

fi s c ation b an ishme n t t o r tu r e an d de ath th r e ate n ed all

, , ,

w ho r efused to subs cr ibe to the d oc tr in es whi ch v ar y ,

in g with di ff er en t r eig n s we r e p romulg ated a s the

,

momen tar y an d un c er ta in stan dar ds o f or th o doxy .

The in compr ehen sibility Of a do gma w as con sider ed

an i n f allible in di c a ti o n o f its t r uth The philo s o pher .

w a s then as n o w stigmatized as the i mpl ac able en emV

, ,

o f r eligi o n . A r eign Of terr or o ver sp r e ad the empire .

E ve r y s c ho l ar be came an Ob j ect Of suspi c io us aver

si on . His n eighb or s shun n ed his comp an y The .

c ler gy an a thematized hi m fro m the pul pit I n form .

e r s do gged his f oo tsteps an d i n truded up on his ri

p
'

7O HISTORY OF TH E

w as the ivil power to which the e cclesi astical system

c ,

w as still j e al ously sub or di n ated in a less deg ra ded ,

c on diti on The authority Of the E mperor w as per

.

s i s ten tl y defied i n the p r e c in c ts o f his ow n p a l ac e ,

which with the C athedr al o f S ain t S o phia had be

, ,

come the the a tr e o f the t r e as on able plo ts an d l i cen

tio us in trigues Of in famous combin ati on s Of every

c l ass an d n ati on al ity an d whe r e a p or ten to us u ni o n Of
,

mon ks eun u chs an d women r eign ed un question ed

, ,

an d sup r e me A cumbr ous an d p omp ous etiquette ;

.

a the at r i c a l displ ay o f co stumes a n d devi c es ; a c our t

swar min g with bu ff o on s an d p arasites ; an atmos

phere o f co w ar di c e dupli c ity e ff emin a cy an d cor
, , ,

r upti o n ha d suppl an ted the high se n se o f n ation al

h on or the auster e dign ity the pr oud con s c io usn ess Of

, ,

super ior manh oo d which in the e ar ly d ays Of r epub ,

lic an simpl ic ity an d imperi al gr an deur marked the ,

exer c ise o f Roman p ower The in cur sion s Of pirates .

,

whi ch the dimin ished n av al p o wer Of the emperor s w as

in adequ ate to c he ck had dr iven commerc e fr om the
,

s ea .

I n te s tin e b ro ils the lawless con du ct o f the

, an d

b arb ar i an s oldier y w ho ch a fed at the r estrain ts Of

dis ciplin e an d wh o se in c ess an t an d ex orbit an t de
,

man ds upo n the imper i al tr e asur y had aided n ot a

little to imp ove r ish the c oun tr y r en de r ed a gr icultur al ,

Opera ti o n s un s a fe an d un pro fit able an d l an d w as n o ,

lon ger tilled ex c ept in the immedi ate vic in ity Of

large c ities Who le provin c es whi ch under the R O
.
, ,

man s had flourished like a suc c ession Of g ar den s n ow

, ,

a b an d on ed an d u n i nh abited wer e gr o win g up with ,

f or ests an d r el apsin g in t o the wildern ess o f pr imeval

times The dir e e ff ects Of b ar b ar i an war far e wer e
.

co n spi cu ous in eve r y p r ovi n ce o f the E mpir e The .

fruits o f c en turies o f c iviliz ation had dis a ppe ar ed w ith

the c on dition s whi ch had been f av orable to their ma
tur ity an d to the p o liti cal corr upti on an d mor al de
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O PE 71

g en e racy whi ch mor e th an the for tun es Of w ar had

, ,

con t r ibuted to thei r ann ihil ati on The proud title o f .

Roman c itizen o n c e coveted alike by fo r eign p r in c es

,

an d a spi r i n g plebei an s had bee n er ased fro m the

,

t able s wher eon wer e in s cr ibed the mo st ex alted d i s

tin cti on s o f n ati on s S oc iety n o lon ger wo r e the
.

allu r i n g a spe c t whi c h it ha d ex hibited un der the

luxur ious domin io n o f the C ws ar s The p atri ci an .
,

depr ived o f p ro perty an d fr eedom r eluc t an tly ,

swelled the tr ain o f b ar b ar i c pomp in the city which

had bee n the s c e n e Of his extr av ag an c e his tyran n y , ,

an d his vi c es . The slave w ho had fled to the c amp Of

Al ar ic or Attila n ow ruled in the p alac e whic h had
former ly w itn essed his humiliatio n an d w a s s er ved ,

by the c hildr en o f th o se w ho but a few mon ths befor e

had ma de him the vi c tim o f their cr uelty an d c a p r i c e .

The f ac e Of the coun tr y r epe atedly overrun by ,

swarms o f ru thless s avages pr esen ted a pi c tur e Of ,

h o peless des olation The tr ail Of the G othic or L om

.

bar d mar auder could be tr ac ed by he aps o f whiten ed

bon es by disman tled cities by rav aged fields an d fi re
, ,

swept h amlets The be autiful temples Of an tiquity

.
,

whi ch had survi ved the de c ay Of P agan i sm an d the

ass aults o f Ch r isti an ity wer e def a c ed o r r ui n ed
, The .

exquisite memor i als o f clas s ic ar t the tr iumph s Of the ,

Gr e c i an s culpt or wer e br oken an d s c atter ed Vases

,
.
,

wh o se eleg an c e an d symmetr y had c alled forth the

a dmi r a ti on Of all w ho beheld them had been melted ,

fo r the s ake Of the br on ze an d silver o f whi c h they

wer e comp osed The gar den s which had been the
.

pride Of the c apit al had been tr ampled un der the

hoo fs Of the G othic cav alr y Her e an d ther e amidst
.
,

a he a p o f bl a c ke n ed r ui n s aro se a c r umbli n g wa ll or
,

a g r o up o f to tter i n g column s whi ch al on e r ema in ed

,

to mark the site Of a on c e ma gn ific en t sh r in e Of Ven us

o r Ap o llo . The r epr ession o f gen er al in telligen c e an d
in dividu al ambiti on amon g the mas ses had always
72 HIST ORY OF TH E

b een le adin g maxim o f imperi al p oli c y N O system

a .

O f edu c a ti o n w as p ro vi ded All exer tion w as dis cour

.

a ged . The po pulac e w as for gen er atio ns pr ovided

with fo o d an d amusemen t by the governmen t Ther e .

w as n o i n du c emen t to me n t al or physi cal ac tivity .

The n atur al march o f human destin y the imp rove ,

ment o f man s physi cal an d s oci al con diti on w as

’
,

ar r ested E n j oymen t Of the comfor ts Of li fe ren

.

der ed lab or unn e c ess ar y The p atern al supervision

.

an d ge n e r o sity Of the s ove r eign made the cr iti cis m ,

or eve n the dis c ussi on Of publi c a ff a i r s i rks ome nu

, ,

grateful dan ger ous Ther e bein g n o lon ger an y

,
.

in c en tive to p ro gr es s s ociety in Obedien c e to the

, ,

or g an i c l aw o f its existen c e beg a n to ra pidly r etro ,

grade t owar ds bar bar ism; a con dition to which the

divi sion Of the pe o ple in t o c astes—n o ble plebeian , ,

merc an tile milit ar y an d s ac er d ot al— gr e atly c on

, ,

tributed Th r ough ide as Of mistaken piety an d

.
,

allu r ed by the p r o spe c t o f idlen ess an d comp arative

e ase a multitude o f able bo died men had withdrawn

,
-

fr om the o ccup ation s o f ac tive life to the se clusion

o f the c l o ister when c e they issued a t i n te r v als when
, ,

summon ed to r aze s ome P agan temple ; to in fluen c e ,

by the terror Of their pr esen c e the v ac illa tin g spirit ,

o f an e cc lesi a sti c a l a ssembly ; o r to w r e ak the pitiless

ven ge an c e o f their superio r s up on s ome virtuous

philo s o pher wh o se in telli gen c e w as n o t p r o found
en ough to gr a sp the me an in g o f a the o lo gical my s
tery . The en ter pr isin g gen eral w ho had raised him
self fr om a subor din ate comman d in B rit ain to the
imper ial th ron e an d w ho for r e as on s o f state p oli cy
, , ,

had a d o pted an d made c ompuls or y the c er emon i al Of

a r el igi on wh o se ben ign p r e c epts the b a se
pro fli g acy
Of his whole life in sulted p ossessed at le ast the stern,

an d r ugged vi r tues o f a s oldie r His e ff emin ate de .

s c en d an ts h o wever b oth ig n oran t an d car el e ss o f the

, ,

ar ts O f w ar an d g o ver n me n t an d devo ted to the

pr ac
,
74 HIS T ORY OF TH E

suc h of the f amous str uc tur es Of the an cien ts as su r

v iv e d were used as qu ar r ies when c e we r e der ived ,

the materi als for the b asilic a an d the p a lac es Of the

we althy an d luxur i ous p at ri ar c h an d bish o p But .

this un h a ppily w as n ot the wor st o f the p r ev alen t

, ,

evils Of the time An or g an ized c on spirac y ag ain st

.

learn in g existed an d w as mo st ac tive i n th o se qu arter s

,

wher e educ ati on h o wever imper fe ct sh ould at le ast

, ,

h ave suggested the imp or tan c e Of pr eservin g the

p ric eless r emain s o f an tiquity The ar t Of makin g .

p ar chmen t had with man y o ther useful in ve n tion s

, ,

been lo st an d in con sequen c e wr itin g materi als had

, , ,

bec ome r ar e an d expen sive The mon k to o idle to .

,

in ven t but ever r e ady to destr o y s oon devised mean s

, ,

f o r supplyin g this defic ien c y I n v adi n g the publi c .

libr aries he diligen tly collec ted al l the av ailable man u

,

s cr ipts up on whi ch wer e in s cr ibed the th oughts of

c l a ssi c w r ite r s —O f wh om man y ar e n ow on ly k n own

to us by n ame—an d e r a sin g the c h ar ac te r s used their

, ,

p ages to r e cor d the legen ds Of his spur i ous s ain ts an d

a p oc r yph al mar tyr s I t is n ot beyon d the ran ge Of
.

p ro b ability th at the origin al b o oks Of the N ew Test a

men t fallin g dur in g these evil da ys in to the h an ds Of
,

per s o n s ign or an t o f Gr eek may h ave un dergon e a ,

similar fate ; whi ch hyp o thesis may als o acc o un t f or

the thir ty tho us an d di ff e r en t r e adin gs Of which
le arn ed divin es admit th at the G o spels an d E pistle
ar e sus c eptible The man ifold an d p r o digious
.

a c hieve men ts o f R oman c iviliz a ti o n — its p al a c es its ,

temples its amphithe atr es its a quedu cts its tri

, , ,

u mphal a r ches ; its maj esti c f oru ms with thei r co lon ,

n a des Of s n o wy mar ble a d o r n ed with the st a tues Of

the hero es the philo s o pher s the legisl at or s o f an

, ,

ti qu ity ; its milit ar y r oa ds ; its mar vels Of me c h an i cal

en gin eer in g ; its magn ific en t works o f ar t ; its eter n al
mon umen ts o f liter atur e ; the gr ac eful legen ds o f its
mythology per petuated by the gen ius Of the s culptor
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 75

in e ti on s Of un r ivalled ex c ellen c e ; the glowin g

cr a

wor ds Of its or ator s whi ch stir the blo od a fter the

lapse Of twen ty c en tur ie s ; the p r estige Of its con
quests ; the wise pr in ciples Of its c ivil p olity g en ,

erall y e n lighten ed Often aud ac io us always suc c es s

,

ful—wer e but tr ifles i n the eyes o f the deb as ed

,

Byzan tin e when comp ar ed with a fr agmen t o f the

true cr o s s or a h o mily pr e ached by s ome un cle an
,

an d f an a ti c a n c h o r ite up on the met aphysi cal s u bl eti es

o f the T r i n ity o r the theo l o gi c al v alue o f a diphth on g .

S uch then w a s the c on diti on o f the Christi an

, ,

Chur ch an d the Byz an tin e E mpi r e at the c lo se o f

the sixth c en tur y ; to such a deplor able exten t had
b arb ar i an en cr oachmen t s o c ial cor r uptio n an d sec
, ,

t ar i an con tr over sy u n der min ed the fo u n d ation Of b oth

Chur ch an d S tate I n s pite Of its degr a dati on the
.
,

latter r ep r es en ted the highest emb odimen t o f men t al

cultur e an d p oliti c al or g an iz ati o n whi ch ha d s u r vived

the in c ess an t depr edation s o f b ar b ar i an armie s an d

the demo r alizin g e ff ec ts Of gen eratio n s o f mi s rule ;
wher e the ch ar acter Of the mon arch both befor e an d ,

a fte r his elev a ti on to the th r on e w a s d o min ated by

,

the p assi on s an d in fe cted with the vice s o f the mo st

wicked an d in famo us o f man kin d Th rough out E u .

ro pe the st ate O f a ff ai r s w as eve n mor e deplor able .

The G o ths wer e master s Of the con tin en t an d the ,

Van dals t raver sin g the S p an ish Pen in sula an d

,

plan tin g their vic tor ious st an dar ds up on the n orth

er n coast o f Afr i c a had a fter the c ommi s s i o n Of
, ,

atr o c ities whi c h h ave ma de thei r n ame p r ove r bi a l ,

dr iven the des c en dan ts o f H ann ib al an d H amilc ar

in to the deser t an d the s ea The s choo ls Of Athen s
.

—th at s ole r emain in g seat Of philoso phic al dis cus

sion an d fr ee in quir y in the wor ld— had been sup
pr essed a hun dr ed an d fifty ye ar s befor e by Ju s
, ,

tin ian The des c en dan ts Of the C aes ar s stripped o f

. ,

their splen did inh eritan c e an d r educ ed to degr adin g

76 HIST ORY OF TH E

v ass al age co wer ed ben e ath the s cowlin g glan c es Of

,

the skin clad s avages w ho had issued in co untless

-

n umbe r s from the fo r ests Of Ge rman y an d the sh o r es

Of the B alti c The effig i es o f the go ds the ma ster

. ,

pie c es Of the skill o f the August an ag e had been ,

tu mbled fr om thei r pedest als an d the f eti chis m in tro ,

d u ced by the st ran ge r s had bee n supe r seded by a

corr upt for m Of Ch r isti an ity s c ar c ely less c on temp

tible an d fully as idol atr ous Rome had twi ce been .

s acked ; Mil an had been razed to the groun d ; pro s

peron s s e ap or ts had f allen in t o dec ay ; the f air est
fields Of I t aly had been ma de des o late her highways ,

wer e over gr own with g ra ss her a quedu cts wer e

'
,

broken he r fer tile C amp agn a on c e the p ar adise Of

, ,

the c a pit al had be come a pestilen ti al mar sh wh ose

, ,

v apor s wer e fr eighted with dise ase an d de ath .

Amon g the miser able h alf famished an d t ur hu ,

-
,

len t po pul ation o f the c ities ri o t an d seditio n wer e ,

fr equen t but wer e h ar dly n o tic ed by the h aughty

,

b ar bar ian r uler s o lon g as the outbr e ak did n ot ser i

,

ou sl y men ac e his life o r his dig n ity Civil w ar r e .

,

l en tl e s s i n a t r oc ity completed the dev ast ati on begun

,

by b ar b ar i c con quest an d ser vile ty r ann y The ar my .

,

filled with tra ito r s O ff e r ed n o warr an t fo r the s ta

,

bility Of g o ve rn me n t I n former s th at pest o f a de

.
,

ca de n t st ate swar med in the Byz an tin e c a pit al

, Op .

p r essive t ax ation en forc ed by t or tur e imp over ished

, ,

the Opulen t P romis cuous mass acr e in stituted up on

.
,

the most fr ivo lous pr etexts in timid ated the p o or ,

.

Ther e w a s n o lo yalty n o sen se o f n ation al h on or n o

, ,

a pp r e c i ati on o f the mutu al Oblig ati on s o f p r in c e an d

pe o ple The marti al spir it whi ch had been the dis

.

tin g ui s hin g c h arac te r isti c Of an c ie n t Rome w as ex

tin c t The pro verbi al dis c ipli n e Of the legio n s had
.

been supplan ted by li c en se an d dis or der I mmun ity .

from f or eign in cursio n w as se cur ed by the ig n o

mi n ious an d Obn o xious expedien t Of tr ibute Yet .
,
78 HIST ORY OF TH E

It is a ls o st ated in the mo st anc ien t chron ic les th at

a p r o phet c alled Ah med or M o h ammed ,
had for ,

ce n tur ies been expe c ted in Ar abi a whe r e the G o spels ,

we r e widely distr ibuted ; an d it is ther efor e p o ssible

th a t a wor d wr itten in an un kno wn t on gue a tho u ,

s an d miles from Mec c a may h ave had n o in con sid er

,

a ble sh ar e in dete rmi n in g the p o liti c al an d r eligio us

destin ies o f a lar ge p or ti on Of the hu man rac e .

Al l thin gs con sider ed perh aps n o mor e auspi c i ous

,

time c ould h ave been sele cted f or the an n oun c emen t

o f a system Of belief whi c h b ased its c l ai ms to public

a tte n ti on up on the spe c i o us ple a th at it w as n ot an

inn ov ation but a r eform the pur ific ati on Of a mo de

, ,

Of wo r ship which had been pr actised f or ages I t is .

usu ally f ar e asier because mo r e con s on an t with the

,

pr ej udic es Of h u man n atur e to in tr o duc e an en tir ely

,

n e w r eligi on th an to en g ra f t c h an ges n o matte r how ,

ben efic ial up on the ol d M an kin d r eg ar ds with e ager

,
.

c u r i o sity a r e c en t commu n i cati on f rom He ave n yet ,

in stin c tively shr in ks fr om se r i ous in ter fer e n c e with

the time hon or ed c er emon ia l an d r ever ed t r a dition s o f
a p o pul ar an d lon g —
-

est abli shed f aith But in Ar abia .

,

as has al r e a dy been r emar ked while the r e we r e i n n u,

mer abl e shr in es an d temples an d a h o st o f ido ls there ,

w a s in r e ality n o deep se ated r eli gi o us feelin g

-
The .

p r ev alen t wor ship w a s main t ain ed th r ough the in flu

en c e o f lon g ass oci ation rather th an by an y gen er al
belief in its truth its wisdom or its ben efits The
, , .

c l a i ms Of ki n d r ed , the main ten an c e o f tr ib al h on or ,

a n d the i n ex orable oblig ati on o f r even ge had far

gr eater weight with the B edouin th an the r espect he
o wed to the f actiti ou s Obser v an c es o f his c r eed or the

d oubtful ven e rati on he p r o fessed f or the inn umerable

deities Of his p an theon The absur dity o f thei r attri
.

butes the in ability o f their go ds to c h an ge or to r esist

,

the Oper ati on s o f n atur e had lon g been t ac itly r e co g

,

n ize d by the A r abs Their idols p arto ok o f the c h ar

.
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E U RO PE 79

ac ter o f the feti ch wh ose favor w as p ro pitiated with

,

gifts wh ose obstin acy w as pun ished by vio len c e

, .

Lon g f amili arity had lessen ed or en tir ely abr o g ated

the aw e with whic h they had on c e been r eg ar ded The .

system whi ch they r epr e s en ted had f allen behin d the

in telligen c e o f the a g e limited though th at might be
,

amidst the pr ej udi c e s an d s uper s titi on s o f the Deser t .

A wide sp r ea d an d silen t but n on e the le s s vehemen t

-
, ,

protest again st p o lytheism had ar isen At n o time .

i n the histor y Of the Pen in s ul a had been evin c ed such

a disp ositio n f or r e c on c ili a ti on an d c omp r omise In .

Ar a bia ther efor e a s well a s in the other co un tr ies o f

, ,

As i a the se as on w as emin en tly pr o pitio us to the

,

pr omulgation o f a n ew r eligio n .

The ign or an c e o f the n atur al t alen ts gen eral c har

,

ac ter i s ti c s a n d d a ily h a bit s o f the P r o phet o f Ar a bi a

,

almo st u n iver s ally p r ev a len t even amo n g per s on s

,

o f edu c ati on an d o f mor e th an or din ar y i n telle c tu al

a tt a in men ts i s ext rao r din ar y ; espec i ally when the

,

abun d an t f ac ilitie s for i n fo rmati on up on these p oi n ts

are co n side r ed .N O n ame in histor y has been sub

j ec ted to s uch fier c e as s aults by s e ctari an bigotr y an d
theological r an c or as his The po pular ide a Of MO
.

h ammed is th at he w as a vulgar impo stor li c en tious , ,

c unn i n g , br utal an d un s crupul ous ; per io dic ally in

,

s an e fro m r epe ated att acks Of epilepsy ; given to the

pr ac ti c e o f fr audulen t mi r ac les ; a mon ster w ho hesi ,

tate d at n o cr ime th at wou ld fu r ther his en d s ; w ho

wro te a book c alled the K oran which is full o f s en s u al
,

images an d des cr ibes he aven as a plac e espe ci ally set

,

a p ar t for the un r estr i c ted i n dulgen c e Of the an i ma l

p as sion s I n former times public c r edulity wen t still

.

far the r an d Chr isti an wr iter s Of the eleven th c en tur y

, ,

an d even l ate r we r e i n the h abit Of r ep r e s en ti n g the

,

gr eatest o f i con oclasts—w ho ex c epted fr om the clem

en c y o f the vi ct or on ly the a dor er s Of fi re an d o f
ido ls—as a f als e g od ; a con c eption which in di cated ,
80 HIST ORY OF TH E

by the f amili ar wor d mummery has b een in c or ,

por ated in t o ou r l an gu age After war ds he w as con .

s i d er e d mer ely a s a p r o p a g at or o f her esy an d pun , ,

i she d as su ch he figur es i n the immor t a l wor k o f

,

D an te
P oi c he l
’
un p i e p er g i r s en e s os p es e
,

M ao metto ;

an d , fin ally the absur dity Of ign oran c e h avi n g r e ached

,

its culmin ati on he w as des cr ibed as a c amel thief an d

,
-
,

a n a p o st ate c ar di n a l w ho p r e ac hed a spu r i o us d oc tr in e

thr ough en vy be cause he had failed to r e ach the

,

co veted dig n ity Of P o pe " M o tives o f e c c lesi a sti c al

j e alousy an d r eligi ous in t o ler an c e led als o to the sup

p r ession Of in for mation an d the falsificati on o f truth
r espe c ti n g the K o r an H ar dly o n e per s o n in ten .

th o us an d has r ead a tr an sl ation Of it ; i n deed this feat ,

ha s been r epe atedly de cl ar ed an i mp o ssibi lity o n ac ,

coun t O f the mon o t on o us an d p r o s a i c c h ar ac te r o f its

con ten t s ; n or has o n e f or eig n er in a milli on pe rused

the or igin al whi ch it may be a dded c an n o t b e appr o

, , ,

pr i ately r e n de r ed i n t o an o ther t on gue

'
N O c omplete .

r en diti on o f this f amous b ook i n t o a livi n g l a n gu a ge

w as ma de f o r eleve n hun d r ed ye ar s a fte r the de ath

Of M o h ammed an d t o d ay n ot mor e th an a d ozen v er
,

sion s all t old exist I t has been mor eover a r ule

, , .
, , ,

sub j e ct to but few ex c eptio n s an d th o se Of r e c en t d ate ,

th at tr an s latio n s c ommen t ar ies an d an alyses o f the

, ,

K or an edited by misbelieve r s h ave been wr itten with

, ,

the exp r ess design Of c astin g Odium up on the P ro phet

an d his fo ll o we rs Un der such un f avor able c ir cum
.

s t an c es an i mp ar ti al ex amin a ti o n o f the d oc t r i n es Of
,

I sl am w as i mp o ssible to on e n ot ver sed i n Ar abi c an d ,

the publi c min d whi ch r e c eived its imp r essi on o f such

,

subj e cts l ar gely fr om the pulpit o bstin ately r efused ,

to con side r an y view whi c h w a s at v ar i an c e with its

pr e con c eived Opin ion s T o Obt ain a c ompeten t ide a .
82 HIS T ORY OF TH E

by w ar sedition The K or eish mor eo ver aspir ed

or .
, ,

to a st ate o f petty s o ver eign ty ; they desp a t ched em

b as s ie s to the n eighb or i n g tr ibes ma de tr e aties es tab
, ,

li she d r egul a ti on s fo r the dep ar tu r e an d arr iv al o f

car av an s ,whi c h se cur ed an or g an ized an d con se ,

quen tly a mor e s a fe an d p ro fit able tr affic with sur ,

roun di n g n a ti on s a n d exe r c ised a n omin al j u r i s d i c

,

tion in both c ivil an d r eligi ous matter s over the en tir e

Pen in sula E lated by their suc c ess an d by the hom
.
,

a g e u n iver s ally p aid them they b oldly abro g ated

,

man y O f the an c ien t c er emo n ies conn e c ted with the

n ati on al w or ship a n d substituted o the r s bette r c al eu
,

lated fo r the adv an c emen t Of their pe cun iar y in ter ests

o r the g ratifi cati o n o f thei r p o li ti c a l ambiti on S ome .

o f these n ew r egul atio n s we r e un j ust an d a s ma

y be , ,

e asily c on j e c tur ed wer e acc epted with gr e at r elue

,

t an c e by a p o pulation so Opp o sed to in n o v ation an d

imp atien t o f r estrain t as th at o f Ar abi a ; an d the
f ac t th at they wer e a do pted with out ser i ous disturb
an c e sho ws con c lusively th a t the att ac h me n t o f the

Ar ab to the go ds o f his coun tr y b or e n o app r o ximate

r a ti o to the aw e with whi c h he r eg ar ded their p o we r ful

gu ar dian s I n time h owever the r ivalr y o f in flu

.
, ,

en ti al Chieft a i n s o f the v ar i o us divisi o n s Of the tr ibe

pr oduc ed mutu al distrust an d en mi ty ; dissen sion s

became fr equen t an d the n ation al in fluen c e Of the
,

K or eish whi ch the he ar ty cO Oper ation o f their lea ders

,
-

co uld a lon e sust a in beg an to be se r i o usly i mp ai r ed

, .

O f on e Of the h aughtiest c lan s Of this distin guished

tr ibe—the Ben i H ashem—w as b orn in the year 5 70
-

Of the Ch r isti an er a M oh ammed kn own to misbe

, ,

l i ev e r s as the F alse P r o phet an d to the M o sle ms as

,

the Messen ger Of G o d A str an g e f at ality which is

.
,

eviden tly b ased up on s omethin g mor e subst an tial th an

the un c er t ain auth or ity Of tr aditio n a ppe ar s to h ave ,

atten ded his f amily b o th befor e an d a fte r his b i r th .

The h ouseh old o f his gran dfather Abd al M u ttali b ,

- -
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 83

a lthough it con t ain ed sever al d aughter s could boast

Of on ly on e son —
,

a c i rcums t an c e whi ch to a man o f

, ,

n oble bi r th in a cou n tr y like Arabi a wher e a c hief

, ,

tain s con siderati on w as foun ded up on the n u mber Of

’

his male des c en d an ts wher e female r elatives wer e

,

c l assed with c amels a n d h or se s a s ch attels an d we r e ,

Often buried al ive to get r id Of them w as lo oked upon ,

as a disg ra c e as well a s a misf or tun e I n bitter n ess .

o f Spi rit the sheik bet o o k hi ms elf to the K a ab a an d

, ,

in voked the aid o f H ob al the pr esidin g gen ius o f the

,

assembled deities Of the n ati o n At the co n clusion Of

.

his suppli c ation s he pro mised th at if ten son s shoul d ,

be b orn to him o n e o f them sho uld be s acrific ed upon

,

the alt ar o f the g o d The p rayer w as an swe r ed an d

.
,

in due time i n ex orable r eligio us Oblig atio n deman ded

the fulfil men t o f the v o w Acco mp an ied by hi s s o n s
.
,

Abd al M u ttalib a g ain a ppro ached the s hrin e o f H o

- -

bal an d the c ust omar y l ots h avin g been c a st the g o d

, ,

made cho ic e o f Abd allah w ho sub s equen tly be came ,

the father o f M oh ammed Abdallah w as the f avorite .

o f his p ar en ts an d the id ol o f his kin d r ed ; hi s man n e r s

possessed a r ar e fas c in atio n ; he ex c elled the mo st

accomplished Of his tr ibe in the ar t s o f po et r y a n d

elo quen c e an d his man ly be auty has been c elebr ated

,

by the extravag an t p r aise o f his coun trymen Ap .

p alled at the pr os pe ct o f losin g his be s t beloved c hild

Abd al —
-
,

M u ttali b w as in desp air when the shr ewdn ess

-
,

Of a female divin er pr op o sed an in gen ious s olution

Of the difficulty The established compen s ation for
.

homicide when the in jur ed f amily w as willin g to ao

,

c ept on e w as ten c amels ; an d the p r o phetess sug

,

gested th at Abd al M u ttalib ag ain con sult the deity

- -
,

in the h o pe that he might be p ro pitio us an d c o n sen t

to r e c eive the less v alu able s acr ific e The mysti c .

arrows we r e on c e mor e sh aken an d dr awn an d for , ,

the sec on d time Abd all ah w as devo ted to de ath The

,
.

father do ubled the n umber Of c amels with the s ame

84 HIS T ORY OF TH E

r esult ; but n othin g daun ted per sever ed un til the

, ,

ten th l ot ha d been d r aw n when the g o d deign ed to ,

a cc ept the co stly r ans om Thus up on the cast o f a .

die depen ded the r egen er ation Of the Ar abian peo ple ,

the con quest an d subver sion o f the Byz an tin e and

P er si an empir es the i mpulse Of mo dern s c ien tific
,

in qu ir y an d the futur e h o pes o f the M o slem world "

,

M oh ammed w as a p o sthumous child His father .

died while on a j ourn ey to Medin a an d left to his ,

wido w Amin a little s ave the memor y o f his domestic

vi r tues an d a r eput ati on for man ly cour a ge an d un
,

blemished in tegrity The bo y p assed his e ar ly years

.
,

a s w a s the c usto m at Me cc a with on e Of the tribes ,

Of the Deser t wher e the coarse f ar e an d active life Of

,

the Bed ouin develo ped an d str en gthen ed a fr ame

n a tur ally r o bust an d vig o r o us At the ag e o f five he .

r etu r n ed to his mo the r s h ome wher e with in a few’

, ,

mon ths he w as left an o r ph an His gran dfather

,
.

Abd al M u ttalib then t oo k ch ar ge o f him un til the

- -

death o f the for mer tw o ye ar s a fter war ds when ,

M oh ammed w as t aken in to the f ami ly Of his un cle

Abu T alib The succ essive ber eavemen ts o f r elatives
-
.

to wh om he w as dev o tedly att ached had n o s mall e ff ect

in dete rmi n i n g the c h ar ac ter o f the futu r e P r o phet ,

al r e ady th o ughtful an d r eser ved bey ond his ye ar s an d ,

imp ar ted a per man en t tin ge o f s a dn ess to his life .

When he gr ew Older he w as emplo yed by his un cle

a s a shepher d an o cc up ati on con side r ed by the Arabs
,

a s deg r a di n g an d o n ly p ro pe r to be exe r cised by

,

slaves an d women I n his twen ty sixth year his h and

.
-

s ome f ac e an d figur e an d his r eput ation f or h on esty

, ,

whic h had ac quir ed for him the fl atter in g title Of

Al Am in
”
-
The F aithful attr ac ted the a tten tion Of
, ,

Kh a di j ah a wealthy wido w an d a dist an t r elative

, ,

w ho made him a p ro p o s al Of marr i age whi ch he ,

acc epted Kh adi j ah w as fo r ty ye ar s Old an d had

.
,

alr e ady been twi c e marr ied ; yet for twe n ty fi v e ye ars -
86 HIS T ORY OF TH E

misgui ded u t ymen His c onver ts in the b egin

co n r .

nin g wer e ver y few an d c omp osed Of the member s of

his own fami ly his wi fe bein g the fir st b eli ever The
,
.

n ew d oc t r i n es made sl ow p r o gr ess ; a pp r ehen si on Of

the summar y inter fe ren c e o f the ruling p o wer s made

the pr o selytes cautious an d they r ehe ar sed its texts
,

b ehind l ocked d oor s an d i n the most pr ivate ap art

ments Of their houses At the expiration O f four
.

ye ar s the a dher en ts Of I slam had only r e ached the

insignifican t n umber o f thirty ni n e s ouls But n ow -
.

Moh ammed grew b older ; exp oun ded his d o ctr in es be

for e the K aab a itself ; Open ly a dv ocated the destruo
tion o f idols an d denoun c ed the unb elievin g Arabs
,

as devo ted to the h orror s o f eve r l asti n g fi r e The im .

p assion ed oratory Of the Gr e at Reformer had at first

n o appr e c i a ble e ff e c t M o st o f his audi tor s r eg arded
.

him as un de r the influ en c e o f an evil spir it ; some ridi

cu l ed o the r s r eviled him; but r espe c t for his fam
, i ly
an d a wh o lesome dr e ad o f bl oo d r even ge p r ote cted -

him fr om se ri ous vi olen c e I n vain did he depi ct in

.

wor ds Of thr illin g elo quen c e the j o ys O f heaven an d

the tortu r es o f hell ; his exho r tations wer e lo st upon
the skeptical Ar ab wh o s e r eli gion w as a matter of
,

heredit ar y custom an d w ho in c ommon with the

, ,

other me mber s Of the S emi ti c r ac e had n o belief ih ,

an existen c e beyond the g r a ve At len gth his de .

n un ci ati on s b e c ame so fur i o us as to r aise a

ppr ehen
sions amon g the K or eish tha t their p olitic al su prem
as well a s the lu c r ative emp l oymen ts O f their
'

a cy ,

Offic es mi ght be en d an ger ed A solemn deputation

Of the chiefs o f the tribe wa ited upon Abu —
.
,

T alib the ,

he ad o f the fami ly to which M oh ammed belonged ,

an d de man ded th at the d ar in g ap o st ate sh o uld b e de

liver ed over to their ven ge an c e This Abu Talib .

-
,

alth ough himself an ido l a ter without hesit ati on de

, ,

c lin ed to d o an d
, in c on sequen c e of his r efus al the
, ,

entir e cl an o f the Beni H ashem w as plac ed under an

-
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 87

in terdic t N O on e would tr a de or ass oci ate with its

.

member s an d for tw o ye ar s they wer e imprison ed in

,

a qu ar te r Of the c ity by themselves wher e they en ,

dur ed gr e at h ar dships N o thin g can exhibit mor e

.

promi n en tly the family att ac hmen t o f the Ar ab an d

his high sen se Of hon or than the self s acrifi ce implied -

by this even t for it must n ot be for gotten th at the

,

large maj o r ity o f th ose w ho su ff er ed wi th M oh am

med had n o con fiden c e in the tr uth Of his mi ssion but ,

wer e still devo ted to the idolatrous an d b ar b aro us r ites

Of the an cien t f aith .

The cause Of I sl am had r ec eived a sever e blow an d ,

the thr e ats an d armed ho s tility Of i ts a dver s aries b o ded

ill for i ts futur e succ ess The M oslems w ho did n ot
.

belon g to the K or eish s ought r efuge with the Chr is

ti an kin g o f Abys s in ia w ho per empto rily r efused to
,

surr en der them up on the deman d Of an embas sy from

Mecca At len gth thr ough very sh ame the in ter dic t
.
, ,

w as r emoved ; the member s Of the imp r is o n ed b an d

c ame for th on c e mor e to mi n gle with thei r t o wn s men ,

an d the exiles we r e pe rmitted to r etur n i n pe ac e But .

per se cution had n ot in timidated M oh ammed an d his ,

c o n demn ati on Of ido l atr y an d its supp or ter s in c r e a sed

in vio len c e His un cle an d pro te c tor Abu T alib

.
,
-
,

havi n g died his p osition d aily be came mor e c r itic al

,
.

A fortun ate occurr en c e h o wever s oon Open ed an , ,

aven ue o f es cape S ome ye ar s befor e a h an dful o f

.
,

the peo ple o f Medin a had s e cr etly embr ac ed his d oc

trin es an d sworn feal ty to him as their temp oral
s over eign Their n umbers had gr e atly in cr eas ed an d
.
,

n ow i n a cc ept an c e o f an i n vit a ti on ten de r ed him by

,

these zealous pr o selytes M oh ammed p r ep ar ed to ,

withdr aw from the midst Of his en emie s to the pr o f

fer ed asylum at Medin a The inh abit an ts Of the
.

latter c ity w ho wer e pr in c ip ally ag ric ultur i s ts wer e

, ,

he ar tily despised by the Meccan s w ho con sider ed ,

every occup ation but those o f w ar plun der an d the , ,

88 HIS TORY OF TH E

c he atin g o f pilgrims derog at or y to the dignity Of an

Ar ab The ir r econ cilable r ivalr y b etween the tw o
.

p r in c ip al to wns o f the H e d j az had mu ch to d o with

the ado ption Of I slam by the M edi n e s e The in flu .

en c e Of the nu mer ous Jews o f Medi n a had mater iall y

a ff e c ted the r eligi on o f th a t l oc ali ty an d thei r pr e ,

di c tion s Of the speedy comi n g o f the Messi ah an d ,

the best o wal Of the p ossessi on s Of the G en tiles up on

his chosen pe o ple had attr acted the atten ti on an d at
, ,

times aroused the fe ar s Of the idolater s Of th at city ,

.

When ther efor e the r epo r t w as c ircul ated th at a

, ,

pr o phet had ar isen at Mecca the M ed in e s e n aturally ,

c o n c luded th a t he must be the Messi ah expe c ted by

the Hebr ews an d they determin ed to f or est all the

,

latter by bein g the fir st to exten d to him a welcome ,

an d ther eby se c ur e his f av or I t w as fr om these .

motives th at the a lli an c e between M o h ammed an d

the citizen s Of Me di n a w as con c luded ; an alli an ce
wh o se r esults wer e little an tic ip ated by the p arties
to its p r o visio n s an d wh o se i mp o r tan c e has been
,

dis clo sed by the por ten t ous events o f man y su bse
quen t c en tur ies I n telligen ce o f this p ro c eeding
.

h avin g r e ached the K or eish they pr ep ar ed f or de ,

c i s iv e me asu r es a n d held a me etin g in whi ch witho ut

, , ,

a pp ar en tly t aki n g an y p r e c a uti on s to con c e al thei r

design the ass assin ation Of M oh ammed w as r es olved

,

upon The latter h avin g r e c eived timely war n in g

.
, ,

es c aped by n ight with his fr ien d Abu Bekr an d

,
-
, ,

c on c e aled i n a cave i n the mo un t a i n s eluded the v i g i ,

l an c e Of his en emies un til a few d ays a fter war ds they

f ou n d mean s to r e ach Medin a This even t o c curr ed .

in the ye ar 6 2 2 A D an d markin g the er a o f the H e

. .
, ,

gir a or F li ght is as is well kn o wn the st artin g

, , ,

p oin t Of M o slem ch r on olo gy I ts usefuln ess how .

,

ever an ticip ated its legality for th r ee hun dr ed ye ars

, ,

an d it w as n ot publi cly a uth or ized by l aw un til the

ten th c en tur y .
90 HIST ORY OF TH E

p r estige o f M oh ammed n ow gr ew a p ac e ; t ribe a fter

tribe j o in ed his st an dar d ; dist an t p rin c es sen t him
co stly gifts a n d v o lunt ar ily ten der ed their all eg i
an c e ; a n d in the ye ar 6 30— the eighth Of the Hegi ra
—he prep ar ed for the in vasion Of the s acr ed territory
an d the con quest o f Me cc a O n ly a sh o r t time befor e
. ,

gu ar ded by tw o faithful c omp an ion s he had fled fr om ,

the H oly City with a r ewar d o f a hun dr ed c amels an d

fo r ty oun ces o f go ld upon his he ad ; n ow he r eturn ed
in ro y al st ate at the he a d o f ten th o us an d w arr i or s
, ,

mo st Of wh om wo uld h ave gl adly laid do wn their lives

a t his c omman d an d al l o f wh om a c k n o wledged him
,

to be the Ap o s tle Of G o d Befor e this imp o sin g ar

.

ray i n spi r ed with the fe r vo r o f r eligi o us e n thusi a s m

, .

r e s i s t a n c e w as h o peless The peo ple fled to their

.

h ouses an d to the s an ctu ar y o f the temple an d the ,

in vadin g army o cc upied the c ity The r ights an d

.

pr o perty o f the c itizen s wer e r espec ted ; ther e w a s n o

mass acr e an d n o pill age ; n o vio len c e w as O ff e r ed ex ,

c ept to the i ma ges o f the K a ab a whi c h we r e sh atte r ed

,

to pie c es with o ut del ay or Opp o siti on for the ido late r s ,

viewed with but little emo tion the dest r uc tion o f the
tutelar y deities Of man y gen er ation s who se in ability ,

to p r o te c t their wor shipper s had been so sign ally d em

o n s tr ated
. With a magn an imity un equ alled in the
ann a ls o f w ar , a ge n e r al amn esty w a s p r ocl a imed ,

an d but f ou r pe r s o n s wh o se O ff en c es we r e c on sider ed
,

un p ar do n able su ff er ed the pen alty o f de ath When

, .

the v ar i ous c er emon ies c on se cr ated by the us a ge Of

c e n tu r ies an d desti n ed hen c ef or th to fo r m an i n teg ral

p ar t o f the M o slem r itual had been accomplished an d ,

the P agan alt ar s in the vic in ity Of Me cca had been

swept a way M oh ammed set f or th to subdue the re
,

main in g t ribes th at disputed his autho r ity A sin gle .

b attle suffic ed ; T ayif the s o le imp or t an t str on gh old

,

th at still held ou t v o lun t ar ily submitted a fter an u m

,

succ essful siege ; an d the sup r emac y Of the P ro phet

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 91

w as hen c efor th ackn owledged over the Arabian P en

in sula Thr ee mo n ths a fter the subj ugation o f Mec ca
.
,

M oh ammed w ho alr e ady seemed to h ave had a pr e

,

sen timen t Of his a ppr o achin g en d ac comp an ied by an ,

immen se multitude p er fOI med the pilgr ima ge whic h

,

his te achin gs en j oin ed as an in dis pen s able duty up on

all his fo ll o wer s Le avin g Mecc a for the la st time he
.
,

slowly r etrac ed his steps to the h ome o f his ado ptio n ,

who se peo ple mor e gen er ous th an his kin s men had
, ,

r ec eived an d p ro te c ted him whe n a per se c uted fugi

tive who se f action s he had r e con c iled w ho wer e

, ,

pro ud Of his r en own an d w ho despite his kin dn ess, ,

an d the n atur a l u r b an ity Of his man n e r s n ever f ailed ,

to app r o ach his p r esen c e with all the r eve r en ti al aw e

due to the p os s es s or o f divin e favor an d supern atu r al
p ower s His con stitution tho ugh or igin ally for tified
.
,

by abstin en c e an d a s imple diet had for ye ar s given ,

eviden c e Of debility an d de cay for his he alth had been ,

seriously imp air ed by p o is o n a dmin ister ed by a Jew

ish c aptive wh om his magn an imo us spir it r efused to
,

pun is h ; an d a fter a shor t illn ess he expir ed in the

, ,

arms o f hi s f av o r ite wife Ayesh a up on the eighth o f

, ,

J un e 6 3 2
, .

Ther e h ave been f ew gr e at actor s up on the stage

Of the wor ld the even ts o f who se lives h ave been s o
car efully p r ese rved as th o se Of M o h ammed a lth o ugh ,

n o n ative c o n temp o ra n e ou s w r iter ha s r e cor ded his

histor y An d yet ther e is n o man wh ose t alen ts raised

.

him to extr aor din ar y emin en c e who se deeds an d

who se ch aracter ar e s o un famili ar to Chr isti an r e ader s
a s his F e w kn o w him but as a s u cc es s ful imp o st or
. .

M an y believe him to h ave been an ido later Almo st .

all a ttr ibute to him i n dulgen c e in the mo st deg r adin g

of vic es —cr uelty av ar i c e li cen ti ousn ess

, , E ven , .

Chr istian vic er o ys w ho h av e lived lon g in M oh am

med an co un tr ies kn o w n o thin g Of the do ctr in es an d
the car eer Of on e o f the mo st r en o wn ed o f r efor mer s
92 HIS T ORY OF TH E

an d legislator s His p er s on al a ppe aranc e his ocen ,

—
.

p a ti o n s,his t a stes his we a,

k n esses eve n a str on g .

p ro o f o f the h on esty an d cr edibili ty o f the Mus

s u lman n ar ra tor s —h ave been r el a ted by the l a tte r

with s crupulous min uten ess His s ayin gs an d the

.

Opin ion s attributed to him embo died in the S un nah

, ,

are con sider ed by dev o ut M o sle ms a s se con d on ly in

s an ctity to the ver ses o f the K or an an d h ave given ,

r ise to the ama zin g n umber Of six hu n dr ed th o us an d

tr a dition s whi ch lab or ious commen t at ors h ave seen

,

pr o per up on do ubtful eviden c e to r edu c e to four

, ,

tho us an d th a t may be r elied up on a s gen uine The .

study Of the K or an h owever a ff or ds a better in sight

, ,

in to the ch ar ac ter o f the P ro phet th an the un c ertain

an d suspi c i ous testi mon y o f the S u nn ah I t is the .

mi rror in whi c h ar e r efle c ted the s i n ce r e con vi cti on s ,

the lo fty aims the po litic al exper imen ts the domestic

, ,

t r oubles the h o pes an d a pp r ehen sion s whi ch through

, ,

man y tr i als an d per plexities in fluen c ed the min d an d

,

dir ec ted the movemen ts Of the a uthor in his car eer ,

fr om the p osition o f a simple c itizen Of Me cca to the

ex alted dign ity Of s ole ru ler o f Ar abi a The estimate .

o f M o h ammed i n the S u n n a h whi c h has bee n tr an s,

mitte d by his e ar ly ass oc i ates w ho kn ew him well an d

,

d a ily Observed his con duc t in the time O f his Obs curity ,

is n ever theless en titled to f ar mo r e c r edit th an an y

Opin ion th at may h ave been fo rmed with out the assist
an c e o f tr aditi o n by the mo st c a p a ble s c h o l ar a fte r the

l apse o f even a sin gle c en tur y But un for tun ately in

.
,

man y in st an c es thei r a c co un ts h ave been so co r rupted

,

by the f abulous embellishmen ts o f subsequen t c om

men tators a s to det r act mu ch fr om their un do ubted
histor i cal v alue .

The mo st c on spi cu ous trait Of M o h ammed w as his

abs o lute in flexibility Of pu r p o se F r om the h our .

when he fir st commun ic ated to Kh adij ah his beli ef

in his missi on th rough the lon g an d we ar y ye ar s Of
,
94 HIST ORY OF TH E

of the n ation al wo r ship would n atu rally pr ej udic e

them ag ain st in n ov ation s whi ch must in evit ably d
ish their p ower an d cur t ail their emo lumen ts Their .

we alth w as n ot in fer ior to their illustrious des c en t an d

thei r p olitic al an d r eligious in fluen c e S ome o f them
.

wer e in cluded amon g the mo st Opulen t c itizen s Of

Mecc a The Jewi sh ap o st ates Of Medin a p ossessed
.

the pr o ver bi al th r ift an d in telligen c e o f their r a c e .

I n th at Hebr ew co l on y n on e st oo d highe r in publi c

estimatio n th an they The suc c e s s Of I slam demon
.

s tr ate d bey on d dispute the supe r i or ity o f its o r igi n al

pr o selytes in the ar ts o f st ates man ship n o less th an i n

the s c ien c e Of w ar Gr e at t alen ts wer e r equir ed to
.

en coun ter su cc essfully the exigen c ies whic h atten ded

its in stitution an d whic h a fter war ds r epe atedly men
,

ac ed its per man en c e . The high c h aracter Of such dis

c i pl es is a p o sitive i n di c a ti on Of the pu r ity o f thei r

motives an d the sin c er ity o f their belief M en ar e n o t

.

li able to be r e adily imp o sed up on by c laims to divin e

in spir ation asser ted by their in timate ass oci ates Dis .

t an c e an d myster y ar e f ar mor e pr o pitious to the

succ ess Of a r eligi o us te ac her th an the familiarity
whic h r esults fr om clo se ac qu ain t an c e an d diurn al
s cr utin y I t is a c ommo n error to attr ibute the spr e a d
.

Of M oh ammed an ism en tir ely to the a gen c y Of forc e .

Milit ar y su cc ess w as un doubtedly a p o wer ful f actor

i n the ac c o mplishmen t o f its destin y . The swor d w as
pe c uli ar ly esteemed in Ar abi a The steel o f whi ch
.

it w as c ompo sed w as in a c oun tr y wher e n o ir on w a s

,

pr o du c ed the mo s t v alu able Of met als The pro d ig

, .

ious n omen c latur e by whi ch th at we ap on w as distin

g u i s hed w as an i n di c ati on o f its n ati on a l imp o r t an c e ,

an d Of the p o te n c y o f its e ff e c ts e n te r t ain ed by tho se

by wh om it w a s wielded I t r ep r esen ted the mar ti al

.

s pi r it Of the A r a b
,
— the rulin g in c en tive o f his life ,

the in spiration o f his pr ed atory explo its the glory ,

Of a lon g su cc ession o f cher ished traditio n s A .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O PE 95

mystic sign ific an c e attach ed to it whic h in time , , ,

a ss u med a r eligi o us c h arac ter a n d r en de r ed its em

,

ploymen t accor din g to po pular belief ac c eptable to

, ,

the omn ip o ten t an d in visible Deity o f Ar abi a These .

idea s des c en ded to the M o s lems an d p ro mo ted in n o

, ,

s mall degr ee their en er gy an d their en thus iasm But

, .

for c e alon e c ould n ever h ave en abled a tumultuous

hor de Of b ar b ar ian s un accusto med to c on c erted
,

a c ti on an d i mp atie n t Of the r estr ai n t s Of milit ar y

dis ciplin e to over whel m th r ee gr e at empir es in less

,

th an a c en tur y The po lic y Of I slam w a s at fir st mor e

.

con c ili a tor y th an men ac i n g I t pr eferr ed to in culc ate

.

its pr in ciples by ar gumen t r athe r th an to pro voke

Opp o sition by in ve ctive I t dis cl aimed the in ven tion
.

o f n ew do gma s but lab or ed to r e con c ile its ten ets

,

with th o se o f its ven er ated pr edec es s or s I t d i s .

cou r a g e d p ro selytis m by vi olen c e Wh atever it could

.

n o t ab o li s h or mo dify it a do pted ; wh ateve r it c ould

,

n ot a pp r o p r i a te it r uthles sly destro yed N atio n al

, .

decr epitude ; the un ivers al dec ay o f r eligious belief ;

the dextero us a dapt ation o f alleged pr o phec y ; the
ho peless con diti on Of the devout terr ified by the ,

fier c e an imo sity Of con ten din g se c ts ; the impo s s i

bility o f a s c e r t ain i n g the c orr e c tn ess Of the G o spel
amidst the con fusi o n o f do ct r in es an d the mul tipli c ity

o f vers ion s ; the p olitic al dis or ders r esultin g fr om

b arb ar ian as c en den c y ; the abro gatio n o f the O ff en
s ive di s ti n c ti o n s o f c as te ; the myste r i o us f a s c i n ati on

whi ch atten ds the un kn ow n ; the pr os pect Of we alth

m
,

r en own , an d e pir e held ou t to aspirin g gen ius ; the

gu aran ty o f in depen den c e Of thought an d immuni ty
fr om per s ecution —grouped un der the b an n er o f MO
h ammed the dis or gan ized an d exh austed n ation s Of
the mediaev al world The ten or Of his li fe un til the
.

fir st r evelati on w as th at o f a man o f un impe ach able

morality Alr e ady in his youth he had been distin
.

g ui s he d by the sig n ifican t a ppell ati on Of The F a ith

96 HIS T ORY OF TH E

ful His mar it al r el ati on s un til a fter the de ath o f

.

Kh adij ah wer e w itho ut r ep roach ; a f act c on c eded

by his mo st implacable en emies A p r o foun d kn o wl .

edge Of human n atur e an appr e ci ation Of the spir it

,

u al r equ i r e men ts Of his co un tr ymen

—up on wh o se
mi n ds the do ctr in es Of Zor oaster an d o f Ch rist had
made n o perman en t i mp r ession — en abled him to f ab
r i c a te a system demon st r ated by expe r ien c e to be

a dmi r a bly fitted to the t aste the gen ius an d the

, ,

s uper stiti on Of the O r ien t al Witho ut a supr eme

.

con vi c ti on o f the ge n uin e n ess o f his missi on he c ould

n eve r h a ve i mp r essed his te a c hi n gs up on the min ds o f

the s atir i c al an d in c r edul ous Ar abs or h ave se cur ed ,

p ro selytes amon g his kin dr ed to wh om his daily in ,

ter cou r s e w ould h ave s o o n r eve aled se n timen ts an d

c o n du c t wh olly i n c on sisten t with his p r eten si o n s a s a

medium Of divin e auth or ity An d yet with al l the

.
,

sin c erity Of his c on vi c tio n s he th or oughly distr usted

,

hims elf He r epe atedly affirmed th at he w as but a

.

man a p r e ac he r a r efo rmer who se missio n w as the

, , ,

r egen er ati on an d the h appin ess o f man kin d I n .

spite Of his r e alistic des c ription s Of he aven an d hell ,

he de clar ed th at he w a s ign oran t o f wh at w as in st or e

fo r the s o ul a fte r de ath The spirit whi ch con s o li
.

d ated a hun dr ed v agran t tr ibes distr acted by the feuds

o f c en tu r ies de a f to O ff e r s Of c o mp r omise an d pe ac e
, ,

s o j e a lo us Of eve r y in fr i n gemen t o f the ir pe r s on al

liber ty th at they r esen ted even the ben ign an t an d

p atri arc h al rule o f their Chieft ain s in t o a p o wer ful ,

empir e ; whi ch n o ted the glar in g abs ur dities o f con

temp or an e ous cr eeds an d O ff er ed in their ste ad an
,

ide a o f the Deity s o simple an d yet s o comp r ehen sive

, ,

th at n o min d h owever big oted could con s cien tiously

, ,

r e j e c t it ; whi c h moulded i n t o an h ar mon i o us system

the j arr in g in ter ests o f an t ag on istic rac es an d by its , ,

maxims Of t oler ati on con cili ated th ose sec t ar ies who
,

deni ed the authen tic ity o f its p r in ciples an d r efus ed ,

98 HIST ORY OF TH E

en ed histor ic al cr itic ism had n ot alr e ady est ablished

beyon d con tr adiction that to the Byz an tin es w ho ,

en j o yed a wor ld w ide r eput ati on for accomplished

-

men d ac ity is to be attr ibuted the p o pular f able o f

,

the epilepsy Of M oh ammed .

I n pe r s on al a ppe ar an c e M oh ammed did n ot di ff er ,

fr om his coun trymen Of gen tle bloo d His h ead w as .

l ar ge his chest well develo ped his limbs slen der but
, ,

sin ewy an d his whole frame c ap able o f the exer tion

,

o f en ormo us st r en gth A heavy be ar d r eached h alf

.

w ay to his gir dle an d his co al bl ack locks sli ghtly

,
-
,

c u r li n g fell down up on his sho ulder s He had the

,
.

pu r ely S emiti c cast o f fe atur es ; the d ark eyes gle am

in g with h alf hidde n fi re the thin a quili n e n o se the
-
, ,

br own complexio n an d teeth Of d azzlin g whiten ess

,
.

While his exp r essive physio gn omy in di cated the pos

sessi on O f a high o r der Of men tal p o wer the sen sual , ,

as is o fte n the case with men o f ext r a or din a r y gen ius ,

w as visible to an abn ormal degr ee side by side with

the in telle ctual His gait w a s r apid an d his move
.

men t s en er getic ; his man n er s quiet but ple asin g ,

his addr ess a ff able ; while his comman din g pr esen c e ,

an d his p r o fi c ien c y i n al l the wi n n i n g but supe r fic i al

ar t s o f the co u r tie r heighten ed by his c alm an d im

,

p r essive deme an or displayed to a dv an t age the gr ac es

,

an d ch ar ms Of his el o que n c e Th ough h abitually .

gra v e an d t ac iturn he w a s e asy o f acc ess to the vilest

,

out c a s t ; an d it w as s aid Of him th a t he alw a ys left his

h an d in th at o f an ac qu ain t an c e un til the latter had

withd r awn his ow n H i s liber ality w as b oun dless an d
.
,

Ofte n s ubj e c ted his h o useh old to ser i ous in con v en i

en c e ; his gen tle dispo sitio n is sh o wn by his fon dn ess
for childr en an d his hu man ity by the r epe ated in
,

j un cti on s O f the K oran r el atin g to the tr e atmen t Of

a n i mals The degr adin g p assion o f av ar ic e had n o
.

p ar t in his n atur e ; with immen se tr e asur es at his com

man d his establishmen t w as in fer ior to th o se o f his
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 99

follo wer s an d the gr e ater p ar t Of his in come he be

,

stowed up on the poor His t astes wer e always simple

.

an d un p r eten di n g ; an d even a fter he had been r a ised

to s over eign p o we r he r eta in ed the fr ug al h abits Of

p atr iar ch al life ; his house w as but a bu t o f s u n dr ied -

bricks an d p ahn br an ches to which a leather n cur t a in

,

served a s a do or S O humble w as he in ever ythin g

.

th at did n ot con c ern the dign ity of his propheti c Offic e ,

that he even men ded his o w n s an d als car ed for his ,

go ats an d camels an d at times aided his wives in the

,

per forman ce o f thei r domes tic duties E ver c on s t an t .

in fr ien dshi p he e arly se cur ed an d p r ese rved u n til

, ,

death the attachmen t Of tho se w ho wer e a ss oc iated

,

th him whether equ als o r in fe r ior s bo th o f who m

, ,

he tr e ated with the utmo st c o n sideration S uch w as .

his self c omman d an d per fec t con trol o f his p assion s

-

th at he n ever st ruck an en emy s ave in the he at o f

battle s co lded a servan t or pun ished a Slave S O far
, , .

fr om a ssumin g super n atur al p owers he abs o lutely ,

dis claimed their p ossession an d n o public teache r has ,

ever di splayed less self a ssur an c e an d dogmatism As

-
.

a ru ler a n d a p oliti c i an hi s me a su r es we r e t aken with

,

tac t an d prudenc e ; as a co mman der he dis played in ,

the field con siderable mi lit ar y cap acity ; an d it is un

disputed th at flagr an t dis obedien c e Of his or der s w as
the cau s e Of his e arly r evers e s He had the str ic test .

ide as Of the r esp on sibilities th at pert ain to the admin

i str ati on o f j ustic e ; the p oo r e s t suitor h owever tr ifli n g ,

his c au se never failed o f a hear in g ; an d he thr e aten ed

,

with the sever est pen alties those w ho r efused the

s ettlemen t o f thei r pec un i ar y Oblig ation s While in .

cul c atin g the cr own ing mer it Of goo d works he reco m ,

men ded their con c ealmen t an d r es olutely d i s cou n te,

n a n c e d all ph ar is ai cal displ a y o f pi ous a ff e c t a ti on or

preten ded virtue He w as slow to r esent an in jur y
—a sign al mark o f
.

an d qui ck to p ar don an O ff en der ,

co w ar di c e in the Opini on o f the Ar ab ; timely s u bmis

1 00 HIS T ORY OF TH E

si on an d an a ppe al to his gen ero sity r ar ely f ailed to

dis arm his Shor t li ved h ostili ty ; an d tho se w ho beg an
-

by bein g his most implacable en emi es ended by be

co mi n g his lo y al an d dev o ted c h ampi o n s His mag .

n an imi ty an d the p r o fo u n d kn o wledge Of the human

he ar t whic h st amped him as a le a der o f men were

eviden c ed by his n oble con du ct an d pr in c ely liberality
to the K or eish a fte r the co n quest Of Me cc a In a .

word the br ighte r side Of the ch ar ac ter O f M o h am

,

me d n eeds n o higher eulo gy th an is r eve aled by the

defin iti on whi c h he has left us o f c h arity a virtue ,

which he n ever c e ased to p ractise " E ver y goo d act

is ch ar ity ; yo ur s milin g in your b r o ther s f ac e your ’

puttin g a w an der er in the r ight w ay your givin g ,

water to the thir sty your exh o r t ation to an o ther to

,

d o right is ch ar ity , A man s t rue we alth her e after

.
’

is the goo d he h ath don e i n this world to his fellow

men When he dies peo ple will in quir e Wh at prop
.
, ,

er ty h a th he left behin d him? But the an gels will

’

as k,
Wh at goo d deeds h ath he sen t befor e him? ’

With all the gr e a tn ess Of M oh ammed ther e w as

min gled n ot a little Of the fr ailty in c iden t to human
n atur e — a c on side r a ble p or tio n Of whi c h h o wever is
, , ,

to be cr edited to his w an t o f edu cati on an d to the

super stitious p r ej udi c es o f the ag e in which he lived .

H e abh or red d ar kn ess an d fe ar ed to be left alon e

,

with out a light ; he cr ied like a c hild under the

slightest physi c al su ff e rin g ; he w as an impli cit be
liever i n the vir tues o f even n umber s an d lived in ,

c on st an t a ppr ehe n si on o f s orc er y ; while the evil eye -

w as to him a s to the mo st ign or an t o f his co un try

,

men a c alami tous an d dr e aded r e ality His con duct

, .

w as fre quen tly r egul ated by dr e ams an d omens ; s ome

Of the latter bein g n ot less puer ile th an th ose evoked
‘

by the arts Of divin atio n whi c h he s o r es olutely con

d emn ed He w as guilty Of petty a ff e ct ation s and
.

exhibiti on s o f we akn ess s carc ely to be expe cted in

102 HIS T ORY OF TH E

from time immemori al leg alized the custom of

p olygamous marr ia ge an d the wor ds mo no g ami st and
,

O r ien tal are an titheti cal an d imply a con tradi cti on in

,

terms Th ough distin guished ethn ologists maint ain

.

with con sider able acumen th at p olyandr y is on e of

the fir st ph ases o f s oci al existen c e their in fe r en c es ar e ,

for the mo st p art mer ely specul ative ; for history

seldom if ever has r e cor ded such all ian c es an d this
, , ,

a pp ar ently an omal o us con diti on o f f am i ly life is n ow

found on ly in Thibet an d Hin dustan The s acred .

books Of the d omin an t r eligion s o f the wor ld Buddh ,

ist Jewish Chr istian an d M o h ammedan all Of

, , , ,

which are Of Asi atic or igin either Openl y s anction ,

polygamy or sedulou s ly r efr ain from denoun cin g

it E very on e kn ows th at it i s u n iver s al in C hin a and
.

I ndi a ; the Z en d av es ta r e co gn izes it ; the student Of

histor y an d legen d n eed n ot be r emin ded o f its pr ev a
len c e amon g the Child r en o f I s r ael ; an d the l aw of
I sl am permits its p r acti c e un der c e rtain wise and
equit ab le r estr icti on s The Bible from b egin n in g to
.
,

en d has n ot a si n gle w o r d to O ff er in con de mn ati on

,

o f it ; i n deed i n the d a ys Of the p at r i ar chs p ro phets

, , ,

an d a p o stles its utility i n the l an ds wher e it p r ev ailed

,

a ppe ar s to h ave been un questi on ed Alth ough our .

ide as o f soc i al an d domestic h a ppiness d o n ot t olerate

this custom whic h the r igor Of ou r c li mate r enders
,

unn ec ess ar y an d in a me a sur e r evolting ; still we

, , ,

shoul d n ot attempt to me a sur e b y ou r arbitrary

stand ar d Of pro p riety the h abits Of n ation s formed
under f ar di ff er en t c ir cumstan c es an d s atisfied with ,

in stitution s con se cr ated by the experien c e o f a hun

dr ed an d fifty gen e rati on s ; n or can w e with j ustice , ,

sub j e ct to ou r rigid c an on s Of theologi cal an d p olitical

ethics the sentimen ts an d action s Of an illiterate man ,

br ed among semi b ar b ar i an s an d w ho died ne arly

-

thirteen hundr ed ye ar s ag o While M oh ammed .

sh ar ed with his c oun t rymen al l their cynical distrust

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 103

of the femi n in e ch ar acter he is the on ly lawgiver

,

c l aimi n g divi n e i n spi ra ti o n w ho has eve r ma de an

y
eff o r t to imp ro v e the c on dition Of women by r estr ic t
in g p o lyg amy an d by the imp os iti on Of r egul ati on s
,

whic h admit o f n o ev asion with out a fo r feitur e Of

legal r ight s The ben efici al e ff e ct s o f these or di
.

n an c e s in pl a ci n g r e s t rai n ts up on div o r c e i n se cu r i n g
,

to wido ws i mmun ity fr om de s titutio n an d i n pre ,

ven tin g female in fan ti c id e con tribute o f thems elves

,

n o i n co n side rable a dditi on to the p r e s tige o f his n ame .

F ar mo r e ser i ous th an supe r stitio us we akn ess the ,

foible s Of van ity or p r edile ction f or women are o ther

, ,

accus ati on s whic h h ave been bro ught ag ain st the

P r o phet The emplo ymen t o f brav os an d the as s as
.

s in ati o n Of p r is o n er s whi ch if n ot o r der ed a r e s aid

, , ,

to h a v e bee n at le as t c o n n ived at an d r ew ar ded by him ,

are i n e ff ac e able s t a in s upon hi s c h ar ac te r ; an d it mu s t

be con fessed th at the e v iden c e ten din g to est ablish the

commi s si on Of these s an gui n ar y deeds is but to o well

foun ded . They on ly in dicate however that while , , ,

M o hammed w a s far in ad v an c e o f hi s ag e the p as sion ,

for blo o d estee med the c ar din al vi r tue o f an Ar ab

, ,

had n o t been e ra di ca ted fr om his br e as t a fter a life

devoted to pr ayer alms givin g an d ben evolen c e The
,
-
, .

invocation Of divin e author ity in the Kor an to j us

tify deeds Of whi c h eve n the l ax mor ality o f the ag e
di s approved while the exigen cies o f the occ as i on
,

might h ave to s o me exten t exc used them is als o , ,

un de r an y c i rc ums t an c e s extr emely dis cr editable

, .

The glor y o f M o hammed con s ists in the fac t that

he fully r e alized the moral an d p o liti cal n e c essities
o f his pe o ple an d Open ed f or them a c ar eer o f u n
,

pr ec eden ted br illi an c y ; that hi s e ff ort s for their sub

s tan ti al i mp ro vemen t r eacti n g
, i n turn up on othe r
, ,

n a ti o n s utte r ly for eig n to the Ar ab bl oo d an d l an

guage will be felt to the en d o f time ; th at he abolished

,

man y cr uel an d degradin g cust oms ; th at he elev ated

1 04 HIS T ORY OF TH E

an d dign ified the ch ar acter O f all w ho r ec eived his

tea chin gs an d left devo ut wo r shipper s Of a sin gle
,

G o d th o se wh om he had fo un d p olyt heists and ido l

ater s .

The K or an is believed by M u ssu hn an s to h ave been

deliver ed by the Al mighty thr o ugh the an gel G abriel , ,

to M o h ammed w ho commun i c ated it o r ally to his

,

co mp an i on s as it was r eve a led when c e is der ived its ,

n ame
”
,
R ec it ati on H avin g thus a divin e or igin
.
,

it is con sider ed s a crilegio us by the M o slem Ph ar isees

to questio n the authen ti city or p r o p r iety o f an y Of its
st atemen ts or to criti c ise its man ifo ld con tradiction s
, ,

r epetiti on s an d a bsu r dities

,
As kn owledge o f wr itin g .

w a s at th at time a rar e accomplishmen t i n Arabi a ,

i t bein g a sse r ted by man y s c ho lar s th a t M oh ammed

h imself n ever ac quir ed it —on ly s c atter ed p ortion s Of
,

the r evelation wer e in s cr ibed up on suc h ma teri als as

fr agmen ts Of le ather sto n es p alm le aves an d the
, ,
-
,

sh oulde r blades Of sheep an d the r emain in g ver ses

-
,

an d S u r a s a s they fell fr o m the lips Of the P r o phet

, ,

wer e impr essed upon the mar vellously r eten tive mem
o r i e s o f his a udit or s I n the co u r se Of eve n ts man y
.

Of the latte r wer e killed in b attle an d the Kh alif Abu ,

Bekr fe arin g the loss Of the s acr ed texts took meas

, ,

ur es to col le ct an d pr es er ve them i n a perman en t form .

When O thman w as raised to the Kh alifate man y dif ,

fe r en t r e adi n gs had alr e a dy ar isen fr om this man u

s cr ipt ; an d innumerable editi on s e ach c laimin g su ,

p eri or ity an d p ro duc in g en dless c on t r ove r sy an d

s can dal wer e distr ibuted th rougho ut his domin ion s
,
.

T o se c ur e un if ormi ty he c aused co pies Of the fir st

,

edition to be made an d all o the r s n ot agr eein g with

,

the latter wer e destr oyed ; so th at the work as pub

li shed un de r the auspi c es o f O th man is the K or an as
w e p o ssess it the spi ritu a l guide o f all t r ue M o slems
, .

I t is n ot v o lu mi n ous con taini n g on ly a little mor e th an

,

h alf as mu ch matter as the N ew Test amen t an d is ,

1 06 HIS T ORY OF TH E

p ro bably trac eable to the illiter a te per s on s fr om wh ose

r e co lle c ti on w as Obt ai n ed mu ch Of the fir st compil a

tio n an d wh o se wor ds t aken do w n ver b atim would

, , ,

Obvi ously r equir e co rr e ction whi ch the s cr ibe n atu

,

r a lly hesit a ted to make th ro ugh fe a r o f s acr ilege In .

view o f the suspi ci on n ot un j ustly att achin g to the

mo tives Of th o se w ho r evised it an d whi c h to a c er t ain
, ,

exten t aff e cts its authen tic ity a s a wh ole it is s c ar c ely

, ,

p r o per to subj e c t the v olume to se archin g an d in vidi

ou s c r iti c is m
. N or is it cr edit able to a ttr ibute to the
teachin gs o f M o h ammed do ctr in es ad o pted by su bs e
quen t M o slem theo logi an s which he would p ro bably
h ave been the fir st to c on demn The bulk o f the
.

K oran is comp o sed Of Jewish an d Ch risti an legen ds ;

r ules f or the c e r emo n i al Of I sl am ; ex cuses for the
con du c t o f the P r o phet when the i n dig n ati on a n d sus

p ic io u s temper Of hi s fo llo w er s th r e a ten ed his a s c en d

e n c y ; the foun d ation Of a co de Of l aw an d a lar ge ,

n umbe r Of mor a l p r e c epts b r e athi n g a spi r it o f en

lighten ed piety i mp ar ti al j us ti c e an d self abn ega

, ,
-

ti on un s ur p a s sed by an y co lle ction Of maxims ever

,

O ff er ed for the guidan c e Of man kin d The p o pul ar.

a n th r o p omo r phi c ide a o f the Deity is r e j e c ted all His ,

physi c al attr ibutes bein g n ow r egar ded a s figurative ;

t r i ad s are c lassed with id ols as man ifest ati on s o f p oly
theism; an d the ex alted con c eption o f G od without
equal or r iv al is pe r petu ally impr essed up on the min d
Of the r e a der i n phrases glo win g w ith the fi r e o f re
l ig i ou s ze al an d imp assi on ed elo que n c e The p o etic
.

t alen t o f the un tutor ed Ar ab a ppe ar s in all its w on

d er fu l pe r fe c ti on in the K o r an an d yet M oh ammed
,

did n o t a ckn owledge his p ossession o f this faculty ,

an d pe r siste n tly dis c ou r a ged its exe r c ise a s a remin is

c en c e Of P ag an is m Th rough o ut the en ti r e v o lume n o

.

a ssu mpti on is ma de Of divi n e p o we r s by the P ro phet ;

the ability to work mira cles is espe c i ally r epudi ated by

him as u n n e c ess ar y fo r r eligi o us con vi c ti on an d is ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 107

men tio n ed as an un av ailin g an d un pro fitable aec om

pli shmen t Of his i n s pi r ed p r ede c e s s or s The pr evalen t .

ide a th at a blin d fat alism is in cul c ated in the p ages o f

the K oran is a fallacy The en tir e substan c e o f its
.

teac hin gs is con trar y to thi s d octrin e an d would be ,

wo rthle s s if belief in it wer e en j o in ed ; p as s a ges c o n

s tan tl v occ u r a dmitti n g the exe r c ise Of the utmo st

fr eed om o f will an d tho ro u ghly in c on siste n t with

,

an y the o r y depe n di n g up on the foreo r d ain e d de s tin y

Of man The fac t is th at the mi s app r ehen sion o f

.

the mean in g o f I s l am— abs olute r e s ign ation to the

will Of G o d — is r e s po n sible f o r this per ver ted p rin
ci pl e whi c h like the c r e s c e n t n o w u n ive rs ally a do pted
, ,

a s a M o s lem r eligi ou s s ymb o l is an i n ven ti o n o f the

,

Turks an d w as abs olutely un kn own as s uch to the

,

e arly fo llowers o f M oh ammed .

To the K a ab a wh os e deitie s had r e c eived the pi o u s

,

homage o f s o man y c en tur ies an a ddition al impor ,

t an c e w as commun ic ated by its ado ption as the c en tr al

poin t Of Mus sulman wor ship I n time it be c ame in .

ve s ted with a mystic al ch ar ac ter r esemblin g the per

s o n i fi c ati on Of a female p r i n c iple o f f a ith whi c h while , ,

an omal o u s i n the p ra c ti c e o f I s l am i s s o f amili ar to ,

the con stituti on Of almo st all r eligion s A bl ack .

cove r in g r ep r ese n ti n g a veil an d r e n ewed e a ch ye ar

,

with impr es s ive c er emon ie s s cr een ed the s acr ed bu ild

,

in g fro m the publi c g aze A gu ar d o f eun u c h s fifty

.
,

in n umber the dign ity an d imp or t an c e o f who s e Offic e

, ,

a s custo di an s Of the s h r i n e e n titled them to the supe r

,

s titi ou s r eve r en c e Of the devo ut wer e in con s t an t ,

atte n d an c e I n these s in gul ar r egul ati o n s which

.
,

suggest b oth the a do ratio n o f the Vir gin an d the

r estra in t s o f the h a r em c an be dete c ted a n exp r e s
,

sion o f the in n ate an d irr epr e s s ible desir e Of man kin d

for a mater i al r ep r esen t ati on o f femin in e divin ity .

The li c en tious ch aracter alleged to belon g to the

M oh ammed an p aradise has pro voked mu ch un r e as on
108 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a ble vituper atio n from th o se w ho ar e un familiar with

the lite rar y pe culi arities an d highly ima gin ative tem
p era m en t o f the pe o ple o f the E a st The m i n d of .

the O r ien t al has ever deli ghted to wan der in the mystic
r e alm o f p arable an d alleg or y His s acr ed b ooks
. ,

fr om the Z en d av e s ta to the K or an aboun d with ex ,

a mples Of this meth o d o f i mp r essi n g imp or t an t tr uths ,

an d even the lighter p r o du c ti o n s destin ed to beguile

his leisur e are n ot fr ee fr om it N O edu c ated M u s su l

.
‘

man believes n o can did an d well in fo rmed O r ien t alist

,
-

thin ks th at the famo us h our is with their un f adin g

, ,

c h arms their gr ac eful pr esen c e their in t o xic atin g

, ,

emb rac es an d their peculi ar physi c al en do wmen ts

, ,

a r e an ythi n g mo r e th an the sh a d o wy per s on ages o f

a lleg or i c al i ma ge r y Allusion is made to them in

.

terms o f v ague an d myster ious imp ort sus c eptible Of

v ar i ous con str uction ; an d even if we sh ould admit
,

the belief in their actual existen c e an d ado pt a literal ,

in ter pr et ation o f the ve r ses r el ative to this r ecompen se

Of the blest the des cr iption s Of their a ttr action s ar e
,

n ot c omp ar a ble in mi n uten ess o f det ail an d c ar n al

suggestiven ess to the voluptuous in spiration s Of the

S on g Of S olomon whi ch n o r e ader h owever cred u
, ,

lous will ven tur e to con str ue o ther wise th an as an

,

alleg o r y I n the roman ti c an d highly embellished

.

vision s o f the K o ran un cultiv ated M o slems imbued

, ,

with the imagin ative c r edulity Of the E ast h ave been ,

on ly to o r e a dy to acc ept met a ph or an d p arable for

a bs o lute f a c t .

The o ther ple asur es to be foun d in h eaven ar e con

n e c te d with wh at w o uld be mo st p r e c i o us an d re fr esh

i n g to the p oor an d thi r sty dwelle r s in the Dese r t —the ,

d omes o f pe arl ; the dust O f musk ; the pebbles Of

hyacin th an d emerald ; the sumptuo us b an quets ; the
r obes o f s a ti n an d g o ld ; the exhil aratin g but h ar mless

draughts o f gen ero us win e ; the for ests Of st ately

p alms ; the ever l astin g ver dur e ; the lus ci o us fruits ;
1 10 HIS T ORY OF TH E

j o in ed to the pro spec t o f in dividu al dis tin c ti on an d

n ati o n a l gl o r y speedily r emo ved this p r e j udi c e ; espe
,

c i all y in a s oc iety whi ch c on t ai n ed n o p r ivileged

c l as se s a n d r e c o g n ized n o n e o f the a r tifi c i al a n d de
,

p r essin g Oblig ation s o f feud alism I n c on sequen c e Of

.

this wise r e co mmen d ation the r estr i ctio n s Of c a ste

,

which had n ever p r ev ailed in Ar abi a to the exten t

c ommon to the ki n gdo ms o f Asi a p r o b ably be c ause
,

it p o ssessed n o hie rar c hy an d n o o r g an ized system o f

go vern men t—wer e e r a di cated ; all employmen ts Of
a n h o n orable c h arac te r we r e pl ac ed up o n an equ al

foo tin g ; an d the me r c h an t an d the ar tis an e ach en

j o yed a degr ee o f dign ity p o pular esteem an d s o c i al
, ,

imp ort an c e pr o p o r ti on ate to hi s t alen ts an d succ ess .

Al th ough the K o r an ha s been ma de the subj e c t o f

in te rmin able c o mmen t ar ies n umber in g for ty th ou
,

s an d as n e ar as c an be estimated an d is ol ated pr e ,

ce p ts h ave been exp an ded an d distorted f or the

pur p o s e o f f ormin g an elab orate system Of j u r is pru
den c e it w as n eve r in ten ded as a gen e ral text bo ok o f
,
-

l aw . The few ma xims up o n this sub j e c t whi c h it con

t ain s we r e b or ro wed p ar tly from the Heb r ews but ,

c hiefly fr o m the s an gui n ar y c o de Of the e ar ly Ar a

bian s S ome in a dditi on to th o se a bove men tion ed

.
, ,

g r ew ou t Of the r equir emen ts Of p ar ti cular c ases ; the

maj o r ity Of them h o weve r r el ate to the domestic
, ,

diffi c ulties Of the P r o phet an d to the r egulation Of

the h ar em N otwithst an din g the latte r pr eferably
.

a d o pted the K o r an as the b a sis o f his leg al de c isi on s

when ever it w as p ra cti c able it is a well kn own fact

,
-

th at a fter his de ath the co lle ctio n s Of the S unn ah

furn ished a stan dar d Of bro a der a ppli cati on an d o f ,

s carc ely less autho r it ative c h ar ac ter in the settlemen t

,

o f the p r i n c iples Of M o h a mmed an l aw .

The K o ran comman ds r elief Of the o pp r essed pro ,

tection Of the defe n c eless me r c y to the or ph an an d

, ,

ki n dn ess to an imals I t en j oin s the stri c t per form

.
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 111

an c e Of en ga gemen t s even th ough en ter ed in to with

,

members o f a h os tile c r eed ; in humili atin g con trast

with the polic y o f C atho lic Rome wh o se childr en wer e
,

per petually abs o lved fro m the Ob s ervan c e o f con trac ts

c on c luded w ith in fi d e l s . I t den oun c es awful pen alties
a g ai n st the mu r de r e r an d the sui c ide I n its p ages the
.

pr o foun d defer en c e th at u s ually attaches to aristo

crati c bi r th an d distin gui s hed st ati on i s ign or ed ; titled

in s olen c e is n ot permitted to as s er t s uper io r ity o ver

the un p r eten di n g wor shipper an d the mon ar ch an d
,

the begg ar meet as br ethr en befo r e the thr on e o f

Al mighty G o d . The r ight Of pr ivate j udgmen t i s
r epe atedly an d au tho r it a tively dec lar ed to be the
privilege Of ever y believer ; the hu mble s t M o slem
may plac e his ow n in ter pr et atio n on the texts o f the
alleged r evel ati o n ; an d his c on c epti o n Of thei r me an

in g an d a ppli cati on is en ti r ely i n depen den t o f the

edi cts Of pr ie s ts o r the suspi cious de cision s Of s yn ods
an d c oun c ils .

Abstin en c e fr om swin e s flesh an d from the blo o d

’

o f al l an i mal s is e n fo rc ed th ro u gh hygien i c c on side r a

tio n s ari s in g fro m exper ien c e o f the in j ur io u s e ff e c ts

o f su c h f oo d in t r o pi c a l cli ma tes ; an d the r equi r emen t

Of per s on al c le an lin ess by fr equ en t an d r egular lustra

tio n has its or igin in the s ame vigilan t so li citude fo r
the public welfar e .

A mar ked di ff er en c e Of ide as an d phra se olo gy i s to

be dis c ern ed in the S uras deli v er ed at Mec ca an d
Medin a r e s pe c tively ; the former bein g mor e p o eti c ,

in spir in g an d defian t th an the latter AS M oh am

,
.

med con so lid ated his p ower the text O f the K o ran
,

evin c ed mor e o f the c almn ess an d dign ity Of the ruler

th an o f the fi r e o f the en thusi ast The e arn e s t des ir e
.

to make c on ver ts Of the J ews is dis cl o sed by the

appe al to a commo n an c e s tr y an d by the po liti c in
,

cor p or ati on O f T ahn u d i c legen ds i n t o the h o ly b o ok

which w as to r eplac e the Bible ; while the sign al fail

1 12 HIS T ORY OF TH E

ur e to se cur e this r es ul t is for esh a d o wed by th r e ats

Of divin e wrath s oon to be r e al ized by slaver y exile , ,

an d de a th Th ough Ar abia w as full Of in fi d el s an d

. ,

even a lar ge p ro por tion Of the ido la ter s Obse r ved the
r ites o f thei r r eligi o n me r ely as a ma tte r Of f orm an d

f ashio n an d wer e deeply i n fe cted with skepti c ism it

, ,

is sin gular th at M oh ammed in his den un c i ation s of

,

hyp oc r is y an d ido latr y did n ot utter a w or d in con

,

d emn ation o f atheisti cal ide as The book mor e over

.
, ,

whi c h w a s to be the guide o f a sec t wh o se adher en ts

imp r oved algebra dis co ver ed chemi c al analysis an d
, ,

br ought a gr icultur e to an un p r ec eden ted degr ee Of

per fe c tion c on t ain s n o s c ien c e an d o n ly the ost
, , m
r udi me n t ar y n o ti on s Of c ivil g o ve r n men t Accordi ng .

to the K o r an the s u n sets in a mor a ss O f bl ac k mu d ;

,

water i s the elemen t when c e all life is derived ; an d

the c on c eption s Of n atural phen o men a whi ch are
gr avely set for th in its p a ges ar e o n ly wor thy of the
v a g r an t f an cie s Of childr en an d b arb ar ian s .

Amon g O r ien t als the K o r an is in v ar i ably published

in Ar abi c the s acr ed l an gu a ge o f the Mussul man s
, ,

w ho ar e in str u c ted in it du r i n g c hildh oo d j ust as or ,

tho d o x Jews ar e e ar ly famili ar ized with the Hebr ew

ton gue I t is n ot kn own th r ough the medium Of
.

tr an slation in M oh ammed an c o un tr ies un less when

the latter is in te rlin ed with the origin a l ; s o that the
r e ade r by c o mp ar in g the di ff er en t texts may have
, ,

an o pp o r tu n ity to j udge Of the qu a lific ati ons an d

a cc ur a c y o f the t r an sl a to r Gr e at luxur y is usually

.

exhibited in the embellishmen t Of the s acr ed v olume .

I ts le aves ar e blue or pur pl e Od or ous with co stly per

,

fumes its letter s Of g old

, I ts cover s are Often
.

studded with j ewels Amidst its inter woven ara

.

b es qu e s the n ame Of G o d a ppe ar s r epe ated thou ,

s an ds O f times N O Mussulman h an dles it without

.

ever y demon stration Of r ever en c e I t almo st always .

be ars up on the side an admon ition n o t to t ouch it

1 14 HIS T ORY OF TH E

l ah Of the M o slem faith Dur in g the . mon th O f R a

madh an —set a p art bec ause in it w as commu n i c a ted

the fir st r evelation —a fa st is en j o in ed througho ut the

domain o f I slam an d abstin en c e fro m fo o d an d dr in k
,

is r equi r ed from sun r ise to sun set ; an in to lerable

h ar dship in t orr id lan ds wher e the mo n th Often f alls
,

in summe r on a cco un t Of the con st an tly r etr o gr a din g

divisi on s Of the lun ar ye ar .

The un o sten t atio us best o wal o f alms w a s a duty

wh o se imp or tan c e M oh ammed con st an tly impr essed
up on his follo wer s as a car din al vir tue ; the M oslem
is t axed to the ten th o f his in co me f or the ben efit o f
the poor ; an d if his we alth has been in cr e ased th r ough
in j ustic e o r dish on esty the pen alty Of a d ouble con
,

tr ibu tion is ex ac ted Pilgr image the last o f the re

.
,

l ig io u s Oblig ati on s Of I sl amis m whe n eve r p o ssible

, ,

sh ould be per formed in per s on ; its Observ an c e con

fer s a life lon g distin ction an d its n egle ct implies
-
,

a depl or able w an t Of en er gy in the believe r th a t may

comp romise his h a ppi n ess he r e a fter .

When the pilgr im en ter s the s acr ed territory ,

whi ch exten ds f or seve r al miles in eve r y dir e ction

fr om Mecc a he lays aside his c lo thes per forms com
, ,

pl ete abluti on an d d on s the I hr am o r G armen t o f

, ,

H olin ess whic h is comp o sed o f tw o lon g se amless

, ,

pie c es o f c o tton c lo th on e to be wra pped about the

,

waist an d the o ther to be adj usted up on the upper

,

p art Of the bo dy s o as to leave the r ight sh oulder b are .

All co ve r in g for the he a d is p ro hibited ; a severe

r estr i c ti o n un de r the bl azi n g s u n o f the Hed j az He .

n ow a pp r o ac hes the K aab a kisses the Bl a ck S t on e

, ,

a n d makes the c i r c uit o f the edific e seven ti mes r e ,

peatin g c e r t ain p r a ye r s p r es cr ibed fo r the occasion .

N ext he dr in ks o f the w ate r s Of the h o ly well Zemzem ,

whi ch tradition asser ts bur st forth spon t an e ously at

the feet Of H ag ar wh en she an d I shma el wer e about
to pe r ish o f thi r st in the wilde rn ess N e ar at h an d is
.
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 1 15

the S t ation Of Abr ah am a lar ge sto n e up on which ,

the P atr i ar ch is s uppo sed to h ave s too d when he built

the K aab a whither the pilgr im must n ow r e s or t an d
,

per fo rm his devotion s F in ally he leaves the pre

.
,

cin c ts Of the s h r in e an d r un s seven ti mes between

S a fa an d Me r wa tw o ele v ati on s beyon d the w alls o f

,

the mo sque ; a c er emon y co mmemor ative o f the de

sp air Of H agar in her s e arch for water to sust ain the
life Of her su ff er in g c hild befor e the formtain s Of
Zemzem wer e mir aculously Open ed Upon the eighth .

d ay Of the Pilgr image a mighty h o st amoun tin g n ot

, ,

in fr equen tly to the n umber Of seven ty fi v e thous an d -

souls with twen ty fiv e thou s an d c amels an d coun t

,
-

le s s other an imals for s acr ific e sets ou t for M oun t ,

Ar a fat ten miles distan t fr om wh o se s u mmit a ser

, ,

mon is pr e ached by the chief i mam Of the M o squ e o f

Me cca The s ermo n con cluded all hurr y amidst
.
,

gr eat con fus i on to the Valley Of Min a wher e e ach ,

pilgr im should c ast seven pebbles at thr ee pillar s

r epr esen tin g the devi l i n c o mmemo r ati on o f a n i n c i
,

den t in the life o f Abrah am The an imals sheep an d .

,

c amels ar e n ext sl aughter ed — a c e r e mo n y s ymb oli c al

, ,

o f the s ac r ifi c e by the p at r i ar ch wh o se v i c tim how , ,

ever is st ated by Ar abi an tr aditio n to h ave been I sh

,

mael in ste a d o f I s aac —an d the pilgr ims are then at

,

liberty to r es ume their or din ar y g armen ts sh ave their ,

heads tr im their be ar ds an d p ar e their n ails ; acts con

, ,

s id ere d illeg a l befo r e the v ar i o us r ites o f the Pilg r i m

a e h ave been pe r formed accor di n g to the p r es c r ibed

g
routi n e .

The visit to the P r ophet s t omb at Medin a is n ot ’

compuls o r y but is i n dispen s able to se cur e the hon or

,

able title o f H a dj whi ch con fer s the pr ivilege Of

,

we arin g a green turb an an d excites the pe r petu al ,

envy o f tho se un fortun ates wh o se physical in ca p ac ity

or lim i ted fin an c i al c irc umst an c es will n o t pe rmit a
j ourn ey to the H o ly Cities Of Ar abi a .
116 HIS T ORY OF TH E

S h o w me a peo ple s G od s aid E ur ipides an d

’

, ,

I will tell y ou th at pe o ple s histor y T o the hist ory

’
.

o f I sl am is this signi fic an t r emar k espe c i ally a pp ro

pri ate . The M o slem con c eptio n Of the Deity is o n e

Of un appro ach able gran deur an d sublimity While .

pl ac ed immea sur ably abo ve His cr e atur es their p raise

,

an d thei r petiti on s are a lw a ys ten de r ed H i m with out

the Offi ci ou s in ter ven ti on Of a p r ivileged c a ste an d ,

wher ever the h our Of p rayer may find the wor shipper ,

whethe r in the r etir emen t o f his h ome in the n oisy

,

b az aar up on the de ck Of a vessel in mi d o c ean or

,
-
,

a midst the a wful stilln ess a n d s oli tude o f the Desert .

The pr ac tic al v alue an d con sequen t imp ort an ce o f

a r eligi o n con sist n o t s o mu ch by who m o r un der wh at

c i r c ums t a n c es it is a lleged to h a ve been fo un ded but ,

in wh at it has e ff e c ted for the h a ppin ess an d perma

n en t imp r o vemen t o f hu ma n ity .

Th rough the en thusi as m in spir ed by its exalted

ide as Of Almighty p o wer I slam extir p ated idolatry
,

s o thoro ughly th a t in the se c on d gen e r ati on a fter it

,

w a s p romulg ated men fe ar ed even to men tion the

n ames Of the false g o ds o f thei r f ather s I t made
.

cann ib a lis m detest a ble an d swept a w ay human s acri

,

fi c e s with whi c h the Ar abs had been f amili ar for a

,

perio d wh o se co mmen c emen t w as lon g an ter ior to the

d ays Of Abr ah am I t s o ften ed the asper ities o f w ar
.

f ar e ; exten ded to the v an quished the adv an tages Of

in st an t liber ty an d pr o spe c tiv e distin ction upon the ,

s o le con dition Of con ver sion ; it pr otected the un fortu

n a te ca ptive f r om vi o len c e an d a b olished the shock
,

i n g p rac ti c e Of mutila ti o n Of the de ad .I ts h ostility

to the spi r it Of feud a lism in sur ed the p rote c ti on and
fr eed om Of ever y deg r ee an d pr o fession o f mankind .

I t elev ated the p o siti on o f woman ; r epr essed the uh

blushin g lic en tious n ess p r ev alen t in the Ag e o f I gno
r an c e ; fo r mul ated an equit ab le l aw O f divor c e where ,

sep ar ation had been p r evi ously a matter o f caprice ;

118 HIS T ORY OF TH E

w as stil l the un question ed pr er og ative o f ev er y in habi

t an t wh o se arm w as mor e p o wer ful th an th at o f his
n eighb or . Att achin g the highest imp ort an c e to ha
bitu al cle an lin ess it co mme n ded its d aily o bserv an c e
, ,

an d , to avo id a pl ausible ex c use for n egle c t it sug ,

gested the use Of s an d as symbo lical o f w ater in , ,

localities whe r e the l atter c ould n ot be Obt ain ed I t .

a dm i tted i n t o its c e r emon i al the wise a n d time hon or ed -

c ustom Of c i r c u mc isi on ; a pu r ely s an it ar y r egul ati on ,

wh o se impo r t an t physio logi cal sign ific an c e ever y su r

ge on will r e adily comp r ehen d I slam is emph ati cally .

a r eligi on Of g o o d w o r ks an d the believe r is con

,

s tan tl y r emi n ded th a t up o n the D ay Of Judg men t his

mer it or i ous ac ts an d deeds Of ben ev olen c e will speak

elo quen tly in his favo r alth ough his lips h ave lon g
,

been clo sed in the silen c e Of the gr ave N o o r g an ized .

b o dy o f ecclesi astic s gr eedy o f gain an d n otoriety

,

a n d utte r ly u n s cr upul o us a s to the me an s Of Obt ai n

in g them th r on ged its temples ; fo r in its o r igin al

, ,

purity it dispen sed with a s alar ied p riesth oo d an d

, ,

al l w ho r e a d o r exp o un ded the Ko r an in publi c wer e

exp r essly forbidden to r e c eive fo r their ser vic es any

r e mun e r a ti on wh atever The un seemly co n tests o f
.

s ac e r d o t al ambition the sen seless p riv a tion s Of

,

a s c eti c is m the bloo dy an d tur bulen t spi r it o f mo

,

n asti c big o t r y we r e by the p r ude n c e an d for esight

, ,

o f its fo un de r ex c luded fr o m its syste m

, I mp osin g .

a mo der ate c on t r ibuti on up on all th o se i n its domin

i on s w ho de clin ed to abj ur e the f aith o f their an

c e s to r s it up on the othe r h an d r efused to the m
, , in
,

i s te r s o f o the r r eligi on s its v a ss als the p r ivilege Of

, ,

t axin g the member s Of their con g r eg ation s without

their con sen t I t impr essed up on youth o f wh atever
.
,

r a n k or st ati on the Oblig a ti on s Of p o lite an d co u rte ous

,

beh avior an d the un r emittin g exercise o f fil i al piety .

I t accorded to ever y seeker a fter truth the in estimable

p rivilege o f pr iv ate in ter pr et ati on an d in dividual
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 119

o pin ion —an in her en t r ight Of man r efused by

,

Chr isti an ity un til the time Of Luther w ho on ac , ,

c oun t o f his a dv o c ac y Of this i n n ov ati o n w as himself ,

den oun c ed as a M o h ammed an ; an d in c ert ain coun

tries Of E ur o pe n ot asserted u n til the seven teen th
,

c en tu r y
, ex c ept i n se cr et an d un der the thr e aten in g
,

Sh ado ws Of the stake an d the s c affold Un like other .

r eligi on s ,it did n ot r efuse s alvation to tho se w ho r e

j ected its do gma s I n the p r esen c e o f the allu r e
.

men ts o f the seraglio it still r epr esen ted con tin en c e

,

as the mo st pr e c i ous j ewel o f a believe r ; but per ,

c ei v i n g the vi c es p ro v oked by the u rmatu r al r est r ain ts

o f mon a sti c l ife it p rohibited c elib ac y an d

, fo r tw o , ,

c en tur ies a fte r the de ath Of the P r o phet the fa qu i r , ,

the s an ton an d the dervish wer e un kn o wn

, By .

ad o pti n g to a c e r t ai n exten t the p r imi tive co de o f

an tiquity elimi n a ti n g the evil an d r eta i n i n g the g o o d

,

it con tain ed it a ppe aled stron gly to r eligious sen ti

,

men t an d n ati on al pr ide r en der ed s till mor e bin din g

,

the vir tues o f public faith an d pr i v ate ho spitality ,

an d ,
by its r epudiation o f idolatr y in all its for ms ,

co n c en tr a ted the mi n d o f the devo tee up o n the com

p assion the j ustic e the in fin ite gran deur an d maj esty

, ,

Of G o d .

A marked pe culiar ity Of I sl am is the absen c e o f

the female elemen t fr om its r itual E ven n ow in the .
,

days Of its degen erac y women h ave n o plac e in the

,

c alen d ar o f its s a in ts ; an d yet we ar e aw ar e th at

amo n g al l former an d man y con temp oran e o us

, re ,

li g ion s the emplo ymen t Of p r iestesses w a s common ,

an d female deities wer e f avo r ite Obj e c ts Of a dor ati on .

The Vir gin Of the K oran —though her i nnn acu l ate
con c eptio n w a s con c eded seve n hun d r ed a n d sixty on e -

years in adv an c e Of the de ci s ion Of the C oun c il Of

B asel—is in all other r espects an or din ar y mort al
, , ,

an d is f ar fr om p o ssessin g the dig n ity an d i mpor t an c e

Of the famous I sis th at fas cin atin g go ddess w ho

, ,
1 20 HIS T ORY OF TH E

bani shed from the b anks Of the N ile w a s ex alted , ,

c r o wned with her st ar r y emblems in equ al maj esty ,

an d supe r i or be auty up on a mor e g or ge o us th ron e in

,

the imper i al city o f C a th o li c Rome .

M oh ammed w as n o t exempt from the p r ej udic es

en tert ain ed by his coun trymen towar ds the sex The .

sen timen t al g allan tr y an d r espe c tful h oma ge ten

der ed its member s by Western n ation s is un kn o wn
to the suspi c io us an d s arc asti c O r ien t al The P ro phet .

de clar ed th at the maj or ity o f per s on s he s aw in hell

durin g hi s n octu rnal j ourn ey wer e women But if .

the p ower o f woman to act di r e ctly up on the for tun es

o f I sl am w as disd ai n ed her i n di r e c t in flue n c e i n th at
,

dir ec tion w as en ormous an d un den i able The h ar ems .

o f the p o lyg amous c on queror s at o n c e a bs or bed the -

n oblest an d fa i r est ma iden s Of the h o useh olds o f the

van quished The childr en Of these mo ther s be c ame

.
,

wi th o ut ex c eption M o slems ; an d a fter the lapse Of

, ,

a gen e r a ti on the li n ge r in g t rac es o f o the r b eliefs dis

,

a ppe ar ed a n d n o thi n g but a r e con quest an d a fr esh

,

immigr ati on or a mi r aculous in ter p o sition o f Pr ovi

,

den c e could h ave r est or ed the lan d s o r e c en tly sub

, ,

j ug ated to its pr istin e f aith

, .

I n r eligion a s i n p oli ti c s su cc ess is the gen e rally

, ,

r e co gn ized c r ite r i on o f tr uth ; Of the multitude few ,

h ave time or in c lin ation fo r the s olution Of abstruse

theo logi cal question s ; but substan ti al r esults are un
mistak able an d even the mo st cr edulo us are sub j ect
,

to the con t a gi on Of ex ample The succ essive an d

.

d azzlin g victor ies o f I slam wer e in the eyes Of its ,

super stitious adver s ar ies the mo st con vin cin g argu

,

men t Of the divin ity Of its origin .

The d octr in e Of compulsion subsequen tly ass oci ated

with I slam w a s as a lr e ady st ated n ot an origin al or
, ,

essen tial p ar t Of its do gma M oh ammed did n o t ad

.

vi se r ecourse to the swor d un til al l me an s Of pe ac e able

'

per su a sion had been exh austed an d then o n ly durin g ,

1 22 HIS T ORY OF TH E

spir itu al he ads Of I slam wer e lon g the exp on en ts o f

,

in telle ctual c ultur e the master s o f the f air est r egion s

,

o f E u r o pe an d Asi a the dis c ern in g p atron s Of art

,

a n d lette r s. The mo st r en ow n ed o f the C ms ars the ,

g r e atest o f modern po ten t ates wer e alike in fer ior ,

in ran k an d publi c con side rati on to the S up r eme

P on ti ff s w ho inher ited the thr on e enn o bled by the
,

tra dition s o f Roman glory an d wh o s e dign ity w as

,

con fir med by the omn ip o te n t auth o r ity Of G od No .

se cular govern men t worthy o f men tion in histor y

, ,

has eve r bee n i n stituted in a r egi on s o d r e ar y an d in

ho spit able as that fro m when c e the mo st po wer ful an d
pr a ctic al forms Of faith th at h ave ever en thralled hu
man ity deduc e their or igin The ch an ges which all .

Of the latter in tur n h ave un der gon e p r esen t a sug

, , ,

g estiv e comme n t ar y o n the pe r ish able c h aracter o f

r eligi ous systems . The in fluen c e o f the B abylon ian
ca ptivity up on Jud a ism is a pp ar en t i n ever y b ook Of

the O ld Test ame n t an d in man y o f th o se Of the N ew .

We may s a fely con j e ctur e th at Chr isti an ity w as s ome

thi n g ver y di ff er en t i n the time Of Tiberius fr om wh at
it w as in the time Of C on st an tin e an d we kn ow wh at ,

r a di c a l c h a n ges we r e ma de i n its can o n s an d r itu al by

G r egor y the G r e at an d Luthe r The an c ien t man u .

s cr ipts Of the G ospels— perh aps destro yed for sin ister
r e as o n s —h ave left n o d at a fo r spe cul a ti on as to thei r

con te n ts ; but it is n ot un r e a s on able to at le ast su r

mise th at the origin als did n ot o ff er the glarin g

ex amples o f in elegan t di c tio n an d b ar bar ic idioms that
deform the mo dern ve r si on s N or ha s I sl am es caped .

the f ate Of its pr edec ess or s the r esult o f the vi cis si

,

tudes o f time an d o f the pr ej udic es weakn esses an d

, , ,

ambiti on o f thei r v o t ar ies I ts distin c tive pe culi ar ity

.

w as its p o sitive dis c la ime r o f supe rn atur al p o wer s ;

yet the miracles attr ibuted to M oh ammed compo se a
c o n side r able p or ti on Of its s a c r ed lite ratu r e whi c h is ,

als o o ppr essed an d dis cr edited by a v a st mass Of

pr e
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 1 23

po steron s f ables tr e asur ed up for c e n tur ie s in the

,

vo lumin ous bo dy o f I s lamitic traditio n The sim .

pli city Of its cr eed would s ee m to e ff e c tu ally p r e c lude

al l attempts at s e c t ar i an divi s i on ; yet seven ty thr ee -

se cts exist wh o se member s lose n o Opp or tun ity to

,

per secute ea ch o ther with ac rimon iou s h o stility MO .

h ammed exec r ated ido latr y an d the ar ts o f the divi n er ,

an d den ied the me r it o f w o r ks Of supe r e r o g a ti on ; an d

n ow r eli c s are suspen ded in the mo squ es ; o men s are

sought in the K or an ; in ter c ession Of s ain ts i s daily

implor ed ; the Per sian s wor ship the I mams ; an d the
Oman ite s in ste ad Of r e co gn izin g the K aab a r en de r
, ,

their Obeis an c e to the Kiblah o f their S abe an an c e s tor s ,

the pole star Of the heaven s

-
.

I n the P r o phet s a ttempts to se c ur e the imp ro ve

’

men t o f public morals his atten tion w as p ar ticular ly

,

drawn to Me c c a as the c en tr al p o in t Of I sl am whither ,

the believer turn s in his daily devotion s an d towar ds ,

which his sightless eyes ar e dir e c ted when his b o dy i s

depo sited in the tomb B u t the e ff e ct s Of his s alutary
.

a dmon ition s died with him ; an d the Me cc an s r elieved ,

from r estrain t again bec ame n otor io us for the ex

,

c esses whi c h had fo rme r ly ma de the H o ly City a r e

pr oach even to he athen Ar abi a I t i s a deplor able .

fac t an d on e which un h appily aff o r d s but too much

,

ex cuse for the gibes o f the p ro fan e th at th ose s e ats ,

o f piety whi c h publi c Opin i o n ha s in vested with the

s acr ed pr estige o f c elestial in fluen c e ar e the ver y on es

wh o se po pul atio n is the most blas phemous vile an d , ,

degr aded The wor st Mussulman s Of the wor ld ar e

.

the Ar abs Of the Hedj az as the I tali an p o pulac e ,

has eve r bee n the s co ff er at p ap al in fal libil ity an d the

r elen tless e n emy o f the Vi c ar o f G o d The thr ee .

c ities o f the w o r ld wh os e i n h a bit an ts e ar ly a c qui r ed ,

an d h ave si n c e ma i n t ai n ed the mo st un en vi a ble r epu

,

tati on f or dep r avity an d li c en ti ous n ess are Je rus a le m ,

Mec c a an d Rome
,
.
12 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

Un like mo st theo lo gi c al systems whic h men in to ,

all a ges h ave r en der ed their o bedien t an d pio us

,

h omage n o myster y obs cur es the o r igin an d foun d a

,

tion o f I sl am The pur ity an d simplicity o f its p rin

.

c i pl es h ave un der g on e n o c h an ge I ts histor y has been

.

p r eserved by the diligen c e o f inn umerable wr iters .

The life an d ch arac ter i s tic s o f its P ro phet even to the ,

s mallest det ail are acc essible to the cu r io sity o f every

,

en ter p risin g s ch ol ar .

The auster e ch ar acte r o f a f aith which at its in ,

cep ti on ,
ex acts a r igid complian c e with the min utest
formalities o f its r itual n atur ally be comes r elaxed
,

an d mo dified a fte r th a t system ha s a tt ai n ed to w or ldly

imp or t an c e an d imper i al auth or ity ; o r in the l an ,

guage Of o n e o f the gr e atest o f mo dern wr iter s a ,

do min an t r eligion is n ever a s c etic ”

I t is str an ge th at
.

I sl am whi ch in this r espe ct as in man y o the rs has

, , , ,

con formed to the gen er al l aw o f human ity an d n ow ,

a ckn o wledges ten ets an d all o ws p r ac ti c es th at wo uld

h ave struck the subj ec ts o f Abu B ek r an d O mar with -

amazeme n t has been a ble to p r ese r ve in su c h p e r fec

,

tion the obser van c e o f its c er emon ial ; espec i ally when
it had n o or g an ized s ac er do t al p o wer to sustain it .

The absen c e o f an e cc lesi a stic al or der whi ch could

dictate the p oli c y o f the th ron e an d hu mble the pride
,

o f the e rmi n e an d pur ple with the dust i n the p r es

en c e o f s ome aud aci ous ze alo t als o left un trammelled

,

the w ay for s cien tific in vestig ation an d r ese ar c h an d , ,

mor e th an all else con tr ibuted to dispel the d ar kn ess

,

o f medi a e v al ti mes The do c tr in e o f to lerati on en un

.

c i ated by M oh ammed g ave n o en cou r a gemen t to th at

system o f r ep r ession wh o se a ctivity has exh austed

ever y me an s o f che ckin g the gr owth o f philo s o phical
kn o wledge by impo s in g the mo st dir eful spir itu al an d
,

temp oral pen alties up on ever y te acher w ho ve n tur es

to publi c ly expl ain its p r in c iples ; an d it is a matte r o f
f ar deepe r i mp or t to the civiliz ati on o f the twen tieth
12 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

dyn a sties o f s over eign s wh o se sup r eme ambition ,

seemed to be to ex alt the ch ar ac te r o f their sub j e cts ,

to t r an s mit un i mp ai r ed to p o ste r ity the in estimable

tr ea sur es o f kn o wledge an d to exten d an d per p etu ,

a te the in telle c tu al empi r e O f man These sign al an d .

un p ara llelled r esults wer e e ff ec ted by the in flexible

co n st an c y the lo fty ge n ius the p o liti c a l s a g a c ity Of
, , ,

an Ar abi a n shepher d defic ien t in the ve r y r udi men ts

,

o f le ar n i n g r e ar ed amo n g a b ar b ar o us pe o ple divided

,

in t o tr ibes wh o se mutu al h o stili ty ha d been in ten sified

by c en tur ie s o f war far e w ho had n o o r g an ized system
,

o f g o v e r nme n t w ho co n side r ed the me c h an i c al an d

,

mer c an tile arts degradin g w ho r e co gn ized n o l aw but ,

th a t o f for c e an d kn ew n o go ds but a he r d o f
,

gro tesque an d mon str ous idols Ro bbery w as their .

pr o fessio n murde r thei r p astime E x c ept within the

,
.

p r e cin cts o f their c amp n o fr ie n d un less conn ec ted , ,

by the s acr ed ties o f bloo d w as se cur e They de ,

.

v o u r e d the fle s h o f en emies sl a i n in b attle Dec eit .

alw a ys ex c epted c ruelty w as thei r mo st p r o mi n e n t

,

n ati o n a l c h ar a c te r isti c Their o ff en sive arro g an c e

.
,

r elen tless e nmity an d o bsti n ate ten ac ity o f pu r p o se

,

we r e in a dir e ct r ati o to their ign o r an c e an d their

,

b rut alizin g supe r stiti on co n firmed by the pro digies , ,

the omen s an d the legen ds o f ages

, .

T o un de r t ake the r a di c al ameli oratio n o f su ch pO

l iti c al an d s oc i al con diti on s w a s a t ask o f app alli n g ,

o f a pp ar en tly i n super able di ffi c ulty I ts fortun ate .

ac c omplish men t may n ot i n di c ate the ac tive i n te r p o si

ti on o f Divin e auth o rity The glor ies whi ch in vest .

the histo r y o f I s lam may be en tir ely der ived fr om the

v alo r the vi r tue the in telligen c e the gen ius o f man
, , , ,
.

I f this be con c eded the l ar gest me asur e o f cr edit is

,

due to him w ho con c eived its plan pro moted its im ,

pulse an d fo rmulated the rules which in sur ed its su c

,

c ess . I n an y eve n t if the o bj e c t o f r eligio n be the

,

in culcatio n o f morals the dimin uti on o f evil the pro

, ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 127

mo tio n o f human h appin ess the exp an si on o f the

,

human in telle c t ; if the per forman c e o f g oo d works

w ill av ail in th at gr e at d ay when man kin d sh all be
su mmon ed to its fin al r e ckon in g it is n either irr ev
,

er en t n o r u n r e a s on a ble to a dmit th a t M oh ammed w as

in deed an Ap o stle Of G od .
128 HIS T ORY OF TH E

CHAP T E R II I

TH E C ON Q I IE ST OF AL M AG H -
RE B

6 4 7—7 07

G en er a l Di s o de f ollow i n g the D e th o f M o hamme d—R e gul a

tion o f I s l m —P ro g es s o f the M os lem A ms —N orthern

r r a

A f ic a the L n d O f the E ven i n g—I ts F erti l i ty —I ts P opu

s a r

l ti n —E p ed iti n o f Ab d llah—D e feat o f the G reeks

r a
,

I n v s i n o f Okb h—Foun d tion o f K ai ro n —M arch O f

a o x o a

H s s an —An i ent C th ge—I ts I n fluen c e on E ur op e—I ts

a o a a

c ar a

S pl n d id Civ iliz ati on —I ts M a iti me P ow e i ts C olon i es

a

r r,

i ts R es ou c e — D es c i pti n o f th e City—I ts Arc hitec tu a l

e

—
,

r s r o r

G n deu r—I ts H r b ors T empl es an d P u b lic E d i fi c es o

m n C arth g e I ts Lu u y an d D e p r avity—I ts D estr u ction

ra a , ,

a x r

b y the M os lems—W s w ith the B e b er s—M u s a a ppoi nted

a

Gen e l—H i s R om n ti c H is tor y—H i s Ch a cter—

ar r

M gh reb —
H e s ub
dues Al —
ra a ar

A f i c i n c p able o f P er man en t Civiliz

a r a a a

ti on .

TH E dissen sion s ex c ited by the fierc e hor des o f

Arabi a wh o se in toler an c e o f author ity an d aversion
,

to tr ibute had bee n with diffic ulty con tr o lled by the

mysteri ous in fluen c e o f M oh ammed at his de ath ,

bro ke for th with r edoubled violen c e an d seriously ,

thr eaten ed for a time n ot on ly the in tegr ity o f the

, ,

M o slem empir e but even the existen c e an d p er petuity

,

o f the r e c en tly est ablished fa ith With the ex c eption .

o f a f ew tr ibes whi c h the ties o f bloo d or con sidera

tion s o f per s on al i n te r est j o in ed to their in timate ,

co mme r c i a l r el ati on s with the i nh abit a n ts Of the H oly

Cities r et ain ed in a pr e c ar ious allegi an c e the who le

, ,

po pulation o f the Pen in sul a ro se at on c e in arms .

E ac h petty Chieft ai n j e alous o f the c en tral p ower , ,

an d e n d o wed with an extr a v ag an t Opi n i on o f his own

abilities as r ule r an d legisl at or arr og a ted to h imself ,

divin e author ity an d aspir ed to the title an d the pr e

,
13 0 HIS T ORY OF TH E

whi ch w as pen sioned ever y in di vidu al belon gin g to

the Ar ab rac e in r egular gr ad ation the stipen d in
, ,

cr e asin g with ye ar s dign ity an d value o f milit ar y

, ,

ser vi c e N O on e w as too in sign ifican t to h ave his n ame

.

in s cr ibed upon the Ofli cial r egiste rs at Medin a ; an d

even slaves women an d n ewly b or n in fan ts wer e as
, ,
-
,

well as the mo st r en o wn ed w ar r i or s r egular ly p aid ,

their st ated all ow an c e I n the v ar i ous coun tr ies

.

r edu c ed by the p r o wess o f the M o slems the lan ds , ,

though con fis cated to the uses o f the st ate r emain ed ,

by spe ci al pr ovision in alien able an d while formin g a , ,

p ar t o f the public d omain co uld n ot be ac quir ed by ,

tho se w ho had con quer ed them an d con tin ued to be ,

o c c upied an d tilled by thei r former p r o p r ieto r s By .

these r egul ation s als o the leg al r esiden c e o f the Ar ab

, ,

w a s e s t ablished an d made pe r petu a l in the Pen in sula .

E ver ywher e else n o matter wh at his ran k or empl oy

,

men t he w as but a s o j ou rn er li able at an y momen t

, , ,

without warn in g to be s u mmon ed to b attle With the

,

in fidel ; an d even vi c ero ys o f the Kh alif coul d n ot

pur ch ase a foo t o f groun d in the c ities which they
r uled with a ll but a bs o lute p o wer While i n the case .

o f fema le c a ptives the mo st unb oun ded li c en se w as

,

permitted an d en couraged the beli ever w as p arti en ,

l ar ly e n j o in ed to sele c t for his wives the d aughters

o f s ome Ar a b c l an ; a n d his c hild r en with o ut ex c e
p ,

tion wer e e arly t aught to asser t their assumed supe

,

r i o r ity Of bi r th an d to l ook d ow n up on all for eign e r s

, ,

h owever illustr ious they mi ght b e by des c en t we alth , ,

milit ar y distin ction or literary att ain men ts

, .

The compr ehen sive an d ex ac tin g laws Of O mar ,

whic h ar bitrar ily determi n ed question s o f legislation

an d fin an c e the mar sh allin g o f armi es the adj ust
, ,

men t o f ter r it ori al disputes the arr an gemen t o f the ,

h ouseh o ld an d the offi c es o f r eli gion l aid the fo unda

, ,

tion fo r the futur e gr e atn ess o f I slam By his edict .

the d ate o f the Hegir a w as fixed H is in flexible sen se .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 13 1

of j ustic e in flicted the humiliatin g pun ishmen t o f the

lash pr es cribed by l aw for drun ken n ess upon beggar
, ,

an d n o ble alike The C o de whi ch bear s his n ame is

.

r emark a ble even in an ag e o f f an ati cism for the

, ,

sever e r estr i ctio n s it impo sed on the per s on al liber ty

o f Jews a n d Ch r i s ti an s the on ly se ct aries to wh om
,

M o slem clemen cy permitted the pr ac tic e o f their rites

an d c ust oms .

The ass assin ation o f O mar in the p rime o f man

hood an d befor e his gr eat design s had been fully
,

matur ed w as the sign al for feuds con spira cies an d

’

, , ,

ever y form o f domestic c on vu lsion fomen ted by tr ibal ,

j e alousy an c ien t p r ej udi c e an d dis a ppoin ted ambi

, ,

tion ; disturb an c e s whi ch the we ak an d vacillatin g

spirit o f his succ e s s or w as un able to r epr es s Y et de .
,

s pite the dis a d v an t a ges ar isin g fr om the i n telle ctu al

imp oten c e o f O thman the con s titution o f the Mus

,

s u l man the o cr ac y p o s s e s s ed suffi c ien t vit ality to r e

tar d diss oluti on for a con siderable time The glorious .

tradition s o f a de ca de o f un in terrupted victor y wer e

n ot e asily f or g otte n The t ro phies wr ested fr om the
.

de s pised an d h ated fo e wer e di s played in ever y city

an d vill age ; hi s b an n er s d r oo ped in the co ur ts o f
ever y mo s que ; the h ar em the str eet the b azaar, , ,

swarmed with c aptive s fr om the mo st dist an t cli mes ;

while the an n ual distribution from the public tr e asur y
eviden c ed at on c e the we alth an d weakn ess o f the
in fidel an d the p ater n al gen er o sity o f the con queror .

The Per sian mon archy which had s uc c essfully with

stoo d the att acks o f con s ul dic t ator an d emperor , , ,

supp or ted by the dis c ipli n e an d in exh aus tible re

s ourc es Of Roman power had fallen after tw o gr e at
, ,

battles befor e the impetuous valo r o f the M o slem

,

hosts P alestin e with its h allowed ass o c i ati o n s its

.
, ,

memor ies o f all th at is most s acr ed in the an n als o f

Chr istiani ty its s c en es o f divin e mir acle an d mystery
, ,

of pr iva ti on su ff e r i n g an d t r iumph an t glor y w as in

, , ,
13 2 HIST ORY OF TH E

the h an ds o f the M u s su hn an wh ose s acr ilegio us fo ot ,

steps d aily d e fil ed the p r e c in c ts o f Gethseman e and

G olgo th a an d wh o se call to prayer ar ose from a
,

magn ific en t shr in e er ec ted up on the site o f the ruin ed

temple o f S olomon The G r eek E mpe ror a fter a
.
,

r eign o f extraor di n ar y vi c issitudes whi c h had in s ome ,

degr ee r etr ieved the v an ished p r estige o f the Roman

,

arms dep r ived in ra pid su cc essi o n o f the ch o i c est

r e alms o f his empi r e w as n ow vi r tu ally a p r is on er

, ,

p rote cted o n ly by the B o sph or us an d the impr eg

n able w a lls o f his ca pit al E gypt the depo sitory o f
.
,

tr adition s o f in c alcul able an tiquity had submitted , ,

a fter a b r ief an d dete rmi n ed str uggle to the common ,

f ate o f n ation s an d the b an n e r s o f I slam floated in

,

tr iumph fr om the t ower s o f Alex an dr i a an d M em

phis I t w as with a feelin g o f aw e an d wonder that
.

the fierc e un tutor ed Ar ab gazed up on the mon umen ts

,

o f this str an ge a n d to him en c h an ted l an d

, , Before .

him we r e the Pyr amids r isin g in ma ssive g ran deur

,

up on the b or der s o f the Deser t ; the stupen dous

temples ; the mur al p ain tin gs wh o se br illian t coloring ,

w as un imp ai r ed a fte r the la pse o f fifty c en tur ies ; the

gr oups o f p on der ous sphin xes imp osin g even in their ,

mutilatio n ; the spe akin g st atues which facin g the , ,

E a st with the fir st r ay o f light s aluted the c omi ng

,

d ay ; the o belisks s culptur ed up on Sh a ft an d pedest al

,

with the eter n al r e cor ds o f lon g extin guished d y

n a sties ; the v ast subterr an e an t ombs wh ose every ,

s ar co ph agus w as a gig an tic mon olith ; an d the effi g ies

o f the Old E gypti an ki n gs
per s on i fi cati on s o f dig
,

n i ty an d p o we r h o ldi n g in thei r h an ds the symb ols of

,

time an d eter n ity or gr aspin g in lieu O f the s c eptre

, , ,

th at emblematic st aff which mo r e po ten t th an the

, ,

wan d o f the mightiest magi cian has c ontrolled the ,

destin ies o f million s o f men an d whi ch b ecame in ,

tu rn the wan d o f the G r e c i an hiero ph an t in the

mysteries Of E leusis the lituus o f the Roman augur
, ,
1 34 HIST ORY OF TH E

eye can easily d etec t the fo r eign in fluen c e b y which

the e ffo r ts o f its ar tis an s h ave been in spir ed ; an d
the ch aracteristic s o f Per si an E gypti an Gar th a , ,

gin i an an d Byz an tin e are p romi n ent i n the s o lid

,

wal ls the grac eful curves an d the sp arklin g mo s aics

, ,

o f the builde r s ma ste r pie c es whi c h a d orn the widely

’

sep ar ated pr ovin c es o f the M oh ammed an empir e .

I t w as dur in g the r eign Of O thman th at the atten

tion Of the M oslems w as fir st seri ously dir e c ted to the
n or the r n coast o f Afr i c a a r egi on whi c h exte n di n g
, ,

fr om the N ile to the Atl an tic comp r ised a terr itory ,

o f on e th ous an d miles i n len gth by five hundr ed in

br e adth in its l ar gest di ameter I n its a ppr oaches .

,

whic h wer e ma de over bur n in g s an ds it exh ibited the ,

f amili ar phen omen a o f the Deser t The gr e ater por .

tion o f its vast ar ea w as sus c eptible o f cul tivation an d ,

con tigu ous pl a n t ati on s an d g ar den s mar ked with an ,

un broken lin e o f ver dur e the p o ssessi on s o f the on ce

,

magn ific en t an d still import an t c ities whi ch in the

d ays o f her glor y ackn o wledged the auth or ity an d
c l a imed the p r o te c ti on o f the impe r i a l met ro p o lis o f

C ar th age Her e the mo st abun dan t h arvests the

.
,

mo st lus ci ous fr ui ts r ewar ded with but tr iflin g ex er

, ,

tion the in dustry o f the husb an dman Luxuri an t

, .

p astur es thr o ugh whi ch me an der ed sp ar klin g brooks

,

fed by per enn i al spr in gs sust ain ed l ar ge n umbers o f

,

c a ttle an d sheep The d ate fl our ished in su ch v ariety

.

th at it w as on ly by its sh ape an d st on e th at its species

c o uld be deter mi n ed The s oil w as f av o r able to the
.

Olive an d Oil formed an impor t an t ar ti cle o f export

,
.

I t w as in deed a l an d Of pr omis e r en o wn ed in history , ,

c eleb r a ted i n myth an d lege n d ; the O phi r o f H oly

Wr it ; the s c en e o f the su ff e r in gs o f M arius Regu ,

lus an d C at o ; wher e origin ated man y o f the mo st

,

ch ar min g fi c ti on s o f c l a ssi c mytho l ogy ; the h ome o f

D an aus An taeus an d Atlas ; for c en tur ies the abode

, ,

Of Tyr i an c iviliz ation ; the se at succ essively o f Puni c

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 1 35

splen do r Roman luxury Van d al li c en se an d Ch ris

, , ,

tian faith I n its capital H amilcar had pr ep ar ed for

.

the des c en t upon S icily which had secur ed the master y

o f the Mediterr an e an an d H ann ib a l ha d plan n ed the
,

c amp aig n whi c h humbled the p r ide o f the E tern a l

City ; the lan d whi ch ha d r e c eived in its bo s o m r e f

u e es fr om P a lestin e an d Ar abi a the foun de r s an d
g ,

s upp or te r s o f a n ew an d gl or i o us empi r e ; the see o f

S t Augustin e ; the en ch an ted G ar den wher e dwelt

.
,

the beautiful daughters o f E r ebus an d N ight ; wher e

the gigan tic p or t al marked by the tw o famous col
umn s p o i n ted ou t to the Ph oen i c i an mar in er the w a y

to the C ass iterid es

Ab yl tque C lp
a a a e .

C arth agin ian en ter pr ise for ages bar ter ed its man u
factures for the tin o f B r it ain an d the luxur ies o f
S y ri a ; un der the R oman s for four c en tur ies its
, ,

ag r i c ultu ra l p r o du c ts ma in t ai n ed in
pro fli g ate idle
n ess the degen e r ate i n h abit an t s o f I t aly .

The further extr emity o f this r egion which the ,

p o eti c n omen c latur e o f the Or ien t al had design ated

by the n ame o f Al M aghr eb -
The L an d o f the
,

E ven in g w as the wealthier an d mor e pr o ductive ;

,

but its sto rm swept coast had subor din ated its tr ade
-

to the s upe r i or co mmer c i al adv an t age s o f the e as te rn

h alf n o w Tun is an d T r ipoli whi c h w as kn o wn as
, ,

I frikiy ah A p r efect a pp oin ted by the cour t o f

.

C on st an tin o ple admin istered the govern men t o f

these colon ies in the n ame Of the E mper or but
, ,

his j ur isdiction w as con fi n ed to a n arro w belt o f

terr itor y beyo n d which r oamed at will ban ds o f
,

ferocious an d h ar dy b ar b ari an s s ome o f wh om had ,

n o settled h abit a ti on ; while a con siderable n umber

dwelt in the l pes an d d efi l es o f the Atlas M oun
tain s ekin g ou t a mi serable subsisten c e by a super
,

fi cial cultiv atio n o f the s o il an d a p r e c ar ious tr affi c

1 36 HIST ORY OF TH E

with their s c ar c ely less civili zed n eighb or s The popu .

lation o f this provin c e w as owin g to r epeated immi ,

ra ti on an d i n v asi on an d the c on seque n t a dmixtu r e

g ,

o f rac es o f the mo st hete r o gen e ous c h ara c ter

,
Al on g .

the coast the eleg anc e Of the Gr ec ian type o ccasion

, ,

all y mo dified by the dig n ified fe a tu r es an d mar ti al

bear in g o f the Roman wh o se physical traits had b een ,

p artially pr eserved by the fr equen t r en ewal o f g arri

s on s an d the imp or t ation O f colon ists fr om I t aly an d
C on stan tin o ple lar gely p r edo mi n ated F ur ther in
,
.

lan d appe ar ed in the swar thy complexion s blue eyes

, , ,

an d a ubu r n locks the cro ss between V an d al an d,

M au r itan ian side by side with the un mist ak able li nea

,

men ts o f the S yr i an an d the J ew But most nu .

mer ou s o f all the mo st fo rmid able in w ar the most

, ,

per fid i ou s in pe ac e we r e the Be r be r s wh o se or igin

, ,

tra ditio n has v ar iously assi gn ed to E ur o pe Assyria , ,

Ar abi a E thi o pi a an d P alestin e

, Wh ateve r may
,
.

h ave been the h ome Of this un doubtedly S emiti c rac e ,

their affin ity with the Arabs w as mo st con spicuous an d

r emar k a ble Gen er ous b r ave p atien t o f su ff erin g
.
, , ,

p rodig al o f h o spit ality r ever en ti al to the aged loyal , ,

to their ki n dr ed imp atien t o f r estr ai n t me r c iless in

, ,

r eve n ge thei r c h arac te r w a s an epit ome O f the r ugged

,

virtues an d cr uel vic es o f the rovi n g b ar bar ian The .

fightin g qualities o f this peo ple j o in ed to the in acces ,

sible n atu r e o f their h aun ts an d in n o small degr ee , , ,

aided by thei r p o ve r ty ha d a lw a ys se c u r ed for them ,

immu n ity from con quest P o l iti cal r ever ses had .

n eve r been a ble to e ff ace thei r n ati o n al pe c uli ar ities .

Un der per se cution while a pp ar en tly con formin g to ,

the publi c f aith they r emain ed in r e ality fetich

, , ,

wo r shippers The lo n g domi n ation s o f Ph oenici an

.
,

R oman Byz an tin e Teut on had e ff e cted n o altera

tion in their lan gu ag e—the Ar abic alon e has b een
, ,

a ble to e n g r o ss ab o ut a thi r d o f the te r ms o f their

guttur al idi om Their p olity r esembled a r epublic

.
,
13 8 HIST ORY OF TH E

the Gr e ater S yrtis to the Pill ar s o f Herc ules Their .

r el a ti on s an d a c qu a i n t an c e exten ded n ot o n ly to the

extr eme O rien t but wer e sust ain ed with the semi
,

barb ar ous cour ts Of E uro pe ; an d their symp athies

with their br eth r en Of S emitic or igin assisted by the ,

com mun ity o f ide as h abits an d mo de o f life o f the

, ,

Ber ber tr ibes con tributed in a degr ee whic h c ann ot

, ,

be over estimated to the est ablishmen t an d pr eserva

,

tion o f the Western e mpir e o f I sl am .

I n the ye ar 6 47 the co vet ous gl an c es o f the g o ve rn

,

men t at Medin a wer e tur n ed to war ds the r ich plan ta

tion s an d po pulous settlemen ts o f Ai M a ghr eb ; an d -

the pr eda to r y in r o ads which had hither to vexed its

b orde rs wer e f or the fir st time super seded by a sys
, ,

temati c an d dete rmi n ed a ttempt at con quest The .

we akn ess an d p ar ti ality Of O thman with whom the ,

agg ran dizemen t o f his f amily w as a p a r amo un t con

sider ation had r emoved the famo us Amr u from the

,

vi c er oyalty o f E gypt an d i n vested with its ad min is

,

tr ati on Abdall ah I bn S a d the f o ster b ro the r o f the

’
- - -
,

K h alif a w arr io r o f expe r ie n c e an d c o u ra ge an d the

,

fin est h or seman o f his n ation but a man who se re ,

n o wn had been sullied by the cr i me Of a p o st asy and ,

w ho had used an empl o yme n t o f con fiden c e to ri di

cule an d r evile the i nspi r ed te ac hin gs an d s acr ed
c h ar ac te r o f the P r o phet .

C allin g in to r equi s itio n all the r es our c es o f his g ov

er n men t this M o sle m gen e r a l mar c hed i n to the Desert
,

with twen ty thous an d s oldier s amon g them man y of ,

the comp an ion s Of M oh ammed an d r epr esen t atives

o f the mo st n o ble t r ibes o f Ar abi a After a f ew un .

imp or t an t skirmishes an d a sh or t but bloo dy engage

,

men t in whic h a division o f the Gr eeks w as en tirely

destr o yed the Ar ab ar my adv an c ed to T rip oli and
, , ,

in vestin g its w alls pushed for war d the Operation s of

,

the siege with an en er gy h ar dly to be expe cted from

a pe o ple wh o se exp er ie n c e had been c on fin ed to ma
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 139

r au d n i g expedition s an d the str at agems o f p ar tis an

war far e Un der the d omi n ion o f the Byz an tin e em
.

peror s the O ffic e Of p r efe c t had been subs tituted fo r

,

th at o f the an c ien t pr o c on sul ; an d this emplo ymen t

w as n ot on ly ch ar ged with the exe cuti on Of the l aws
r el atin g to c ivil an d milit ar y a ff a i r s but als o c l ai med ,

j ur isdi cti on over matter s pertain in g to the welfar e

o f the ch u r c h the a pp o in tme n t Of its mi n ister s a n d
, ,

the en forc emen t Of the c an on s o f ecclesi astical dis c i

plin e The pr efe ct Gr egory who se t alen ts had been
.
,

exer cised an d wh os e pr owess had been appr oved in

, ,

man y n ego tiation s an d con flicts with the Berber s at ,

the he ad o f a tumultuous an d un dis ciplin ed for c e o f

o n e hun d r ed an d twen ty th ous an d me n moved for ,

war d to the r elief o f T r ip oli Aban don in g the siege

.
,

the Ar abs ac c epted the ch allen ge an d a ser ies o f ,

battles en sued witho ut de c ided a dvan t age upon either

side un til the pr efe ct mor tified th at the n umer ic al
, ,

superior ity o f his tr o o ps should be n eutr alized by the

desper ate c ourage o f his a dver s aries o ff er ed the h an d ,

o f his be autiful d aughter—w ho c ompletely armed , ,

w as e ach d ay c on spi c u ous i n the ran ks o f the v an

guar d—an d a pur se o f on e hun dr ed tho us an d pie c es
o f go ld to an y on e w ho w ould b r i n g him the he a d

o f the M o slem gen er al The cour age o f Abd allah

.
,

alth o ugh he ha d f a c ed de ath i n a hun dr ed forms w a s ,

n ot p roo f ag ai n st this e ff or t O f his wily an t a g on ist ,

an d r emai n i n g idly in hi s ten t he left the con du c t o f

, ,

Oper ation s to the c ar e o f his lieuten an ts I n the me an .

time ther e arr ived at the Arab camp a small detach

men t he aded by I bn al Z obeir a warr ior o f d i sti n c
- -
,

tion w ho he ar d with con tempt o f the pusillan imous

,

c on du c t o f the ge n er al S eeki n g him he den oun c ed

.
,

his cowardic e sugge s tin g th at he should r etal i ate by

,

the Off er o f a similar sum an d the pr efect s daughter

’

as a sl ave to wh o ever sh ould c a st a t his feet the he a d

,

o f the G r eek comman de r The a dvic e w as t aken ; the

.
1 40 HIST ORY OF TH E

temptin g r ewar d w as published thr ough out the c amp ;

the Ar ab yo uth we r e fir ed by emul a tion to r ed oubled
e ff or ts ; an d Abd allah himself sh amed in to ac tion , ,

a g ai n a ppe ar ed in the fr o n t o f b a ttle But the over .

w hehn i n g n umbe r s Of the G r eeks i n spi r ed by the ,

ex ample o f a f ew legion s whic h y et r et ain ed the tr adi

tion s o f Roman ste adin ess an d dis c iplin e an d sup ,

po r ted by the rapid evolution s Of the Nu mi dian

cav al r y , f amous fr om the d ays o f Ju g u r tha still ,

r en de r ed the i s s ue doubtful an d by r epe a ted en g age ,

men ts the ran ks o f the Ar abs we r e bein g co n st an tly

dimin ished Ag ain the t alen ts o f I bn al Z ob eir wer e
.
- -

c alled in t o r equisiti on ; the b attle w as r en ewed a s usu al

at d ayb r e a k ; a n d when the bl azin g s u n ha d exh austed

the str en gth o f the comb at an ts bo th armies r etir ed ,

to the shelte r o f thei r ten ts But the M o slems had .

n o t al l been e n g a ged an d a divi si on comp o sed o f

,

tr oo ps sele c ted for their br aver y an d co mman ded by

,

the in tr epid I bn al Z ob eir bu rst sudden ly like a

- -
,

thun derb olt up on the ho stile c amp .

S eized with a p an i c as they wer e r ep o sin g a fter

,

the ar duous str uggle o f the d ay the r an ks o f the ,

en emy wer e br o ken the p r efe ct w as killed an d the

, ,

c amp give n o ve r to pill age A ri ch b ooty an d inn u

.

merabl e captives compen s ated the vic tor s for their

tr i als ; the be aute ous Amazon became the sl ave o f I bn
al Z ob eir ;
-
an d a fte r the c a ptu r e o f the i mp or t an t
,

c ity o f S u f etel a the en ti r e distr i c t ac kn o wledged the

,

auth or ity o f the Kh alif The rav ages o f disease the

.
,

losses r esultin g fr om a series o f en g agemen ts lastin g

for mon ths an d the l ack o f re in for c ements made it
, ,

imp ossible f or Abd allah to garr is on the t o wn s or to ,

r et ai n in subj e c ti on the r estless t r ibes o f the i n te r ior ;

an d he co n se n ted with a l a cr ity to acc ept a br ibe o f

, ,

tw o mi llio n five hun d r ed th o us an d din ar s an d ab an don

the con quest The spo il w as sen t to Medin a an d
.
,

O thman fur ther incurr ed the c h ar ges o f inj usti c e and

 14 2 HIS T ORY OF TH E

l e ex c eptin g Mus a made the mo st en dur in g im

a on , ,

pr essi on up on the vali an t an d tr e acher ous b arb ar ians

Of Ai M aghr eb w as Okbah I bn N a fi w ho w as n ext in
-
,
- -
,

vested with the comman d E n ter in g the h o stile r egion .

at the he a d o f ten th o us an d vete r a n cav al r y he made ,

w ar w ith the s ame r es o lutio n an d un comp romising

Spir it which marked the c ar eer s o f the d ar in g Amru
a n d Kh alid The S wor d o f G o d
, The Ch r istian s .

w ho r efused by eithe r submissi on or c on ve r sio n to ac

, ,

kn owledge the divin e o r igin O f I sl am wer e ruthlessly

sl aughte r ed ; but the or der s o f the Kh alif expl i citly
pro hibited the equipmen t o r use Of n av al armamen ts ,

a n d the se a p or ts o f the G r eeks es ca ped for the ti me , ,

the fate whic h w a s in evit able The Ber ber s beh old .
,

in g with wo n der the a pp ar e n tly i n vi n c ible c h arac te r

o f thei r en e my equ ally fo r tu n a te i n pl a i n an d mou n
,

t ain fas tn es s defe atin g with e ase their br avest squ ad

,

r on s an d s c ali n g despite all Obst a c les the all but im

, , ,
-

p r egn able defen c es o f their stron gh o lds c lothed him ,

with the attr ibutes o f divin ity an d submittin g to his , ,

domin ion r e co gn ized the p ower o f the Kh alif while

, ,

at the s ame time a b j u r i n g thei r ido l atr y

, they con ,

fessed the un ity an d maj esty o f G o d The a dvan ce .

o f Okb ah w as the t r iu mph ant p ro g r ess o f a con

qu ero r Almo st un r esisted he tr aversed the r egion s

.
,

peo pled by h o r des o f fier c e b ar b ar i an s un til h avin g , ,

pen etrated to the Atlan tic he ro de his h o r se in to its ,

seethin g waters an d dr awin g his swor d cried ou t

, , , ,

G o d is g r e a t "We r e I n ot hin de r ed by this s ea I ,

would g o for war d to the un kn own kin gdoms o f the

West pr ocl aim
,
'
i n g the g r e a tn ess o f Thy H o ly N ame

an d subduin g th o se n ati on s w ho w or ship o ther g o ds

than Thee " ”

The moral e ff e ct o f the expedition o f Okb ah which ,

familiar ized the n ation s Of the n or th o f Afr ica with

the doctr in es o f I sl am w as Of f ar mor e imp or tan c e
,

th an the sp oil c olle cted by the vi ctor i ous army which ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 1 43

w as , i n itself n ot in con sider able The we alth o f the

, .

Ber ber s ign o r an t as they wer e o f the mech an ical ar ts

,

an d the eleg an t a ppli an c es o f luxu r y w as con fin ed to ,

flo cks an d herds ; but the be auty an d f as cin ati o n s o f

their women ar ous ed the p assion s Of the c on quer or s ,

an d man y Of them s ubsequen tly comman ded in the

markets o f Alex an d ri a an d D amas c us the ex traor d i

n ar y p r i c e O f a th o us an d mithc al s o f go ld The in .

con s t an t ch ar a c ter o f the t r ibes o f M aur it an i a an d

the Atlas amen able on ly to the r estr ain ts o f military

,

p ower an d to whom c on vers io n an d a po s t asy wer e

,

mer e matter s o f tempor ar y expedien cy suggested to ,

the s agacious min d o f Okbah the n e c essity for the

e s tablishmen t o f a f ortified po st in the terr itor y o f
this ac tive an d formi d able en emy An in l an d po si .

tion w as s elec ted to avo id the attacks o f the n av al

,

forces o f C on stan tin o ple an d despite the ser ious

, ,

physic al dis a dv an tages o f b arr en n es s dro ught an d , ,

exc es s ive he at a c ity w as built to whi ch w a s given the

, ,

n ame o f K a iro an ; a metro p o lis de s ti n ed in a fter times

to att ai n to an imp o r t an t r an k i n the an n als o f the

dyn astie s o f Afr ic a The walls wer e o f brick with
.
,

flan kin g tower s an d embr ac ed six mi les in cir cuit

,
.

The foun dation s o f a mosque an edific e measur in g ,

tw o hun dr ed an d twen ty by on e hun dr ed an d fifty

cubits ,
wer e laid ; its s even teen n aves wer e ador n ed
with the plun der ed mar bles o f Uti c a an d C ar th age ;
the grac eful pr o p ortion s o f its min ar et an d the ele
gan c e o f its mural de c or ation s are still prover bial in
the M oh ammedan wor ld The b az aar o f the c ity
.

lin ed a str eet thr ee miles in len gth ; its s cho ols be c ame
the r es or t o f the learn ed ; the auth or ity o f its muftis
on po in ts o f d o c tr i n e w a s i n disput able ; an d a s the ,

seat o f the Vi c er oy Of the Kh alif it lo n g main tain ed ,

its poli tical importan c e .

The implac able an d per fid i ou s spir it o f the Ber bers ,

whom n o tr e aties c ould con trol n ow broke ou t in the ,

144 HIS T ORY OF TH E

pro se c uti on o f petty h o stilities whic h the s catter ed ,

f orc es Of the M o slems wer e p o wer less to p r even t .

F or ays wer e ma de up on is o lated settlemen ts flocks ,

wer e driven Off h amlets given to the flames an d

, ,

even the se cur ity o f the r isin g colon y o f K airoan w as

thr e aten ed E mbo lden ed by their succ ess the Ber ber
.
,

c hiefs con feder a ted fo r the t o t al destr u c ti on o f the

M o slems K o ceil a an in fluen ti al chieft ain w ho had

.
, ,

been wan ton ly in sulted an d maimed by Okbah an d

w a s n o w kept a c lo se p r is on e r in the c amp w as the ,

mo v in g spir it o f the con spir ac y Le ar n in g too late .

o f the pl an o f the e n emy Okb ah w a s co mpelled to

,

we aken his army an d while a det achmen t for the re

,

li ef O f K air oan w as o n the mar c h it w a s sudde n ly ,

a tt a c ked n e ar T ehu d a by an o ver whelmi n g f orc e o f

b ar b ar ian c av alr y The little b an d o f Mussulman s

.
,

le s s th an four hun dr ed in n u mb er seein g the h ope ,

lessn ess o f the con test commen ded themselves to G od

, ,

an d , c a s ti n g a w a y thei r s c a bb ar ds pe r ished to a man , ,

s c imet ar in h an d The t ombs o f these mar tyr s are

.

s till o bj e c ts o f ve n e r ati on to the dev o ut an d Z ab , ,

wher e they ar e situ ated en j oys the s an c tity privi , ,

leges an d luc ra tive tr ade o f a pla c e o f pil g r irn ag e

, .

The F r an ks an d Ber ber s with their usu al in con stan cy

n o w fl ocked to the st an d ar d o f K oc ei l a w ho assumed ,

the title o f an in depen den t s over eign an d for five

ye ar s r emain ed the un disputed ruler o f I frikiy ah .

At the expi rati on o f th at per io d a fr esh ar my of ,

Ar abs un der Z ohe ir def eate d the Berber s in a de

c i s iv e b a ttle an d K oc e il a h avi n g been killed the lieu
, , ,

ten an t Of the Kh alif ag ain asserted his unst able au

tho r ity . I t w as n ot l on g befor e the n ew g o vernor
Z oheir su c cu mbed to the tr e ache r y o f the cun nin g
b ar b ar ian s an d the Kh alif Abd al Melik imp osed
,
- -

up on H ass an Vic e ro y o f E gypt the t ask which

, ,

had f o iled the skill an d e n e r gy o f s o man y o f his

pr edec ess or s But n on e o f the latte r had mustered
.
1 46 HIS T ORY OF TH E

in ven tion o f the comp ass p opularly but e rron eo usly

,

att r ibuted to the s a il or s o f Arn al fi it ha s been con ,

j ectu red with s ome degr ee o f pro b ability w as in

, ,

r e ali ty a leg ac y o f Tyr e to C ar th a ge ; an d it is c er

t ainth at the peculi ar pr o perties o f the magn et d es ig ,

n ate d the S t one Of He r c ules we r e famili ar to the ,

marin er s o f th o se cities w ho emplo yed it in divin a

,

tion an d in the se cr et c er emon ies o f their temples

up on the sh or es o f ever y s ea The str aight swor d .

o f the S p an ish Ar a b s o di ff e r e n t fr om the c ur ved

,

blade o f the O r ien t is the swo r d o f the C ar th agin ian ;

,

a we a p on whi ch subsequen tly a d o pted by R ome from

,

I ber i a c on que r ed the world in cludin g the Afri can

, ,

warr i o r s w ho in ven ted it The c ap o f the B asque is

.

a mo dific a ti on o f the Old Pun i c or Phr ygi an head , ,

co ve ri n g still wo rn by the J ew es ses o f Tun is an d

, ,

which in ou r d ay has been ad o pted as on e o f the

, ,

emblems o f Liberty The tog a o f Rome an d the

.

burn ous o f the Ar ab can b e tr ac ed to the s ame origin ,

bein g der ived by C arth age from Ph oen ic ia an d by the ,

latter fr om Lydi a ; an d the n ames c ustoms tradi , ,

tion s an d c er emon ies Of mo der n S p ain suggest daily

, ,

to the in tell ige n t o bse r ver the e n du r in g i mp r ession s

,

pr o duc ed by the domin ation o f the an c ien t Queen of

the Mediterran ean E ven in her r uin did C arthage
.

c on t r ibute to the p ro g r ess o f s c ie n c e an d the well

bein g Of human ity The cathedral O f Pis a un der

.
,

wh o se dome G alile o pur sued his exper imen ts an d per

fected the pe n dulum c lock w as c on struc ted o f the
-
,

marbles o f her p al ac es ; an d the un r iv alled mo sque of

C or dova the c en tr e Of mediaev al le arn in g in whose
, ,

p r e cin cts w as the fin est li br ar y o f the ag e still con ,

t ain s hun dr eds o f column s ar oun d wh o se sh a fts once

,

c ur led the wr e aths o f i n c en se th at r o se fr om the alt ars

o f the Tyr i an He r cules But f ar mor e important

.

th an al l else w as the in fluen c e exer ted up on the Arab

in v ader s by the def ac ed an d sh atter ed memorials of
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 1 47

her dep arted gran deur Despite the e ff ects o f R O

.

man h ate an d ven ge an ce the destru ctive en er gy o f

,

Gen seric an d the sh amele s s n eglec t o f the Byzan tin e

,

emperors C ar th age w as still a gr eat an d be autiful

,

c ity .M an y o f her stately edific e s wer e pr es erved ;

her temple s t owe r i n g in their p r istin e ma j esty
, ,

be ckon ed the an xiou s mar in er to her pr o sper ous

shor es ; her h arb or s with their co lon n ades wer e s till
in tact an d it w as with n o or din ary emotion s th at the
,

Moslem looked up on these eviden c es Of the t aste an d

civiliz ati on o f on e Of the mo s t Opule n t an d r en o wn ed

capit als Of an tiquity The Phoen i ci an s by their

.
,

proximity to an d r egular in te r cour se with the highly

cultiv ated r a c e s o f Assyr i a an d E gypt had a dded ,

immeasurably to their s tock o f le ar n in g an d e agerly ,

dissemin ated amon g their c olon ies the n o tion s o f poli

tics philo so phy an d s c ien c e which they had imbibed
, , ,

in their pe r i o dic al vo ya ge s to the b an ks o f the E u

phrates an d the N ile An d as from Asi a Min or
.
,

plainly dis closed in the myth o f C admus fir st ema ,

n ate d th at kn o wledge o f letter s an d the ar ts whi ch , ,

exp an din g with a pr o digious develo pmen t c ulmi ,

n ated in the mat chless cr e atio n s o f the G r e c i an

sculptor an d the Gr ec ian muse ; s o to the n orther n
co as t o f Afri c a c an be t rac ed the d awn o f th a t i n

s pi rati on o f r efin emen t an d t a ste whi c h aw aken ed i n

the min ds o f the rude an d war like n omads o f the

De s ert a desir e for s omethin g better th an the subj u
g ation o f b ar b ar i an t r ibes s o methin g mor e en dur in g
,

than the co stly p age an ts o f militar y glor y .

S ettled almost thir teen c en tur ies befo r e the Chr is

tian era an d in her itin g from the p ar en t city o f Tyr e
,

that spir it o f en ter pr ise which had gain ed for the

latter the c arr yi n g tr ade o f the world at the time o f ,

the foun dation o f Rome C ar th age w as alr eady the

,

wealthiest an d most polished st ate on the shor es o f

the Mediterran e an H er inhabit an ts r ather in clin ed
.
,
1 48 HIS T ORY OF TH E

to pe ac eful occup ation s an d the luxurious e ase th at

p rosper ity con fers th an to the pr iv ations of the camp
an d the d an ge r s o f the field usu ally enlisted mer ,

cen ari es to p r o se cute thei r con quests When at the .

height o f her p ower her armies whi c h had penetrated

, ,

the mysteriou s depths o f the Libyan an d E thiopian

deserts an d who se pro wess had been displayed alike
,

in the d e file s o f S i c ily an d up on the pl ain s of the

B a tis had subj ec ted to her autho r ity a wide extent
,

o f terr itory an d mor e th an thr ee hu n d r ed towns in

,

Afri ca alon e many o f them plac es o f con siderable

,

magn itude I n the S p an ish Pen in sul a whenc e she

.
,

dr ew her supplies o f the pr e c io us metals she em ,

ploy ed in the silve r min es fifty tho us and men The .

mo st assiduous car e w as p aid to agri cul ture and the ,

extraor din ary fertility o f the s o il yi eldin g with e ase ,

on e hu n d r ed an d fifty f o ld w as a ssisted by an equ able

,

c li mate an d a s c ie n tifi c a n d exte n sive system of irr i

g ati on .The subst an ti al ch ar acter o f the public works

o f the capit al is evi n c ed by the r uins o f the c isterns

an d the a quedu c t whi c h h a ve de fi ed the sto rms and

,

r evo luti ons o f tw o th o us an d ye ar s But it w as chiefly .

in commercial aff air s th at the C arth a ginians asserted

their imme asur able super i or ity o ve r all thei r con
temporaries Their merc han ts who se enter prise w as
.
,

p roverbial wer e fami liar wi th some Of the ingenious

,

expedients that in our d ay amon g c ivilized nations

, , ,

so f ac ilit ate an d si mplify impo r tant b usiness trans

a c ti o ns The mo st r emar kable O f these des crib ed by

.

L atin writer s wer e c ertain pie c es o f le ather which ,

when folded in a pecul iar mann er an d sealed to pre ,

vent forger y r e adily p assed as mone y undoubted

, ,

pr e cur s or s Of ou r b an k n o tes an d b ills of exchange

-
.

They seem to h ave had als o well d efin ed ide as of the -

fis cal an d other r egul ation s deman ded by the exi

g en cies o f for eign t ra de su c h as b anking insurance
, , ,

an d duties on imp or ts .
15 0 HIST ORY OF TH E

bossed with med alli on p or traits o f their o wn er s in

massy go ld .

O ccupy in g the c en tr e o f the S o uthern M ed iter

r an e an c oa st an d acc essible to eve r y p or t f r equented
,

by tr ader s C ar th a ge w as speedily en abled to pr ofit

,

to the utmo st by th o se a dv an t ages o f ge ogr aphi cal

p o sition th at p aved the w ay to her p oli tical an d mari
time as c en den c y At her left h an d wer e the Pillars
.

o f Herc ules an d the c h ann el th rough whi ch p assed

,

the t r a de Of S p ain an d B r it ain ; at her r ight the in

exh austible gran ar ies Of E gypt ; in fr on t o f her the ,

qu arr ies min es an d slave mar ts Of I t aly an d Gr ee ce ;

, ,
-

in her r e ar the g o ld an d gems o f Liby a Up on a .

pen in sul a wh ose isthmus w as defen ded by a tr iple

,

wall l ay the city embr acin g a ci rcui t o f twen ty thr ee

, ,
-

miles an d con t ain in g a po pulation o f n e ar ly a milli on

,
.

I n side the for tific ati on s o n the e ast w as the K othon , , ,

a d o uble h ar b or con sistin g o f tw o c i rc ul ar b asin s c on

,

n ec ted by a c an a l sixty feet wide b arr ic a ded with ,

en ormous i ro n ch ain s The o uter an d l ar ger b asin .

,

six th ous an d feet in cir cu mfer en c e w as destin ed for ,

the use o f merch an tmen ; the inn er on e w as r eserved

ex clusively fo r gall eys an d men Of w ar B o th were - -
.

su rr oun ded by d ocks stor eh ouses qu arter s for ma , ,

r i n es an d ar sen als a n d wer e a pp r o ac hed by splen did

, ,

I on i c p or ti co s an d colon n ades o f white mar ble In .

the c en tr e o f an islan d in the inn er h ar bor at whose ,

qu ays tw o hu n dr ed ves s els could r ide se cur ely at

an c h or r o se the c a stle o f the a dmi r a l w ho di r e cted
,

all man oeuvr es at the s o u n d o f t r umpet I mmedi .

ately ove r the K othon on an elev atio n th at com ,

man d ed it st ood the famous B y rs a o r c it a del I ts

, , .

wall ro se to the height o f sixty fi v e feet an d w as -

fl an ked by n u merous t ower s ; a dj o in in g the latter

wer e st ables for four th ous an d h or ses an d th r ee hun
dr ed eleph an ts an d b arr acks th at could accommodate
,

a g arr is o n Of twe nty fo u r th o us an d men -

E ighteen .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 151

c istern s seven Of which are still in t ac t e ach n in ety

, ,

thr ee feet lon g by twen ty wide an d twen ty eight feet -

deep con n e cted by a tun n el with r eservo ir s in the

,

subur bs furn ished an abun dan t supply Of water

, .

The highest po in t Of the B y r s a w as o ccupied by the

temple o f E s cu l apiu s the tutelar y deity o f the city
, ,

an d a lth ough i n f a c t a n a lmo s t i mp r eg n able f or t r es s

, , ,

the skil l o f the en gin eer had thoro ughly di s gui s ed its
formidable ch aracter I t w as s ituated above a ser ies
.

o f terrac es r esemblin g the h an gi n g g ar den s o f As

,

syria an d w a s r e ached by superb mar ble st air c ases

,

a dor n ed with be au tiful st atues urn s an d o the r wo rks

, ,

o f ar t . S labs o f p or phyr y an d ver d an tique cover ed -

its walls ; its arc ades wer e p aved an d en crusted with

mos aics ; an d the ven eration in which it w as held by
the peo ple w a s attested by the gor geous a pp oin t
men ts o f its shr in e But the fan e o f ZE s cu l apiu s with
.
,

all its s plen do r w as n o t with out man y r iv als in the

,

Afr ican metro p olis The r eligion o f the Gar th a

.

g in i an s o r igin ally as tr on omic al an d pr o fo un dly s y m

,

boli c had c en tur ie s befor e dis c ar ded the pur er forms

,

o f a stral wo r ship f or a deb a s ed an d c r uel p o lytheis m .

The di ff er en t war ds o f the city wer e n amed fr om

the var ious deities who se altar s they co n t ain ed West .

o f the K othon w a s the temple o f Ap o ll o an d ad j Oi n ,

in g it the shr in e o f M el c ar eth or He r cules —who se ,

pr e cin cts n o wo man w as s u ff er ed to en ter an d who se ,

priests assumin g the v ow o f ch a stity wen t bar efoot

, ,

an d with sh aven c r o w n s
— st o o d side by side with the
fr agr an t gar den s within wh o se mysti c gro ves we r e
c eleb r ated amidst i n des c r ib a ble or gies the li c e n ti o us
, ,

r ites o f the Ph oen i c i an A s t ar te N ear er the s ea w a s

.

the gr an d temple o f the Afr ic an B aal the M oloch o f ,

the Hebr ews surroun ded by a labyr in th an d c over ed

,

with thr ee con c en tr ic domes whi ch o pen above like

, ,

th at o f the P an theo n at Rome permitted the r ays o f ,

15 2 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the s u n at hi gh mer idi an to des c end up on the br azen

ima ge o f the g o d .

The o ther edific es o f the Afr ican capit al were in ,

r i c hn ess an d splend or e mi n en tly w or thy o f its temples

,

an d its c it adel The vast commerc e Of C ar th age

.

plac ed at its comman d the r es our c es o f all an tiquity .

N o l ab or or expen se w as sp ar ed in archite ctur al deco

ratio n . On the facade o f its the at r e whi ch ro se f or ,

seven st or ies in tier s o f gr ac eful ar ches wer e s cul p ,

tu r e d the forms o f an imals the effi g i e s O f famous ,

ar tis an s the figur es Of mil itar y comman der s an d

, ,

symb oli cal r epr esen t ation s o f the elemen ts the sea ,

s on s an d the win ds The c irc us in ferior in extent

,
.
,

on ly to th a t o f R ome w as supp or ted by fluted column s

,

o f su c h en ormo us siz e th at twelve men could sit with

e ase up on the edge o f on e o f their c apit als t o werin g

a h un d r ed feet a b o ve the ar en a I n the pr incipal .

squar e the r eser vo ir fed by the g r e at aquedu ct w as

, , ,

surr ou n ded by balustrades an d arches All o f these .

publi c works wer e o f white mar ble whic h glittered ,

like cr yst al un der the rays o f a s outhern sun The .

t aste which design ed them w as the r esult o f three

thous an d ye ar s o f c iviliz ation E ver y n ation o f the .

an c ien t w o r ld ha d c on tr ibuted its sh ar e to their sy m

met ry their v a lue their magn ific en c e The beauty

, , .

o f the ma ter i a l w as enh an c ed a th ous an d fo ld by the -

in comp arable elegan c e o f the s culptur e an d the orn a

men t ation .

The Meg ara a subur b Of C arth ag e con t ain ed the

, ,

c oun t r y se a t s an d p al a c es o f the n o bility

-
s ome of ,

them built li ke the ho uses o f Ven ic e up on piles and

, ,

ar c hes in the s ea I t w as an immense p ark seamed

.

with c an als an d r ivulets wh o se water s wer e con veyed

,

by c on duits fr om the moun t ain s sixty miles away .

The r eser vo ir s o f the Megar a so exten sive th at they ,

n ow con stitute an Ar a b vill a ge wer e con st ructed in ,

the s ame sub stan tial man n er as the c isterns o f the

154 HIS T ORY OF TH E

or gies dec aden t Rome F or per ver sity o f dispo

of .

s i ti on ,for sh ameless e ffro n te r y for p er fi d i ou s d i s r e

,

g ar d o f f aith an d con tempt o f hon or an d f or brazen ,

immo desty the mo st deb au ched commun ities o f the

,

E ast an d West by un iver s al con sen t co n fe rr ed upon

, ,

the p o pulation o f C ar th age the unen vi able distin cti on

o f u n a pp roac h able i n f amy The Van dals had plun
.

der ed its tr e asur es an d en slaved its peo ple but had ,

sp ar ed its n o ble bu ildin gs an d exempted its walls

,

fr om the destru cti on whi ch had usu ally bef allen those
o f o the r t o wn s c on que r ed by these b ar b ar i an s S u ch .

w as the c ity whi c h i n te r p o sed a f o r mid able an d

hithe rto in supe rable barr ier to the en ter p r ise o f the
M o slems ; an d who se tr an s c en den t in fluen c e has left
its stamp up on the h abits the cr eeds an d the Opin ion s
, ,

o f ever y subsequen t a g e ; to whi c h an c ie n t com merc e

w as i n debted for its develo p men t an d fr om which ,

mo der n belief has der ived s ome o f the mo st po pular

o f its d o g mas ; amon g them the d oc tr i n es o f S t Au .

gustin e an d the le adin g pr in c iples o f p at r istic theol

og y , th at even n ow c on tro l e cclesiastical coun c ils an d
pr es cr ibe the rules o f Chr isti an dis c iplin e .

His pr ep ar ation s completed the M o slem gen eral

, ,

se con ded by the en thusi asm o f his splen did army an d ,

con fiden t o f su cc ess p r ep ar ed a t o n c e f or an ass ault

, .

The ladder s we r e plan ted an d despite the terr or s o f

,

Gr eek fir e an d the v alo r o f the Byz an tin e g arris on

,

whi ch beh aved wi th un usu al spirit the city w as t aken ,

.

But in the me an time n ews o f the d an ger of the

, ,

co lo n y ha d r e a c hed the B o sph or us ; the C our t w as

ar o used from its leth argy ; a p o wer ful fleet w as
equipped ; an d the M oslems had s carc ely r ested from
their e ff or ts befor e the ar r ival o f this n ew en emy com
pel l ed them to r et r e at A f ew mo n ths l ate r h o wever
.
, ,

r ei n f orc eme n ts h avi n g been r e c eived by H a ss an C ar ,

thag e w as a g ain st ormed ; a de c isive vi c t o r y w as g ain ed

by the M o slems o ver the Gr eeks w ho impr udently ,

H AM M y
?
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 15 5

r isked an en g agemen t in the Open field ; the c ity w as

plun der ed an d bur n t ; an d the j ur isdictio n over its
ter ritory p assed away for ever from the h an ds o f the
c orr upt an d pusill an i mous s ove r eig n s Of the E aster n

E mpir e .

But the destructi on o f the ca pital a p olitical meas ,

ur e to se cu r e supr emac y while p ro du c i n g a de c isive

,

moral e ff e c t up on the r emain in g colo n ies o f the

Greeks w as far fr om in timid atin g the Berbers wh os e
, ,

o mn ip r esen t s qu a dr on s r emai n ed the master s o f al l the

r egion situ a ted beyon d the f or tified to we r s o f the

fr on tier A female irn po s tor o f pr in c ely lin e age

whose n ame Dh abb a has been ab an don ed by sa bse
.

, ,

quen t chron icler s for the p o pular a ppellation K ahin a ,

or S orc e r ess— had by her myster io us ar ts Obt ain ed

, ,

un b oun ded i n fluen c e o ver her coun tr ymen ; an d in ,

spirin g them with a c er tain degr ee o f p atr iotism had ,

a ppe ased thei r feud s an d un ited the r o vi n g tr ibe s

o f the Atl a s in an exte n sive an d p o wer ful c o n feder

acy. An imated by her te achin gs an d allur ed by

her p romi s e o f b oo ty the Be rber s p r es s ed u p on the
,

forc es o f H as s an un til the latter a fter gr e at lo sses ,

wer e fin ally expelled an d r ep air in g to B ar ca re

, ,

main ed the r e in a st ate o f in glo rious in activity for

n e ar ly five ye ar s I t is r el ated th at as s oon as the
.

en emy had p assed the bo r der s the s or c er es s queen ,

-

or der ed the fe r tile r egi on o f the co a st which in , ,

the d ays Of its p ro sper ity had fur n ished the s u p

,

plies o f the E mpir e an d wh o se be auty had been

,

c elebr a ted by eve r y traveller to be utte r ly des ol ated

, ,

as a p r e c a uti on a g ai n s t futur e in v as i on The fields .

we r e laid waste the town s depo pulated the h arvests

, ,

burn t the o rch ar ds cu t down the plan t atio n s tr an s

, ,

formed in to a wildern es s This irr ati on al ac t o f vi o

.

len c e w as n ot viewed with complac en cy by the lan d

holder s an d o the r c ivilized inh abit an ts o f the coun try ,

an d fr om time to ti me emiss ar ies wer e desp a t c hed to

, ,
156 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the Ar ab Vic er o y Of Afr ica p romisin g hi m in r eturn

,

for his in ter fe r e n c e the a ssist an c e an d futu re all e g i

a n c e o f the per se c uted c o l on ists At len gth the or de r
.

to a dv an c e arr ived from D ama s c us an d H ass an with , ,

the mo st n u mer ous army th at had ever in v aded Afr ic a ,

en coun ter ed the p r iestess at the hea d o f her adher en ts

n e a r M o un t Au ra s I n the b attle th at e n sued K ab in a
.
,

w as killed ; the Be r ber s we r e o ver whelmin gly de

fe ated ; an d the who le o f the r efractor y p ro vin c e
ag ai n i n v oked the c lemen c y o f the vi c t or But the .

s ame evil gen ius whic h fr om fir st to last atten ded the

, ,

a dmi n istr ati o n o f the M o sle m g o ve r n o r s o f Afr i ca ,

n ow beg an to distu r b the f or tun es o f H a ss an Abd .

al Aziz the br o the r o f the Kh alif w as a pp o in ted to

-
, ,

the vic er o yalty o f E gypt upon which the j urisdic tion

,

Of Afr i ca w as ma de depen den t ; an d H a ss an w as

su mmon ed to D amas cus to an swer se rious accus ation s
,

Of tyr an n ic al con duc t whic h had been lo dged ag ain st

him . But the sight o f the sp o il wr ested fr om the
Berber s the pr esen t o f female c a ptives o f e x tr aor d i
,

n ar y be auty the pl ausible expl an ati o n s o f his con du c t

,

which his fe r tile in gen uity suggested an d the glowin g ,

accoun ts o f his su cc esses s oon r estor ed the distin

,

g u i she d comman de r to the f av or o f his s o ve r eign ,

an d H ass an w as r ei n vested with the g o ve r n me n t of

Afr ica with in cr e ased auth ority On the r eturn o f .

the l atte r while p assin g thro ugh E gypt Abd al Aziz

, ,
- -

deman ded the s urr en der o f his com mission un der co lor
Of the sup r emac y for mer ly att ached to the vi c ero yalty
o f th at cou n tr y an d by whi c h the r est o f M ohamme
,

d an Afr i ca w a s cl aimed as a depen den c y E n r aged by .

hi s r efus al the g o ve r n o r ar bit rar ily dep r ived H ass an

,

o f his commissi o n t or e it i n pie c es bef o r e his f ac e an d

, , ,

in defian c e o f the r o y a l auth or ity de c l ar ed the Offi c e ,

v ac an t an d app oin ted at his ow n in st an c e Mus a I bn

,
-

N o s s e y r comman der o f the ar mies o f the West .

The history o f this f amous s o ldier is tinged with a

15 8 HIST ORY OF TH E

him the fin e o f o n e hun dr ed din ar s O f gold—fi fty

times the amoun t o f the theft—whic h the wrath o f
the Kh alif had imp osed up on the def au lter R esidin g .

a fte r w ar ds at the co ur t o f E gypt an d ac ti n g as the

,

t r usted c oun c ill or o f the V i c er o y histor y is silen t as to

,

the fields in whic h he ac qu i r ed the exper ien c e in ar ms

th at subsequen tly g ain ed for him su ch en dur in g re
n ow n O f a h ar dy con s tituti on in ur ed to h ar dship
.
, ,

plain in his attir e fr ugal an d abstemious in his h abits

, ,

his for m p r esen ted an ex ample o f ro bust health ,

a lth ough he ha d l on g Sin c e p assed the mer idi an Of

life ; an d un der his lo cks whiten ed by the s n ows o f

,

man y win ter s still smoulder ed the ar den t p assion s o f

,

yo uth an d the po wer ful in c en tives o f ambition an d

,

a dven tu r e S ag ac i ous in coun cil p rompt in exe cuti on

.
, ,

fear less in b attle implac able in r even ge his c h ar ac ter

, ,

w as h o weve r t arn ished by c r uelty by suspic ion an d

, , , ,

by in gr atitude ; an d he n ever hesit ated to risk the

s acr ific e o f p o wer an d po siti on in the gr atific ati on
,

o f the av ar i c e whi ch see med to d om i n ate his bein g ,

a hn o s t to the ex c lusi on o f eve r y o the r p a ssi on Un .

r iv a lled in t a c t an d i n sti n c tive k n o wledge o f human

n atu r e by his p owe r s o f pe r su asi on he ma de even his

,

en emies subser vien t to his design s ; while the strict

o bse r v an c e o f the c e r e mon ies o f his r eligi on alth ough ,

he became li able at times to imput atio ns o f in con s ist

en cy yet p rocur ed for him i n gen er al the r eputation
,
“

Of p r o foun d an d sin c er e piety I n his milit ary o pera

.

ti on s he displayed the qu alities o f a skilful an d wary

,

leader an d his disp o sition s we r e ma de with r emark

,

able p r uden c e ; r e alizin g the deman ds o f su cc essful

war f ar e he an n ihil ated the p o wer Of his a dvers aries

,

by mass acr e or wh oles ale c a ptivity ; an d by ra pid an d

sudden adv an c es a fter a b attle he n ever f ailed to secur e
the un c er t ain fr uits o f vi ct or y S u ch w as the ch ar
.

ac te r o f the man to whom we r e n ow committed the

destini es o f the M o slem armies o f the West .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 159

The veter an s w ho had served un der the b an n er o f

H ass an who had s caled the walls Of C arth age an d
, ,

disper sed the army o f the Berber s or cer ess looked ,

wi th little favor upon their n ew comman der C alli n g .

them to gether Mus a p aid them their arr e ar s thr ee

,

times o ver an d addr essin g them in a speech in whi ch

,

the elo qu en c e o f the or ator the humili ty o f the dev

,

otee a n d the ar t o f the dema go gu e we r e shr ewdly

,

blen ded s aid " I am a so ldier like yourselves ; ap

, ,

pl aud an d imi tate my goo d deeds ; c en sur e an d r e

p rove my f ailur es for n on e o f u s are fr ee fro m
,
-

weakn ess an d err or I mpr essed n ot only with the

.

politic gen erosity of their c hief but gratified as well ,

by the un won ted c on des c en sion he displayed the s o l ,

di er s gr eeted him with applause an d he became hen c e ,

for th the idol o f his army Without u nnec ess ar y .

delay an d with his ac customed vigor he Open ed the

, ,

c amp aign At the ver y outset an in c iden t occurr ed

.

which n ot on ly secur ed the gratitude o f his fo llower s ,

but in th at super stitio us a g e seemed to in vest their

gen er al with supern atural po wer s A lon g —
, ,

con tin ued .

drought had dried up the spr in gs an d well s an d the ,

army n o w far advan c ed in to the desert w a s thr e a t

, ,

en ed with death by thir st I n the midst o f the tr oo ps

.

solemn ly assembled Mu s a prayed long an d ferven tly

,

for r elief T raditi on r el ates th at the suppli cati on w a s

.

ahn os t immedi ately g r an ted ; an d the iden ti c al pr ayer

which evoked this app ar en t mir acle w as r epeated for

ni n e c en tu r ies a fterw ar ds by the S p anish M oor s when

their coun tr y su ff er ed from a s carcity O f ra in The .

Ber ber s elated by their former succ esses ven tur ed

, ,

upon a pitched battle an d wer e defeated Thous an ds

, .

wer e killed ; the fugitives w ho t ook r efuge i n the

moun t ain s whe r e the n atural Obst acles o f the loc ality
,

ma de their defen c es the mor e formid able wer e be ,

sieged an d for c ed to surr en der The policy o f Mus a .

,

diff er en t from th at o f his pr ede c ess ors w as marked ,

160 HIST ORY OF TH E

by un usual sever ity I f r esist an c e w as O ff er ed the

.
,

t r ibe w as en slaved its p r o per ty con fis cated an d its

, ,

vill ages burn t to the groun d ; but o n the o ther h an d , ,

a r e a dy submissi on gu ar an teed p ro te c ti on an d f av or ,

an d the sto utest w arr i o r s we r e at o n c e en r o lled in the

M oslem ran ks Twelve times alr e ady had the Berbers

.

p ro fessed adher en c e to I slam an d a p o st atized ; an d

,

Mus a c on s cious o f their in st ability n ow p r ovided his

, ,

n ew t roo ps with te a c he r s le ar n ed i n the K o r an w ho ,

co uld give the m d a ily i n str u c ti o n in thei r r eligi ous

duties Their n ew ass oci ation s the tr ust r epo sed in

. .
,

them the sep ar ati on fr om their kin dr ed an d the

, ,

b oun dless pr o spe ct o f plun der an d glor y s oon tr an s ,

for med these u n r uly ban ds in to a ser vi c e able for c e ,

c a p able o f the gr e atest expl o its The seizu r e o f the

.

ho r ses c attle an d Sheep whic h con stituted the wealth

, , ,

Of the Be r ber s compen s ated the vi ctor s in s ome de

, ,

gr ee fo r the a bsen c e o f the co stly bo o ty whi ch had

,

r ew a r ded the cou r a ge Of thei r b r eth r e n i n S yr i a an d

E gypt ; while the pr o digi ous n umber o f sl aves re ,

s u l tin g f r om the dep o pul a ti on Of en ti r e p ro vin c es .

pr ovided a s our c e o f we alth wh o se p r o fits wer e e asily

r e a lized i n the mar kets o f Alex an d r i a an d D ama s c us .

The royal fifth o f the l atter r eser ved by Mus a

a mo un ted to sixty th o us an d a n u mbe r so v ast a s to
,

be in cr edible an d whi ch c aused the Kh alif to r egar d

,

the ann oun c emen t as f alse when he r ec eived it With .

c h ar a c te r isti c mu n i fi c en ce he dir e cted Mus a to r e

,

imbur se hi mself for the fi n e whi c h he had former ly

p aid as the pen alty fo r his dishon esty an d at the , ,

s ame ti me , he gran ted to him an d the most distin

g u is hed s o ldie r s o f the army pen sion s comme n surate
with thei r ser vic es .

The in v a sion an d s ack o f Medin a by the S yr ians ,

ben t up on r etr ibution for the mu r der o f O thman had ,

caused a gr e at e mig r ati on f rom Ara bi a an d th o us an ds ,

o f the des c en d an ts o f the p ro udest f am i lies o f the

16 2 HIS T ORY OF TH E

M erw an with five thous an d c avalr y ag ain st S us

—
son

al Ask a the he a d qu ar te r s o f the in su r gen ts s oon had

-
, ,

the s atisfa c tion o f le arn in g th at the r eb elli on w as

subdued an d the r ecalcitran t Be rber s pun ished with
,

a r ig or un ex ampled even i n the s an guin ar y w ar s o f

Afr ica After makin g tw o attempts to captur e

.

Ceut a on e o f the keys o f the str ait sep aratin g Afr ica
,

from E ur o pe b o th o f whi ch the g a llan t beh avior o f

,

the g ove rn or C oun t Julian r en der ed in e ff e ctual

, , ,

Mus a appo in ted T ar ik I bn Zeyad a Berber con - -

,

ve r t fo rmer ly his sl ave an d n ow on e o f his most

, ,

trusty offic er s to the comman d o f T an gier an d re

, ,

tur n ed to K airo an .

With the surr en der o f T an gie r the B y zan tin e domi

n ati on in Afr i c a c ame to an en d S ixty ye ar s o f w ar .

f ar e the destruction O f fleets the an n ihilation Of

, ,

a rmies the dev a st a ti on o f p r ovi n c es the e n sl a ve men t

, ,

o f n a ti on s had bee n r equ i r ed to accomplish this re

,

sul t n ever fo r a momen t lo st sight o f by the M os

,

lems amidst the imbr o glio s o f courts an d the r evolts

o f p r eten de r s to the Kh a lif ate Of D ama s cus The .

a bn o rmally p er fi d i ou s an d mar ti al c h ara c te r O f the

Be rber pl ac ed him o utside the c ategor y o f or din ary

en emies N o r ever ses h owever sever e could br eak
.
, ,

his spir it He ign or ed the o bligatio n of tr e aties NO

. .

r e s ou rc e r emai n ed the r efo r e but dep o pul a ti on

, The
, .

n u mbe r o f Sl a ves ma de by the M u s s u hn an s in Afr i ca

ex cited the amazemen t Of their br eth r en in the E ast .

A succ essful c amp aign o ften yielded tw o hun dred

th o us an d Of these un f or tun ates . S uch wholes ale .

c a ptivity w as with o ut p r e c eden t even in the ann als

o f R ome The for tr esses with the ex c eption Of

.
,

Ceut a whi ch w as n omin ally a depen den c y o f the

,

Visigo thic kin gs o f S p ain—th ough held by a feeble

an d u n c e r t ai n ten u r e—we r e n ow in the p o ssession o f

the S arac en s .

The Berber s either p aid tribute to the Kh alif or ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 16 3

servin g un der their ow n comman der s wer e en rolled in ,

his armies Al r e ady a fter the expir atio n o f on ly tw o

.
,

gen eration s dur in g which the laws an d customs o f

,

M oh ammed an l ife c an be s aid to h ave been est ab

l ished the momen t o u s e ff e c ts o f p o lyg amy we r e
,

str ikin gly n otic e able The childr en o f the p ag an

.

slaves w ho filled the h ar ems o f the con quer or s wer e

educated i n the do ctr in es o f the K or an an d ido latr y ,

had t ot ally di s a ppe ar ed s ave pe r h a ps in s ome

, , ,

sequester ed v alley o f the Atlas M oun tain s wher e ,

the h alf s avage devotee bowed befor e a rude an d

-

lon ely alt ar an d with mysti c in can tation s in voked

,

the aid o f s ome mis sh apen image I slam whi ch .

, ,

even by the r eluc t an t tes timo n y o f Chr i s ti an mi s

s ion ar i e s ex alts the ch aracter o f the N egro an d
,

in ves ts him with a sen se o f pers on al dign ity an d

self r espe ct whi ch n o o ther r eligion has been able
-

to in spir e s oon ga in ed the p r o fessed allegi an c e o f

,

the Ber ber s ; an d like the Ar ab the mor e sus pi cious ,

an d c la nn ish they ha d bee n i n thei r Age o f I gn o ran c e ,

the mor e p atr io tic an d en ter pr isin g they bec ame as

Mo hammedan s—the ver y isol ati on an d irr e con cilable
an t ag oni sm o f their former con diti on s eemed to i n

sen sibly impr ess them with a r ea lization o f the imper a

tive n ec essity an d p aramoun t v alue Of n ation al un ion .

The call to prayer o f the muezzin everywher e r an g

ou t fr om the t o we r s o f p ag an temple an d Ch r isti an

c hur c h , wh o se ma gn ificen t decorati on s bestowed by ,

pen iten t G oth an d Van dal had on c e glitter ed as ,

trophies amid s t the splen did pagean tr y o f a Roman

tr iumph But despite commun ity Of in ter e s t ethn o
.
, ,

logi cal r esemblan c e an d iden tity o f r eli gious belief

, ,

the en vir on me n t o f the inh abitan ts o f Afr ica seems

to be h ostile to the pe rman e n t imp ro vemen t o f the
human s pe cies an d befor e attain in g to the highest
,

degr ee o f develo pmen t o f whic h the r ac e is elsewher e

sus c eptible it begin s to r etr ogr ade The n atural st ate
,
.
16 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

of this gr e at con tin en t determi n ed lar gely by c limatic

,

an d o ther physi ca l con diti on s is esse n ti ally an d ete r

,

n ally b ar b aro us . Un like E ur o pe whi c h has r ea ped

,

s omethin g o f v alue even fr om its misfor tun es an d , ,

by the ex ample o f its a chievemen ts in art an d letters ,

subdued its very en emies the in stitution s an d in flu

,

en c e o f n o p oli shed pe o ple h ave ever imp r essed upon

the n atives o f Afr ic a an y en dur in g tr ac es The
.

a st oun di n g exp an si on o f the A ra b i n telle c t the

c r o wn in g phe n ome n on Of the Middle Ages —w as as

tran sitor y in its e ff e cts upon them as the thrift an d

r efin emen t o f C ar th a ge o r the mor e s o lid an d ma

j e s tic in fluen c e o f Rome I n s ome r espe cts r esemblin g

.

Asi a—wh o se v oluptu ous idlen ess ten ds in evita bly to

physic al an d men t al degen er ac y—Afric a with its v ast,

mi n er al r es ourc es its un sur p assed f ac ilities for com

,

mer ci al in ter cou r se an d its in exh au s tible a gr i cultur al

,

we alth has—with the ex c eption o f E gypt wh o se i so

, ,

lation r en der ed it pr ac tic all y a for eign coun tr y—been

o f little use to its i n h abit an ts alike i n c a p a ble o f a
, ppr e
c i atin g these ma n ifo ld a dv an t ages an d o f s y s temati

c ally e mpl o yi n g them f or thei r ow n ben efit o r for the

gen er al pro fit o f man kin d .

 16 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

tr e acher ous an d yieldin g sur f ac e a win din g p athway

usually led to a r emo te an d well defen ded str o n gh old .

Like al l peo ple wh o se in telle ctu al develo pmen t had

s carc ely begun they believed implic itly in omen s au
, ,

g u ri es sig n s an d d r e ams ; their r eligi o us ide a s we r e

, ,

vague an d ill defin ed ; an d n either histor y n or tradi

tion ha s p r eserved for us the a ppell atio n or att ributes
o f a sin gle G o thi c divi n ity At their b an quets d efil e d .
,

by dr un ken or gies an d n ot in fr equen tly the s c enes o f

,

vio le n c e an d even homi cide wer e c elebr ated in um , ,

co uth b all ads the expl o its o f the f amo us w arr i o r s o f

,

the n atio n Their v er y n ame in di c ative o f the supe

.
,

r i o rit
y whi c h their p r o wess n eve r fa iled to ex act sig ,

n i fi e d The N o bly B o r n With out liter atur e s ave a

.
,

I fr a g men t ar y tr an sl ati on o f the Bible with out go vern ,

men t s ave the domin ion o f s ome chieftain w ho covet

, ,

ou s o f r en o wn temp or ar ily en j o yed the p r e carious

,

title o f s over eign e ager for ch an ge the mo st r e ckless

, ,

O f g amester s the mo st pitiless o f co n que ror s d es tru c

, ,
,

ti on w as with them a p assi on an d w ar an amuse men t

L , .

I n common with o the r b ar b ar i an s with wh om the ig n o ,

r an c e an d fe ar s o f the a e h ave c on fo un ded them they

g ,

c l a imed an d exe r c ised to the utmo st the pr ivileges

, ,

o f i n dividu a l dig n ity an d per so n al fr eedom An .

ar bitr ar y c l a ssificati on depen den t up on a for tuitous

,

ge ogra phic al distr ibution had divided this pe o ple into ,

O str og o ths an d Visig oths ac cor din g to thei r r el ative ,

location up on the e astern an d wester n b an ks o f the

r ive r B or s the n es
y The pr essur e fr om the n orth
.
,

whic h had d i sper s ed the tr ibes o f the for ests O f G er

~

man y an d P an n on i a o ver the E ur o pe an pr o vin c es Of

the Roman E mpir e had in duc ed the Visigo ths by , ,

n e c essity o r c h o i c e to seek a h o me i n G aul whi ch

, ,

cou n t r y they occ upied in co mmo n with the V and als ,

the S uevi the Al an i an d o ther mor e Ob s cur e but n ot

, , ,

less formid able b ar b ar ians ; an d s carc ely had the

,

division Of the empir e b etween Arcadius an d H on orius

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 16 7

been e ff e cted in the fir st ye ar s o f the fifth c en tur y ,

when the in h abit an ts o f S p ain either thr ough tr e as on ,

or fr om the n eglige n c e o f the g ar r is o n s st a ti on ed in

the p asses o f the P y r en ee s wer e over whelmed by a

,

deluge o f s av age marauder s .

F o r fo ur hu n dr ed ye ars the be autiful the r i ch the

, , ,

fertile an d den sely p o pulated Pen in sula had en j oyed

the in estimable blessin gs Of peac e With the defe at .

an d de ath o f the s on s o f P ompey the l ast vestige Of ,

c iv il w ar an d i n te s tin e di s cor d had dis appe ar ed fro m

its bor der s I ts fields wer e cultiv ated with assidu ous
.

c ar e ; its se a p o r ts wer e th r on ged with the shippin g o f

the Mediterr an e an ; the man ufactur in g in ter ests o f

its in lan d c ities wer e di v er sified an d impor t an t I ts .

peo ple w ho had in her ited fro m Ro me an d C ar thage

,

th at love o f ple as ur e whi ch w as at on c e their boast

an d thei r disg ra c e with E pi cur e an un con c ern lived
, ,

onl y f o r the p r ese n t i n the p ar ti c ip ati o n o f all the

,

luxur y which b oun dle s s we alth an d n ation al pr osper

ity could besto w Upon this e ar thly p ar adise—with
.

its splen did c ities its sumptu o u s villas its maj es tic
, ,

souven ir s o f Ro man gr eatn e s s its tr adition s o f her o ic

,

achievemen t an d mar iti me a dve n tu r e ; wher e H ann i

bal had g ain ed hi s b o yh oo d s l aur els an d C ae s ar mo ved

’

, ,

by the sight o f Alex an der s st atue had fir st as pir ed

’

to the domin i on o f the wor ld— n ow des c en ded the

brutal an d lic en tious plun der er s o f the N or th The .

ex cesses per petrated by them in other p r ovin ces Of

the empir e wer e tr ivi al when comp ar ed with the
havo c they committed in I ber i a N o c on s iderati on s .

Of publi c polic y n o sen timen ts o f mer c y in ter p o sed

, ,

to mitig ate the c al amities whi ch befell the s milin g

plain s o f the An as the I beru s an d the B as tis S uch
, ,
.

o f the i nh abit an ts a s we r e for tun a te en o ugh to fi n d

an a sylu m behi n d the w alls o f fo r tified c ities s oon ,

p aid for their tempo r ar y secur ity with the p an gs o f

famin e The gr owin g cro ps deliver ed to the tor ch
.
, .
168 HIS T ORY OF TH E

left to d ay a blacken ed waste wher e on ly yester day

had been ever y p romise o f an abun d an t h ar vest A .

s moky pal] appro p r iat e symbo l o f destruction over

, ,

hun g the sites o f p r o spero us h amlets an d mar ble villas ,

wher e a few smoulder in g ember s alon e in di cated the

f ormer abo de o f t aste an d Opul en c e He aps o f .

c or pses ,
den ied the r ites o f sepultur e cover ed the ,

lan d whi ch w as in fested with in cr edible number s Of

,

wo lves an d bir ds o f pr ey attr ac ted from ever y side ,

to their l o aths o me an d i n exh austible r ep a st A feel .

in g o f utter desp air fell up o n the su r viv or s ; the in

s tin c ts o f human ity an d the feelin gs o f n a tu r e we r e

suspen ded or destr o yed ; men mur der ed their f amilies

an d the n committed s ui c ide ; women dev our ed their
o ff sp r i n g ; expo sur e wan t suff er in g an d an xiety
, , ,

pr o du c ed their i n evit able con sequen c es ; an d the

c r o w n i n g misf or tun e the pestilen c e daily cl aimed
, ,

its vic tims by th ous an ds The s av a ge master s o f the

.

co u n t r y s ati ated with r a pin e an d mutu ally j e alous

,

Of p o we r n ow beg an to qu arr el with e ach o ther I n

,
.

the c o n tes ts which en sued almo st fr om the fir st the , ,

s upe r i o r o r g an iz ati o n an d mar ti a l gen ius o f the G oths

a c qui r ed f or the m the ac k n o wledged sup r ema c y o ver

their a dver s ar ie s—a sup r ema cy which s oon became

co exten sive with the Pen i n sul a a n d l a id the fou n d a

tion s o f an exten si v e ki n gdom E ar ly in the fifth .

c e n tu r y the exte r mi n atio n expuls io n or absor ption

, ,

by in termarr i age o f the var ious tribes an d the emi

, ,

r ati on o f the V an d als i n a b o dy to Afr i c a g ave the

g , , ,

c on tr o l o f the e n ti r e cou n tr y with the ex c epti on o f ,

a few se a p o r ts still t r ibut ar y to C o n st an tin o ple to ,

the Visig oths I n p oliti cal o r g an iz ation in nomen

.
,

c l atu r e in the con str u c ti on an d i n the a ppli cati on o f

,

the maxims o f j ur ispr uden c e in the ele ction o f their ,

rule r s i n the pun ish men t o f cr i mi n als in the r egul a

, ,

tion o f their amusemen ts they Obse r ved the tr aditi on s

,

an d h o n or ed the Obse rv an c es o f thei r ol d h omes on

1 70 HIS T ORY OF TH E

fo r the Oppr ession o f their p ar ishion er s F r om the .

de cision o f ever y bisho p an d met r o p o lit an an appe al

l ay to the thron e a p r ivilege con c eded to the me an est
,

pe as an t ; the kin g co uld suspen d or abr o g ate the rules

o f e cc lesi a sti c al dis c ipli n e ; n o c an on w a s v al id with

ou t his s an c ti on ; an d he a ssumed the r ights o f n o mi

n a tin g an d o f t r an sl atin g fr om on e see to an o the r

, ,

the gr e atest pr elates o f the C hur ch But as assembli es

.

Of men w ho p ossess a mo n o p o ly o f the le arn in g an d

worldly wisdom o f a n ation con s c ious o f men t al supe
,

ri or i ty an d i n c ited by mo tives o f ambiti on are n eve r ,

s atisfied with a ctin g in a subor din ate c ap ac ity ; the

ecc lesi astical co un c ils o f S p ain almo st imperc eptibly ,

but n on e the less sur ely beg an to en cr oach upon the

,

r o y al p r e r o g a tive
, an d a ssisted by the we akn ess or
,

gratitude o f p r in c es wh o se titles had been assur ed by

their con firmati on aimed at the seizur e o f abs olute
,

p ower By the i n stitution o f the r ite o f an oin tin g

.
,

which imp ar ted a s acr ed ch ar ac ter to the mon ar ch an d ,

i n vested in them an implied con tro l over his coron a

tion —a r it e fir st used in S p ain an d n ot ado pted in
F r an c e till the r eign o f Pepin in the eighth c en tury ;
,

by the fr amin g Of laws favor able to their or der an d ,

wh o se essen ti al p ro visi on s wer e c ar eful ly disguised

un der the specious n ame o f en ac tm en ts for the pub lic
welfar e ; by a comman d Of a ma j or ity Of the votes
whi ch ele cted the s over eign ; an d lastly by the con ,

ver sion o f the who le n ati on to the d oc tr in es o f the

o r tho d ox f aith ; the G othi c c ler gy adv an ced un
s w er v in g l y to w ar ds the est ablishmen t o f thei r c l aim

to p o liti cal sup r emac y . The Thir d C oun c il o f T oledo

w as the fir st o f these imp or t an t con v o c ati on s in whi ch
questio n s r el atin g to the settlemen t o f the co n stitu
ti on o f the G othic mon ar chy wer e deb ated an d settled .

F r om this time until the meetin g o f the E ighth C oun

c il in 6 53 , the p alatin es did n ot p ar ti cip ate in the
deliberation s o f these assemblies whi ch n ow began ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 1 71

to a ssume the appear an c e o f legislative bodies in ,

which the aims Of ex clusive ecclesiastic al r epr esen t a

ti on wer e alr eady cle ar ly dis closed by the p ar tiality
an d exempti on s whi ch ch ar acte r ized the c an on s t r e a t

in g o f the rights an d p r ivileges o f the pr iestho o d .

After the middle o f the seven th cen tur y although ,

the n obles wer e admitted as member s o f the n ation al

cou n c ils an d t ook p ar t in thei r dis cussi on s the i n flu
,

en c e o f the cler gy be came p ar amoun t an d the duties

,

o f the n o bility wer e c on fin ed to a p as s ive a ssen t to ,

an d r egist r ati on o f their edi ct s

, . A sep arate tribun al
for the fi n al adj udic ati on o f al l disputed p o in ts o f
doctr in e which might in c iden t ally ari s e in the o rdi
n ar y admi n i s t ra tio n o f j u s ti c e w a s g ran ted to e c c le

s ias ti cs ; the latter wer e pr ohibited from en gagin g

in commer c e whi ch the p o ve r ty Of the Chu r ch had
,

former ly r en der ed n ec ess ary ; it bec ame cust omar y

to sele c t bish o ps f or the n eg o ti ation o f t r e aties an d ,

for the di r e c ti on o f milit ar y emb a ssies whi c h wer e

in vested with the al l imp or t an t p owers o f peac e an d
-

w ar ; the c oun c il s occ asi on ally c laimed j ur isdi c tion

over se c ul ar c auses—an un w arran ted a ssumpti on o f

power whi ch the in di ff e r en c e or bigotr y o f the s ov

ereig n u s u ally f ailed to r esen t ; an d the i n t ole ran t

ch ar a c te r o f the c an on s tr e a tin g o f her esy i n di c ate ,

but too plain ly the growin g spir it o f per s ec ution

,

the germ o f futur e in qui s itor i al atrocities .

But n o twithstan din g the acc eptan c e o f C atholicism

, ,

an d the con sequen t adv an c e t o w ar ds the en j o ymen t Of

abs olute i n depen den c e the Chu r c h w a s h ampe r ed by

,

man y ser ious r estr i ction s Bish o ps clerks an d mon ks

.
, ,

r ema i n ed s ub or di n ate to the se cul ar ar m an d res p on

sible to the cour ts of the r ealm ; they could n ot with ,

impun ity disr egar d their pr oc esses still les s defy their
, ,

auth o r ity ; an d the commissi o n Of cr ime r en der ed them

li able to heavy fin es an d lon g ter ms o f impr is onmen t ;

alth ough like the n obility they coul d n ot be sub j e c ted
, ,
1 72 HIS T ORY OF TH E

to the pun ishmen ts in flic ted up on the lo wer or der s ,

such as s cour gin g an d br an din g—the l atter bein g con

s id er ed espe c i ally i n f amo us The immun ity whic h
.

subsequen tly att ached to the ch ar ac ter o f the cler gy

as n on comb a t an ts w as n ot k n o wn to the fou n de r s o f
-

the G othic mon archy When a city w a s besieged or

.

the coun tr y thr eaten ed with in v asi on ever y subj e ct , ,

r eg ar dless o f his p r o fessi on w as obliged to se r ve in

,

the army an d n o e cclesi astic could ple a d his s acr ed

,

Offic e in b ar o f milit ar y duty to his s ove r eign un de r ,

pen alty o f con fis c ati on an d exile ; the t on sur e w as

r eg ar ded as o f pe c uli ar Sign ifi can c e an d s an c tity an d ,

a n y o n e wh o se l ocks ha d on c e been sh o r n o r w ho had ,

a ssumed the c le r i c a l h a bit w as hen c ef or th ex c luded

, ,

as a r ule from al l milit ar y an d c ivil emplo ymen ts

, ,

a n d con se c r a ted f or life to the se r vi c e o f the c lo iste r ;

a l aw whi c h when a bused by fraud or ig n or an c e w as

, ,

mor e th an on c e pr o duc tive o f imp or t an t r esults an d ,

even o f ch an ges in the ro yal su cc ession U pon the .

whole h owever the in fluen c e Of the Church in th ose

, ,

d ays o f in telle ctual darkn ess w as highly ben efici al .

I ts mon o p oly o f the s can ty wisd om o f the time w as

o ften e mplo yed f o r the p r o te c ti on o f the Opp r essed ,

for the allevi ati o n o f su ff e ri n g for the fr ustr ati on o f

,

tyran n y for the con s o lation o f de a th The bisho p

, .

stoo d as a gu ar d between the helpless pe as an t an d

the un j ust j udge ; his mediation with the thr on e ,

in c ases o f fl agr an t in j ur y w as n ot Opti on al but

,

man d at ory ; an d his Offici al con duct w as subj ect

to the con st an t supe r visi on an d w a s li able to the
,

c en su r e o f the ma gist r ate

, The ambiti on an d politi
.

cal a spi rati on s o f the c le r gy j o in ed to their in sati

,

able g r eed O f d omin i o n whi ch in c r e a sed with each

,

su cc essive en croachmen t up on the c ivil p o wer with ,

the daily ac cumulation o f wealth an d the ac qui ,

sitiou o f exten sive est ates by gift extor tion bequest , , ,

o r pur ch ase dis closed themselves in time in their

,
1 74 HIS T ORY OF TH E

priv ileges o f the con fession al or vio l ated n ature in

,

the commi ssi on o f r evoltin g crimes in dicate the se cr et ,

an d uni ve r s al corr upti on whi c h had alr e a dy begun to

p ollute the s acr ed offic es o f the Chur ch an d imp air the

usefuln ess Of its mi n ister s The E ighteen th C oun cil
.

o f T o led o at the di c t a ti on o f Ki n g W i tiza

, wh o se ,

pr ofli g ate c on du c t an d co n tempt for r eligi o n had

aro used the h orr or Of Ch r isten dom an d p rov oked
the an athemas o f the P o pe had with un ex ampled
, ,

ser vili ty p assed laws auth orizin g the mar r i age o f

,

ecc lesi astic s the in stitution o f p o lyg amy an d the

, ,

pr actic e o f p ro mi s c uous con c ubinage Un der these .

c on di ti on s Of s ac e r d o t al deg r a d a tio n s an ction ed by ,

c ust om an d est ablished by l aw the in fluen c e o f the

,

Church w as ever ywher e dimi n ished ; the f aith o f men

i n the existin g r e ligi on w as we ake n ed ; an d the public
min d w as in sen sibly p r ep ar ed f or the n ew r evelation
which a ppe alin g to the str o n gest p assion s o f the
,

human br e ast str ipped o f met aphysic al di stin c tion s

, ,

an d in culc atin g moral p r ec epts su ch as the most

skepti cal an d diss olute must applaud w as s oon to ,

be published to the dis con ten ted an d p riest r idden -

subj e cts o f the G o thic e mpir e The ill d e fin e d p ower s

.
-

o f the C r o wn an d the Mitr e at fi r st r e c ip r o c ally

,

depen den t led even tu ally to a clashin g o f in ter ests

,

a n d a st ruggle fo r p r e c ede n c e between the r o yal an d

the s ac er do t al auth or ity in whi ch the c ler gy though

, ,

their aspiration s wer e occ asion ally che cked b y s ome

mon ar ch o f ster n an d dec ided ch ar ac ter in the en d ,

in v ari ably Obt ain ed the advan t age The depen den ce .

o f the s ove r eign up on the p r ies thoo d w a s n eve r l ost

sight o f N O occasion whi ch might r emin d him of

.

the ob lig ation he o wed to the o r der wh ose su ff rages

had con fe rr ed an d might with equ al fac ility r esume
, , ,

p o ssession o f his crown w a s su ff er ed to p ass un im

,

pr oved The an oin tin g with h oly Oil whi ch sy m

.
,

bolized the r ight o f di vi n e con se cr ati on had alr e ady ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 175

forged an other lin k in the c h ain which bound the

kin g to the Chur ch The an athemas den oun c ed up on
.

a p r i n c e f or f ailu r e to exe c ute the law s a g a in st her e

tic s far ex c eeded in virulen c e tho s e to which an y

,

subj ect w as li able At on e time the wishes o f the

.
,

s over eign wer e an ti c ip ated by the subservien cy o f the

pr elates ; at an other hi s pr er ogative w as in v aded an d
,

his c omman ds dis obeyed with an arr o g an c e worthy o f

the imper ious s pir it o f Juli us II or Of Gr egor y the
.

Gr eat The po pulac e th ro ugh ign or an c e pr ej udic e

.
, , ,

an d h abit , blin dly devoted to the s ac er d ot al or der ,

furn ished a formidable b o dy o f auxili aries ever ,

r e ady to he ar ken to the a ppe a ls Of their gh o stly ad

v is er s a f or c e whi c h the dig n ity an d as s uran c e o f the

,

h aughtiest ruler c ould n ot with impuni ty dis regar d .

The tur bulen t an d illite rate n obility altho ugh the kin g
,

w as sele c ted fr om thei r n umbe r by the v oi c e s o f the

a s s embled bisho ps—in whi c h c er emo n y the c on c u rr en c e

o f the p al atin e s w a s a dmitted in r e ality o n ly th ro ugh

, ,

c our tesy— p o s sessed in the p rac tic al a pplic ation o f

,

the pr ec epts o f the G othic co n stitution s carc ely the ,

sh ado w still le s s the sub s tan c e o f power

, , The .

c oun c il w a s the emb o dimen t an d r ep r esen t a tive o f

the in tellec t an d the co lle ctive wisdo m o f the n ati on .

I ts c an on s wer e for the mo st p ar t framed in strict

, ,

ac co r d an c e with the p ri n c iples o f equity an d the de ,

liber ation s an d con clusion s o f its session s wer e o ften

ch ara c teri zed by a b r e adth o f u n de r s t an di n g an d a

degree o f imp arti ality whi ch cle arly in dic ated th at

its member s wer e n ot deficien t in the kn owledge an d
r equi r emen t s o f en lighten ed s t ates man s hip The re .

s u l ts o f thei r l ab or s are c on t a in ed in the G o thi c C o de .

,

a b ody o f la ws r emar k able in man y r espec ts whe n w e ,

con side r the gen eral illite r ac y an d ign oran c e o f the

ag e in whi c h it w as compiled an d its tr an s c en de n t im

,

por tan c e as the pr oto type o f the systems o f j u ri s pru

den c e which n ow r egulate the civil an d crimin al pro
176 HIS T ORY OF TH E

ced u re o f the cour ts o f E ur ope an d Amer i ca I n the .

extraor din ar y min uten ess o f its det ails in its th orough
,

an d co mp r ehen sive tr e atmen t o f the man ifo ld t r an s

a c ti on s o f d a ily life an d i n its p ro visi on s f o r a lmo st

,

eve ry con tin gen c y which could arise in the admin istr a
tion o f the s over eign s un der wh ose auspic es it w as
f ramed this extr ao rdin ar y wor k pr esen ts the mo dern
,

legislator with a sub j e c t emin e n tly worthy o f his

a tte n ti o n an d s tudy . The con tac t with r ac es whic h
had lo n g en j o yed the blessin gs o f c iviliz a ti on an d the ,

develo pmen t o f the in telle ctu al f aculties c on sequen t

up on the exper ien c e o btain ed i n fr equen t expeditio n s
a n d p ro t r ac ted c amp aig n s i mpe r c eptibly mo dified the
,

a n c ien t l a w s o f the G o ths ; the ve r y essen c e o f whi ch

w a s fro m the fir s t an d lon g c on tin ued to be the a sser

, , ,

ti on Of the p r in ciple o f per s on al liber ty Rome who se

.
,

to ler ati o n o f the r eligious p rej udic es an d customs o f

the n atio n s sub j e cted to her do min io n —s o lon g as they
did n ot c o n flic t with her in ter ests or con traven e her
auth or ity—w a s on e g r e at se cr et o f her p o we r ha d in , ,

accor d a n c e with th a t p o li c y in dulged the I be r i an s i n

,

the use o f their o w n laws an d on ly tho se w ho en j o yed

,

the pr ivileges o f citizen ship could be summon ed befor e

the tr ibu n al o f the imper i al magistrate The in cur
.

sio n s o f the bar bar i an s had abo lished ever y r estr ain t ,

an d t r an sfo r med the p r evi o us quiet an d pe ac eful con

dition o f the Pen in sul a in t o a st ate o f an ar chy Ther e .

w as the n n o l aw but the will o f the c hieft ain w ho w as ,

in clin ed to en c our age r ather th an to r ep r ess the ex

, ,

c esses o f a b r ut a lized s o ldie r y All r e cords an d mun i

.

men ts o f title had dis appear ed ; boun dar ies had c eased
to exist ; the te n ur e o f lan ds w a s e n tir ely depen de n t
up on the n umer i c al str en gth o f the c laiman ts ; an d
when the fields o f on e distr i ct wer e ex h austed the di s ,

co n ten ted settle r s s ought a n ew r eside n c e i n an o ther

locality wh o se we alth ha d exc ited their av ar ic e an d

, ,

the in fer ior milit ar y r es o ur c es o f wh o se o cc up ants

1 78 HIS T ORY OF TH E

Pen in sula wer e with out exc eption de c lar ed subj ec t to

, ,

its st atutes F r Om this time dates the abs olute su

.

r ema c y Of the Chur c h in the Pen in sul a The hold

p
.

which it then obt ain ed upon temp oral a ff air s it has

n eve r r el axed The awful consequen c es o f th at su
.

re ma c up o n a l l c l asses a n d c on diti o n s o f men o win g

p y
allegi an c e to the S p an ish c r o wn are f amili ar to ever y

r e a de r o f hist or y .

The Visigo thic C o de exhibited in the r estr ic ti on s ,

it impo sed up on the ro yal pr ero g ative th at spir it o f ,

j ealous in depen de n c e always c on spi cuo us in the ch ar

a c te r o f the Ge r ma n w a rr i o r a n d whi c h ha d been p r e
,

ser ved th rough man y c en tu r ies by the imp or t an c e th at

distin guished the pr ivileged o r de r s un der an elec tive
mon ar chy The kin g w ho at fir st ha d been liable to
.
, , ,

c e n s u r e an d j udg me n t by his sub j e c ts w a s i n for med , ,

when in vested with his Offic e th at even its dign ity ,

c ould n o t exempt hi m f r o m the o blig a ti o n to Obser ve

the l aw a pr in c iple o f j usti c e an d equ ality which he

,

sh ar ed with every r esiden t in his domin i on s The au .

tho r ity o f the tur bulen t an d illite rate n o bles w ho with , ,

all the arr o g an c e o f p o wer did n ot hesit a te to th r e aten

,

an d i n sult the cr e atu r e o f thei r c h o i c e w as c u r bed in ,

time by the p oten t yet gen tle in fluen c e o f the cler gy ,

wh o se lear n in g an d t alen ts at fir st swa yed an d fin ally ,

a b s o lutely c on tr o lled the delibe rati o n s o f the N a ti on al

,

C oun c ils The high ran k o f the pr el ates their supe

.
,

r i or accomplish men ts i n an a e o f u n iver s a l ign oran c e

g ,

a n d thei r c l a ims as membe r s o f an i n depe n den t hie

r ar chy , whic h even the S upr eme P on ti ff himself

s car c ely ven tur ed to co n tr adic t in the e n d commun i ,

c ate d to the Visigo thi c c o n stituti on al l the worst

c h ar ac ter isti c s o f an i rr esp o n sible an d in to le ran t the oc

rac y .

The F o r um J u d icum con sists o f twelve b ooks which ,

n ot on ly de fin e the r ights o f the di ff e r e n t cl asses Of

s ociety but pr es cribe at len gth an d in co pious detail

, , ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 1 79

the mo de o f pr oc edur e to be followed in the v arious

tr ibun als E ve r y pr e c aution which in gen uity co uld
.

devise w as ado pted to in sur e the fidelity the h on esty , ,

an d the i mp ar ti ality o f the ma gist ra te whether o f the ,

c ivi l or the e c c lesi a sti c a l o r de r I t w as the duty o f the

.

judge to o bser ve an d r epor t up o n the de c isio n s o f the

bisho p an d the pr iest while on the o ther h an d the
, , ,

higher cler gy po s s es sed un de r c er t ain c on tin gen cies

, ,

the po wer o f examin in g c aus es an d r en der in g j udg

men t when the pr o per Offi c i al had r efused or n egle cted
to exer ci s e his j udi c i al fun c tio n s an d the in ter e s ts Of ,

either o f the p ar ties litigan t w er e expo s ed to in j u r y in

c on sequen c e The co ur ts we r e o pen fr om dawn to
.

dark an d the per io d o f v acation an d the h o ur s o f r est

,

wer e str ictly r egulated by l aw The tr i al o f c auses

.

could n o t be del a yed ex c ept for v alid r e a s o n s ; the

speedy r en diti on o f j udgmen t w as compuls or y ; the
procr astin ati on in j ustic e or co rruptio n o f the j udge
, ,

w as pun ished by a fi n e amou n tin g to d ouble the lo ss

in curr ed an d when the c irc umstan c es wer e peculiarly
,

agg r av a tin g his p r o per ty w a s con fis c ated an d he w as

publicly s old as a sl ave N O per s on however in digen t

.
, ,

w as deb ar r ed f or th at r e as on fro m the be n efits o f

, ,

j ustic e an d a fun d w a s s et a p ar t in ever y to wn for

,

the supp o rt o f impec un io u s litigan ts which w as dis ,

bur s e d by the mun i c ip al g over n me n t with the app r oval

o f the bish o p An a ppe al from the dec isio n s o f the
.

in ferior tribun als w as gran ted as a matter o f u n qu es

tion abl e r ight an d the slightest s us pi c i on o f in ter fer
,

en c e by the thron e i n the pro c eedin gs r en de red them

invalid an d wo r thless The c er emon ies r elatin g to the
.

admi n i s tr ati on Of the l aw wer e c h arac ter ized by g r e at

simplic ity an d the ple adin gs wer e dive s ted o f u m

,

n e c ess ar y ve r bi a ge The highest r ever en c e for the

.

Officer s o f the cr own w as in culc ated an d en for c ed ; an d

a r es or t to li tig a ti o n w a s pe r sisten tly dis co u ra ged by

public Opin ion ex c eptin g where it w as imper atively

,
1 80 HIS T ORY OF TH E

deman ded by the in ter ests o f j ustic e I n the r ules o f .

eviden c e as well as in their a ppli cation tr ac es o f the

, ,

deeply r ooted super stition s o f the Teut on ic b arb ar i an s

still r emain ed The or deals Of fi r e an d w ater wer e
.

n ot i n fr eque n tly a d o pted The w age r o f b attle could .

n ot be r efused with o ut ig n omi n y ; an d the o aths o f

,

co mpu r g a t or s we r e a t ti mes in v oked to r estor e the

, ,

lust r e o f s ome t arn ished es cut che on or to r emove the ,

stain att achin g to a suspe cted vio lati on o f female

h on or T o rtur e w as allowed but ex c essive severity in
.
,

its a pplic atio n w as p r ohibited an d in c ase o f death , ,

or pe rman e n t i n j u r y r es ul ti n g fr om its abuse the ,

j udge w a s li able to for feitur e both o f his p o ssession s

a n d his libe r ty I n determin in g the competen c y Of
.

testimon y an un wise an d un j ust dis crimin ation w as

,

made ag ain st the p oor th rough the un w ar r an t able pr e

,

su mptio n o f tempt ation to bribe ry an d this ex clusion ,

a ls o a ppl ied to Jews — even th o ugh a p o st a tes — a s well

a s to thei r des c end an ts an d to sl aves The cr ime o f

, .

per j ur y w as men tion ed with h orro r ; its commission

w as dee med w or thy o f the seve r e s t pun ishmen t ; an d
the false witn ess visited with publi c exe c ration w as
, ,

c o n demn ed to life lon g se r vitude -

I n ge n e ral the .
,

c r imin a l co de o f the Visig o ths w a s con spi cu o us for

the mo de rati on with whi ch it tr eated o ff en de rs again st

the public pe ac e The pen alty o f death w as r ar ely in
.

fli cte d an d w as co n fin ed to c ases o f ar s on ra pe an d
, , ,

mur der A r egular s chedule Of min o r cr imes an d

.

their pun ishmen ts existed ; the severity o f the latter

depen din g upo n the s o c i al ran k an d p o litical impor
t an c e o f the in dividu al I n fl agr an t in st an ces o f .

ma li c ious p ro secution b r iber y o f public Offic ers or

, ,

a buse o f p oliti cal p o we r the c ulp r it be came the sl ave

,

o f the i n j u r ed p ar ty with the s o le li mit a ti on to his

,

r esen tmen t th at the li fe o f his former Oppr ess or

,

sh ould be sp ar ed R ebellion w as pun ished b y b an ish

.

men t ; i n f an tici d e by bli n din g ; an d the coun ter feiter ,

1 82 HIS T ORY OF TH E

fun ds whic h p assed thr ough their h an ds ; an d the

p o we r o f a pp o in tin g a gu ar dian ad li tem w as fre
quen tly exer c ised wher e the aff air s o f a min or n e ce s
,

s itate d the i n stituti on or the defen c e o f a sui t at l aw .

The boun dless con tro l o f the f ather o ver the c hild ,

whic h formed so p romi n en t a fe atu r e in the domestic

r egul ati o n s o f Ro me w as r epugn an t to the in d e pen
,

den t spir it Of the G oths ; the p ar en t al duties an d

r esp on sibilities we r e exp r essly defin ed ; the so n w ho
r esided with his f athe r w a s en titled to tw o thi r ds o f-

his e ar n in gs ; an d the courts exe r c ised un r emi ttin g

an d vigilan t super visi on o ve r the per s o n s an d esta tes

o f mi n o r s an d or ph an s A r emin is c en c e o f the an c ien t

.

c ust om o f marr i a ge by pu rch a se su r vived i n the p r i c e

p aid by the br idegr oom to the r elatives o f the br ide ;

all c l a n destin e a lli an c es we r e c o n side r ed i n v alid ; a

woman could sue an d be sued with out j oin ing with

, ,

her husb an d ; an d n o r esp o n sibility att ac hed to either

for the illeg al ac ts o f the o the r I n teg r ity o f des c en t
.

an d pu r ity o f bl oo d we r e p r ese r ved by l aws O f ex cep

ti on al seve r ity ; a fr ee b or n female w ho ab an d on ed her

-

per s on to or even con t r acted mar r i age with a slave

, ,

w a s s cou r ged an d bu r n t with her u n f or tun at e p ara

mour o r spouse A wife w ho had in curr ed the gui lt
.

o f a dulte r y w as delive r ed o ve r abs o lutely to the ten der

merc ies o f the in jur ed husb an d This O ff en c e which

.
,

evoked or din ar ily the str on gest den un c iation from the
des c en d an ts o f the cold an d sluggish b ar bar i an s o f the
B altic w as h owever in an ecc lesi astic r ather r epro
, , ,

b ated as an ami able we akn ess th an con demn ed as a

c r i me ; an i n dulgen c e to be a ttr ibuted p ar tly to the

pr edomin an t an d symp atheti c c a ste o f the legislatur e ,

an d p ar tly to an a pp r e c i a tio n o f the Opp or tu n ities an d

tempt ation s whi ch beset the f ather con fess or w ho -

, ,

a fte r con vi c ti on w a s immur ed in s ome c omfort able

,

mon a ster y un til he pro fessed pen iten c e an d r ec eived

abs o luti on .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 1 83

The con dition s o f vas s alage an d ser fdo m as un der ,

stoo d an d pr actised els ewher e i n E ur o pe an d espe ,

ci ally i n Ge rman y wer e f o r eig n to the p o lity o f the

,

Vis igo ths F eud alis m with its mutu al r ights an d

.
,

Obli gation s as subse quen tly kn o wn to E uro pe s tr i ctly ,

spe akin g did n o t exist The r elatio n s a ff e ctin g the

, .

status o f lor d an d vass al wer e to s ome exten t b or , ,

r owed fro m the Roman system an d mo delled up on

tho se o f p atron an d clien t The sec tion s r elatin g to .

the con dition s o f se rvitude wer e min ute an d vo lu

min ous The mas ter had gen er ally un r estr i cted power
.

ove r the life o f hi s sl ave He w ho aided the es cape Of

. .

the latter w a s leg ally r esp on s ible for his value R ec .

o n izi n
g g the pe c uli ar fac ilitie s for c r imi n al i n ter
co ur se an d the cor r esp on di n g di ffic ulty o f its d e te c
,

tion the l aw sen ten c ed the ser vile adulter er to the

,

stake While the mo s t li beral en c our agemen t w as

.

given to the man umission Of slaves the n umber s o f ,

this un for tun ate c las s wer e con s t an tly in cr e as in g by ,

the c a ptur e o f p ri s on ers o f w ar by the degradation ,

o f dish on e s t offi c i als by the sub missi o n o f debt or s an d

, ,

by the con vi ctio n o f cr imin al s E ver y s lave belon ged .

to a c e r t a in ran k an d c a stig a tion fo r petty deliu

,

qu en ci e s as well as pun ishme n t f o r se r i o us cr imes

, ,

w as in flic ted with mo r e or le s s r igor ac c or din g to the ,

c ause o f his se rvi tude his i n dust r i a l ability

, an d the ,

s o c i al co n diti on o f his o wn e r whether he w as born , ,

pur ch ased or c on demn ed ; whether he w as a skilful

,

ar tis an or me c h an i c o r an or di n ar y l ab o r er ; o r whethe r
,

he w as the pro per ty o f the C ro wn o f the Chur ch or , ,

o f an in dividu a l The in fluen c e o f the Vi s igoths did

.

much to lighten the bur den s o f slaver y ; the blo o dy

spe ct acles o f the gladi at ori al con te s ts p o s sessed n o
all ur e men ts for a n ati o n n ot deg r aded by co w ar di c e
an d c r uelty ; the tr e atmen t o f b on dmen w as in so me ,

localities so s o ften ed an d mo d ified th at s car c ely mor e

,

th an the n ame o f her edit ar y servitude existed ; an d in

1 84 HIS TORY OF TH E

ca ses o f in toler able Opp r ession whe r e the sl ave took ,

r efuge i n the s an c tu ar y the ma ste r co uld be c ompell ed

,

to disp o se o f him to s ome on e mor e ac tu ated by feel

in gs o f kin dn ess an d pity .

The pr ec epts o f the F orum J u d icu m whic h r elate to

b ailmen ts to str ays to tr esp ass to acc ess or ies before
, , ,

an d a fte r the fac t to the Obstr u c ti o n o f highw a ys to

, ,

mali cious mis chief to the attest ati on o f documen ts

, ,

an d to con t racts ma de u n de r du r ess are subst an ti ally ,

the s ame as th ose set for th in our l aw b ooks Of t o d ay -

.

A st atute O f limitati on s whic h r e cogn ized a per iod

,

var yin g fr om thirty to fifty ye ar s beyon d which even ,

s ome criminal p ro sec ution s could n ot be instituted ,

w as i n f or c e
. The legisl ati on pe r t ai n in g to ag ri cu l
tur e irr ig ati on an d the boun d aries o f lan d w as par
, ,

ti cul ar l y complete an d exh austive S e cu rity w as ob .

tain e d by b on ds an d pledges ; in ven t or ies we r e r equir ed

o f gu ar di an s ; an d the c ulp r it w ho w a s guilty O f

slan der w as n o t on ly r esp on sible in d amages for his

in temperate lan guage but w as als o Often liable to
,

cor p o r e al pun ish me n t ; as for i n st an c e if he called

, ,
”
an o the r a S ar ac en or even i n sin u ated th at he had
,

been c ircu mcised he might c on sider himself fortun ate

,

if he did n ot r e c eive fifty lashes at the h an ds o f the

common exe c uti on e r .

C on sider in g the gen er al con diti on o f s o ciety the ,

an te c ede n ts o f a n ati o n wh o se e n e r gies had hithe rto

been dir e c ted to the over thr o w o f ever y in stitution

which se cur ed the per petuity o f pe ac e an d or der the ,

p r evious slen der Opp ortun ities Of its auth or s an d the ,

limited educ ation al f ac ilities at their comman d the ,

C o de Of the Visig o th s p r esen ts us with a system o f

legislatio n o f extr aor din ar y in ter est an d v alue S O .

r e mar k able is this b o dy o f j u r isp rude n c e in the w i s

d om f or esight human ity an d kn o wledge o f man

, , ,

ki n d which ch ar acterize its le adin g maxims th at they ,

ahn os t see m to h ave been suggested by di vi n e Insp i ra

1 86 HIST ORY OF TH E

the elec tion o f a fema le s over eign But when the .

,

theocr atic in fluen c e whi ch per vaded ever y bran ch o f

the G othic con stitutio n comes to be ex ami n ed its ,

e ff ec t up on con temp oran e ous legisl atio n is seen to

be per n ic ious an d deplorable The p o wer o f the
.

c le r gy w as i r r esp on s ible ubiquito us

,
an d th o r o ughl y
,

desp o tic I t dict ated the p ro c eedin gs o f ever y as

.

s emb l y . I t whisper ed suggestio n s o f questi on able

mor ality in the e ar s o f the mon ar ch When thwar ted .

i n its un h oly aims its ven ge an c e w as imp l acable

, The .

a buse o f the con ve n ie n t an d for mid a ble we a p on o f

ex commun i c ati on had n ot r e a ched the extr eme which

it subsequen tly att ain ed yet the all but omn ip o ten t
,

h an d o f the pr iestho o d w as alr e ady able to in v a de the

p r iv ac y o f d omesti c life to in ter fer e with the sen si
,

tive an d delic ate me ch an ism o f commerc e to vio late ,

the r ights o f pr o per ty to desecrate the s acr ed pre

,

c in c ts o f the g rave E cc lesi asti c al in t o ler an c e di c t ated

.

the p ass age Of ex po st f acto laws a measur e wh ose

- -
,

mon str ous in j ustic e is p aten t to eve r y un pr ej udiced

mi n d The dis ability imp o sed up on the Hebr ew r ac e
.
,

an d the s a v age spi r it o f the c an o n s e n ac ted f or its

Oppr essio n p oin t sign ifican tly to the pr o spe ctive hor
,

ro r s o f the i n quisit o r i al t r ibu n als The pr ac ti c e o f

.

s o r c er y an d magic— so dr e a ded in an ag e o f in tel

le ctual in fer ior ity an d espe ci ally O ff en sive to the
,

Churc h which t o le r ated n o won der worke r s outside

,
-

o f its o w n p a le— w a s seve r ely r ep ro b a ted an d

pu n ,

i she d with ex c essive seve r ity The e n ds o f the c ler gy

.
,

when n ot o bt ain able by the ar ts Of con trove r sy wer e ,

se cur ed by o ther mean s n ot un familiar to the in

tr i g u in g co ur tie r s o f med i mv al E u ro pe ; its p ro p osi
tion s wer e adv an c ed with c aution an d deb ated with
con su mmate skill ; a n d its ar gume n ts we r e eithe r in

sin u ated with mor e th an J e sui tic al adr oitn ess or ur ged ,

with all the en er gy o f s ac er dot al ze al .

I n its r espe c t able an tiquity ; in the sublime morality

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 1 87

in culc ated by its pr ec epts ; in the Oblig ation s in curr ed

by ever y n ati on whi c h has dr awn up on its ac cumul ated
st or es o f wi s do m; in its fr eedom from the dish o n or
able expedien ts o f leg al chi c an er y ; i n the si mpli c ity

o f its p r o c edur e ; in the c e r t ai n ty an d c ele r ity r equi r ed

by the pr actic e o f the tr ibun als w her e its author ity

w as ackn o wledged ; i n the i n flexible imp ar ti ality with
whi ch it in vested the de cision s o f tho se t ribun als ; in
its well fo u n ded title to public c on fiden c e ; the Vi s i
-

gothi c C o de is without p arallel in the an n als o f jur is

pruden c e But gr e at as ar e its claims up on the gr ati
.

tude an d r eve r en c e o f the ju r ist an d the legis l at or ,

they ar e s c ar c ely c omp arable to the in debtedn ess im

po s ed upon the hi s tor i an The me agr e in formation to
.

be gle an ed from the works o f n ati v e ch ron icler s is in ,

gr eat me asur e thoro ughly un r eliable The liter atur e

, .

o f the a g e , s can ty i n itself con si s ts mai n ly o f the

,

r e c it a l Of ecclesia stic al fables the mar tyr dom o f

,

legen d ar y s ain ts the dis cover y o f spuri ou s r eli cs the

, ,

a v e r ti n g Of c al amities by i n v oc ati o n an d mi ra c le an d ,

trivi al in c iden ts in the live s o f h oly men an d women ,

wh o se p r eter n atural gifts the in dulgen t cr edulity o f

their bio gr apher s has h an ded dow n to the con tempt
an d r idi cule o f po s te r ity . The p ages destin ed for such
r e c or ds we r e to o p r e c i o u s to be d e fil e d by the a cc o u n t s

o f w ar s an d i n su r r e c ti on s an d the i n te r estin g d esc ri p

tion s o f mediaeval s o c iety The diligen c e o f the com

.

piler s o f the F orum Ju d i cu m has h owever lar gely

, ,

supplied the deficien c ies o f the mon kish an n alists I n .

their v ar ious c ivil an d prohibitor y en actmen ts they ,

h ave un c o n s c iously delin e ated the foll ies the vi ces the , ,

s upe r stiti on s an d the cr i mes o f the ag e

,
The pen alties
.

imp o sed for the vio lation Of s tatutes den ote in fal libl y
the bar b ar i an or igin o f tho se w ho formul ated them .

The l aw Of r et aliation —toler ated on ly amon g the l ow

est r ace s o f men—o c cur s r epe atedly amon g the pr ovi
sion s Of the Visigo thi c C o de The deterr en t e ff ec t o f
.
188 HIST ORY OF TH E

cr imin al legislati on w as ahn ost always sub or din ated

to con siderati on s o f ven ge an c e The magistr ate w as
.

r eg ar ded as the Vi n di cat o r o f wr o ng rathe r th an the ,

c a hn r ep r esen t a tive o f j udi c i al dig n ity an d the

p ar ti al in ter p r eter o f the laws S c alpin g maimi n g

.
, ,

blin din g s cour gin g bran ding emas cul ation wer e
, , , ,

pun ishmen ts pr es c r ibed with out dis cr imin ation for ,

O ff en c es v ar yin g widely in the n a tur e an d degr ee o f

mis con du ct an d cr imin ality The peri o d o f tran sition
.

which sep arated the b arb aric ruden ess o f Ado lphus
an d the e ff emin ate luxur y o f Ro der i c k is t r ac e able ,

step by step in the pr o gr essive legislation o f c en tur ies

, .

The r ise an d con s olid ation o f e cclesi asti cal po wer ; the
l i mit ati on o f the r o yal p r e ro g ative ; the de c lin e of the
in s o len t p r eten sion s o f the n obil ity ; the elev ation o f
the pe as an t from the po sition Of a beast Of bur den to
a self r espe c ti n g bein g w ho h oweve r steeped in i n o
g
-
, ,

r an c e he might be w as alw ays su r e o f an i mp ar ti al

,

he arin g befo r e the magistr ate ; ar e ther e r el ated with

all the fidelity an d mi n ute n ess o f a c h ro n i c le Ther e .

too ar e depi c ted the s ou r c es Of th at in spir ati on whi ch

an i mated an d sustain ed the sin kin g h o pes o f the
f oun der s o f the S p an ish mon archy fr om its o r gan iz a ,

tion as a little pr in cip ality i n the Asturi as do wn ,

th r ough the tur bulen t era o f M oor ish do min ation ,

un til it att ain ed the summit o f gr eatn ess as the d ie

t at or o f E uro pe an d the arbiter o f Ch r isten dom .

These are the gen eral ch ar acteristic s o f th at in com

p arable mon umen t Of j ur isp ruden c e wh ose n oble
con c epti on s o f the e n ds Of legisl ati o n a r e best ex

p r essed in its o wn con cise an d en e r geti c lan gu age

The l aw is the r iv al o f divi n ity the messen ger Of ,

j ustic e an d the guide o f l ife I t domin ates all classes

, .

o f the st ate an d all a ges o f hu man ity

, male an d ,

female the youn g an d the Old the wise an d the ig n o

, ,

ran t the n o ble an d the pe a s an t

, I t is n ot design ed
.

for the p r omo tio n o f p r ivate aims but to shelter an d ,

190 HIS T ORY OF TH E

vi olate the rites o f h o spit ality an d c ast a sh a do w o ver

the amen ities o f s o c i al life With an exquisite refi n e .

men t Of mali c e it p ron oun c ed subj e ct to e x c ommu n i

,

c ati on al l w ho even i n ca ses o f c h a r ity or u n de r c ir

,

c ums tan c e s o f the mo st u r gen t n e c essity sh ar ed thei r ,

foo d w ith a Jew The p assive submission o f the en

.

tir e rac e to the b arb ar ian in v a der pro c ur ed h o wever , ,

for its membe r s in man y in st an c es a degr ee o f c on

, ,

sider ation n o t en j o yed by their Chr isti an n eighb or s .

With their n atural t alen ts for busin ess thei r c a p acity ,

for in t r igue an d ab ove al l thei r supe r ior kn o wledge

, , ,

o f ma n ki n d they we r e n ot l o n g i n se cu r in g the con

,

fi d en c e o f the c o n que r o rs Un de r the Ar i an s ov er

.

ei n s
g , their r eligious o pin i on s r emain ed f or g en er a
ti on s un question ed an d their wor ship unmo lested
,
.

But har d l v had the n ati on r en o un c ed its an c ien t

commu n i o n befor e the d istur bin g spir it o f the n ew
,

hier archy beg an to a sser t it s elf The edi ct Of S isebu t .

,

in 6 12 published the de cr ees o f the Thi r d C o un c il o f

,

T o ledo whic h had been drawn up fo r the pious pu r

”
po se o f er a di catin g the p er fid y o f the Jews who se ,

gen er al p r o sper ity an d p olitic al p o wer had ar oused

the app r ehen si on s o f the p r iesth oo d F r om this era .

un til the acc e s sion Of Ro der ick in 7 09 the legislation ,

o f the cou n c ils r el atin g to the Jews p r esen ts the

extr emes o f brut al h ar shn e s s an d o cc asion al liber al

in dulgen c e I n all these en ac tmen ts ho wever the
.
, ,

O ff en sive qualities o f in j ustic e an d malevolen c e

lar gely pr ep on der ated The aggr essiven ess o f
.

C atho lici s m deman ded in st an t an d un compromisin g

submissio n to its c r eed Wh at w a s at fir st attempted
.

by the imp o sition o f c ivil dis abilities w as s oon a fter

ex acted by degradin g in sults by tortur e by slaver y , , ,

an d by de ath S u ch w as the un r elen ti n g feroc ity o f

.

this per secution th at it awaken ed at times the in d ig

n ati on even Of a s emi b ar b aro us an d f an ati c al ag e
-
.

But despite con tin uous an d systematic r epr ession this ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 19 1

malign ed an d d own tro dden r ac e pr o sper ed ; the for

-

be ar an c e o f r oyal an d e cc lesi astic al in quisito r s w as

pur ch ased an d the clamor s o f furious ze alots wer e
,

silen c ed by o ppor tun e con tr ibution s to the mon astic

o r de r s ; fo r the s er vi c es o f the mo s t c a p able diplo
mati sts an d fin an ciers o f the time c ould n ot be dis
pen s e d with in a s oc iety whe r e even a l ar ge p or tion
o f th o se w ho devi sed me a su r es f or thei r o pp r e s si on

co uld n eithe r r e a d n or w r ite . The super ior ity o f the

J ews w a s als o in di c ated by the pr ic es they co mman ded
when their liber ty had been for feited by l aw Wh ile .

slaves o f other n ati on alities r an ked as besti as de

c u at ro pies an d wer e pu r c h as able up o n the s ame
,

terms as a hor se or an ox the J ew w as wo r th a th o u

,

s an d cr own s The gr e at po s s e s s io n s o f the Go thic

.

n o bles ,which the un iver s al illiterac y o f the latter

made them in c ompeten t to man a ge r en der ed the ,

shr ewd an d ac co mplished Hebr ew a n e c es s ar y stewar d .

He en j o yed the con fiden c e o f the mon ar ch He ad .

min ister ed the r oyal r even ues always with dis c er n

,

men t an d in mos t in s tan c es with fidelity H i s advic e.

w as e age r ly s o li c ited in exigen c ies o f n atio n al impo r

tan c e an d in the cro oked arts o f diplomacy he pr oved
,

mor e th an a match for the ablest n egotiat or s o f the

ag e. His we alth his p olitic al an d s oc ial in fluen c e
, ,

which he pr eserved in defian c e o f c ivil di s abilities an d

e ccles i as ti cal malic e hi s s ch olasti c att ainmen ts the
, ,

elegan c e o f his man n er s when co n trasted with Teu

ton ic rude n ess ; all o f these qu alities in gr ati ated him
in to the favo r o f the p alatin es by whom he w a s o ften
,

tr eated with the con sideration deser ved by a frien d ,

r athe r th a n with the abh or r en c e due to an out c a st .

The pol iti c al or gan ization an d legal pr ivileges which

the Jews po s s essed in the e arly days o f the Visigo thic
mon archy magn ified their importan c e in cr eased their
,

w e alth an d fo ster ed their spir it o f ex clusiv en ess

, The .

latter feelin g w as als o str en gthen ed by the p oli cy o f

19 2 HIS T ORY OF TH E

sep arati on which it w as deemed expedien t to a do pt ,

dur in g the Middle Ages in Ch r istian commun ities

, ,

to war ds the Hebr ew r ac e F or a con siderable perio d

.

o f the G o thi c d omin i on the Jews we r e con fin ed to a

,

c e r t ai n qu ar te r o f ever y c ity an d vill a ge o ve r whi c h ,

magistrates o f their o w n bloo d exer c ised bo th c ivil an d

cr i mi n al fun c ti on s u n r est r i c te d s ave i n questio n s th at
, ,

a ff e c ted the n a ti on a l f aith or whe r e pe r s on al in j ur y

had been in fli c ted up o n a Chr isti an The j urisdiction

.

o f e ac h p r o vi n c i al a sse mbly w as r igidly sub or din ated

to the sup r e me auth o r ity o f the c e n tr al syn a g o gue .

The territor y beyo n d the limits o f the to wn—which

w as o ften en tir ely J ew i sh—w as sub j e c t to the con tro l
o f a g ove rn or w ho w a s r esp on sible o n ly to the s o v er

eig n . At o n e time the Jews c on t ro lled the mo st im

por t an t lan ded in te r ests o f the kin gd om The pr ej u .

di c e att achin g to p aymen ts f or the use o f mon ey did

n ot dete r the Heb r ew b an ke r fr o m the p rac ti c e o f

usur y although the leg al rate o f thir ty th r ee per c en t

,
-
.

c e r t ai n ly O ff er ed s u ffic ie n t i n du c emen ts to abst ai n

fr om the vi olation o f the l aw which he either secr etly

ev a ded o r o pen ly defied .

The activity displayed by the Jews o f the Pen in sula

in eve r y dep artme n t o f s c ie n c e li te ratur e g o ve rn men t
, , ,

c o mme r c e a g r i cultu r e an d fin an c e w as i n c ess an t a n d

, ,

in def atigable N o con temp oran eous peo ple could

.

b oast i n pr o p or tion to their n umber s s o man y men

, ,

o f gen ius an d e ruditi on Their in fluen c e w as so

.

exten sive th a t it w as ackn owledged alike in the hovel

o f the pe as an t an d in the cou n c il c h amber o f the kin g .

Thei r power ful in dividuality survived the cr uel imp o

s i tion s whi c h r ep r essed thei r en te r p r ise but co uld n ot
,

d amp their ar do r ; an d the p atrio tis m which attached

them to a coun tr y in whi ch they wer e on ly t o lerated
a s exiles w as suf fi c ien t to i n du c e thei r des c e n d an ts to
,
,
he artily ai d by every me an s in their p ower the famous
, ,

p r in c es an d w a r r i o r s wh o se c a p a c ity an d r es o luti on
19 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the i n c en tive for publi c display an d pr iv ate mu n ifi

,

c en c e .An i n n umer a ble b o dy o f slaves an d depen d

en ts av ailable at a momen t s n o tic e f ac ilit ated the
,
’

ra pid c o n str u c ti on o f edific es o f the l ar gest p r o p or

tion s Churc hes gr an d in dimen sion s an d b ar bar i c in

.

dec or ation wer e er e c ted by pr ie s ts a bbo ts an d pri , ,

v ate in dividu als wh o s e gen er o sity w as c o mmen surate

,

with thei r devo ti on B efo r e the sh r in es o f these

.

temples we r e depo sited v a ses r eliqu ar ies diptychs , , ,

c r o sses o f p r e c i o u s ma te r i als an d c u r i o usly i n tr i cate

,

p attern s The r eligio us en thusi a sm o f the G o thic

.

p ri n c es min gled pe r h a ps with a c er tain sh ar e o f

,

wor ldly ambition impelled them to a gen er ous ,

r iv a l r y an d ,n o u r ished in the b o s om o f e ac h the

desir e to sur p ass his p r ede c ess or in liberality to the
Chur ch Hen c e the v ar ious temples wer e un der
.
,

each succ es sive r eign en r iched with ro yal gifts o f ,

in es timable v alue an d o sten t ati ous ma gn ific en c e .

S acr amen t al t able s o f g old studded with emeralds ,

di amon ds an d s a pphir es wh ose w on dr o us beauty

, ,

an d r i c h n ess S arac en tra diti on has t r an smitted to

po s ter ity with mon str an c es an d c ibori a o f in g en i
,

ou s design an d en crusted wi th j ewels fo rmed a ,

p or tion o f the pious do n ation s o f the s o ver eign s o f

the Go ths The in flue n c e o f the ar ts an d ta s te o f
.

Byz an tium commun i cated through the ch an n els o f

,

co mme rc e the in ter c h an ge o f c ivilities an d the

, ,

fr equen t in te rcou r se between the cour ts o f C on

s tan tin o pl e a n d T o ledo a ppe ar s in the mu ral orn a ,

men t ation o f the temples an d in the vessels o f

their sh rin es as well as in the h abit ation s uten sils
, , ,

a n d t r i n kets o f the pe o ple Geometr i c forms an d .

fl or al design s —a fte r wards so p o pular amon g the

M o o r s w ho un question ably der ived them lar gely
,

fro m this s ou rc e—we r e almo st ex clusively employed

by the Go thic goldsmiths an d architects Vin es .
,

le aves buds an d quat r efoils en ter in to almost every

, ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 19 5

co mbin atio n in gr e at var iety an d with ch armi n g e ffe c t .

The churches wer e dimly lighted by me an s o f mar ble

slabs pierc ed with in ter se ctin g cruc iform aper tur e s ,

which in c r e ased the mys ter y an d aw e o f the in te ri or ,

devi c es which ar e visible to d ay in pl ac es o f wor ship

-

as widely sep ara ted a n d o f as or igi n ally dive r s e ch ar

ac te r as the c h a pels o f the A s tu r i as an d the M o sque

o f C or dov a As s oon as the r age an d h atr ed in s pir ed

by the r esist an c e o f their e n emie s—an d which w as
.

wr eaked up on the edific e s o f the latter with h ar dly

less vin dic tiven ess th an upon the r an ks o f their legion s
—had been allayed a desir e to p r o fit by the skill an d
,

experien c e o f their Ro man s ubj e ct s bec ame p ar a

moun t ; n ew s tr uc tur es O f simple design an d en
durin g mater i als aro se in the c ities ; the an cien t
monu men ts wer e sp ar ed ; an d the supe r i or st ate o f
pr eservatio n whic h distin guishes the Roman r emain s
in the Pen in s ul a a ff or d s i n c on t ro ver tible e v iden c e o f
the en lighten ed a ppr ec iatio n o f the Visigo ths .

I n the e n co ur ageme n t o f the useful an d eleg an t

ar ts, the Visigo th s dis played an en te r p ri s in g spir it
co n sider a bly i n a dv an c e o f the o the r b r an che s o f the

gr eat Te u to n ic n ati on M an ufac tur es o f clothin g

.
,

glass armor we ap on s thr e ad an d j ewelr y are kn own

, , , ,

to h ave existed i n thei r do min io n s But it is in the .

fabri cati on o f chur ch furn itur e vo tive o fferin gs an d , ,

uten sils design ed fo r the servi c e o f the altar that the ,

labor s o f their ar ti s an s ar e best kn ow n to us I n the .

provin c e o f G u arr azar a few miles from T o ledo w as

, ,

ac c iden t a lly di s co ve r ed i n the middle o f the l as t c en

,

tury a depo s it o f Obj ec ts which had eviden tly been

,

hastily bur ied by the pr iests on the app r o ach o f the

S ar ac en i n v a der I t w as co mp o sed o f a n umber o f
votive cr own s —s ome o f whi ch wer e in s cribed with the
.

n ames o f the d on o r s—s c eptr es c e n se r s cr o sse s c an dle

, , ,

sticks lamps c h ain s gir dles Al l o f these wer e o f

, , , .

gold en r ic hed with pr ecious ston es The ign oran c e .

,
19 6 HIST ORY OF TH E

fe ar an d av ar ic e o f the pe as an ts w ho dis cover ed this

,

tr e asur e r esulted in the dispe r sion an d loss o f the most

pr e cious por tion o f it ; but the cr owns wer e s aved an d ,

ar e n o w i n the H o tel de Clun y at P ar is an d the Ro y al ,

Ar mor y at M a dr id These ar ti c les en a ble us to form

.

an ex c elle n t ide a o f the c o n diti on o f the ar ts at the

beginn in g o f the eighth c en tur y The accoun ts given .

by C h risti an an d Ar ab histori an s o f the Visig othic

kin gs an d o f the en or mous booty ob t ain ed b y the
,

M oo r s had un til this dis cover y w a s ma de been r idi

, , ,

ouled by cr iti c s a s ex a gger a ti on s due to the n atio n al ,

v an ity o f bo th con que r ed an d con queror F r om even .

a c u r s or y ex amin a ti on o f these Ob j e c ts —un ique i n the

world— can r e adily be detec ted the t a ste an d style o f

the Byz an tin e wh ose in fluen c e o ver the artistic tradi
,

ti on s o f the Pen in sula far fr om dis a ppe arin g with the

,

G o thi c dyn asty w as e x hibited in s ome o f the mo st

,

magn ific en t cr e atio n s o f the M o slem domi n ation .

The clumsy but massive p attern s o f the crown s show

tha t the v alue o f the mater ials w a s t aken in to con
sideration quite a s mu c h as the labor th at w as ex
,

pen ded upon them F r om their orn amen t atio n is re

.

ve aled a n ot in con sider able famili ar ity with the art o f

the en ameller S ome o f the settin gs are o f p olished
.

silic ates in serted pr o bably by w ay o f con tr ast at

, , ,

in terv als in lin es o f un c ut gems The ac curacy with .

which they are a dj usted an d their po in ts un ited is

in dic ative o f lon g p racti c e an d extraor din ar y skill .

A sep arate in t aglio belon gin g to the s ame tr e asure

dis clo ses a hithert o un suspected degr ee o f per fection
in the glypti c ar t The car vin g o f ston es as h ar d as
.

the j ac in th gives us a still furthe r ac quain t an c e with

the skill o f the Go thic la pidar y an d the deli cacy o f ,

the fil igr ee b or der s is of almo st equ al ex c ellenc e with

the best wor k o f modern I t aly .

While the man uf actur es Of Gothi c S p ain wer e due

to the t ale n ts an d i n dustr y o f sl aves its comme rce ,
 98 HIST ORY OF TH E

heavily fin ed an d in c ase de ath en sued he w as ab an

,

d on e d to the ven ge an c e o f the family o f his p atien t .

The l aw h o wever a s a p ar tial compen s ati on for the

, ,

i n con ven ien c es to which he w as subj ec ted exempted ,

him fr om i mp r is o n me n t for all c r imes s ave th at o f

mur der A limited kn owledge o f an atomy an d s ome
.

ac qu ai n t an c e with the fu n d amen t a l p r i n c iples o f s u r

ger y wer e po ssessed by these p ractition er s as is dis ,

c lo sed by thei r su cc essful Ope r a ti on s fo r cat ar ac t .

Their compen s ati o n w as r egul ated by st atute an d ,

w as beside s s ubj e c t to spe c i al ag r eemen t ; but in

, , ,

c a se the p atie n t w as n ot c u r ed n o fee c ould be c ol

,

l ecte d an d the physi c i an w a s li able at all times to

, , ,

pro se cution for fl ag ran t acts o f malpr ac tic e .

The empir e o f the Visigo th s dur in g the per io d o f

,

its g r e atest p ro sper ity exte n ded fr om the v alleys o f

,

the L o ir e an d the G aron n e to the Mediterran ean .

The surr en der o f a p ortion o f this te rritory to C lovis

con s o lid ated the p o we r o f b o th the ki n gd oms o f

F ran c e an d S p ain by ad o pti n g fo r thei r common

,
‘

boun d ary the n atur al r amp ar t o f the Pyr en ees The .

t aste s an d tr adition s o f the Teut on i c n ation her eto ,

fo r e aver se to seden tar y occup ati on s an d con siderin g

,

all l a b or a n d e s pe c i ally the c ultiv ati on o f the s o il as

, ,

degr adin g to the ch ar acter o f a fr eeman caused such ,

emplo ymen t to be ab an d on ed to the former subj ects

o f the R oman E mpi r e ; n or w as it u n til seve r a l cen

tu r i e s had el apsed an d the a dv an t a ges r esultin g from

,

in dustr iou s tillage had bee n demo n str ated th at this ,

p r ej udi c e w as in s ome degr ee r emoved At all times.

durin g the s way o f the Visigo ths ever y spe cies o f

,

man u al lab or w as lar gely per fo rmed by slaves The .

in stitution o f colleges o f ar tifi cer s—a custom in

her ited fr om the mo s t p o lished n ati on o f an tiquity
had bee n a do pted by the b ar b ar i an co n que ror s an d ,

the slaves comp o sin g these bo dies wher e the t alen ts

,

o f the f athe r we r e t r a n smitted to the s on wer e n atu ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 19 9

ra lly r an ked amon g the mo st v aluable o f per s on al

p o ssessio n s L arge n umber s o f these artis an s wer e
.

the pro perty o f the C rown an d o f the C hurch bein g ,

r espec tively un der the c on tro l o f the R oy al T r e a sur e r

an d the Bish o p an d the un ique s pe c i men s o f the go ld

,

smith s skill which the for tun a te dis covery at Guar

’

r az ar ha s p r eser ved for us r eve a l to wh at p ro fic ien c y

,

in the me c han i cal arts these ac complished bon dmen

had att a in ed .

The gr e atest luxur y an d pomp wer e in dulged in by

the Vi s ig othic n ation a peo ple which the world still
,

c all s b ar b ari an Their p al ac es wer e encr usted with

.

pr ec io us mar bles The furn itu r e o f their ap artmen ts

.

w as o f the mo st expen s ive ch ar acter The gar men ts .

o f the n o bility we r e o f silken fa b r i c s embr oider ed with

gold The ladies o f the cour t used for their abl u ti on s

.
v

b as in s o f silver an d admir ed their be auty in ex qu i

,

sitel y c h ased mi rror s set with j ewels The h or ses o f .

the r o yal h ousehold wer e c over ed with h arn e s s e s an d

tr appin g s blazin g wi th the p r ec ious met als A hun .

dr ed wa gon s l aden with bagg age an d all the p ar a

phern ali a o f boun dles s ext rava gan c e fo llo wed in the
tr ain o f the mon arch S uc h w as the lavish ex pen di
.

tur e o f even the middle an d lower classes th at it be ,

c ame n e c ess ar y to en ac t a l aw p r ohibitin g the besto wal

o f a d o wr y o f mor e th an o n e te n th o f the p ro per ty o f

-

a b r ideg r o om up on the b r ide .

N ot o n ly did the Visigo ths str ive to i mita te thei r

Roman s ubj e cts in the style an d fin ish o f thei r edific es ,

but in every public employmen t in ever y depar tmen t ,

o f art a n d l ab or w as the p oten t in fluen c e o f the sub

,

jugated peo ple visible The or gan iz ation o f the

.

v ar ious cor ps an d divisi on s o f the army w as mo delled

a fter th a t o f the legi on The most p o pular amuse
.

men ts wer e with the exc eption o f gladiato r i al com

,

b ats iden ti cal with those whic h had ex cited to fr en zied

,

en thusi asm the v ast audien c es o f Rome and C on stan

2 00 HIS T ORY OF TH E

tin opl e in the circus an d the amphitheatr e The d ress .

o f the c itizen the armor o f the s o ldie r we r e R o man ;

, ,

the o rn amen ts o f the la dies the in signi a o f ro yalty , ,

the decoration s o f the c hur ches wer e Byzantine The ,

.

lan g uage in c ommon use w as a b arb arous an d b ast ar d

L atin The fusion o f h ostile r ac es the amalgamati on
.
,

o f the c on quer or an d the c on que r ed th at p oliti c al ,

pro blem which has taxed the skill o f the wisest states
men w as almo st br ought to a su cc essful s olution by
,

the broad st atesman ship o f the Visigo thic s over eign s .

The ado ption an d en forc emen t o f a un ifor m an d well

c on c eived b o dy o f l aws di d mu c h to a cc o mpli sh this

en d . But the acc ept an c e o f or th o do x Ch ris tian ity as

the r eco g ni zed f orm o f n ation a l f aith an d the leg al ,

iz in g o f in te rmarr i age between the di ff er en t peo ples

o f the Pe n i n sul a by their ten den c y to r emove the
,

fo rmi dable b ar r ier s r aised by c aste which had hither to ,

is olated the var i ous classes o f s ociety did f ar mor e to ,

p romote the un ion o f the dis cor d an t elemen ts o f

s ociety The B asques—con st an t types o f the primi
.

tive I beri an —alon e amon g the multifar ious tr ibes

,

whic h ackn owledged the supr emac y o f the cour t o f

T oled o h ave pr ese r ved their n ation ality an d h ave
, ,

o bstin a tely r efused to su rr e n de r th o se distin c tive rac i al

peculi ar ities th at h ave made them for c en tur ies the

subj ec t o f the en ter t ain i n g spe cul ati on s o f the eth
n ol o g i s t .

In s ome r espe cts a str ikin g p arallel in other s a de ,

c ided con t rast existed between G o th an d Ar ab r e r e

p ,

s en tati v e s o f the Ar y an an d S e miti c b r an ches o f the

hu man fami ly w ho cro ssed swor ds in E ur o pe fo r the

,

first time in hist ory on the plain s o f the S pan ish ,

Pen in sul a B etween these tw o gr e at ethn o graphi cal

.

division s a spir it o f ir re con cilable enmi ty has always

,

p r ev ailed N O fusion between them has ever been

.

e ff ected W her e on e has o btained as c en den c y in an y

.

p ar t o f the wor ld the other has either pr eserved its

,
202 HIS T ORY OF TH E

traits common to tw o n atio n s sep arated by a dist ance ,

o f eightee n hun dr ed miles ig n o r an t o f e a c h o the r s

’

existenc e an d living un der en tir ely dissimilar climatic

,

condition s The atmo sphe r e o f the B altic w as per

.

p et u a l l y co ld an d d amp th at o f Ar ab i a d ry an d
,

t orr id ahn ost beyon d en duran c e E aster n E ur o pe .

w as co ve r ed with den se f or ests t raver sed b y n ob le ,

r ive r s
, an d do tted with imp a ss able sw amps I n the .

Desert nothi n g w as s o r ar e as a tr ee or r ivu let The .

physi cal conformation o f the Go th an d the Ar ab re

s p ectiv el y w as contro lled by his e n vi ron men t to an

even gr e ater degr ee th an w as the ment al constitution

o f either The for mer w as o f gi an t st atur e an d
.

stren gth an d o f fai r complexio n ; the latter slender

, ,

n e rvous an d sw arthy
, With the G oth female ch as
.
,

tity w as held in the highest esteem; with the Arab it ,

w as the subj e ct o f c austic epigr am o f j est an d of , ,

s atir e The G oth a mon o gamist kn ew nothing o f

.
, ,

the ple asur es o f g allan tr y ; the p olyg amous Arab

placed in dulgen c e i n them se con d on ly to the ex cite
men t o f battle The G oths we r e among the fi r st and
.

most devout p ro selytes o f Ch r isti anity ; the Arab s

h ave ever obstin ately r efused to ackn owledge the
divin ity o f Ch rist or the super i or auth ority o f the
G ospel .

Th at invi nci ble pro wess which n urtur ed b y poverty ,

an d an abstemi ous life w as displ ayed with equ al dis

,

tin ction an d succ es s amidst the for ests o f E uro pe an d

on the s andy pl a i n s o f Afr i c a w a s the potent wea p on ,

which obtain ed for e ac h o f these gr e at nations su

premacy ove r thei r a dve r s ar ies ; an advantage whi ch ,

through intern al disse n sion sec t ari an pr ej udi c e and , ,

s oci al corruption w as even tually lost ; but n ot until

,

the moral an d physi c al pe culi ar ities of b oth had im

p r essed themselves up on their con tempor ar ies so ,

deeply as to in sur e their tr an s missi on with b ut little ,

modification to subsequen t ages , .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 203

The spi rit o f the Visigo ths w as almo st fr om ,

the fir st de cidedly pro gr es s ive This gen er al ten

, .

den ey to war d s impr ovemen t an d a de s ir e for the

,

bles s in gs o f c iviliz ation stimulated c ommerc i al ao

,

tiv ity i n cr e a sed do mestic h a ppin e s s an d Open ed a

, ,

field for the develo pmen t o f ar t the advan c emen t o f

,

s c ie n c e
, the str ic t admin istr ation o f j u s tic e an d the,

con s equen t de c r e a se o f b r ut ality an d c r i me The .

wisdom o f the Go thi c p olity an d the equity o f its

law s a ff or d a ple asin g an d in s tructive ex ample o f
the cap acity Of a pe ople to r aise itself un aided fr om
b ar bar ism—a peo ple whi ch in addition to the ro
,

man tic in te r es t att achin g to its histor y i s en titled ,

to the grateful r emembran c e o f man ki n d f or the

ben efi c en t i n flue n c e it has exer ted up on the p olitic al
in stitutio n s an d the s ocial or de r o f E uro pe ; as well
as for the cr e ati o n o f a j u di c i a l s ys te m wh o se me r it s

an d wh os e p r i n c iple s co n firmed by the exper ien c e o f

,

c en tu r ie s ar e still ac kn owledged by the mo st august

,

tr ibun als o f the c ivilized world .

204 HIS T ORY OF TH E

C HAPT E R V

TH E INVASION AN D C ON Q UES T OF S PAIN

7 10 7 13 —
Gen eral C on di ti on s n d P hys i c al F e atures of the S p an i s h P en in
Cl s s es o f the P opu lati on—S u p remac y o f
a

s u l a—V ar i o u s

the Ch ur c h— T yr an n y o f the Vi s igothic Ki n gs —F t l P olic y

a

o f W i ti z — Acc es s i on of R o der i c k C oun t J u li n —I n v s ion

a a

ik—B ttle o f the G u ad l ete—I ts M omen tou s R es u lts

a -
a a

of T
—P ro g es s of the M os lems—Arriv l o f M us —H i s S uc ces s
ar a a

—I mmen s e B o ty s ec u ed b y the Victor s —Q u r re l o f T ik

r a a

n d M u s a— I n te fe en ce o f the Kh ali f—S u bmi s s i on o f the

o r a ar

Goth s —M u s s V s t S c heme o f C on qu es t—The Tw o Gen

a r r
’
a a

era l s o de e d to D am s c u s —The T i u mph a l P roce s s ion

throu gh A fr ic a—F ate o f M us a—C au s es an d E ff ects of the
r r a r

M os lem O c cu p ti on o f S p aina .

TH E en c ro achin g spir it o f I sl am domin ated by the ,

poten t mo tives o f avar i c e ambiti on an d f an aticism , , ,

w as n o t con ten t with its mar vellous ac hieveme n ts an d

the p o ssession o f tw o con tin en ts it aspir ed to un ive r s al ,

con quest .The submission o f Afric a w as n ow com

p l e te .The s o ve r eig n ty o f the Byz an ti n e E mpi r e had

van ished fo r eve r fro m the s o uther n co as t o f the Medi

te rr an e an The t ac t an d mil itar y skill o f Mus a had
.

w o n the con fiden c e an d in spir ed the r espe c t o f the

, ,

tr e acherous warlike an d hither to in tractable tr ibes

, , ,

o f M au r it an i a " A lar ge nu mbe r o f the l a tte r had em

braced M oh ammed an ism A still gr e ater pro p ortion .

w ho eithe r fr om a ss oc i ati on p oli c y or con vic ti on pr o

, , , ,

fessed att achmen t to the l aw o f M oses main tain ed an ,

in timate corr espon den c e with their o ppr essed br ethr en

of the S p an ish Pen in sula The l atter in secr et .

brooded over the ac cumu l ated wro n gs o f c en tur ies ,

an d , un de r an appe aran c e o f r esign ation h arbor ed ,

2 06 HIS T ORY OF TH E

wisdom wh o se s o ur c es he explor ed with su ch ac ute

,

n ess an d con c e a led with su c h su c c ess E ver y devi c e .

o f f a ble an d supe r stiti on had been empl o yed to c l o the

this loc ality with suc h a ch ar ac ter as might e ff e c tu ally

che ck the e ff o r t s o f a n i n qui r i n g o r a gg r essive com

merc ial spir it T o the ac complish men t o f this en d the

.
,

phen o men a o f N atur e len t their po wer ful aid The .

con tr ac ted p a ss a ge between tw o o f the g r e atest b o dies

o f w a te r kn o wn to the an c ie n ts w as o f un f a th oma ble

depth On both s ides despite the agit ation o f the

.
,

w aves its level r emain ed the s ame E ven dur in g both

, .

the ebb an d flow o f the tide the curr en t alwa ys r an ,

st r on gly to war ds the e ast I ts forc e w a s ste ady con .

,

st an t in var iable ; the waxin g an d wan in g o f the

,

moon the mo st fur ious tempests exerted n o ap pre

, ,

c i ab l e i n fluen c e o ve r the i n flexible r egul ar ity o f its

motion I t w as n ot with out r e as on th at the app ar en t

.

suspen sion o f the l aws o f equilibr ium an d o f the

for c e s o f N atur e w as attributed by the super stitious
to the divin ity wh o se temple gu ar ded the f amo us po r
t als upon whic h he had imp o sed his n ame I t has been .

main t ain ed by s cho lar s th at within this sh r in e w as pre

se rved as a s ac r ed r eli c a fr a gmen t o f magn etic or e
, , ,

o f g r e a t an tiquity k n o wn to the Tyr i an n avig at or as

,

a p r i c eless t alis man — the p r e c u r s or o f the mar i n e r s

’

c o mp a s s which had guided his c our se to dist an t

B r it ain an d a ssur ed to his coun tr ymen the empir e
,

o f the se a s Acc or din g to p o pular belief through

.
,

thi s ch an n el the w ay led to the r e alm o f Ch ao s To .

b r ave its un kn own an d d r e aded perils w as s ac r ilege ,

an d to n on e s ave th o se auth o r ized by the p r iests o f

,

M el c ar eth w as this un der takin g pe rmitted I n sub

, .

sequen t times in vested with little less myster y this

, ,

r egi on had beque athed n o t a few o f its r e mi n is c e n c e s

to the Roman an d a w ake n ed the c u r io sity o f the

,

Ar ab a s he fixed his g aze up on the white to pped

,
-

waves sp arklin g in the sun light between con tinen t

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E U RO P E 207

an d tin en t an d se a an d s e a like the f ac ets o f a

co n ,

pr e c iou s g em; o r in the be autiful imager y o f the

,

O rien t al chr o n i c le r like a di amon d between tw o

,

emer alds an d tw o s apphir es the mas ter ston e in the

,
-

r i n g o f e mpi r e
”
.

I n the begin n in g o f the eighth c e n tur y the kin gdo m

o f the Visig o th s p r e s en ted eve r y a ppe ar an c e o f p r o s

perity an d p o we r .I ts i n he r en t we akn e s s w as impe r

fectl y disguis ed by the p omp o f its hier ar chy an d the
luxur y o f its co ur t whic h veiled the defe c ts o f its c on
,

stitu ti o n an d the a bu s es o f its g over n men t with a f al s e

an d delusive sple n d o r I ts li c en tiou s s ove r eign r e

.

tain ed n on e o f the p r imiti v e vir tue s o f his an c est or s ,

whos e in tr epid spir it an d r esistless v alor had sust ain ed

them on a hun dr ed fields o f battle an d had b orn e their ,

a rms i n a lon g su cc es s i o n o f t r iu mphs fr om the B alti c

to the Mediterr an e an The s u cc es s or o f R ecc ared an d

.

Wamb a had degen er ated in to a feeble tyran t w ho ,

r eign ed by a disputed title an d in wh o se se n su al n a

,

tur e n either the r ite s o f ho s pit ality the Obligatio n s ,

o f fr ien dship the dig n ity o f the r eg a l offi c e n or the

, ,

in fi rmiti e s o f ag e in te r p o s ed an y Obst ac le to the in d u l

,

gen c e o f his un br idled p as s ion s .

A h au ghty n o bility decimated by the s an guin ary

feuds p romoted by a con tested succe s s ion an d divided ,

in to f action s wh o s e member s h ated e ach o ther with far

gr eater in ten sity th an that which they bor e to a co m
mon en emy ; un acc ustomed to the exercise o f arms ;
destitute o f f aith an d hon or ; c o n c e alin g tr e ason able
sen timen ts un der the s emblan c e o f en thusiastic l oy
alty ,
en deavor ed to s ust ain by v ain glor ious bo asts
,

an d b ar b ar i c o s ten t a ti o n the dign ity o f their or der

,

an d the ma j esty o f the thr on e The martial ar dor o f

.

the legion s which had for c en tur ies upheld the gr e at

n ess a n d the r en o wn o f the Roman n ame had been

supplan ted by the zeal an d avar ic e o f the mon asti c

hor des w ho defen ded by ever y expedien t o f fraud
,
2 08 HIS TORY OF TH E

an d vi olen c e the r isi n g c ause O f the c hur ch milit ant .

The cr o sier in the h an ds o f an arro g an t c aste which

,

mon o p o lized the le arn in g o f the ag e had bec ome far ,

mor e po ten t th an the swor d or the s c eptr e an d the ,

or igi n o f all p oliti ca l me asur es o f n ati o n a l imp or t an c e

w as to be s ought n o t in the p al ac e but in the cathed r al .

The wise t oler an t an d j udi c ious polic y o f the e ar ly

, ,

ecclesia stic s th at had an imated an d dir e cted the co un

,

c ils o f the Chu r c h whi c h by its hu man izi n g in fluen ce

,

had s o ften ed the p r evailing ruden ess o f the ag e an d ,

fr amed laws wh o se equi table maxims h ave ser ved as

mo dels for succ eedin g legisl ator s had been ab an don ed ,

fo r the deg ra din g but p r o fit able o cc up ati on o f hun t

i n g do w n an d plun de rin g her eti c s The proud an d .

exclusive hierarchy o f the Visig oths r efused to ac

kn owledge the sup r emac y or r espe c t the edic ts o f , ,

the S ee o f Rome When the P ope in ter fer ed in the

.

spir itu al aff air s o f the Pen in sula an oc curr en c e how -m

ever th at rar ely t ook plac e—he did so r athe r in the

,

c a p a c ity o f a medi a to r or even a suppli an t th an as

, ,

a mighty r ule r the head o f C h risten dom an d the

, ,

Vi car o f G o d His titles wer e ass u med an d his pre

.

ro g ativ e s usu r ped by the S p an ish p r el ates ; his in

fall ibility w as question ed n ot on ly by the higher ,

c le r g y , wh o se min istr ation s wer e de clar ed to be en

do wed with equ al vir tue but even by the s o ver eign ,

a n d the n o bles w ho o pen ly r idi c uled his p r ete n si on s

,

an d defied his auth o r ity The evil ex ample o f royal

.

p r o fli g acy had in fe c ted eve r y g rade o f the p r iestho o d .

The epis co p al pal ac e became the s c en e o f daily turmo il

an d mid n ight or gies whi ch s can d alized the p o pul ac e
, ,

itself f ar from immaculate ; while the e x c ellenc e o f

the win es an d the be auty of the female comp an ion s
o f p r iest an d pr i mate we r e ma tte r s o f publi c j est an d

in famous n o toriety The r elative po sition s o f the

.

gr e at offi c i als o f Chur ch an d S t ate had by r e ason o f ,

the pe c uli ar fun c tio n s exe r c ised by the f orme r w ho ,

2 10 HIS T ORY OF TH E

Visigo ths despite their b ar b ar i an p r ej udic e ag ain st

,

man u al la bor r eco gn ized the impor t an c e o f ag ricul t

,

u re. The p r ovin c es o f the r e alm wer e a pp ortion ed

amen g the n o bility A st ated tr ibute w a s r equir ed o f
.

their v ass als by the gr eat lan ded p ro pr iet or s w ho ,

rar ely ha d the j usti c e to g r an t i n dulgen c e for a f ail

u r e o f the h ar vests o r a defi c ie n c y r esulti n g fr om

publi c or p r iv ate misfortun e The cultiv ator s wer e .

a tt ac hed to the glebe whi ch could n o t be alien ated

,

with o ut them an d formin g an he r edit ar y c aste wer e

, , , ,

to all i n ten ts an d pur p o ses sl a ves ; alth ough u n de r

, ,

the G othi c po lity their p o siti on w as n omin ally supe

,

r i or to th a t o f the un fo r tun a te w ho w a s exp o sed for

s ale i n the mar ket F rom these tw o c lasses dispir ited

.
,

by gen er ation s o f ar duo us to il an d con st an t o ppr es

sion wer e r e cruited the ran k an d fil e o f the army
, ,

w ho we r e expe c ted to fight f o r the p r ese r v ation o f

thei r tyr an ts p o ssession s an d the con tin u an c e o f thei r
’

o wn deg r a d ati on The l ot o f the ser f u n der later

.

Visigo thi c r ule w as in gen er al f ar mo r e grievo us th an

, ,

th a t o f the slave ha d been un de r the Roman The .

Teut on ic cust om whi ch en co uraged the imp osition o f

per s on al servi c e in r etu rn for p r o tec tion w as un kn own
un der the E mpi r e The r en derin g o f this o blig ation
.

an her edit ar y ch ar ge—a car din al pr in ciple o f the

German con stitution but whi ch be c ame in a me asure
,

o bs o lete u n de r the l ate r Visig o thi c kin gs— a dded to

the agg r av atio n whi ch atten ded its per fo rman c e The .

r estr i c ti on s up on marr i a ge the sep ar a ti on o f f am

, i lies ,

the seve r ity o f pun ishmen t impo sed for even t riflin g
o ff en c es, a dded to the humili a ti o n an d h ar dships o f

the se r vile c on diti on While the Ar i an her esy w as pre

.

domin an t the bur den s o f ser fdo m wer e lighte n ed an d

, ,

its st ate had been gr a du ally improved . The gen er

os ity o f the bish o ps w a s displ a yed i n ever y w ay th at

kin dn ess an d con sider ation co uld suggest ; in the

dimin ution o f labor ; in r ewar ds for fidelity ; in
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 2 11

a tten d an c e i n sickn ess ; in s ymp athy in misfor tun e .

The un ha ppy ser f dec eived by these c on c es si on s an d

,

fav or s n o t un n aturally con cluded th at they p orten ded

,

in cr e as ed liber ty an d ultimate eman c ip ati on The .

cler gy g a ve c o l or to this p r e s u mpti on by fr equen t

declar ation s from the pu lpit th at slaver y w as co n

tr ar y to the te achin gs o f the G o s p el I n time with
.
,

the in cr ea se o f in fluen c e the con tr ol o f r oyal ele cti on s

, ,

an d the a b s o lute di c t ati on o f the p oli c y o f the th r on e ,

these spir itual statesmen foun d it expedien t to for get

the ben evolen t pr e c epts o f g overnmen t whi ch they
had former ly so e ar n e s tly in cul c ated After the ac
.

ce tan ce o f the or th o do x fa ith the i n he r en t evils o f

p ,

the servile system wer e magn ified to an un pr ec eden ted

degr ee The high r ank s acr ed ch aracter an d practi
.
, ,

c ally un lim i ted p o we r o f the gr e a t p r el ates o f the

Chur ch o ff er ed un usual o pp or tun ities f or the in d u l
,

gen c e o f the passion s o f tyr an n y an d avar ic e The .

depen den ts o f bi sh o ps walked in the p r oc e s s ion s by ,

which wer e c elebrated the gr eat festiv als o f the

Church attir ed in silken liver ies embr o ider ed with
,

gold The appo in tmen ts o f their p alac es an d the

.

magn ific en c e o f their train s sur p assed even th ose o f

the s over eign The es t ates o f these dign it ar ies wer e
.

the most exten sive an d imp or t an t o f the kin gdo m; in

man y in stan c es they ex c eeded in v alue the r o yal de
mesn es I mmen se n umber s o f slaves wer e employed
.

upon them n ot mer ely in the cultiv ation o f the s oil

, ,

but in the pr o ducin g an d per fec tin g o f every ar tic le ,

then kn own which could con tr ibute to the plea sur e

,

o f thei r luxu r i ous lo r d s F or these un h appy l ab or er s

.
,

whose t asks e ac h year bec ame mor e ar duous an d ,

whose aspiration s for liber ty cher ished dur in g man y

,

gen eration s wer e n ow destro yed the pro spec t o f re

, ,

lief fr om their un supportable bur den s seemed abso

lu tel y h o peles s I n fer ior in n umbers to these tw o
.

c l asses o f ag r i c ultural ser fs an d the in dividu als con

,
212 HIS T ORY OF TH E

demmed by the acciden t o f bir th o r the p r oc ess o f law

, ,

to per petu a l b on d a ge but v astly supe r i or to them in

,

in telli gen c e in sh r ewdn ess an d in all the arts o f de

, ,

cei t we r e the Jews

, . A sweepin g de cr ee o f the S even
te en th C oun c il o f T o ledo had co n fis cated thei r po s
session s an d sen ten c ed them to servitude A hun dr ed .

th ous an d o f these se c t ar ies in wh ose br e asts r an kled

,

a spi r it o f fie r c e an d sullen h atr ed b or n o f h o stility

,

h an ded dow n f or ages an d a ggr av ated by a system

,

o f r ep r essi on s car c ely j ustifi able eve n by the ste r n est

deman ds o f p olitic al n e c essity con stituted an elemen t

,

Of a far mo r e d an gerous ch ar ac ter th an all o f the

o the r s wh o se ma c hi n a ti o n s a n d dis con ten t ha d un de r

mi n ed the fabr i c o f the Visig o thi c empir e The n a .

ti on al se n ti me n t o f supe r io r ity—b orn o f the ocr atic

gover n men t o f the c laims o f an ar ro gan t p r iestho od
, ,

o f the alleged f av or o f the Al mighty a n d o f the

,

t radition s o f th r ee th ous an d ye ar s—w as then as n ow , ,

all p o we r ful i n the mi n ds o f the Jewish p eo ple

-
The .

defec tive an n als o f th at a g e h ave failed to fur n ish

us with d at a by whic h we can deter min e with wh at
degr ee o f strictn ess the l aws a gain st the Hebr ews wer e
en for c ed I t is pr o b able h o wever th at in the c ities
.
, , ,

wher e a higher c on dition o f in telligen c e existed an d

mo r e co rr e ct ide as o f j ustic e o btain ed obser v an c e o f
,

these inh uman edic ts w as fr equen tly ev a ded I n the .

vill ages an d h amlets the fan atic is m an d j e alousy o f

the pe as an tr y un doubtedly in flicted ever y h ar dship
an d i n dig n ity up on the Jews I n v ain might the
.

f avo r ed stewar d or coun sello r o f the n o ble w ho still ,

r et a in ed his r eside n c e i n the p al ac e an d con ti n ued to

,

supply by his own t alen ts an d exper ien c e the d e fi

c i en ci e s p r o du c ed by his e mplo ye r s slo th an d i n ca
’

p acity a ttempt to allevi ate the wr et c hedness o f his

,

co u n t r ymen With the ign o r an t rabble the p osses

.
,

sion o f we alth an d the exe r tion o f p oliti c al p ower

by her etic s wer e alw ays un p ar don able crimes The .
214 HIS T ORY OF TH E

dep r ive the S p an ish C r own O f the p oliti cal sup r emacy
o f E u ro pe .

The even ts in the an n als o f S p ain whic h r elate to

the close o f the seven th an d the commen c emen t o f
the eighth c en tur y are in v olved in mor e th an ordin ar y
o bs cu r ity .I t w a s a per i o d fraught with p oliti cal an d
s oci al distur ban c e T r eas on an d r egic ide crimes from
.
,

whi ch her eto for e the G othic pe o ple had been pro
, ,

v erbi al l
y exempt we r e n ow c on side r ed j ustifi ab le ex
,

p e d ien ts by eve r y ambiti o us n oble w ho a spir ed to raise

himself to the th ron e The degr ees o f fav or an d abso
.

lu tion whi ch the su c c essful t r ait o r co uld expe c t fr om

the cler gy we re dir e ctly p ro po r ti on ate to the v alue o f
the gifts which he w as able to dep o sit in the tr e asur y
o f the Chu r c h . E ver y o ff en c e n o matter ho w fla
,

gr an t w as par don able a fter s atisfac t or y pe cun iary in

,

te rc es s ion with the p r iest The fulmin ation s o f the

.

H o ly C oun c il wer e den oun c ed ag ain st all w ho r efused

a llegi an c e to the ro y al a ss assi n wh o se ele ction had
,

been ratified by the v o tes o f the assembled pr elates .

Wher e the a spir an t to kin gly po wer lacked the cour

ag e for deeds o f bl oo d a r es or t to fr a ud w as deemed
,

ex cus able pr ovided it w as atten ded with success an d

,

the customar y liber al con tr ibuti on for ecc lesi asti cal
pur po ses w as n ot forgo tten To su ch a depth o f .

degr ad ation had f allen the des c en dan ts o f the loyal ,

br ave an d gen e rous w arr i or s o f the Teut on ic r ace "

,

The gr e atn ess o f the Visigothic mon archy had de

p arted with the r eign o f W amb a the last o f its hero es , .

an d o n e illustr i o us f or the p r ac ti c e o f eve r y publi c

a n d eve r y p r iv ate vi r tue Depr ived o f his crown by

.

a n ar tific e whi c h r efle c ted mor e cr edit on the a s tute

n ess th a n on the in tegr ity o f his su cc ess o r he w as ,

con demned to p ass the l a tte r p or tion o f his life i n a

con ve n t . The n ew kin g E rv ig iu s a fter an un even tful ,

r eig n left his ki n gdom to his s o n in l a w E giz a

, The - -
.

c h ar a c te r o f the l atte r mon arc h while n ot destitute o f

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 215

the man ly vir tues o f cour age an d r es olution w as tar ,

n is hed by i n s ati able r ap ac ity He w as as persever in g .

in his pu r s u it o f we alth as he w as un s crupulous i n his

metho ds o f Obtain in g it He commu ted the en for c e .

men t o f pen al laws for the p aymen t o f fin es which ,

varied with the pecun i ar y ability o f the culpr it to

dis ch ar ge them with out r egar d to the deg r ee o r the
,

c i rc u mst an c es o f the c r i me Un der tr ivi al p r etexts.

,

he b an ished we althy c itizen s an d con fis cated their

pro per ty He impo sed exc essive t axes E mbolden ed
. .

by the impun ity o f p ower he did n ot hesitate to r es or t ,

even to for ger y ; an d by me an s o f spur ious docu

,

men ts implicated i n O ff en c es again st the state such

,

we althy in dividuals as had the h ar diho o d to r esi s t his

impor tun ate deman ds And wor st o f all he lo st n o
.
, ,

oppor tun ity to a pp r o pr i ate the r even ue s o f the

Chur ch un der wh atever pr eten c e his in gen uity or
,

his aud ac ity might s uggest By an un pr in cipled .

an d tyrann i c al hier ar chy the for mer mi sdeme an o r s

might be o ver looked but the latter o ff en c e w as

,

tain ted with the double r epro ach o f o ppr essi on an d

s acrilege After formal an d un av ailin g r emon
.

stran c e a plot w a s fo rmed in 6 9 2 by S is ebert

, .

Ar chbisho p o f T o ledo which had fo r its o bj ec t the

,

ass a ssi n a ti on o f the Kin g an d his en tir e f amily .

S ome o f the most p ower ful n obles wer e in v olved

in this c on s pir acy whi ch w as h at c hed by the p r in
,

c i pal e cc lesi a sti c s o f the capit al Timely in forma .

tion o f the plot h avin g r e ac hed the e ar s o f the

s over eign the mo st vigor ous me an s wer e t aken to
,

coun ter ac t it The metro p olitan w as arr e s ted an d

.

deposed A n umber o f the chief con spir ator s wer e

.

exe cuted or exiled S c ar c ely had this con spir ac y been

.

suppr essed befor e the existen c e o f a still mo r e for

,

mid abl e on e w a s r eve aled The Hebr ews who se con .

,

dition un der this an d the pr ec edin g r eign had been

mor e fav orable th an for man y ye ars evin c in g n o ,
2 16 HIS T ORY OF TH E

gratitude for the len ien c y with which they had been
tr e ated an d r ememberin g on ly p ast in dign ities ex
, ,

ul tin g i n thei r n umbe r s an d in fluen c e an d a ssur ed o f ,

a i d fr om B ar b ar y ma de arran gemen ts fo r a gen e r al

,

r evo lt with a view to a complete r e or gan iz ation o f

,

the g ove rnmen t an d the metamor ph osis Of S p ain in to

an abs olutely Jewish ki n gdo m This t r e as on able de .

sign w as dis co ver ed h o wever almost at the momen t

, ,

when it w as r ipe for exe cuti on The auth or ities .

took me asur es to in sur e their s a fety with exemplar y

sever ity A coun cil w as con voked an d a de cr ee
.

p assed by whi ch the Jews wer e con demn ed to be

,

b an ished en slaved st r ipped o f their po ssessi on s an d

, , ,

dep rived o f their c hild r en The o utrageo us cruelty .

o f the me a su r e h o weve r c aused a n a l mo st i mmedi ate

, ,

r e ac ti o n an d it w as n o t ge n e r a lly en fo rc ed
, The di s .

con te n ted se c t ar ies g r ievi n g u n de r thei r accumul ated

,

wr on gs an d ex asper ated by the mis c arr i a ge o f their

,

plan s con tin ued to h o pe for assist an c e fr om abroad

, ,

an d e mb r a c ed eve r y o pp or tu n ity to se n d in for mati on

o f the publi c dis o r de r s to thei r symp a theti c br eth r en

i n Afr i c a The r eign o f E giz a agitated hither to by

.
,

almo st i n c ess an t p o liti cal co n v ul s i on s w a s n o w th r e a t ,

en ed with the evils o f for eign in vasi on A S ar ac en .

fleet well mann ed an d equipped des c en ded up on the

, ,

defen cel ess S p an ish co ast r av aged the fields plu n , ,

der ed the vi llages an d c arr ied the inhabit an ts in to

,

c a ptivity T 0 p ro vide a g ai n st this n ew d an ger a n av al

.

expedition w as fitted ou t an d en tr usted to the com ,

man d o f Theo d omi r an offic e r o f a pproved ex per i

,

en c e an d a n o ble o f the highest r an k S ettin g s ail

, .
,

the Go thic admir al lo st n o time in en coun terin g the

h o stile fleet A bloo dy en g agemen t t ook plac e ; tw o
.

hun dr ed o f the en emy s vessels wer e destro yed or ’

t aken ; an d the embr yo ti c mar iti me p o wer o f the

M o slems w as swept fr om the se as I n the fo llo win g .

ye ar a w ar with the F ran ks the cause o f whi ch is ,

2 18 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the he ar ts his subj e cts The Opin ion o f the latter

of .

w a s at fir st con fir med by the mild disp o sitio n an d

virtuous beh avior o f their yo uthful s over eign But .

this f air promise o f futur e gr e atn ess w as fallaci ous ,

for W itiza s o on plun ged i n t o ex c e sses whi c h aw aken ed

the h or ror o f his subj ec ts an d p rov oked the c en sur es ,

o f the c le r gy ever disp osed to be len ien t t owar ds

,

such tr an sgr ession s ex c ept when they th r e aten ed their

in fluen c e or their r even ues The wh o le co ur t w as s oon .

a b an d on ed to i n dis cr i mi n ate li c en tio us n ess N ot only .

w as the vi o l atio n o f the mo st s acr ed traditi on s o f the

Chur ch permitted but p olyg amy an d con cubin age
,

we r e Open ly en couraged by s ac e r do t al auth ority an d

example The pious in str uc to r s o f the pe o ple wer e
.

the fir st to impr ove the Opp ortun ities affor ded by these
imp oli tic en ac tmen ts an d the feelin gs o f the devout
,

wer e outr aged by ex c esses whi ch did n ot r espect even

the s acr ed pr e cin cts o f the alt ar an d the con fession al .

N o s c an d als h o wever ar oused such in dign ation as the

, ,

in dulgen c e whi c h w as man ifested t owar ds the Jews .

E ver y e cclesi a sti c espe c ia lly con sider ed an y mo dera

tion o f the con dition o f this do wn —
, ,

trodden rac e an
a ffron t to his or de r an d a cr i me w o r se th an s ac r ilege
, .

E n r aged by the con tempt with whi ch W itiza tr e ated

their r emon str an ces the c ler gy lo st n o occasion o f
,

in cre asin g the p r evailin g dis con ten t an d with a view , ,

to st r en gthen in g thei r p o siti on by e n listin g the aid o f

the H o ly S ee they se cr etly desp at ched an emb assy to
,

Rome The i re o f the P o pe w as ex c ited by the r e pre

.

s en ta tio n s o f the en v o ys o f the S p an ish C hu r c h wh ose ,

pr elates th ough n ot ackn o wledgin g his supr eme j ur is

,

dic tion did n o t disdain to s olic it his in terven tion as

,

a n a ff a i r whi ch seemed to i n v o lve the inte r ests o f

C h risten dom E lated by the h o pe o f est ablishin g his

.

auth or ity in the Pen i n sul a the H o ly F ather C on ,

s tan tin e with o ut del a y se n t a mess a ge to the r e cal

, ,

ci tr an t mon arch th r e ate n i n g him with the lo ss o f his

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 21 9

kin gdom un less he at o n c e r evoked the o ff en sive

,

edi cts an d permitted the un r e s tr icted per se cution o f

the Jews To this W itiza r etorted with c on tempt
.

that if the P o pe did n ot c e ase in termeddlin g with wh at

did n ot con c ern him he would drive him fr om the
,

Vatican ; an d he for thwith published an edic t th at n o

atten ti on s h o uld be p aid to the man d ates o f the

P ap ac y un der pen alty o f de ath These pr o c eedin gs .

fu r ther embitter ed the pr ej udic es o f both the cler gy

an d the pe o ple an d the p o pul ar c l amor be c ame so lo ud
,

th at W itiza began to tr emble for b oth his cr own an d

his life Agitated by his fe ar s an d r es olved to a ffor d
.
,

a s little e n c o u r agemen t as p o ssible to an y t r e as on a ble

un dertakin g he disman tled the pr in cip al for tr esses

, ,

an d r azed the wa lls o f eve r y c ity i n the kin gd om ex ,

ceptin g th o s e o f T o ledo As tor g a an d Lug o ; an a c t

, ,

o f f olly whi ch n o t o n ly f ailed o f its Obj e c t but in ,

the en d dir e c tly con tr ibuted to the o ver thr o w o f the

mon ar chy The J ews on the other h an d n o w plac ed
.
, ,

in p o sitio n s o f p r o fit an d r esp on s ibility f ar fr om ap ,

r eci atin g the h on or s with whi c h they we r e i n vested

p
an d the con fiden c e whi c h w as r ep o sed in them with ,

ch ar ac te r isti c tr e ac her y an d i n g r atitude av ailed them ,

selves o f their po wer f or the des tr uction o f their r o yal

ben efact or Ai ded by thei r in tr igues a formidable
.
,

con spi ra c y b r o ke ou t The maj or ity o f the cler gy

.

an d a c o n s ide ra ble b o dy Of the n o bles j o in ed the

in surgen t s ; a r ival ki n g w as ele cted ; an d a fter a ,

shor t con flic t W itiza w as depo sed an d pr obably

,

mur der ed for histor y has pr eser ved n o r ecor d Of his

,

fate .

The n ew mon ar ch Ro der ick alth ough he had , ,

r e a ched the g r e at ag e o f eighty tw o ye ar s r et ai n ed

-
, ,

in an un usu al deg r ee the st r en gth an d ac tivity o f

,

ear ly man h ood H is life had been p assed amidst the

.

athleti c p a sti mes whi c h exer cised the lei s u r e o f the

Go thi c youth an d in occ asi on al expedition s un der

, ,
220 HIS T ORY OF TH E

t aken a g ain st the h ar dy moun t ain eers o f G alic i a an d

Bis cay he had e arn ed a well mer ited r eput ation for
,
-

cour a ge an d mili t ar y skill Al th o ugh n ot o f r oyal

.

bloo d his n atural en dowmen ts the dign ity o f his

, ,

c arr i a ge the a pp ar e n t but de c eptive auste r ity o f his

,

mann er s an d the mi ldn ess o f his tempe r ga in ed for

, ,

him the r espe c t o f all w ho we r e admitted to his p r es

en c e I n the eleg an t luxur y o f his p alac e in the
.
,

splen dor o f his r etin ue in the maj estic p omp which

,

distin gui shed ever y public c er emon y over which he

pr esided he far sur p assed his p r edec ess or s an d emu
, ,

la ted w ith n o little su cc ess the magn ific en c e o f the

, ,

Roman court i n the ag e o f imperi al dec aden c e .

The in tr iguin g spir it whi ch an imated the subj e cts

o f a mon ar c hy esse n ti ally ele c tive but on e wher e ,

c ou r tesy a n d r eal or a pp ar en t mer it occasi on ally

ma de an ex c epti on in f avor o f her edit ar y des c en t had ,

est ablished amon g the Visigo ths the custom o f r etain

, ,

in g n e ar the thro n e the c hild r e n o f p ower ful f amilies ;

n o mi n ally for pu r p o ses o f edu c a tion but in f act to ,

in sur e the fidelity o f their r elatives o ften en tr usted

with the custo dy o f fro n tier stro n gho lds or imp or tan t
mi lit ar y comman ds The s on s un til they a tt ain ed to
.
,

man ho o d ser ved as p ages in the roy al h ouseh old an d

, ,

wer e tr ai n ed in all the man ly an d mar tial exerc ises o f

the time The atten dan ts o f the queen s wer e re
.

c r u ite d fr om the n o ble maide n s wh om this p ruden t ,

c ustom pl ac ed an d r et ai n ed in the p r e c in c ts o f the

c o u r t an d w ho we r e c a r efully in st ru c ted in the f ew

,

but grac eful accomplishmen ts in dispen s able to the po

s ition o f l a dies o f disti n guished li n e age Amon g the .

latter at the court o f R o der i ck w as the d aughter o f

, ,

C oun t Juli an former ly a v ass al o f the Byz an tin e E m

,

pi r e an d the comman d an t o f the f or tr ess o f Ceuta ;

,

wh om p olitic al n ec essity the is o lation con sequen t upon

,

the sub j ug ation o f ever y Gr eek settlemen t in Africa ,

an d the ra pidly i n cr e a sin g p o we r o f the M oor s had ,

222 HIS T ORY OF TH E

r i or ity The Jews in dulged an d per se c uted by turn s

.
, ,

lived in a con tin u al st ate o f a pp r ehen sion an d desp air .

All the s alut ar y r estrain ts o f r eligi on wer e a pp ar en tly

r e mo ved ; the Church w as r eg ar ded as a con ven ient
in strumen t for the a tt ainmen t o f po litical po wer ; the
p riesth oo d wer e devo ted to the p ractic e o f n ameless
vi c es ; the pe o ple to in dis cr imin ate libertin a ge A .

l ar ge body o f slaves w ho un de r the lash o f br ut al

, ,

ma ster s still pr eser ved the t raditi on s o f liber ty wer e

,
.
,

r ipe for r ev o lt an d lon ged for the d ay o f thei r de

,

liveran ce A dis astrous fami n e fo llo wed by its usual

.
,

succ ess or the pestilen c e an d who se e ff e c ts wer e still

,

a pp ar e n t in un tilled fields an d dese r ted h amlets had ,

c on t r ibuted to i n c r e a se the p o pul ar su ff e r i n g an d dis

con ten t F o rtified on on e side ag ain st the i n cur sio n s

.

o f the F r an ks by the n a tu r al ramp ar t o f the Pyr en ees ,

an d is o l ated on the o the r s by the Medite rr an e an an d

the oc e an the in h abit an ts o f the Pen i n sula in the

, ,

en j oymen t o f a s alub r ious c limate an d fru itful s oil ,

r ested in f an c ied se cu r ity an d had lon g si n c e l aid

,

aside the armor wh o se weight had be c ome Opp r essive ,

a n d a b a n do n ed th o se w a r like exe r c ises wh o se p r ese r

v atio n w as their on ly s a fe gu ar d .

I n cited by a spi r it o f desper ation whi ch con sider ed

n eithe r the con seque n c es o f his ac ts n o r the me an s by

whi ch they wer e to be accomplished Coun t Juli an ,

s ought the p r ese n c e o f Mus a He foun d the M oslem .

gen er al at K air oan whi ch had been selected as the

,

se at o f the vi c er eg al govern men t o f Weste rn Africa .

The in tr epid ch arac ter o f his visitor w as n ot un kn o wn

’

to the g r e at Ar ab s o ldie r wh o se desig n s up on Ceut a

had bee n twi c e frustr a ted by the v ali an t Gr eek a fter
, ,

the emplo ymen t o f al l the r es our ces at the comman d

o f the Kh al if an d C ou n t Juli an w as r e c eived with
,

ever y t oken o f h on or an d r espe c t Un fo ldin g his .

pro j ec t he des can ted lon g an d earn estly upo n the

,

r i ches o f the G o thi c mon arc hy an d the f ac ility o f its

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 2 23

con que s t He explain ed the feuds an d bitter feelin gs

.

en gen der ed by dis appo in ted ambition by r eligious ,

persecuti on by the seizur e o f her edit ar y estates by

, ,

the su ff e r in gs o f woun ded p ride He exp atiated on .

the sen se o f in j ur y exper ien c ed by the advo c ates

o f her edit ar y des c en t w ho con side r ed the r eign in g
,

mon arch o f for eign lin e age an d in fer ior r an k th at

had j ustly i n c urr ed the Odium o f usu r p ati on He .

p ortr ayed in glo win g terms the inn umer able attrae
tion s o f the coun tr y its p ro ductive valleys its cr yst al
, ,

str e ams the medi c in al v alue o f its herbs an d plan t s

,

to whi c h magi c al vi r tues we r e att ributed by p o pul ar

r ep or t its min es its fishe r ies the p r e c i o us sp o il whi c h
, , ,

aw aited the h an d o f the in va de r the tran s c en den t ,

be auty o f its women He de s cr ibed the e ff emin ate

.

ch arac ter o f the i n h a bit an ts en ervated by idlen ess , ,

lu xur y an d sen s u al in dul gen c e Much o f this in for

, .

mation w as a lr e ady famili ar to Mus a but hitherto the ,

imp ass able barr ier o f the fortr ess defen ded by the
stubborn coura ge o f the govern or o f Ceut a had
che cked the a s pir a ti o n s o f the M o slem comman de r ;

n or had it been p o ssible to even co n firm the acc ur ac y

o f the won de r ful t ales whi c h ha d bee n r el ated con

c er n in g G he zir ah al An d alus or the V an dal Pen i n

- -
,

sula as S p ain w as kn own to the Ar ab s

,
.

Th oro ughly appr e c i atin g the import an c e o f the

pr o po s al the magn itude o f the i n ter ests i n vo lved
, ,

an d the u n c er t a i n ty whi c h wo uld atten d the issue o f

the expedition an d at the s ame time distrus tin g the

, , ,

goo d f aith o f the Goth Mus a determin ed to Obtain ,

the c on s en t o f the Khalif befor e r eturn in g a defin ite

an swe r Desp at che s with complete in formation wer e
.
, ,

a ccor din gly sen t to D ama s cus The r eply o f Al .

Walid w ho then occupied the thr on e o f the khali fate

, ,

w as fav orable ; but b e st ron gly advised the exe r c ise

o f c auti on a r e c ommen d ation en ti r ely s uper fluo us in
,

the c as e o f a man o f Mus a s suspicious an d cr a fty ’

224 HIS T ORY OF TH E

disp osition S en din g fo r C o un t Jul i an Mus a in

.
,

formed him th a t he would be r equir ed to prove his

fidelity by he a din g a r e c o n n o iss an c e in to the enemy s ’

coun tr y . The coun t a cc epted the con dition with

a l a crity ; cro ssed the st ra it with a s ma ll det ac h men t

o f s o ldier s bel o n gi n g to his g arr is o n ; rav a ged the

co ast in the n eighb o r h oo d o f Medin a S id o n i a ; bu r n ed

several chur ches ; destro yed the gr o win g h ar vests an d ,

r etu r n ed with con side rable b oo ty K n o win g his ally .

to be n o w comp romised beyo n d all h o pe o f p ar do n ,

an d the t r i fli n g r esist an c e e n cou n te r ed h avi n g a pp ar

en tly demon str ated the fe asibility o f the en ter prise ,

Mus a ann o un c ed his willin gn e s s to n ego ti ate The .

c o n diti on s o f the c omp a c t whi c h disp o sed o f on e o f

the r i c hest kin gd oms o f E ur ope h ave es c a ped the n o

tic e o f histor y Ther e is r e as on to believe h o wever
.
, ,

th at C oun t Juli an w as promised subst an tia l pecun i ar y

r emun e rati on in a dditi on to the g ra tific ati o n o f re

ven ge ; an d th at thei r her edit ar y est ates wer e to be

r est or ed to the f amily o f W itiza who se s on s wer e ,

pr esen t at the con fe r en c e an d wh o se bro ther Opp as

,

w as n o t on ly p r ivy to the co n spi ra c y but w a s o n e o f

its pr in cip al p romo ters The keys o f Ceut a wer e su r
.

r en der ed an d C oun t Juli an h a vin g sw or n allegi an c e

, ,

to the Kh alif w as in vested with a comman d in the

,

M o slem army .

The war y old veter an Mus a w as n ot yet s atisfied ,

an d dete rmi n ed to sen d a se c on d expediti o n un der ,

on e o f his o w n ca pt a i n s to explor e the S p an ish coast

, .

He sele cted fo r this pur po se on e o f his t rusty fr eed

men Abu Z arah T arif by n ame w ho emb ar kin g with
,
- -
, ,

on e hun d r ed c av al r y an d thr ee hun dr ed in fan try ,

l an ded at G hezir ah al Kh a dra n o w Al g ezir as in July

- -

, , ,

7 1 0 The in cu r si on o f T ar if di ff e r ed little in its re

.

sui ts fr om th at o f his p r ede c ess o r but con firmed the ,

r ep r esen t ati on s o f the l a tter an d p r o ved beyo n d d oubt

,

the def en cel es s con diti on o f the Visig othi c kin gdom .
2 26 HIS T ORY OF TH E

st ar s the P ag an v ot ar y o f the go ds o f O lympus the

, ,

o r th o d o x an d the her eti c C h r isti an E ach tr ibe w as .

mar sh alled un der its r espe c tive b ann er an d the var ied ,

n ati on a lity o f the r an k an d file w a s equ ally displ a yed

in the widely dive r se o r igin o f the sub or di n a te o ffi c er s

—C oun t Jul i an the r en egade Gr eek T arik the B er
b er M u g ay th al —
,

,
Ru mi the Goth an d K aul a al Ya
-
,
- -

hu di the J ew Vessels fo r the p a ss age o f the strait

.

wer e fur n ished by C oun t Juli an w ho impr essed such ,

merc h an tmen as l ay at an chor in the p or ts un der his

j ur isdic tion the on ly on es obtain able ; the n umber o f
,

these however w as s o in suffi cie n t th at the tr an sp orta

, ,

tion o f the army con sumed severa l days The M o s .

lems fin ally disemb arked at the foot o f an immen se

pr omon tor y kn o wn to the an c ien t world as C alpe but ,

which r e c hristen ed by the Ar abs Gebal al T arik the

,
- -
,

M oun t ain o f T ar ik has t ran smitted its n ew appella

,

ti on almost un c h an ged to futur e ages as the f amous

, ,

Gibralt ar S c ar c ely ha d the in v a der s lan ded when

.
,

they wer e att acked by the Go ths un der Theo d omir ,

th at chieft ai n wh o se su cc essful con duc t o f the n aval

expedition dur in g the r eign o f E g iza had in duc ed
Ro deri ck to in vest him with the comman d o f the
forc es at his dispo s al The ill equipped an d un dis .
-

c i plin e d troo ps o f the G o thi c ge n e r al at on c e dis c lo sed

their in ability to withst an d the on set o f the fie ry ho r se

men o f the Deser t an d Theod omir w as compelled to
,

r et r e a t He sen t without del ay the a larmin g n ews

.
, ,

o f the inv a si on to the Ki n g r eve ali n g the un ive r s al ,

dis may with whic h this stran ge en emy w as r egar ded ,

in the fo llowin g lan gu a ge " Ou r lan d has bee n in

v aded by peo ple who se n ame coun tr y an d or igin are , ,

unkn own to me I c an n o t even tell thee when c e they

.

came whethe r they fell fr om the skies or sp r an g fr om

,

the e ar th This omin ous desp at ch r e ached Roder ick

.

befor e the walls o f P ampelun a which had r ec en tly ,

r ev o lted a g ainst his autho r it y W hatever were his .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E U RO PE 22 7

faults the Gothic mo n arch w as c ertain ly n ot defic ien t

,

in cou r a ge an d r es o lutio n Raisin g the siege he

.
,

hasten ed to C o r dov a an d devoted all his en er gies to

,

the assemblin g o f an immen s e army for the defen c e

o f the ki n gd om E ve r y r es our c e w as employed
.
,

promi ses o f amn esty th r eats bo un ties an d c on s cr i p

, , ,

tion un til a hun dr ed thous an d men had been mu s

,

tered un de r the r o y al st an d ar d But this gr e at host

.

w as formid able on ly in a ppe ar an c e The lev ies o f .

whi ch it w a s comp o sed wer e who lly wan tin g in dis

c i pl in e an d un acc ust omed to the pe r il s o f w ar f ar e .

Their we apon s wer e main ly implemen ts wh ose use

w as f amili ar i n the p r ac ti c e o f the pe ac eful ar ts o f
husb an dr y The ran k an d fil e a tumultuous r abble
.
,

o f sl aves an d hi r eli n gs mar ched o n foot H or ses

, .

wer e few an d expen sive in the Pen in sula ; on ly the

n obles we r e mou n ted ; an d to the defi cien c y o f c av al r y

amo n g the G o ths the Ar ab hist or i an s h ave l a r gely

att r ibuted the c rushin g r eve r ses sust ai n ed by thei r

arms . T o the un wieldy an d dis or der ly ch ar ac ter o f

the Gothic army w as added the se cr et an d fat al in
flu en ce o f tr e as o n Th ous an ds had been en rolled to
.

defen d the imper illed cr own o f Ro der i ck wh o se chief ,

desir e w as the t ran sfer o f th at cr own to a r ival d y

n asty O ther s high in r an k had ten der ed their s er
.
, ,

vi ces with the ho pe th at amid s t the gen eral c on fusion

, ,

they might push their p olitic al for tun es an d gr atify

an i n or di n ate ambiti on The imperative n e c essity o f
.

the occasio n had compelled the enli stmen t o f the

leaders o f the ho stile fac tion w ho had been in jur ed
beyon d r ep ar ation an d whom it w as equall y d an ger
,

ou s to t ru st or fu r the r to o ff en d At the he ad o f .

these wer e the s on s an d brother s o f W itiza w ho while , ,

they r epulsed the con c iliatory over tur es o f Ro der i ck ,

e ager ly ac c epted a comman d which might pr omote

their s chemes o f ven ge an c e S cor es o f th ose belon g
.

in g to the n oble an d e cclesi asti cal or der s an d the Jews ,

22 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

to a man in fl amed wi th r even ge an d h atr ed were in

, ,

d aily commun i cati on with the he a d qu ar ter s o f the -

en emy The j ealousy o f r iv al comman der s ten ded

.

still further to imp air the effic ien c y o f the Ch risti an s ,

wh o se fen ds an d dis con ten t bein g well kn o wn to their

a dver s ar ies had a ten de n c y to i n spi r e the l atte r with

a well g rou n ded h o pe o f vi c to r y

-
.

I n the me an ti me T ar ik had seized an d occupied

,

the an cien t t own o f C ar tej a an d f or ti fy in g himself , ,

se cur ely sen t foragin g expediti on s far an d wide

,

th r ougho ut the surr oun din g coun tr y These wer e .

,

with out exc eption succ essful an d the rapid move

, ,

men ts o f the Ar ab c av alr y their s eemin gly in vin c ible

,

c h ar a c ter an d the v alu able b oo ty they se c u r ed

, n ot ,

on ly str u c k te rr or i n t o the a st o n ished n atives but ,

gr e atly en c oura ged the mai n b o dy o f the in va din g

army e n c amped u n de r the Sh a d o w o f Gib r alt ar
, The .

emiss aries an d se cr et allies o f T arik w ho swarmed in ,

the co ur t an d c amp o f Ro de r ick lo st n o time in a p ,

pr isin g him o f the pr ep ar ation s bein g made for his

destr uction Al armed by the acc oun ts he r ec eived
.
,

he desp at ched a me s sen ger to Mus a fo r r ein forc e

men ts A det ac hme n t o f five th ous an d Ber ber c av
.

a l ry w a s se n t to hi s a id whi ch with the r emain der

,

o f his t r o o ps amou n ted to twelve th ous an d vete r an s ;

a me r e h an dful when c omp ar ed with the army o f the

Go ths but comp o sed o f warr io r s in ur ed to pr iv ation

, ,

acc ustomed to con que r in fl amed with r eligious zeal

, ,

an d be ar i n g a dev o ted an d u n swe r vin g a tt a ch men t to

their comman der .

On the morn in g o f a be autiful July d ay i n the ,

ye ar 7 1 1 the begin ni n g o f an er a mo st n ot able in

,

the ann als o f S p ain the ho stile ar mie s fac ed e ach

,

o the r n e ar L ake L a J an d a up on the r ollin g plain s

,

o f Medi n a S idon i a -
The M oors flushed with the
.
,

un iform su cc ess which had hitherto atten de d their

arms , r elyi n g up o n the dissen si on s o f the en emy as
2 30 HIS T ORY OF TH E

en r i ched with p r i c eless j ewels The devic es o f the.

n obles mar ked the or de r o f the v ar i ous divisi on s ,

an d in the r e ar w as led a tra i n o f many th ous an d

beasts o f bur den who se o n ly loads we r e r o pes with

whi ch to bin d the p r is on ers The det ails o f the b attle
.

whi ch ch an ged the destin y o f Wester n E uro pe ar e un

usu ally me agr e even fo r the un lette r ed an d cr edulous
,

a g e i n whi c h it o ccur r ed I t seems to h ave con sisted

.

o f a ser ies o f i n de c isive ski rmishes whi ch l a sted eight

d ays dur in g which time the tw o armies t raver sed a

,

dist an c e o f twen ty miles to the n eighb or h oo d o f the

,

mo de rn city o f J e r ez de l a F r on tera Her e with .

,

a mazin g ign or a n c e o r with f at al dis r eg ar d o f the

,

elemen t ar y rules o f milit ar y t a c ti c s the G oths took,

up their p o sition with the r iver G u ad al ete in their

r e ar . U p on the fin al ch ar ge o f the Ar abs the tr ea s on ,

o f the f o rme r p ar tis an s o f W i tiza be came a pp ar en t .

A lar ge body o f n o bles wi th their r et ain er s Open ly

deserted ; a p an i c en sued ; an d the v ast array t ook to
he adlon g flight P r essin g fo r war d with the shr ill
.

w ar c r y o f the M o slem whi c h st r u ck te rr or in t o the

-
,

defe ated Go ths the M oorish squ ad ron s dro ve the

,

en emy in to the ra pid w aters o f the G u ad al ete The .

car n a ge w as te rr ible E x asper ated by days o f fi g ht

.

in g an d h aun ted by the con st an t j e o p ar dy o f ser vi

,

tude an d death the s oldier s o f T arik g ave n o quarter

, .

The gr oun d w as he aped with c or pses The c h ann el .

o f the r iv er w a s c h o ked with the de a d a n d dyi n g with ,

ho r ses an d ch ar iots an d c amp equip age with tr e as

, , ,

u res which the fugitives v ain ly tried to s ave O f the .

in v ader s thr ee th ous an d ar e s aid to h ave fallen but

, ,

n o comput ati on w a s ma de o f the l oss o f the G oths .

The r emn an ts o f the army whi ch es ca ped the swor ds

o f the Ar a bs we r e pu r sued to the ver y g ates o f the

n eighb o r in g c ities M an y wer e cu t to piec es bef or e

.

they c ould r e ach a plac e o f s a fety ; an d fin ally ,

s ati ated with blo od the con queror s foun d upon

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 23 1

their h an ds a gr e at n umber o f pris on er s whom the

r o pes which they themselves had pr ovided n ow
served to se c ur e The w ar ho r se o f Ro der ick
.
-

cove r ed with t r a ppi n gs o f g r e at v alue w a s t a ken ,

but n o tra c e r emain ed o f the Kin g On e o f his .

s an d als en crus ted with r ubies an d emer alds w a s

, ,

foun d on the b an k o f the r iver which would seem ,

to i n dic ate th at he pe r ished by dro wn in g ; but his

bo dy w as n ever r e co v er ed an d his fate is a myster y
,

n otw i ths tan d in that S p an ish r oman c e an d mo n kis h

c r edul ity h ave 1 ve s ted his di s a ppe ar an c e with man y

extravag an t legen ds attested by a formid able arr ay

,

o f e cc le s i a sti c a l eviden c e The booty whi ch fell in to

.

the h an ds o f the M o slems w as in c al cul able The .

number o f h or ses t aken w as so l ar ge th at the en ti r e

army w as moun ted ther eby a ddin g g r e a tly to its effi

,

c ien cy . The h ousin gs o f these an imals—who se pos

session amo n g the G oths implied the en j oymen t o f
r an k an d f o r tu n e—we r e o f the cos tliest de s c r ipti on ;

man y o f the fin est ch ar ger s we r e sh o d with silver or

gold The Go thi c n oble s r ather ac cu s tomed to vie
.
,

with e ach o ther in the ser vic e o f their t ables the size ,

o f thei r r etin ues a n d the ma g n ific en c e o f thei r equi

,

p ages th an in v alor an d milit ary kn owledge an d little ,

dr eamin g o f the r e s ult had br ought with them their

,

most valuable p o ssession s in plate an d j ewels Their .

love o f o sten t ation caus ed them to surroun d them

selves with multitudes o f slaves whose d aily br oils ,

kept the c amp in a con tin uous upro ar an d between ,

whom an d the en emy existed a secr et un der st an din g ,

wh ose e ff ects we r e fe ar fully man ifested in the hour

o f dis a ste r . Al l o f this wealth t o gether with the ,

o rn amen ts an d i n sig n i a o f the ro ya l h o useh old be ,

came the sp o il o f the con quer or The fifth which .

,

ac c o r di n g to the l aw o f I sl am belon ged to the Kh alif ,

h avi n g been set aside the r emain der w as divided on

,

the field amidst the tumul tuous acc lamation s o f the

,

exul tan t s oldiery .

232 HIS T ORY OF TH E

The b attle o f the G u ad al ete is j ustly ran ked with

the gr e at an d dec isive vi ctories o f the wor ld I n de ed .
,

if we con side r the r elative n umbe r o f the comb at an ts ,

the dur a tion o f the a ction an d the import an c e o f its

,

r esults , it has n o p ara llel in the ann als o f war far e .

While the in tr igues o f un s cr upulo us f ac tion s con

tr ibuted lar gely to the su cc ess o f the Ar abs the fact ,

must n ot be lo st sight o f th at the n umber s o f the

,

l atter wer e s c ar c ely a ppr e c iable when comp ar ed with

the v ast masses o f their an t ag on ists an d th at they ,

labo r ed un der the a ddition al dis adv an t age o f fi g ht

in g in the en emy s coun t r y As to gen e ralship n on e
’
.
,

coul d h ave been displ ayed on either side The M os .

lems wer e little better th an ban ditti c omman ded by ,

b ar bar i an s an d r en ega des wh o se s ole military ex peri

en c e had been ac quir ed by p r edator y r aids in the
Afr i c an Deser t The Go ths idle an d e ff emin ate
.
,

in li fe debilit ated in b o dy co war dly deb ased an d

, , , ,

wh o lly un used to arms wer e domi n ated by in or di n ate

,

v an ity an d fil led with con tempt for their o pp on en ts .

The tyr ann y exc esses an d arbitr ar y acts o f W itiza

, ,

h avin g c aused the ex clusion o f his po ster ity fr om the

thr on e the p artis an s o f the latter wer e willin g to
,

s acr ific e their c oun tr y an d their r eligion to in sur e the

o ve r th r ow o f the usu r pe r an d to s atisfy thei r i n s a

ti able cr avin gs f or r even ge .

Thus fell the en feebled an d t o tterin g mon ar chy o f

the Go ths I t had lon g sur vived its glor y an d its
.

pr estige The sever e p olitic al maxims o f its f oun der s

.
,

suited to the fr igid r egion s o f the B altic had been ,

fo un d in c omp atible with the physi cal an d mor al con

d iti on s imp o sed by the voluptu o us cli mate o f B aeti ca
an d Lusit an i a Un dermin ed by the vi c es o f the n o
.

bili ty by the tur bul en t ambiti o n o f the p r iestho o d

, ,

by the tr e a s on able machin ati on s o f the Jews an d by ,

the supin e in di ff er en c e o f the masses to an y fate

p r ovi ded o nl y th at it in vo lved a ch an ge Of master s
23 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the sight o f the vestmen ts an d in sign ia o f the C hur ch ,

an d even the mo st ve n e ra ble p r el ates we r e ma ss ac r ed ;

for the fe r oci o us M o slem g ave n o qu ar te r to the

min ister s o f Ch risti an ity an d disdain ed even the
,

men i al servi c es o f th o se w ho had den oun c ed to eter

n al per diti on the f oll owe r s o f the P r o phet The .

ac cumul ated we alth o f gen e r ati on s whi c h the v an ity,

an d o sten t ati on o f the p al atin es had exhibited at the

co u r t on the mar c h an d in the c amp ha d been swept

, , ,

in t o the co ff er s o f the victor The fugitives w ho

.

wer e so for tun ate as to es cape took r efuge i n the

n eighb or i n g c ities ; whithe r they we r e s oon fo ll owed

by the pe as an tr y w ho beheld with dis may the sight

,

o f thei r bu r n i n g h omes a n d des o l ated fields I n on e .

en g agemen t an d virtuall y i n a sin gle d ay on e o f the

, ,

mo st p o pulous an d o pulen t coun tr ies o f E ur o pe had

suc cumbed to the impetuous but desult or y att ack o f
an un kn o wn f oe F or the sp ac e o f tw o c en tur ies and
.
,

un der far less f av or able cir cumstan c es the Gar th a ,

gin i an an d I ber i an p rovin c es o f the Pen in sula had

suc c essfully defied the r es our c es an d the pr estige o f
the Roman ar ms F or thr ee c en turies lon ger the
.
,

Visigo ths r elyin g up on the tr adition s an d mi li t ary

,

f ame o f their an c estor s had p ro te cted witho ut d iffi

, ,

c ulty thei r p o ssessi on s wr ested fr om the feeble h an ds

,

o f the C a e s ar s an d ha d r epe atedly ro lled b ac k the tide

,

o f F ran kish in v asi o n fr om the sl o pes o f the Pyr en ees .

With the adven t o f ove rwhelmin g n ation al mi s

fortun e ther e fell up on the terr or str icken people
,
-

the ap athy o f desp a ir The public wr et ched n ess

.

w as augmen ted by the c en sur es o f the c le r gy w ho , ,

with ch arac ter istic e ffron ter y declar ed the in vasion

,

to be a di vi n e pun is hme n t for the c r imes o f the

wi cked ; cr imes in which they themselves had n ot
on ly p ar ti c ip a ted but by their sh ameless conduct
,

had o bt ained an i n famous pr e emi n en c e in an a g e -

o f u np r e c eden ted cor rupti on .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 235

The M o slems un der the lead o f the en ter pr isin g

T ar ik w ho displ ayed the talen ts o f a skilful gen er al
,

in his ability to p r o fit by eve r y a dv an t age lo s t n o ti me ,

in se cu r in g the fr uits o f vi c t or y F r om the army .

n o w a comp a c t a n d a ctive b o dy o f cav alr y—we r e sen t

in all dir e c tion s det achme n ts to c u t o ff st ra gglin g

par ties o f the en emy an d to c aptur e suppli es destin ed
,

fo r the o ver cr o wded cities alr e a dy th r e aten ed with the

horror s o f starv atio n .

Tidin gs o f the won der ful succ ess up on the plain s

o f Jer ez s oon sp r e ad f ar an d wide thr ough the t ow n s

an d p rovi n c es o f Afr i ca An imated by the h o pe o f

.

plun der an d glor y the M oslems man y o f them ab an

, ,

don in g their homes an d makin g use o f ever y available

cra ft to cro ss the str a it flocked by th ous an ds to the
,

stan d ar d o f T ar ik The latter a fter tho r oughly re

.
,

or g an izi n g his n ew r e c r uits an d a pp o in tin g to the

,

c omman d offi c e r s o f tr ied fidelity an d exper ien c e took ,

S idoni a The stro n gly for tified city o f C armon a n ext

.

c l aimed his atte n ti on As its r eduction by the slow

.

process o f a siege w as o u t o f the questio n with the

r es ou rc es at hi s comman d r es o r t w as ha d to stra t a ge m
, .

A squadron o f the r etain er s o f C o un t J uli an headed ,

by th at wor thy in pe r s on an d a pp ar en tly pur sued by

,

a b o dy o f the en emy a ppe ar ed befor e the wa lls

, .

S helter w as at on c e given the fugitives w ho in the ,

dead o f n ight killed the sen tin els an d Open ed the g ates
to the en emy . Then c e T arik adv an c ed up on E cij a ,

wher e the gre ater p ortion o f the surviv ors o f the battle
o f the G u ad al ete had t aken r efuge The Goths dis .
,

dain in g the p rotec ti on o f their defen c es an d n erved ,

to desp ai r by thei r situ ati on whi ch i n v olved the alter

,

n a tive o f sl ave r y or f amin e b o ldly en cou n ter ed the

,

Mo slems in the field The actio n w as h otly con tested

.
,

an d alth ough the lo ss sust ain ed by the i n v a der s w as

gr eater in pro p or tion to the n umber o f combatan ts

,

en gaged th an an y su ff ered dur in g the C on quest the

, ,
236 HIS T ORY OF TH E

G oths wer e in the en d defe ated an d the c ity taken

,
.

E c ij a sw armed with member s o f the mon asti c or der s ,

an d the n u n s w ho l ar gely p r ed omi n a ted we r e f amo us

, ,

for thei r be auty The p rospec t o f the in fidel h ar em

.

fil led these pio us vir gin s with h orr or ; an d they

a do pted the he r o i c expedien t o f mutilatin g their
fe atur es ho pin g by the s ac r ific e o f their ch arms to
,

pr eser ve bo th their ho n or an d their lives The com .

p assi on o f the M o slem fr eeboote r in fur i ated by this

,

attempt to dep r ive him o f his p r ey w a s n ot mo ved ,

by the eviden c es o f s ain tly devo tion ; the sight o f a

c o n ven tu a l h a bit be came the sign al f or outr a ge ; de ath

follo wed fast upon vio len c e ; an d man y hun dr eds o f

the self mutilated sp ouses o f C hr is t r ec eived the cro wn
-

o f mar tyr d om .

I n the me an time Mus a had fo r w ar ded desp at ches

,

to D ama s cus an n oun c in g the vi ct or y but ac tu ated by

, ,

the petty j e alo usy which fo rmed su ch a promi n en t

fe atur e o f his ch arac ter he car efully con c e aled from
,

the Kh alif the n ame o f the succ essful comman der .

H avin g formed the dete rmin ation to cro ss over to

S p ain an d con duc t the c amp aig n in pers on he sen t ,

per emptor y o r der s to T arik n ot to a dv an c e f arther

un til he arr ived But the her o o f the G u ad al ete ful ly
.
,

alive to the i mp or t an c e o f a ff o r din g the en emy n o

o pp or tun ity fo r r est an d r e o r g an iz ati on an d a dvised ,

by C oun t Juli an to march at on c e on T oledo w as o f ,

the Opin ion th at the in ter ests o f his s ove r eign as well ,

as his o wn for tu n es w ould be p romo ted by d is ob ed i

,

en c e O f the comman ds o f his super ior He ther efor e .

p ar a ded his t roo ps an d a fter en j oin in g them to make

,

w ar o n ly u p on th o se ac tu ally i n arms to le ave all ,

n on comb at an ts unmolested an d s cr upul o usly to r e

-

spe ct the r eli gious pr ej udic es o f the pe o ple set ou t ,

fo r C or d ov a at the he ad o f a nu me r ous army The .

latter city w as stron g an d well defen ded an d T arik , ,

a fte r n i n e days seei n g th at the siege w ould p r ob ab ly

,
238 HIS T ORY OF TH E

tr emi ty , we r e c ompelled to surr en der The maj or ity .

o f the g arr is on we r e pe r mitted to j o in their c ount r y

men in the N or th but the Offic e r s an d the govern or

,

—w ho w as a p er s on age o f too gr eat imp or t an c e to

be set at liberty— wer e r et ain ed in the camp o f the
vi ctor .

B efor e leavin g E c1j a T arik had sen t on e o f his ,

o ffi c e r s Zeyd I b n K es ad e at the he a d o f a c on side r

,
- -
,

a ble fo rc e to o ve r run the s o uthe rn p o r ti on o f And a

,

lusia I n this r egion as elsewher e the myster ious

.
, ,

terr or which atten ded the explo its o f the in v aders

had p r e c eded them B aj a An tequera E lvira an d
.
, , ,

the a dj oin in g di s tr ic t s yielded almo st with out r esist

an c e , but Gr an ad a r elyin g upon its fortificatio n s
, ,

r efused to a cc ept the p r o ff e r ed te rms an d w as carr ied

by storm The small n umber o f the M o slems ren

.

der ed it imp o ssible fo r them to le ave g arr is on s in

the c aptur ed t ow n s an d the mo st imp or t an t o f the
,

l atter wer e pl ac ed in ch ar ge o f Arab go vern or s with ,

wh om the Jews w ho seemed to h ave thriven un der

,

per se c ution en gaged themselves to co Operate S o

,
-
.

n u me r o us w a s the Heb r ew eleme n t in G ran a d a th at

it w as prac ti c ally a Jewish commun ity an d with its , ,

aid , a sin gle comp an y w as s uffi c ie n t to h o ld i n sub

j ection a c ity o f n e ar ly a hun dr ed th ous an d s oul s .

H avin g ac co mplished the obj e c t o f his expedition

with triflin g lo ss lo a ded with r i ch booty an d aecom
, ,

p an i e d by in n ume rable S l aves o f b o th sexes Zeyd , ,

s ackin g J aen on hi s w ay h a sten ed to j o in T ar ik at ,

T oledo .

E ight mon ths had el apsed sin c e the b attle o f the

G u ad al ete befor e the M o slem army a ppe ar ed befor e
the g ates o f the Visigothic ca pit al Pe rched upo n a .

lo fty emin en c e an d almo st sur r oun ded by the T agus

, ,

wh ose curr en t ran swiftly th r ough a deep ch ann el

wo rn in the livin g r o ck ar t had c ombin ed with n atur e
,

to r en de r its p o siti on i mp r egn ab le W alls built o f .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O PE 2 39

ston es of lmo st c yclopean dimen sion s en viron ed it

a ,

an d ro se to a g r e a t height even on the side to w ar ds

the river wher e the pr e c ipito us cli ff s themselves dis

,

c ou r ag ed al l a ttempts at e s c al a de The a ppro ach .

fr om the n orth had been pro tected by bar bi c an s an d

outwo r ks o f d ouble s tr e n gth These defen c es had
.

been design ed an d per fec ted by Wamb a the l ast o f ,

the G othi c kin gs wh ose marti al gen iu s had for a ,

br ief perio d r e v ived the glo r ious tr adition s an d lon g

,

for gotten explo its o f the an c ien t dyn asty The im .

perial c apit al a c it adel in itself wher e al l the r es our c es

, ,

o f a v a st mon ar c hy had been l avi s hed a n d all the

kn owledge o f milit ar y en gin eer in g o f the ag e had

been employed to in sur e the s a fety o f the co ur t n ow ,

tr embled in the pr esen ce o f a few thous an d ro vin g

b arbar ian s The dr e ad whic h w as associ ated with the
.

un kn own en emy w as augmen ted by the rapidity o f

his movemen ts whic h to the super stitio us fe ar s o f the
,

Visigo ths made him a ppe ar ubiqu itous A suffic ien t .

milit ar y for c e had been available to defen d this fort

r ess, but the sen timen ts o f p atr iotism loyalty an d , ,

cou r age s o essen ti al to the p r e s e r v ati on o f Obedien c e

,

an d dis c iplin e had dis appe ar ed I n ste ad Of pr e

, .

p arin g for r esistan c e e ach in dividual thought on ly

,

o f his ow n p r ese r v a ti on whe n n ews arr ived th a t the

,

foe w as app r o ac hin g The maj ority o f the c itizen s

.
,

le avin g their po sse s sion s fled to Galic ia an d the As

,

tur ias . The lawless s oldier s o f the garr is on pillaged

the deserted h ouses an d str ipped witho ut hin dran c e
,

the defen cel ess fugitives The cler gy con siderin g the
.
,

evil as on ly temp or ar y walled up the tr e asur es o f

,

ch apel an d con ve n t in crypts whe r e to d ay the ,

-

gr e ater p orti on o f them still r emain un dis co ver ed .

The pr imate laden with the mo st pr ecious e ff e cts o f

,

the churches an d le avin g his ecclesi astical in fer io r s to

,

con te n d f or the p r ize o f mar tyr d om o ff er ed by the

in fidel ac compan ied his terr ified p arishion er s in their

,
2 40 HIS T ORY OF TH E

flight n o r did he arr est his steps un til s a fe within the

,

walls o f R ome A dis or der ly r abble o f pr iests an d

.

mon ks ac tuated either by faith or in d olen c e r emain

, ,

in g at thei r p o sts e n de av or ed to ave r t the impen di n g

,

c a l ami ty by f a stin g prayer an d pilgr ima ge to the

, ,

inn umer able sh r in es situ ated bo th within an d with out

the c ity Un for tun a tely h o wever n o divin e r esp on se
.
, ,

w as v o u chs a f ed to these l a st fr an ti c e ff orts o f a

despairin g hie r archy The w avin g penn on s an d
.

sp arklin g lan c es o f the Ar ab c av alr y a ppe ar ed in the

dist an c e an d their light an d ac tive squ adr on s swept
,

aroun d the w alls The fields wer e laid waste The

. .

con ve n ts an d the vill a s whi c h embellished the subu r bs

wer e r a zed to the gr ou n d or bu rn t E ver y un lucky .

straggler w as c ompelled at the p oin t o f the swor d , ,

to r e n oun c e the r eligi on o f his f athe r s o r submit to

the fate o f a slave I n a tow n deser ted by its garri
.

son , h alf depo pulated with o ut pr ovisio n s depr ived

, ,

o f ever y p r o spe c t o f r elief an d p r i n c ip ally occupied

,

by n on comb at an ts an d Jews w ho wer e in symp athy

-

with the en emy n o ide a o f r esist an c e could be en ter

,

ta in ed .The usual con dition s o ff er ed by the M o slems

we r e e ager ly ac c epted All had per mission to r etir e
.

w ho desi r ed to d o SO with the un de r st an din g th at such

,

a b an d onme n t o f their h omes i n v o lved a for feitu r e o f

eve r y des c ription o f pro per ty Tho se w ho pr eferr ed .

to r emain we r e assur ed o f p ro te c ti on un de r p aymen t ,

o f a r e a s o n a ble tr ibute B o th Jews an d Christian s

.

wer e in dulged in the pra c ti c e o f their r eligio us r ites ;

but h alf o f the churches wer e con fis cated for the use
o f I sl am an d n o n ew ho uses o f wo r ship could be con
,

structed without permission o f the go vern men t The .

tr ibut ar ies wer e left subj e ct to their own laws en ,

fo r c ed by their o w n t r ibun als as lon g as these did not ,

con fli c t with the p o li c y o f the d omin an t p o wer No .

-

impedimen ts to pr o selytism wer e toler ated an d sever e ,

pun ish men t w as den oun c ed again st such as shoul d

2 42 HIS T ORY OF TH E

h ave been en ume rated amon g the sp o il by the his

tori an s o f the time ; by the Ch r i s ti an with r egr et an d
,

sh ame by the M o h ammed an with all the exult ation

, ,

o f vi c to r y .

After the surr en der o f the c a pit al T a rik le avin g

, ,

the city in ch arge o f his f aithful adher en ts the Jews , ,

at on c e a dv a n c ed n or thw a r d i n pu r suit o f the r etr e at

in g G o ths . The latter in ever y in st an c e when it w as

,

p o ssible up on the a ppe ar an c e o f the c loud o f tur

,

b an ed h or semen ab an d on ed thei r bur den s an d took

,

r efuge i n the mo un t ai n fastn esses O vert akin g a

.

bo dy o f fugitives a sh or t dist an c e beyon d T o ledo ,

T arik captur ed a magn ific en t t able or le c tern —used

,

to supp o r t the G o spels— whi c h had belon ged to the

cathedr al ; wh o se or igi n the roman ti c cr edulity o f th at

a e a ttr ibuted to S o l om o n an d s upp o sed to be a

g , por
tion o f the boo ty br o ught by Titus from the s ack o f
Jerus alem; but whi c h mor e r eli able a ccoun ts h ave
demon str ated to h ave been the h an diwor k o f Visi
g othic ar tis an s The bo dy an d fr amewo rk o f this
.

pr e c ious j ewel wer e o f the pur est gold I n to it were .

in s er ted altern ate rows o f hy ac in ths rubies pe ar ls, , ,

an d e me ralds an d a s it w a s the c u s t om o f e ac h mon

, ,

ar c h to con t r ibute s o methin g to its embellish men t ,

r o yal emul a ti on ha d exh austed itself to su r p ass the

e ff or ts o f pr e c edin g r eign s in the de co r ation o f an

Obj e c t wh o s e s an c tity ma de it mor e pr ic eless in the
eyes o f the supe r stitious th an even the in estimable
v alue o f its mater i als an d o rn amen t ati on I t stood .

upon fo ur feet the latter bein g s o en cr usted with

,

emer alds as to con vey the impr ession th at e ach w as

formed o f a sin gle sto n e This t able wh o se estimated
.
,

value w as five hun dr ed thous an d cro wn s an d which ,

has been des c r ibed with su ch ex aggera ti on as to h ave

even aroused the doubts o f hist orical c r itic s c on c ern
i n g its existen c e w as set aside with the p or ti on o f the
,

spoil destin ed fo r the Kh alif .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 243

The ptur e o f T oledo w as the last impor tan t ex

ca

p l o i t o f the Be r ber gen er al wh o se su c c e s s could n ot

,

aton e for the g r o s s i n sub or di n a ti o n o f whi c h he w a s

guilty A few o ther c ities had been t aken a lar ge

.
,

ar e a o f terr it or y had been r av aged when the n ews ,

o f the a pp ro ac h o f Mus a an d the a n ti c ip ati o n o f hi s

,

comman de r s w ra th sudden ly che cked the c ar eer o f

’

T arik in the full flush o f c on quest an d glor y .

The fame an d p o pular ity o f the latter as wel l a s

the r epor t o f the vast riches amassed by him had
exc ited to the full me asur e o f their malign ity the
, ,

en vy an d the h atr ed o f Mus a The adven tur er s w ho

.

had h asten ed to I ber i a to se r ve un der the s t an d ar d

o f T ar ik had depleted the g ar r is o n s o f Afr ic a an d ,

it w as f our teen mon ths after the main expedition had

s ailed befor e Mu s a w as able to muster a s ufficien t
for ce to take the field in per son C r ossin g the str ait
.

with a n umero us b o dy o f tr oo ps—whic h in c luded

r epr e s en t a tives o f the mo st disti n guished fa milies o f

Arabi a man y o f whom had en j o yed the r ar e dis

,

tin ction o f bein g fr ien ds o f the C omp an io n s o f the

P r ophet as well as the flower o f the Afr ic an s ol
,

diery—he di s embarked at Ghezir ah al Kh adr a His - -

.

j e alousy o f the su c c es s o f T ar ik an d the c ert ain ty

,

that the Be r ber s had left n o c ity o r h amlet u n plun

der ed in their marc h led Mus a to desir e to p roc eed
,

to T oledo by a di ff e r e n t r o ute I n formed o f his wish

.
,

his gu ides p r omis ed to gratify him an d pl ac e within ,

his po wer c ities o f far gr eater exten t an d magni fic en c e

th an tho se which had submitted to his r ebellious lieu
ten an t They c on ducted him fir st to C armon a whi ch
.
, ,

like mo st o f the oth er t own s o f An dalusi a had c ast ,

Off the M o slem yo ke a s s oon a s the dep ar tu r e o f

the army o f T arik had in spir ed its inh abit an ts with

con fiden c e ; an d this well for tifi e d pl ac e des pite its
-
,

str en gth seems to h ave at on c e yielded to the s u m

,

mon s o f the in vader S eville then as n ow on e o f the

.
,
2 44 HIS T ORY OF TH E

largest we althiest an d mo st be autiful c ities o f S p ain

, , ,

w a s n ext besieged On e mo n th su ffic ed to r educ e it

.
,

but n ot with out man y bloo dy en g agemen ts in whi ch ,

the M oslems sustain ed c on sider able lo ss A g arr is on .

w as left in the c it adel an d Mus a mar ched up on ,

Merid a famous fr om the days o f the Ro man s for its

,

massive fortificatio n s its imposin g public works an d

, ,

the architectural gran deur an d r ich n ess o f its temples .

F oun ded by the veteran s o f Augustus an d h on or ed ,

with his n ame Me rid a still r etain ed i n the eighth

, ,

c en tu r y a few o f the stupen do us memor i als o f her

,

p r istin e splen dor which n e ar ly th r ee hun dr ed ye ars

,

befo r e had s o imp r essed the aston ished b arb ar i an s o f

Ge rman y an d n o w exerted their aw e in spir in g in
,
-

flu en c e up on the simple an d supe r stitio us t r ibesmen

o f Afr i c a an d Ar abi a The p ar ti ality o f the Roman
.

emperor s had lavis hed up on this p rovin ci al capital

t r e asur es th at had en abled its c itizen s to r ai se
struc tur es r iv allin g tho se o f Ro me itself B ridges .
,

o f su ch extr aor di n ar y len gth an d huge p r o p or ti on s

a s to almo st defy the e ff o r ts o f mo der n s c ien c e to

demo lish them cr o ssed the s an dy bed o f the sluggish

,

Gu a dian a Aqueduc ts suspen ded up on tier s o f

.
,

grac eful arches tr ave r sed high in air the popu

, , ,

lous an d highly c ultiv ated plain M on umen ts o f .

the r eign s o f H adr ian an d T r aj an sp ann ed the

str eets an d to wer ed in the for um I n the suburbs .

st oo d the the atr e the c ircus an d the n au machi a ;

, ,

buildin gs worthy o f the t aste an d g ran deur o f any

c ity o f the e mpi r e The p o pul a tion w as o n e o f the
.

mo st prosper ous an d Opulen t in the kin gdom The .

ar chiepis co p al see o f Me r id a vi ed in dig n ity an d in

flu en ce with the p r imac y o f T o led o I t had n ot been .

man y ye ar s sin c e the v ass als an d sl aves o f the metro

p oli tan to the n umber o f n ear ly a th ous an d glitter
, ,

in g with j ewels an d cl o th Of g old had d azzled the ,

eyes o f the p o pulac e an d ex c ited the en vy o f the

,
24 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

w as destr o yed to a man E ac h d ay with the r ising

.
,

o f the s u n the b attle w a s r en ewed an d Mus a s aw

, ,

with r age an d appr ehen sion his well tr ied veteran s -

an d the b r avest o f his offic e r s per ish bef or e his eyes .

The for tification s a ppear ed imp r egn able ; an d had it

n o t bee n fo r the o pp or tu n e arr iv al o f A b d — al Aziz -
,

the s on o f the Arab gen eral with a r ein forc emen t o f

,

seven th ous an d cav alr y an d five th ous an d cr ossb ow

men the M o slems wo uld h ave been co mpelled to ab an
,

d on the un der t akin g .Dishe arten ed by this ch an ge

in thei r f or tun e s an d begin n in g to su ff er from a
,

s carcity o f provision s the in habit an ts o f Mer ida n ow

,

made over tur es for a surr en de r Al th ough in the .

p osition o f suppli an ts the en voys pr o voked the re

,

s en tmen t o f Mus a by thei r deme an o r an d sever al ,

con fe r en c es we r e n e c ess ar y bef or e the c itizen s w oul d

c on des c en d to a cc ept the usu al ter ms o f c a pitul a

ti on When all had been arr an ged an d h o st ages de

.

liver ed the M o slem army took p o ssessi on o f the city

,
.

G r eat we alth fell in t o the h an ds o f the gr aspin g

Mus a w ho a pp ro p r i ated as his sl ave E g ilon a the
, ,

c a ptive wid o w o f R o de r i ck a p r in c ess who se sub

,

sequen t marr iage to his so n Abd al Aziz w as the - -

s ou r c e o f man y c alamities to his f amily an d n ation .

The her o i c defen c e o f Mer id a had in spir ed with

the ho pe o f fr eedom the cities o f the S outh upon ,

wh om the M o slem yoke but r e c en tly imp osed sat

lightly an d S eville M alag a G r an ad a an d J aen
, , , ,

r o se simul t an eously in r ev o lt The atten tion o f

.

Mus a w as fir st dir e c ted to S eville the latest an d ,

mo st v alua ble o f his r ec en t ac quisiti on s The r ebels .

o f th at c ity had ma ss ac r ed thi r ty men o f the g arri

son an d put the r est to flight while the Jews t ru e , ,

to the i n stin c ts o f a pe o ple l on g degra ded by servi

tude n ot on ly r efused to a ssist their allies but h ast
, ,

en ed with c r in gin g ser vility to make pe ac e o n c e mor e

with their old o pp r ess or s F or this defe ction a ter
.
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 24 7

r ible r etr ibution w as ex acted Abd al Aziz c arried

.
- -

the plac e by sto rm an d put to de ath with out merc y

,

every Chr istian an d Hebr ew male w ho w as foun d

within its walls The M o slems t aught by experien c e
.
,

the imper ative n e c essity o f co lon iz ation an d bein g ,

n ow i n suffic ien t n u mbe r s to j ustify a di v isi o n o f thei r

for c es plac ed a stron g garr is on in S eville ; while the

,

c on fis c a ted l an ds we r e p ar titi o n ed amo n g the n atives

o f Arabi a the H a ppy p r esen t with the i n v a di n g a rmy ,

w ho h asten ed to t ake p os sessio n o f the luxur ious

est ates o f the Gothic mer ch an ts an d n obility This .

w as the fir st in st an c e o f the settlemen t o f c o n que r ed

terr itor y by the n atives o f a p ar tic ular c ou n tr y a fter ,

war ds so common un der M oh ammed an r ule ; a stroke

o f p o li c y wh o se e ff e c ts ar e to this d ay a pp ar en t in

the tra dition s the di alec ts the customs an d the po pu

, , ,

l ar super stiti o n s o f the di ff er e n t p r ovi n c es o f S p ain .

Abd al Aziz e asily r educ ed to Obedien c e the r emain

- -

in g r ebell i ou s c itie s o f An d alusi a whi ch co l on ized i n , ,

like mann er r emain ed ever faithful to their all eg i

,

an c e. A p or tion o f Mur ci a w as als o oc cu pied ; an d

un usually a dvan t ageo us terms wer e at the surr en der ,

o f O r i huel a a c cor ded to the C hr isti an s th ro ugh the

,

addr ess o f the G o thi c gen e ra l The od o mi r whom , ,

a fte r the de ath o f R o der i c k a f ac ti o n o f the G oths

,

had in ve s ted w ith the sup r eme comman d .

The auth or ities ar e so c on tr adic tor y th at it is im

p ossible to a s c er tain ho w far in to the en emy s cou n trv ’

T arik pen etrated a fter the c aptur e o f T o ledo I t is .

probable h o wever tha t hi s Oper ation s wer e mer e in

, ,

road s destitute o f hi s t or i c al i mp o r t an c e
,
The spir it .

o f the n ati on w as b r oke n ; its ar mies wer e s c atte r ed ;

its leader s killed or en slaved ; its c a pital in the h an ds

o f the e n e my The subjugation o f the Pen in sula
.

w as vir tu ally en ded an d the suc c essfu l gen e r al could

,

well a ff or d to r est upo n his laur els an d devise me an s

to ave r t the j ust in dign ation o f his supe r ior p ro voked ,
248 HIS T ORY OF TH E

by fl agran t dis obedien c e to his o r der s an o ff en ce ,

which un der the stri ct r egulation s o f milit ar y l aw

w as pun ish able with de ath .

The tw o capt ains met at T alavera whither T arik ,

in his an xiety had advan c ed atten ded by his Offi c er s

,

an d l oa ded with c o stly p r ese n ts the c h o i c est sp o il o f

,

the V isigo thic capit al The en vious spir it o f Mus a

.
,

however w as n ot to be a ppeased by gifts who se

,

splen dor on ly served to suggest the gr e ater v alue o f

the plun der which he had lo st He ass ailed his in .

subordin ate lieuten an t with bitter r ep r o aches an d , ,

for gettin g the ma gn itude o f his r e c en t servi c es even ,

wen t so f ar as to r emi n d him o f his former servile

con diti on by str iki n g him i n the p r ese n c e o f the en tir e

army . Then plac in g him un der ar r est he hurr ied to ,

T o ledo an d o r de r ed him in stan tly to collec t an d de

,

liver al l the bo oty which had f allen in to his h an ds at

the surr en der o f the c ity O f the latter the so c alled
.
,
-

t able o f S o lomon wh ose f ame had lon g befor e

,

r e ac hed Mus a w as by far the mo st v alu ab le

, T arik .
,

thor oughly co gn iz an t o f the basen ess an d in j ustic e o f

his comman der an d suspec tin g th a t he woul d appro
,

pr i ate as his o w n the cr edit o f this imp or t an t p r ize ,

with an astuten ess wo r thy o f his B erber or igin had ,

secr etly r emoved on e o f its emerald studded feet I n -

.

this con dition it w as deliver ed to Mus a w ho bein g , ,

a ssu r ed th at it w as thus mutil ated when f o un d had ,

the missin g fo ot r eplac ed with on e o f gold ; n o j ewels

o f corr esp on di n g size bei n g o bt a i n able alth o ugh the ,

c o lle c ti on s o f i n dividu als an d the co ff e r s o f the G o thi c

t r e asur y wer e diligen tly r an s acked for th at pur pose .

Mus a h avin g se cur ed the coveted bo oty n ow depr ived

, ,

T ar ik o f his comman d an d thr ew him in to a dun geon

, .

The keen for esight o f the Ber ber chieft ain w ho kn ew ,

th at su ch a step w as on ly the pr elude to ass assin ation ,

did n ot ab an don him in this t r yin g emer gen c y H av .

in g th r ough the medi ation o f his fr ie n ds su cc eeded

, ,
250 HIS T ORY OF TH E

then the tw o gen erals r ever sin g their cour se mar ched
, ,

to the wild r egi o n o f the West whe r e amon g the mist ,

en sh rouded Sierr as o f G ali c i a an d the Astur i as the ,

r emn an t o f the Visig othi c n a ti on led by its h o n o r ed

,

p r ela tes an d in domit able chieftain s had born e its ,

ven erated r eli cs an d its ho useh old g o ds ; to l ay un der

su ch un promisin g auspic es the f oun d ation s o f a far
gr an der an d mo r e po wer ful empir e destin ed in a fter ,

year s to comman d the a dmi ration an d the terr or o f

the wor ld .

The r ep or ts o f Mus a to the Kh alif Sh ow th at the

Ar abs fully a ppr e ci ated the v alue an d imp or tan ce o f
their co n quest I n the cle ar n ess o f the sky an d the
.

be auty o f its lan ds cape it r esembles S yr i a ; in s o ftn ess

o f c li mate even Y e me n is n ot its supe r i or ; in p r o fu

s i o n o f fl o we r s an d deli c a c y o f pe r fumes it suggests

the luxur y o f I n di a ; it r iv als E gypt in the fer tility

o f its s o il an d Chin a in the v ar iety an d ex c ellen c e o f
,

its min er als wr ote the exper ien c ed veter an to whom

”
,

the we alth an d r es our c es o f b oth Asia an d Afr ic a wer e

f amili ar The multitude o f c a ptives ac qui r ed by the
.

M o slems struck the ol d gen er al with sur pr ise It .

i s like the a sse mbly o f n ati on s on the D ay o f Ju d g

men t he ex claimed ; alth ough he doubtless r emem
,
”

be r ed that M aur it an i a ha d yielded its pr is on er s by the

hun dr ed thous an d an d hu man c h attels we r e s o che ap
,

that it w a s n ot an un usu al occurr en c e f or an able

bo died man to be s old in the b az aar o f K ai ro an for
a h an dful o f peppe r A female me r ch an t w ho de alt
.
,

in t rin kets an d pe r fu mes left T o led o a fte r its su r

,

r e n der with five h un dr ed sl aves i n her t r ai n Thirty .

th ous an d Ch ri s ti an maiden s sele c ted f or their be auty

, ,

wer e destin ed for the markets o f the E ast The Jews .

espe c ially r e aped a r i ch h arvest fr om the misfor tun es

o f thei r fo rme r Opp r ess or s P r o fitin g by the ig n o
.

r an c e o f the s o ldie r s they pu r c h ased fo r t r ifli n g su ms

,

the s ac r ed uten sils o f the alt ar the j ewels which had

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 25 1

grac ed the be auties o f the c ourt an d all the r ich an d ,

co s tly a ppli an c es o f G o thi c luxu r y F r om the S ar a .

cen con que s t with the en ormous wealth it a ff or ded

,

them d ates the p ro min en c e s ubsequen tly attain ed by

,

the Hebr ews i n the p o litic al an d fin an c ial affair s o f

E uro pe .

The s tran ge fatality whic h p r e s er ved for futur e

gr e atn ess an d r en o wn the broken fr a gmen ts o f the
Visigo thi c mon ar c hy even n ow at the ve r y outs et, ,

when it seemed in evit able that the e n tir e Pen in sula

should become M oh ammed an as s er ted its mys ter ious ,

power . T ar ik had r e ached Astor ga an d Mus a w as

still at Lugo when a mes s age w as deliver ed fr om
,

the Kh alif Al W alid or der in g both gen erals to re

-

turn to D amas cus Thi s s tep had been r es olved upon

.
,

n o t so mu c h o n acco u n t o f the mutu al h o stility o f

the tw o le ade rs whi ch man ifested even in their de ,

s patche s se r i o usly imp a i r ed the p r estige o f the M os

,

l em arms an d men ac ed the st ability o f the M o slem

c on quest s as fr om fe ar les t the a mbiti on o f Mus a
,

might le a d him to u s ur p the s ove r eign ty o f the n ewly

ac qui r ed p o s s e s si on s P ruden ti al co n s ideration s also
.

pr even ted the appo in tmen t o f T ar ik a s go ver n or o f

the Pen in sul a His p o pular ity w as even gr e ate r than
.

th at o f Mu s a an d the r emote situati on o f the c o n

,

quer ed ter r it or y w as but too favor able for the est ab

l ishmen t o f an in depen den t mon ar chy who s e s u b j ec ,

tion in c ase o f r ebellio n would be difficult if n ot ,

impo s s ible The a spir in g gen ius o f the veter an com

.

man der had formed a v as t s cheme Of con quest a ,

pro j e ct s o gr an d a s at fir s t sight to a ppe ar ex trav a

g an t yet whi ch a fter car eful ex amin atio n might be
, , ,

co n side r ed f ar fr o m i mp ra c ti c able I t w as his wi s h to .

emul ate the ex ample an d sur p ass the achievemen t o f

H an n ibal by t r aver s in g E uro pe an d to meet befor e ,

the walls o f C on stan tin o ple an army which could

co Ope r a te with him in the siege an d c a ptu r e o f the
-
252 H IS T ORY OF TH E

Byz an tin e capit al H ad this gig an tic design b een

.

r e a lized
, the d omain o f the Kh alifate o f D amas cus
would h ave far ex c eeded the limits o f the Roman
E mpir e He had seen with wh at e ase the Visigothi c
.

kin gdom po ssessed o f in calcul able we alth an d an i

, ,

mated by the mili t ary traditions o f th r ee c en turies ,

had been subve r ted in a d ay The un pr e c eden ted .

succ ess o f their r e c en t milit ar y o peration s had in

d u ced the f an ati cal an d cr edulous s oldie r y to r eg ar d
themselves as the spe ci al f avor ites o f Al lah I t w as .

mor e o ver a matter o f common n otoriety th at the able

chieft ai n w ho ha d c rushed an d the n co n ver ted
, the ,

hitherto in depen den t tr ibes o f the Libyan Deser t an d

the Atl as M oun t ain s an d swept r esistlessly over the
,

plain s o f the Pen in sula had i n c amp aign s which ex

, ,

ten ded over an en tir e gen erati on n ever f ailed i n an ,

en ter prise or lo st a b attle The very men tion o f a

.

c r us ade ag a i n st the i n fidel ro used the wildest p assi on s

in the M o slem s he ar t Un limited tr e asur e w as av ail

’
.

able for an y u n de r t akin g h o weve r exten sive ; a con

,

sideration o f but little momen t ho wever with a forc e , ,

acc ustomed to be p a id i n b o o ty an d wh o se subsisten c e ,

w as wr ested fr om the en emy The bar b ar ian mon .

ar c hy o f F r an c e pe r petu ally vexed by i n te r n al dissen

,

sion s w as n o t likely to o ff er mor e seri ous impedimen ts

,

to in v a sion th an th o se whi c h had v an ished befo r e the

tempest o f the G u ad al ete W as it then chimer ic al for
.

Mus a to h o pe th at with the combin ed aid o f his ow n

,

gen ius an d the in vin c ible prowess o f his veter an s he ,

might ad d to the domain s o f the su c cess or o f M o

h ammed the fair est r egi on s o f E uro pe in the very ,

seat o f the P ap ac y p r o cl aim fr om the tower s o f the

E ter n al City the d octrin es o f I sl am an d p assing , ,

eastwar d exch an ge gr eetin gs upon the sh or es o f the

,

B o sph orus with his fr ien ds an d br eth r en o f S yr i a ?

This plan o f con quest doubtless suggested by the
,

inv asion o f the C arth agin i an gen er al bu t which ,

2 54 HIS T ORY OF TH E

pin gs up on which had been lavished all the r es o ur c es

O f b ar b ar i c de c or ati o n Hun dr eds o f the wild an d
.

be autiful K a byle maiden s sele cted for their super ior ,

c h arms an d fette r ed wi th c h a in s o f g o ld t o iled we ar ily ,

a lon g the dusty ro a ds whi c h ulti mately led to the dis

tan t h ar ems o f S yr i a F o ur hun dr ed Go thi c n obles

.
,

in wh o se vein s co ur sed the r o y al bloo d c l o thed i n g or ,

g e ou s r o bes se c u r ed by g olden gi r dles an d cr o wn ed ,

with dia dems r epr esen ted the dep ar ted for tun es o f
,

the dy n asties o f I ber i a Thir ty w ago n s h ar dly suf.

fi c e d to c on vey the en or mo us qu an tities o f g o ld Silver , ,

an d p r e c i o us st on es—obj e c ts o f publi c o ste n t a ti on ,

pr iv ate luxur y an d per s on al a dorn men t— the g em

,

en cr usted r e c epta cles o f the H ost the c o stly vessels ,

o f the mass besides o the r an d inn umer able meme n t o s

,

o f the mo s t fin i s hed e ff or t s o f Visig o thi c Opule n c e an d

Byz an tin e ar t Amon g the g u ar ds o f Mus a splen

.
,

d i d l y equipped r o de des c en d an ts o f the p roudest

,

f amilies o f the K or ei sh an d the mo s t distin gui shed ,

o ffi c er s o f the M o slem army I n the r e ar o f this b rill.

i an t cav al c a de fo llo wed to the n umber o f mor e th an

,

a hu n dr ed tho us an d the less i mp o r t an t c a ptives t a ken

,

in the c amp a ig n s o f Afr i c a an d S p a in .

Ar r ived at K airo an Mus a divided the go ve rnmen t

,

o f Afr i ca amon g his th r ee s o n s Abd a ll a h Abd al ,

-

Melik an d Abd al Al a in the h o pe o f per petu atin g

,
- -
,

in his family the auth o r ity whi ch he r e alized th at he

n ow held by an un c e r t a i n ten u r e an d then r esumed his ,

j ourn ey .

Tidin gs o f his app r oach h avin g p r ec eded him the ,

wan der er s o f the Deser t an d the inh abit an ts o f the

c ities Of the coast a like p ou r ed fo r th in co u n tless mul

ti tu d e s to d o him h on or I t w as a str an ge an d impr es

.

sive spe ct acle on e whic h had n ot been seen sin ce the

,

laur el cr own ed vi ct or pr ec eded by his tr o phies an d

-
,

his c a ptives had traver sed the str eets o f Rome ami d
,

the accl amation s o f the p o pulac e to dep o sit his o ff er ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 25 5

in gs upo n the shr in e o f the C a pito lin e Jupiter With .

the p ro gr ess o f the tr iu mph al p r oc essio n the n umber

o f c u r i o us spe c t a t or s i n c r e a sed r e ac hi n g its cu hn i n a
,

tion at C ai r o wher e the w ay w as blo cked by the teem

,

in g myr i a ds fr om the b an ks o f the N ile D u r i n g the .

cou r se o f the j ou r n ey Mus a el ated beyo n d me a su r e

, ,

by the adulatio n heaped up o n him w as prompted to ,

the co mmissio n o f an a ct o f ty r ann y whic h ser iously

pr ejudic ed his fo rtun es De s iro us o f n eglec tin g n o
.

o pp o r tun ity o f ma gn ifyi n g hi s imp or t an c e an d u t ,

terl y un s cr upulou s in a pp r o p r i ati n g the cr edit due to

other s , he deman ded o f M u g ay th al Rumi the c ap - -

tive go ver n or o f C or dova wh om the latter held a s

,

his sl ave an d design ed as a pr esen t to the Kh alif

, .

Upon the r efus al o f that offi c er to comply with his

deman d Mu s a or der ed the immediate exe cution o f
,

the G othic pr in c e an d by this deed o f violen c e an d

,

in j ustic e in cr e ased the en mity o f M u g ayth al Rumi - -

,

who se s ymp athies had alr eady been en li sted on the

side o f T arik his fr ien d an d former co mrade in arms
,
.

H ar dly had Mus a p as s ed the bor der s o f S yr i a when ,

ther e w as plac ed in his h an ds a se cr et mess age from

S u leyman hei r p r esumpti v e o f the Kh alifate an
,
“

n ou n c in the f a t a l illn ess o f his b ro the r Al W alid

g
-
,

an d desi r i n g him n o t to a dva n c e fu r the r u n til he re

c eiv e d a uthe n ti c i n f ormati on o f the de ath o f his sov

er ei n
g . S uleyman w as in duc ed to make this r equest ,

n ot o n ly o n a cc o u n t o f the p r estige whi c h his ac c essio n

to the th r on e would de r ive by the publi c exhibiti on o f

the va st plun der o f the n atio n s o f the We s t but also ,

bec ause the per s o n al gifts pr esen ted to the family o f

the Kh alif pr es umably o f immen se value would be
, ,

lost to his suc c ess or Mus a however who se n ative

.
, ,

tac t an d sh r ewdn ess seem to h ave been dimin ished by

a e an d dis a pp o in tmen t p a id n o a tten ti on to the r e
g ,
p
r e sen tati on s o f S uleyman ; an d with o ut an h o ur s de
’

l ay ma rc hed on to D ama s cus He en te r ed the c ity on

.
256 HIS T ORY OF TH E

F riday , proc eedin g to the gr e at mo sque where

an d ,

Al Wali d w as at p r ayer en ter ed at the he ad o f the

-
,

c aptive n o bles an d c hieft ai n s all o f wh om wer e c l o thed ,

in the co stu mes o f their r espe c tive co un t r ies an d

a d or n ed with the i n sig n i a o f thei r ran k After the .

servi c e the Kh alif embr ac ed Mus a clo thed him with ,

his ow n r obe an d p r esen ted him with fifty th ous an d

,

din ar s in a ddition to pen sion in g his s o n s an d the most

,

worthy o f his sub ordin ates The in fe ri or c aptives .

an d the r o y al fifth we r e then pl a c ed in the c usto dy

o f the offi c e r s o f the T r e a su r y The won der ful t able .

w as as T arik had co n j e c tur ed it w o uld be cl a imed

, ,

by Mus a w ho on bein g in terro g ated con c ern in g the

, ,

golden foot de clar ed it w as in th at co n dition when

,

he foun d it Ther eupon T ar ik w ho w as pr esen t ad

.
, , ,

v an c e d c l a i med the h o n or o f the ca ptu r e

, an d a fte r ,

r el ati n g the st r at a gem he ha d p r ac tised p ro du c ed the ,

missin g p ortion in corroboration o f his testimon y to ,

the spee chless r a ge an d con fusion o f his riv al Ai .

Walid w ho estimated this work o f art s o lely by the

,

v alue o f its mater i als c aused the j ewels to be r emoved

, ,

an d the n sen t the frame o f the t a ble a s a n o ff er in g to

the temple o f Mecca .

F or ty days a fter Mus a s ar r ival at D ama s cus Al ’

W alid died an d S uleyman as c en ded the thron e The

, .

latter n o t or i ous for the fer oc ity o f his dispo sition an d

,

the vulgar ity an d glutton y o f his t astes lo st n o time ,

in imp o sin g up on Mus a the full weight o f his dis

ple asur e The first j udicial act o f his admi n istration
.

w as the arraignmen t o f the veter an ge n eral n ow mor e ,

th an eighty ye ar s o f ag e The eviden c e o f c orr uption .

,

extor tion an d tyran n y to which Mus a could make bu t

, ,

a feeble defen c e h avi n g been p r esen ted he w as foun d

, ,

guilty sen ten c ed to be str ipped o f his p ro per ty an d

, ,

r equ i r ed to pay a fin e o f tw o hun dr ed th o us an d pie c es

o f g o ld I n additi on to this seve re pe n alty he w as

.
,

als o forc ed to r emain c h a i n ed to a p o st un de r a b l azin g

258 HIS T ORY OF TH E

we alth which ex c ited the en vy o f p r in c es died poor ,

an d despised ; an o ut c ast i n the c en tr e o f a b arr en

an d lo n ely r egi on f ar fr om the s c en es o f his glor y ,

an d a n o bj e c t o f c ur i o sity an d co mp a ssi on to the

b ar b ar i an shepher ds an d brigan ds o f the Dese r t His .

t or y is silen t as to the fate o f T ar ik a fter the settle

men t o f his con trover sy with Mus a H ad he been .

p romin en t the r e a fter i n either goo d or evil fortun e .

it is c e r t ain th at the Arabi an ch ro n ic ler s would h ave

men tion ed the fact I t is pr o bable th at he w as p er
.

mi tte d to p ass the r emain der o f his life in o bs cur ity

an d comfo r t if n ot in luxu r y ; a n d it is beyon d ques
,

tio n th at he w as n ot i n tr usted with an y import an t em

plo ymen t ; for the j e alo us cou rt o f D ama s cus fe ar ed
the ambition an d the abili ty o f the distin guished
gen eral w ho had achieved the mo st splen did con quest
o f his ti me An d thus dis a ppe ar ed from the st age
.

o f the wo r ld the se con d o f th o se n o ted c h ar ac ter s to

wh om w a s due the ac qui sition o f the beautiful lan d

o f I be r i a by the c r ow n o f the Kh alifa te O f C oun t .

Jul i an the thir d an d l ast o f them wh om the un dis

, ,

c e r n i n g p r ej udi c e o f mon kish w r iter s an d the an i

mos ity o f chur c hman an d S p an i ar d in ten sified by ,

b affled ambition an d in j ur ed pr ide h ave f or thirty six

,
-

gen erati on s bran ded with the n ame o f tr ait or we ,

h ave acc oun ts but li ttle less un s atisfacto ry His n a .

tion al ity his an te c eden t s his r el ati on s to the G oths

, , ,

the or igin o f his a ppo in tmen t a s go ver n or o f Ceut a ,

the s co pe o f his auth or ity his oblig ati on s to the court

,

o f T o led o are, f or the mo st p ar t matter s o f con

, ,

j ectu re E ven the sto r y o f the o utrage to his family

.
,

the immediate c ause o f his defec tion though sup ,

por ted by the testimon y o f almo st ever y Ar ab ch ron

i cl er has bee n disputed
, Ther e are ex c ellen t r e as on s
.

f or presmn in g th at he occupied the p o siti o n o f a mer e

tr ibut ary o f the Kin g o f the Visigo ths an d had ,

v olun t ar ily sur r en der ed his daughter a s a pledge o f

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 259

his fidelity Un der these c ir cumstan c e s his allegi an c e

.

could n o t h ave bee n deeply g r o u n ded ; an d hi s c o n

duc t a ppe ar s un der a les s o dious aspect th an the

tr eas o n o f an her edit ar y v ass al wou ld h ave don e espe ,

ci al l y when it is r emember ed th a t he w a s n ot the

agg r ess or The gen er al an d un qualified abhorr en c e

.

with which his n ame is ass oc iated c an be tr ac ed to

ecclesiastical wr iters w ho h ave n egle cted n o o ppo r
,

tun ity to bl ac ken the c h ar ac te r o f eve r y p o liti c al

adve r s ar y her eti c
, an d ap o st ate i n the eyes o f p o s
,

terity .

After the C on quest C oun t Juli an r etir ed to Ceuta

, ,

w hic h c ity with a p o r ti on o f the con tigu o us ter r it or y

, ,

w as e r e c ted in t o a pr in c ip a lity an d be s t o wed up o n him

a s a r ew ar d fo r hi s s er vi c es N otwith s t an din g his i n
.

timate M o h ammedan a ss oc i ation s he an d his imme ,

di ate des c en d an ts r emain ed s te adfast in the Ch r is ti an

faith The pr ep o n deratin g in fluen c e o f I s lam w a s
.
,

ho wever sho wn in the se con d gen erati on o f his de

,

s cen d an ts ; an d his g r e at g ran d s o n Abu S uleyman

- -

Ayub w ho lived in the ten th c en tur y an d had s tudied

, ,

un de r the gr e atest do c to rs o f the time bec ame f amous ,

as o n e o f the mo st a cute an d le ar n ed exp ou n der s o f

M oslem j ur i s pruden c e The p o ster ity o f T ar ik w as

.

kn own an d esteemed for several c en tur ies i n S p ain ,

un til his iden tity an d r emembran ce we r e fi n ally lo st in

the civil wars an d pr o s criptio n s whi ch accomp an ied
the est abli shmen t o f the dyn as ty o f the Almoh ades .

The en gagemen ts en ter ed in to with their allie s wer e

per formed by the M o slems with s crupu lous fidelity .

Oppas w a s r ewar ded with the g ove rn me n t o f T oledo .

The r oyal demesn es amoun tin g to thr ee thous an d o f

,

the r ichest est ates Of the kin gd om we r e r estor ed to ,

the H ouse o f W itiza M an y ben efits at on c e r esulted

.

to the mas s es fro m the Arab con quest The con dition .

of the ser fs w as g r e atly i mp r oved T r ibute w as r egu

.

lated by l aw an d c eased to be depen den t upon the

,
26 0 HIS T ORY OF TH E

ca p ri c ious deman ds o f avar ic e The bur den s o f t ax a .

tion wer e h o wever still ex c essive ; the c ultiv a tor p aid

, ,

fou r fi fths o f the p ro ducts o f the lan d to the own er ;

-

from th o se w ho tilled the public domain—which com

prised a fifth p ar t o f the con quer ed terr it or y—on e
thir d o f the r esults o f al l man ual in dustr y w as
ex acted The tax o f the lan ded p r o pr ietor w as ap
.

pr oximately twen ty per c en t o f hi s in come th at o f .

,

the t ribut ar y Ch r istian v ar ied from twelve to forty

eight dirhems—sixteen to sixty fo ur d ollar s—a year -
.

A t r e aty who se pr o vision s determin ed the o blig ation s

,

o f l or d an d ser f o f subj e ct an d s ove r eign an d

, ,

sign ed by T arik an d the r ep r esen t atives o f the

Go thi c n o bility before the arr iv a l o f Mus a w as sub ,

sequen tly r atified by the governmen t o f D amas cus .

U pon this tr e aty wer e b ased al l the laws whi ch g ov

ern ed the t r ibut aries in the Pen in sula dur in g the lon g
per io d o f M oslem domin ion .

Less th an four teen mon ths suffic ed f or the com

pl ete an d i rr ev oc able o ver th ro w o f the Visigo thic em
pir e Within tw o ye ars the autho r ity o f the M oslem
.
,

w a s firmly est ablished from the Medite rr an e an to the

Pyr en ees Histo r y pr esen ts n o similar in stan c e o f
.

the c elerity the completen ess the perman en c e o f con

, ,

quest P olitic al dis cor d s oci al disin tegration the un

.
, ,

c e r t ai n ty o f g ove rn men t the in subo r din ation o f the

,

n o ble the r a p a c ity o f the p r iest

, the desp air o f the ,

slave wer e amon g the mo st imp or t an t aids to M oh am

,

medan su cc es s The aspirati on s o f all n ot in c luded in

.

the pr ivileged or der s wer e r epr essed by the in exorable

tyran n y o f c aste The middle c lass fr om whose ex er
.
,

tion an d in dust ry i s n e c ess ar ily derived the prosper ity

o f a n a ti on had l on g been abs or bed by the v a s t b o dy
,

o f se r fs wh o se l ab or s con tr ibuted to the we alth an d ,

who se n umber s swell ed the r etin ues o f the p alatine ,

a n d the bish o p The s ame c on dition s p r ev ailed which

.

had thr ee c en tu r ies befor e he r alded the f all o f the

262 HIS T ORY OF TH E

an d d an ger ous th an tho se th at had un dermin ed the

str en gth o f the G o thi c st ate N ever theless it r e .
,

quir ed man y c en tur ie s o f con fli c t to expel from

Western E uro pe the r ac e who se light — armed h o r se

men had almo st with out r esist an c e swept the c oun try
, ,

fro m B aztica to P ro ven c e from the moun t ain s to the

,

sea .

Thus p assed in to the h an ds o f an other bran ch o f

the S emitic r ac e a coun tr y whi ch in fo rmer ages had , ,

lon g flo urished un der the rule o f Tyr e an d C ar thage .

I ts attr ac tio n s had bee n fo r c e n tur ies the the me o f

ever y p oet its we alth the aim o f eve r y con quer or
, .

Despite r epe ated ch an ges o f g overn men t in v asion s , ,

c o n spi r ac ies r ev oluti on s i n its i n ac c essible fas tn es ses

, , ,

its autochthon s the B a sques ha d pr eser ved un im

, ,

p air ed thei r liberty an d their n a ti o n al c h aracteristics ,

a f ate whi c h disti n guished them fr o m all the o ther

n a ti on s o f E u r o pe On the fields o f the Pen insula

.

the most r en o wn ed s oldiers o f Rome had le arn ed the

ar t o f w ar The highest c iviliz ation o f the Teuto n ic
.

ra c e ha d been a tt a i n ed in its c ities I n its t r ibun als .

the mo st c omplete system o f j ur isp ruden c e the world

had un til then kn o wn w as pe r fe c ted The dign ity o f .

its e cclesi asti c al c o un c ils had main t ain ed their in de

p en d en c e an d en abled the S p an ish hier ar chy to with
,

stan d alike the in sidi ous plots an d the aggr essive usur
pati on s o f the P a p ac y But o f the man y rac es o f
.
,

str an ger s whi c h had est ablished themselves within its

bor der s n o n e had been o f su ch a p ro n oun c ed and
,

or igi n a l type as th at whi c h n ow occ upied al l but a

small corn er o f its ample d omain The c auses which .

led to an d the r esults whic h p r o c eeded from this

, ,

n ati on al c at a st ro phe p r esen t on e o f the mo st c u r ious

ph ases o f c ivil organ iz ation an d mental develo pment .

Th at an exotic peo ple sh ould at on e blo w overturn

a mo n arc hy o f th r ee c en tu r ies duration is c ert ainly
’

extr aor di n ar y But th at this s ame peo ple w ho pos

.
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 26 3

sessed n othin g i n c ommon with the v an quished n o ,

a c qu a i n t a n c e with the ar t s n o k n owledge o f c iviliz a

,

tion sh ould in a few ye ar s foun d an empire who se

, , ,

in h abit an ts had alr eady become emin en t i n ever y ao

comp l i s hme n t whi c h r en de r s n atio n s le arn ed illustr i ,

ou s a n d p o we r ful an d be a ble to t ake p r e c eden c e o f

, ,

all thei r c o n tem por ar ie s i s far mor e extr aor din ar y

, .

F or an exten ded pe r io d the aff a ir s o f the Pe n in sul a

,

had been r ipe fo r a d omesti c uphe av al Little r espe c t .

r emai n ed amo n g the ma sses f or the t ra diti on s o f a

mon ar chy on c e ele c tive n ow n omi n ally her edit ar y

, ,

but wh o s e c r own w as always obtain able by pur ch ase ,

a ss assi n a ti on o r i n tr igue
, The piety o f the pr iest
.

ho o d had been supplan ted by an in s ati able thir s t f or

tempo ral p o wer I n ever y p ar t o f the b ody p olitic
.

flour ished an tagon i s tic r eligio us doc tr in es rac i al prej ,

u d i c es , fac ti on s Opin io n s an d di s cor d an t s oc ial i n

,

teres ts . The milit ar y spir it had dis a ppe ar ed The .

auth or ity o f the c ivil magistr ate w as despised The .

en forc emen t o f the laws w a s r egulated a ccor din g to

the r an k an d in fluen c e o f the o ff en der rather than
by the me as ur e o f his guilt Rival c an did ates for the
.

thr on e c on ten ded f or the glitter in g pr ize with all the

in famous ar ts o f the con s pir ator an d the demago gue .

Or g an ized b an d s o f ro bber s p r eyed upon the defen c e

les s ; an d their chieftain s disdain in g disguise stalked
, ,

in s olen tly thr ough the str eets o f the gr ea t c ities .

B oun dle ss luxur y an d misgovern men t had bro ught in

their tr ain a degr ee o f co rruption whic h equalled th at
c aused by the w or st ex c esses o f the C aes ars The .

labor s o f the husban dman for tw o s u cc essive se ason s

had been fr uitle s s an d hu n ge r an d dise ase in their
,

mo st fe ar ful fo rm con tr ibuted in n o small degr ee to

the accumul ated miser y o f the n ation I n every com .

mun ity the member s o f a un ited an d is olated se ct

un der the ban o f s an guin ar y laws yet still p ower ful ,

in i n telle ct in we alth an d in p olitical cr a ft l abor ed as

, , ,
26 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

on e man for the hu miliation o f their en emies an d their

ow n e man c ip ati on At fir st the in v asion w as con
.

s id er e d as a me r e i n r oad an d n o on e supp o sed th at

,

the occup ati on o f the coun tr y would be permanent .

With the settlemen t o f colon ies the Open i n g o f s ea ,

p or ts to the commerc e o f the E ast the p ar tition o f ,

lan ds an d the er ection o f mo sques h oweve r the Visi

, , ,

goths r ec ogn ized the full exten t o f the cal ami ty which
had befallen the m But the mode r ati on o f their n ew
.

r ule r s te mpe r ed the bitte r n e s s o f defe at The pay .

men t o f tr ibute pr o po r tion ed to the degr ee o f r esist

,

an c e or o bedie n c e to the l aws in sur ed pro te ction to

,

the hu mblest pea s an t . The or th od o x ze alo t w as

a llo wed to pe r fo r m the c e r e mo n ies o f his r itu al with

ou t i n te r fer e n c e ; the he r eti c co uld O ff e r his petition s

witho ut a pp r ehen sio n fr om the fur ious e ffor ts o f

sect ar ian h atr ed E cclesiasti cal dign it aries exer cised
.

i n pe ac e the fun c ti on s Of their c allin g an d the ,

mon kish ch ron i cle r pen n ed fierc e an athemas ag ain st

his in dulgen t master s within he ar in g o f the call to
prayer fr om a hun dr ed min ar ets The accou nts of .

C atholi c wr iter s in whi ch the most flagr an t outrages

,

ar e a tt r ibuted to the S ar a c en s ar e man ifestly ex ag

,

g eratio n s o r f alsehoo ds S till ther e can be n o doubt

.
,

tha t the in evitable acc iden ts o f war f ar e wer e pro duc

tive o f mu ch su ff er in g An in con siderable n umber
.

o f mon ks , wh o se c lamor s an d in sultin g deme an or

made them con spic uously O ff en sive wer e martyr ed ,
.

A few hun dr ed n un s ex chan ged the orth o do x com

p an ion shi p o f c an on s an d bish o ps f or the de l ights o f
the seraglio F ields o f grain wer e given to the t orch
. .

M agn ific en t villas wer e levelled with the ground .

Altars wer e despo iled o f their tr e asur es an d s acred

r eli c s tr o dden u n de r fo ot But n o pledge o f se curity
.

w as vi olated ; an d abs olute immun ity i n pe r s on p rop ,

er ty , an d r eligi on w as a ff o r ded by timely sub missi on

—a p r ivilege a ppr e ci ated by the maj o r ity o f the
26 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

C HAP T ER VI

TH E EM IRATE

7 1 3—75 5

Abd—
al A ziz — H i s Wi s A dmi n i t ti n—H i E ecu ti on o dered
b y the Khalif—Ayu b— H bib—H i R fo ms—
s ra o s x r

Ib —
-
e

Al H orr
—Al S mh—H i s I n v i f F —H i s D e fe t and
n a s e r -

D ath—Ab d l R hm n—F u d f th M d i tes an d K h

-
a a s on o r a n ce a

t n it s—I ts Di t u E ff t —An b h I bn S ohi m—

e
-
a -
a a e o e aa a

d i kill e d—
a e s as r o His
s ec s as a - -

Ability—H e p en t t t th R h Y ah y
Ab —
e ra es o e on e a n s a

I bn S alm h Othm — Ib — N H od hey fa I b n l

— —
a an n u es a - -
a
—
-

Aw as s A H y th m O b yd M h m m d I b Ah
d ll h—Ab d—l R hm —H i P pul ity—P ocl im the
l I b -
a e a n n e o a -

H oly W a —T e I b Ab u N es —
a a an s o ar r a s

f Othm n —
a a
-

r as on The E mir
o a
—
n- a
-
r

ttempts the C o qu t f F n ce C h ter of Ch rles

M tel—B ttle f P iti —D th f Ab d l —
a n es o ra a r ac a

R ahm n
B j j—
ar a o o er s ea o -
a a

Ab d l M elik—Okb h I b —l — H i s W i s dom n d C
— n c e—
-
a -
a -
n a e a a a

C h l M t l v g P v B erbe R evolt
i n Af i c —Vi t y R b l s —Ab d l —
p c iaty s ar e e ar e ra a es ro r

f th M elik I bn
B lj —
-
r a c or o e e e -
a

K tt m Ib B T h l ba Abu al Kh tt
—C n diti on f W t E u p —U stable n d C rrupt Ad
o a h a n -
es c r a a - -
a ar

o o e s er n ro e n a o

min i t ati on o f th E mi —I mp t c e o f the B attle of

s r e rs or an

P oiti e s r .

TH E p rin c iple o f her edit ar y r ight altho ugh it o c ,

cu pi ed n o pl ac e in the p o lity o f M oh ammed w as ,

denoun c ed by the K oran an d r epudi ated by the ,

Ar abs o f an c ien t times had been sinc e the dynasty , ,

o f the Om mey ad es att ain ed to po wer to a c ertain ,

exten t t ac itly r e co gn ized by the subj ects o f the

kh alifs Although the latt er dignity w as among
.

or th o do x Mussulman s stil l ele ctive like the offi ce ,

o f an Ar ab sheik the Per si an s chis matic s had for

, ,

s ome gen erati on s a ccusto med themselves to con ,

sider the des c en d an ts o f Ali as the only legal

S ucc ess ors o f the P ro phet to wh om had b een ,

tran smitted the in alien able pr er og atives o f r egal

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 26 7

po wer an d even the s acr ed attr ibutes o f divin ity .

The ambition o f the s over eign s o f D amas cus had

been occ asion ally gratified by the acc es s ion o f their
s on s to the th r on e a r e s u lt n ot un fr equen tly aecom
,

pl i shed by me an s o f questi on able c har a cte r .When

the loy alty o f the n o bles an d the Obsequio u s devo tion
o f the multitude we r e n ot s uffi c ien t to e n a ble him to

a tt ai n the de s i r ed en d the Khalif did n o t he s itate to

,

u s e b r ibe r y th r e at s an d even a s s as s in ation to per

, , ,

p etu ate the co veted dign ity in his family F ro m the

mon ar ch thi s n atural pr in ciple—a spec ies o f her o
.

wo r ship s o co mmon as to be almo s t un iver s al an d

, ,

exhibitin g its ten den cie s even in the a dmin istration o f

the gr eatest o f moder n r epublic s— des cen ded to the
pr omin en t o ffi ci als o f the empir e an d to their s u b or d i
n ates the wa l is the g over n o r s o f p r ov i n c es an d c ities
, .

F or the s e r e as o n s the a pp o in tmen t by Mus a o f his

,

thr ee so n s to be r espectively emi r s o f E ast an d West

Afr ic a an d S p ain w as r eg ar ded by the M o slem po p
u l ation o f th os e cou n t r ies a n d by the ar my a s the

exerci s e o f a p r es cr iptive r ight whic h s c arc ely re

quir ed the fo rmal co n firmation o f the s over eign .

N o twiths tan din g the fer o cio us an d j e al ous temper

o f S uleyman an d the fa c t th at he ha d he aped up on
,

Mus a in j u r ie s whic h wer e un p ar don able he for , ,

s ome time permitted the so n s o f the con quero r o f

,

Al M a gh r eb an d An d aluz to exer c i s e with out mo les

-

tatio n the fun ction s o f their seve r al emir a tes Abd

.

al Aziz to wh o m had been assign ed the di ffic ult t a sk

-
,

o f the p o liti c al r e or g an iz a ti o n o f the Pen i n sul a —a ,

t ask which in volved the er e ctio n o f on e system o f

go vernmen t upon the r uin s o f an o ther which had
n o thi n g in common with an d mu c h th a t w a s h o stile
,

to it — en ter ed up on his duties with all the e n er gy an d

, ,

t ac t o f an acc ompli s hed s oldier an d s tate sman S o me .

c ities r e moved fr om the immedi a te i n fluen c e o f the

con quer or s ha d r e n oun c ed thei r allegi an c e an d r efused

26 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the customar y tr ibute These wer e speedily r educed

.

to submi ssi on The con ven tion o f Mus a with Theo

.

d omi r the G othi c tr ibut ar y o f Mu rc i a w as s olemn ly

, ,

r a tified Det achmen ts un der di ff er en t comman der s

.

wer e desp at ched to the N orth an d West who carr ied ,

the M o slem ar ms to the sh or es o f Lusit an ia and the

moun t ain s o f Bis cay an d N avar r e C astles wer e built .

for the p r ote ction o f the fr o n tier s an d g arr is on s o f ,

importan t t o wn s plac ed un der the comman d o f ex

p eri en c e d o ffic er s o f tr ied fidelity A Div an or C oun .

c il w a s est ablished R ec eiver s o f t axes an d ma gis

.

trates wer e a pp o in ted to c on du ct the c ivi l dep artmen ts

o f the a dmi n ist rati on S ecur e in the pro tectio n o f
.

thei r ow n l aws an d the en j o ymen t o f their an cien t

r eli gi o us p r ivileges the M o h ammed an yoke w as
,

h ar dly felt by the Chr isti an p o pulatio n wh o se re ,

str ic tion s wer e con fin ed to a Show o f o utwar d r espect

for the i n stitution s o f thei r maste r s an d the r egular
p aymen t o f tr ibute All acts o f violen c e an d Op
.

pr es sion wer e pun ished an d publi c con fiden c e w as

,

r est o r ed The pe as an ts r ebuilt their cott ages ; the

.

lab or s o f the agr ic ultu r ist in terr upted by c ivil com

,

motion an d for eign en cr oachmen t wer e r esumed ; the ,

gr ass gro wn thoroughfar es o f the c ities on c e mor e

-

e ch o ed with the welcome s oun ds o f traffic an d the s ad ,

tr ac es o f man y su cc essive year s o f war far e an d dev as

tati on beg an to g r adu ally dis appe ar fr om the f ac e o f
the Pen in sul a .

But h o wever equit able w as the c ivil administration

,

o f Abd al Aziz - -
its ben e fi cen t e ff e cts in the eyes o f
,

both M o slems an d Ch r isti ans wer e more th an neu

tr alized by the ex c esses an d li c en ti ous vi o len ce o f his
private l ife I n the gratification o f p assions stron g
.

even for an O rien t al his con duc t sur p assed the or di

,

n ar y limits o f b r ut a l tyr anny The fa ir es t maids

.

an d mat ron s o f the G o thi c p o pul ati o n cr o wded his

seraglio ; an d even the h omes o f noble Arab ian s were

2 70 HIS T ORY OF TH E

s p atched to five the prin c ip al offic er s o f the army

of

o f o cc up ati o n i n S p a in to put Abd al Aziz to de ath - -

.

The first w ho o pen ed an d r e a d the comman ds o f the

Kh alif w as H abib I bn Obei d ah an ol d an d v alued
- -
,

fr ien d o f the f amily o f Mus a His distr ess may be .

imagin ed ; but the orde r w as per empto r y an d the ties ,

o f fr ien dship the se n ti me n ts o f g ratitude the r emi

, ,

n is ce n ces o f s oc i a l i n ti mac y we r e n ot to be con side r ed ,

by the devo ut M o slem when w as in ter po sed the im

p er i ou s man date o f the S ucc ess o r o f the P ro phet o f
God . H avin g con sulted with e ac h o ther the ex ecu ,

tio n e r s w ho fe ar ed the ve n ge an c e o f the army de

, ,

vo ted as it w a s to its c hief determin ed to kill Abd ,

al Aziz while a t his dev o ti on s

-
I t w as the custom o f .

the E mir to p ass mu c h o f his time at a summer p alac e

in the subur bs o f S eville att ac hed to whi ch w as a ,

pr iv ate mo sque Her e while up o n his kn ees r ec itin g

.
,

the morn in g p rayer he w as attacked an d desp at ched

,

without r esist an c e His bo dy w a s bur ied in the court

.

o f the p a l ac e an d his he a d—a s an gui n ar y p r oo f o f

,

the Obedien c e o f his ass assin s—w as sen t in a box filled

with campho r to S uleyman at D amas cus Thus .

perished on e o f the mo st distin guished ca pt ain s o f

the ag e who se t alen ts an d dexter ity pr omised a r apid
,

s o lutio n o f the difficult question s o f p o li c y which con

fron ted the n ew r uler s o f S p ain an d wh o se gen tle an d ,

c on side ra te t r e at men t o f the v an quished— con spi cu ous

amidst the r epulsive a spe r ity o f b ar b ar i a n man n er s

p r oved his destr uc tion A few weeks elapsed an d his .

,

br ethr en the emirs o f Afr i c a follo wed him by the

, ,

h an d o f the exe cutio n er The fa te o f his un fortu .

n a te c on s or t E g il o n a is u n k n o w n
, I n c ommon with
, .

Ki n g Ro de r ick an d his co n quer or T ar ik with C oun t ,

Juli an an d the s on s o f W itiza her futur e a fter a , ,

r e mar k a ble c a r ee r p asses in t o obliv i on f I t is n ot a

,

little sin gular th at s o man y o f the mo st con spic uous

per s on ages o f their time sh ould all on e a fter an o ther , ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 27 1

with out an y a pp ar en t r e as o n h ave been thus abruptly

,

dismissed by the c hr on iclers o f the ag e .

The Kh alif in his h aste to de s tr oy the family o f

,

—
Mus a had n egle cted to de s ign ate a suc c ess or to Abd
,

al Aziz an d S p a i n r ema i n ed f or a s h or t time with out

,

a g o ve r n o r R e alizin g the d an ger s o f a pro t rac ted

.

in terr egn um amo n g the hetero gen eo us elemen t s o f

whi ch the in h abitan ts o f the Pen in sula wer e c om
p osed a n umbe r o f the M o slems mos t emin en t in
,

r an k a n d in fluen c e as sembled an d i n acc o r d an c e

, ,

with the an cien t custom o f the Deser t ele c ted Ayub ,

I bn H abib p ro visi o n al E mi r Ayub w as a c a pt ain o f

-
.

a g e an d expe r ie n c e a n d the c o u s i n o f Abd al Aziz - -

.

His fir st ac t w a s to r emove the se at o f govern men t

from S eville to C or dov a on ac co un t o f the mor e
,

a dvan t a ge o us lo c ati o n o f the l atte r c ity de s tin ed to ,

r ema i n du r i n g the d omi n ati o n o f the c o n que r or s the

Mec ca o f the O c c iden t the literar y c en tr e o f the

,

Middle Ages the s cho o l o f p olite mann er s the h o me

, ,

o f s c ien c e an d the ar ts ; to be r eg ar ded with aw e by

ever y M o s lem with a ff ec tion ate ven eration by ever y

,

s cholar an d with min gled feelin gs o f wo n der an d

,

a pp r ehen s i o n by the tu r bulen t b ar b ar i an s o f Weste rn

E ur o pe F o r g r e ater c o n ven ien c e in c olle cti n g the

.

r even ue a n d r estr ai n in g the i n dige n ou s p o pul ati on ,

the coun tr y had been divided in to n umer ou s dis tr i cts ,

govern ed by walis in fer ior offi c i als r esp o n sible to the

,

E mir The lives o f these magistr ates p as s ed amidst

.
,

the turmo il o f r evo lution the s ack o f c ities an d the

, ,

slaughte r o f i n fi d el s r en der ed them but ill qu alified

,

to a dmi ni ster the a ff ai r s o f a n ati on i n time o f pe ac e .

The acts o f cruelty an d extor tion per petr ated by these

petty tyr an ts far r emoved fr om the eye o f the c ou rt
, ,

had be c o me an in to lerable gr ievan c e I t devo lved on

.

Ayub to in vestig ate their offici al co n duct an d man y ,

o f them we r e dep o sed an d pun ished The n ew E mir

.

travelled through his domin ion s c orr e ctin g abuses , ,

272 HIS T ORY OF TH E

buildin g for tr esses r ep air in g the de cayin g walls o f

,

c ities
, en coura gin g the develo pmen t an d c ultiv ation
o f fields lon g sin c e ab an don ed by the f arme r re ,

dr essin g gr iev an c es with o ut distin ction o f cr eed or

n a ti on ality an d
, by ever y me ans p romo tin g the
welfar e o f his gr ateful subj ects I n th o se p ro vin c es .

whic h had been dep o pul ated he est abli shed co lon ies ,

o f immig ran ts an d a dven tu r e r s from Afr i ca an d the

E ast I n o ther s wher e the Christi an s pr ep on derated

.
, ,

he settled n umbe r s o f Jews an d M o slems whose ,

pr esen c e might curb the en thusia sm an d c he ck the

a spi r ati on s o f the impl a cable en e mies o f the M o h am

medan faith The wat ch t ower s which crowned the

.
-

summits o f the Pyr en ees an d defen ded the p asses

le adin g to N arbon n es e Gaul—th at r egion o f myster y
which the impe r fec t geo g raphy o f the Ar ab had
design ated the G r e at L an d an d the ima gin ation o f ,

the O rien t al had peo pled with gi an ts an d f abulous

mon sters — wer e str en gthen ed an d g arr is on ed wi th
tr 00ps who se ac tiv ity an d vigilan c e had been tested
in man y a s c en e o f t o il an d d an ge r S car c ely had .

the a dministration o f Ayub been f airly est ablished ,

befor e the vin di ctive spir it o f the Kh alif deman ded

his r emov al M ohannn ed I bn Yezid E mir o f Afr ica
.
- -
, ,

w as or de r ed to dep rive o f offic e all membe r s o f the

tribe o f L akhm to which Mus a had belon ged an d Ai
H orr I bn —
, ,

-
Abd al Rahman w as in vested with the pre
- -

c ar ious dig n ity O f Vi c e r oy o f the Pen i n sul a F our .

hun dr ed r epr esen t atives o f the proudest o f the Ara

bi an n o bil ity wh om ze al for the faith the lo ve o f
, ,

a dven tu r e or the h o pe o f r e n o w n had a ttrac ted to

,

the shor es o f Afr i c a acc omp an ied him; w arr iors

, ,

man y o f wh ose des c en dan ts we r e destin ed to att ain ’

to distin c tio n i n eve r y r an k o f c ivil an d militar y life

—even to the ro yal dign ity it s e lf—an d to become the
mo st p romi n en t member s o f the M o slem ar ist ocracy
o f S p ain .
2 74 HIS T ORY OF TH E

in du ced them to establish themselves in the pr in c ip al

t ow n s o ff er in g as the latter did bette r fac ilities for
, , ,

the en c o ur agemen t o f con mi erce an d the r a pid accu

mu l ati on o f p r o per ty I n a ddition to this much.

n eeded r efo r m the a ble Vi c er o y co lle c ted the b an ds

,

o f M oor s an d Ber be r s —wh o se n o ma di c h abits an d

,

pr ed at or y in stin cts inh erited from a lo n g lin e o f

,

an c est or s had r esisted former a ttempts at colon iz a

,

tion settled them upon un occupied lan ds an d by

,
-
, ,

ever y p o ssible in duc emen t tr ied to impr ess up on the ,

min ds o f these s av age warrio rs the imp or t an c e an d

the super ior a dv an t ages o f c iviliza tion He c aused a .

c e n sus to be t ake n o f all the i n h abit a n ts o f the Pen i n

sula an d with it s en t to D amas cus el ab or ate t ables

,

o f st atisti c s in whic h we r e c ar efully des c r ibed the

,

v ar ious town s the t o p ogr aphy o f the coast the situa

, ,

tio n o f the h ar b or s the wealth o f the co un tr y the n a

, ,

tur e o f its p r o du cts the vo lume o f its commerc e an d

, ,

the exten t o f its min er al an d ag r ic ultur al r es ourc es .

The r esto r ati on o f the ma gn ific en t bridge o f C o r dova ,

co n st r uc ted i n the r eig n o f Augustus is o f itself an ,

en dur in g monumen t to his f ame But the en er gies .

o f Al S a m -
h we r e n ot expen ded s olely i n the mo n o t o
n o us but ben efi c i al av ocati on s o f pe a c e As the fr ien d .

an d ass oc i ate o f T ar ik he had see n ser vi c e on man y

a sto utly con tested field an d n ow when his do mi n i on s

, ,

wer e t r an quil an d pro sperous he r e c eived with the , ,

exultation o f an ar den t believer the or de r o f the ,

Kh alif to c arry the H oly W ar beyon d the Pyr en ees .

'
The pr ovin c e o f N arbon n es e G aul on c e a p ar t o f
l ,

the Visigo thi c empir e an d hither to p r o te c ted from

,

the in cur si on s o f its dan gerous n eighb o r s by the lo fty

moun t ain r amp ar t which formed its s o uthern boun
d ar y con tin ued to cher ish the tr adition s an d to o bserve
,

the c ustoms o f its an c ien t rul er s I t embrac ed the .

gr e ater p or tion o f mo dern L an guedoc th at smiling ,

r egi on whi c h w ate r ed by the R h on e the G ar o nn e an d

, , ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E U RO P E 275

their n umerous tr ibut ar ies had thr ough the fertility , ,

o f its s o il an d the a dva n t a ge s o f its semi t r o pi cal -

c li mate e ar ly attra cted the atten tion o f the ad v en

,

turo n s co lon ists o f Gr eec e an d I t aly The high st ate .

o f c iviliz ati on to whi ch this r egi on att ai n ed a n d its ,

p ro gr es s in the ar ts ar e man ife s ted by the ar chitec

,

tural r emain s whic h still ad orn i ts c ities —r emain s ,

which in elegan c e o f design an d imp osin g mag n ifi

,

c en c e ar e u n equ a lled by even the f ar f amed r ui n s o f

,
-

the E tern al City N o structur es in any coun try illus

.

trate so th oroughly the t aste an d gen ius o f cla ssi c

times a s the arch o f O ran ge the P o n t d u Gar d the , ,

temples an d the amphithe atr e o f N imes who se grac e ,

ful pr o por tio n s an d wo n der ful state o f p r eserv atio n

n eve r f ail to eli c it the e n thu s i as ti c a dmi ra ti o n o f the

traveller The inh abit an ts als o h ave r et ain ed thr ough

.
,

the vicis s itude s o f c en tu rie s o f war far e an d for eign

domin atio n the traits an d fe atur es o f their c l assic
,

an c estr y I n the v a in gl or i ou s p r ide o f the P r oven cal

.

an d his n eighb or the G as co n ar e t r ac e able the h aughty

deme an or o f the Roman p atri c i an ; while the women

o f Ar les i n thei r symmetr y o f fo rm thei r f aultle s s
, ,

pro files an d their st atue s que gr ac e r e c all the be auties

, ,

o f the a e o f Pe r i c les
g .

This te rr itor y w as kn own to the Goths by the n ame

o f S e timan i a fr om the s eve n p r i n c ip al c ities N ar
p , ,

bo nn e "
, N imes Agde L o deve M aguelo n n e B ezier s
, , , , ,

an d C ar c a s s on n e i n c luded withi n its b o r de r s an d w a s

, ,

stil l govern ed by the maxims o f the Go thi c p olity

which fo rme rly pr ev ailed in the Pen in sul a Although .

divided in to a n umbe r o f little pr in c ip alities who se ,

c hieft ain s p ro m i s c uously in dulged their p ro pen sities

to r apin e with o ut fe ar o f the in te r ve n ti o n o f an v
super ior power it had fo r ye ar s p reser ved the a p
,

pe ar an ce o f a disun ited but in depen de n t s t ate In .

the N o r th the an ar chy accomp an yin g the bloo dy

,

struggles o f the p rin c es o f the Mer ovin gian dyn as ty ,

276 HIS T ORY OF TH E

which pr ec eded the foun d atio n o f the empir e o f

Pepin an d C h arlema gn e r emoved for the time all , , ,

d an ger o f en c ro achmen t fr om th at qu arter But the .

Go thi c n obles sin c e the b attle o f the G u ad al ete had

, ,

c ast gl an c es o f a n xiety an d disma y up on the dist ant

summi ts o f the Pyr en ees I n n u mer abl e r efugees .

fr om S p ain had s ought s a fety amon g their G allic

kin smen an d the t ales which they r elated o f the
,

ex c esses o f the in v a der s lo st n o thin g in their r ec it al

by these terror stricken fugitives Too feeble o f
-
.

themselves to en tertain ho pes o f succ essful r esist

an c e the G o ths suspen ded fo r a time thei r he r edit ar y
,

qu arr els an d to av o id the impen din g r uin ackn ow l

, , ,

edged the s ove r eign ty o f E udes the p o wer ful Duke ,

o f Aquit ai n e .

Al S amh h avin g completed his pr ep aration s

-
, ,

emer ged from the moun t ain p a sses at the he ad

o f a f o rmid able a r my After a siege o f a mon th
.
,

N ar b onn e the capit al o f S eptiman i a surr en der ed to

, ,

the M o slems w ho obt ain ed from the c hurches an d

,

c on ve n ts an i mme n se b oo ty mo st o f whi c h had been ,

depo sited by fugitive S p an ish pr el ates i n tho se s an c

tu ari e s a s plac es o f in vi ol able se c ur ity Al most with .

o u t a blo w the for tr esses o f B ezier s M a guel on n e an d

, , ,

C ar c ass on n e acc epted the liber al con dition s o f MO

hammed an va ss al a ge The flyin g squadron s o f Ar ab
.

c av ah v n ow sp r e a d r uin a n d al ar m o ve r the be autiful

'

v alley o f the G aron n e S O attr active w as the coun try

.

an d s o l ax the dis c ipli n e th at it w a s with s ome d if

, fi
c ulty the E mir su c c eeded in c o lle c tin g the s catter in g

det ac hmen ts o f his army which had wan der ed far ,

i n se ar c h o f plu n de r ; an d r esu mi n g his mar c h he , ,

a t len gth i n v ested the imp or t an t c ity o f T o ul o use the ,

c a pit al o f Aquit a in e The siege w as pushed with

.

vigo r an d the i nh abit an ts r educ ed to extr emity wer e

, , ,

a lr e ady medit ati n g a su r r en de r when the Duke ap ,

pr o ache d with a f or c e g r e atly supe r io r to th at o f the

278 HIS T ORY OF TH E

This w as the fir st ser io us r eve r se whic h had befallen

the hither to in vin c ible arms o f I slam The tide had .

begun to turn an d the impl ac able en mity cultivated

,

fo r c entu r ies between the tw o c on ten din g n atio n s o f

Ar abi a—whi ch neither the pr ec epts o f a con gen ial
fo r m o f f aith n or milit ar y fame n or un in terrupted
, ,

c o n quest n or the p o ssessi on o f f a bul o us we a lth n or

, ,

the en j o ymen t o f the f air est p ortion s o f the globe

could e r a di c ate—w as n ow to exhibit to the wor ld the

splen did we akn ess o f the S u cc ess or s o f M oh ammed .

A glan c e at the or igin an d p ro gr ess o f this barbar i an

feud whic h survived the impetuo us ar dor o f p rose
,

l y ti s m an d had n ou r ished fo r ages its he r edit ar y v in

,

d i ctiv en e ss an d ar isi n g in dist an t Asi a w as desti n ed

, , ,

to be r evived with un dimin ished vio len c e up on the

plain s o f Ar ag on an d An d alusi a is essen ti al to a ,

p r o per un derst an din g o f the c auses to which are to

be attr ibuted the d own fall o f the M oslem E mpir e of
the West .

As alr e ady men tion ed ir r econ c ilable ho stili ty had

,

existed fr om time immemorial between the in habi

t an ts o f N o rthern an d S outhern Arabi a Due to a .

di ff er en c e o f or igin an d pr obably b ased up on in v a

,

sion an d con quest in a pr ehisto ri c ag e this r ac e ,

pr ej udic e had been aggr av ated by a feelin g o f

mutu al h atr ed an d co n tempt de rived from the dif ,

fer en t avoc ati on s o f the peo ple o f Y emen an d th ose

o f the Hedj az the pe ac eful mer ch an ts an d the l aw
,

less rover s O f the Deser t The M aad ites to whom .

,

the Me c can s belon ged wer e shephe r ds an d br igan ds, .

They p r ided themselves up on bein g the ar istocracy

o f Arabi a ; an d the th r ifty an d i n dust r i o us dwelle rs

o f the S o uth the K ahtan ites w ho s aw n o thin g de

, ,

gr adin g i n the till age o f their fields in the car e o f ,

their v alu able d ate pl an t ation s an d in the p ro fits o f ,

comme r c e could, i n the con s c i ous n ess o f supe rior

,

we alth an d cultur e r e adily endur e the s corn o f th eir

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 279

n eighbor s who s e g ain s wer e obtain ed by ove rr e ach

,

in g thei r guests by extor ti on s fr om pilg r i ms to the

,

K aaba an d by sh ar in g in the plun der o f caravan s

,
.

The M ed in es e wh o s e o r igin w as p artly J ewish who se

, ,

pu r suit s wer e s eden tar y an d wh ose affiliatio n s con

,

n ec te d them with the tr a din g commun itie s o f Y emen ,

wer e c lassed with the K ahtan ites by the c hildr en o f

M aad F rom this mutual an t agon ism the r el igion
.

o f M oh am med r e c ei v ed its gr e atest impul s e an d the

power which en abled it to over tur n all its adver s ar ies
an d fr om it als o a r e to be t r ac ed the misfor tun es
, ,

which befell the empir e o f I slam even befor e it w as

fir mly est ablished ; whi ch made ever y coun tr y an d
provin c e in its wide domini on s the s c en e o f civil strife
an d bl oo d s hed ; whi c h p r o fa n ed with i n sult an d v i o

len c e the Shr in es o f the mo st ho ly temples ; which

an n ihil ated wh o le dyn a sties by the h an d o f the a ss a s

s in ; an d whi c h far mor e p o ten t than the i r on h an d

,

o f Ch ar les M ar tel an d the v a lor o f the F r an ks l o st ,

by a Sin gle stroke the s c eptr e o f E uro pe Hen c e .

aro se the disputes whi c h termin a ted i n the mur der o f

O thman an d its terr ible r etr ibution the s ack o f the ,

H oly Cities ; the in trigues an d con tr over sies which

r esulted from the elec tion o f Ali ; the de ath o f
H osein ; the in surr e ction s o f the fan atical r eformer s
o f Per si a ; the pr o s cr iptio n o f the Ommey ad es ; the

per petu al dis or der s which dis tracted the E mir ate o f
Africa I n S p ain als o whither had r es or ted s o man y
.
,

o f the fugitives o f Medi n a an d thei r S yr i an c on

qu er or s the smo ulder in g ember s o f n ati o n al prej u

,

dic e an d r eligious di s cor d wer e r eki n dled The mo st .

s ac r ed ties o f n ation ality o f r eligion or o f kin dr ed

, ,

wer e p ower less to coun terac t this deep ro oted an ti p -

athy whi c h seems in her en t in the tw o divisi on s o f the

,

Ar ab r ac e The most n o ble in c en tives to p atr io tism

.
,

the pr ide o f vic tory the allurin g prospects o f com

,

merci al gr eatn ess o f literar y distin ction o f boun dless

, ,
28 0 HIS TORY OF TH E

domin i on wer e ign or ed in the h o pe o f humi liating a

,

r iv al f ac ti on an d o f g ra tifyi n g a r uthless spi r it o f

r eve n g e At di ff er en t ti mes—such is the str an ge in

.

con sisten c y O f hu man n atu r e—the M a ad ite s be c ame

vo lun t ar y depen den ts o f the kin gs o f Y emen an d

Hir a I n an ag e o f r emote an tiquity the Himyar it e
.
,

di alec t spoken in the S outh had been supplanted bv

the mor e p olished idi om o f the Hedj az .

The in ten sity an d dur a tion o f the h atr ed existin g

between M aad ite an d Y emen ite ar e in con c eiv able by
the min d o f on e o f C au casi an bloo d an d are without ,

p r e c eden t even in the E ast I t aff ected the po li cy

,
.

o f n a ti on s ; it determin ed the fate o f empir es ; it

men ac ed the st ability o f lon g est ablished ar ticles o f -

f aith ; it in v aded the f amily corr upting the in stin cts

,

o f fili a l r ever en c e an d betrayi n g the s acr ed con fi

,

d e n c e s o f d omesti c life U pon p r etexts s o frivolous

.

as h ar dly to j ustify a qu arr el between i n dividu a ls .

n a ti on s wer e plun ged i n t o al l the c al amities o f c ivil

w ar . A di ff er en c e aff e ctin g the con stru ction o f a

poin t o f r eligio us dis ciplin e w as suffi cien t to assemble
a h or de o f f an a ti c s an d dev o te wh o le p r o vin c es to
,

devas t ation an d mass acr e A petty act o f tr esp ass

.

the det achin g o f a vin e le a f the theft o f a melon

-
,

provoked the mo st cr uel r etali ation up on the com

mun ity to whi ch the culp rit belon ged The M aad ite .
,

in heritin g the h aughty spi r it o f the Bedouin ma

ran der despised his an c est ors if ther e w as in their
,

vein s a sin gle d ro p o f the bloo d o f K ahtan ; an d on ,

the o ther h an d un der corr esp on ding con dition s o f

,

r el ati on ship the Y emen ite r efused to pray even for

,

his mother if she w as allied to the M a ad ites whom ,

he stigmatized as a rac e o f barb ari an s and slaves .

An d yet these wer e divisi on s o f the s ame pe ople ; with

Similar t astes an d mann er s ; iden tical in dr ess an d
pers on al aspect ; spe akin g the s ame tongue ; w or
shippin g at the s ame alt ar s ; fightin g under the s ame
282 HIST ORY OF TH E

member ed with con tempt the o bs cur e or igin an d

plebeian av oca ti on s o f the fir st adh er en ts o f the
P r o phet . Their min ds wer e in fl amed with r age
when they r e called the mur der o f the in off ensive
O thman wh o se bl o o d st ain ed g ar men ts mute but
,
-
,

po ten t W itn esses o f his su ff erin gs had hun g for ,

man y mon ths in the G r e at M o sque o f D amas cus .

With i n dign ation w as r epe ated the stor y o f the

c o w ar dly atte mpt ag ai n st the life o f Mu a vi a a n d o f ,

the po is on ed th r ust whic h br ought him to an un

timely en d With but few ex c eption s the E mir s o f
.
,

S p ai n we r e st an ch adher en ts o f the li n e o f the Om

mey ad es an d n ever failed to dis crimin ate ag ain st the
,

Obn oxi ous M ed in es e an d thei r p o sterity The latter .

r et ali ated by se c r et t r e a che r y ; by Ope n r ebelli on ; by

defe atin g v ast s chemes o f po li cy befo r e they wer e ma

tu r ed ; by en cour a gin g the d an ge ro us e n c r o ach me n ts
o f the Astu r i an mou n t ain ee r s This section al strife
.

e arly dis clo sed itself i n the f ac e o f the en emy by

fomen tin g the qu arr el between T ar ik an d Mus a I t .

thwar ted the plan s o f the g r e at Ar ab gen eral wh ose ,

en ter pr isin g gen ius an d t ower in g ambition aimed at

the subjug ation an d con ver sion o f E ur o pe I t armed .

the h an ds which struck down in the s an ctu ary the wise

an d c a p able Abd al Aziz -
I t r etar ded the pro gr ess
-
.

of Abd al R ahman filled his c amp with brawls

- -
,

an d c o n fusi on in cr e ased the in subor din atio n o f his

,

tr oo ps an d g ave time fo r the r ec all o f the bar

,

bar i an h o sts o f Ch ar les M ar tel fro m the con fin es of

G aul an d Ge rman y I n the Ar abian p o pulation the
.

Y emen ite facti on lar gely pr epon derated espec i ally ,

i n E aste rn an d Weste rn S p ain whi ch we r e al mos t ,

exclusively settled by its adh er en ts I n con sequence .

o f thei r n ume r i c al supe r i o r ity an d p o liti c al impor

t an c e they cl ai med c ertain ly with s ome appe aran ce

, ,

o f j usti c e the r ight to be g o ve r n ed by an emir wh o se

,

views an d symp athies wer e in accor d an c e with their

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 2 83

ow n . The court o f D amas cus thoroughly cogn iz an t ,

o f the u n c e r t ai n h o ld it mai n t a i n ed up on a dist an t

an d we althy p ro vi n c e i n h abited by a tu r bulen t rabble

,

who se an imosity to war ds the family o f the Omme

y ad e s w as thi n ly disg u ised by lukew arm p r o fes s ion s
o f l o ya lty an d occ a s i on a l r emittan c es o f t r ibute had ,

the s agac ity to humo r its prej udic es an d to a ppoin t ,

to the S p an ish E mir ate g ove rn o r s o f the domin an t

p ar ty I n the cour se o f for ty ye ar s but thr ee o f the
.
,

r ule rs o f S p ai n ou t o f twen ty tra c ed their or igi n to

the dete s ted p o ster ity o f M aad This p olitic c ours e .

pr eserved in its allegi an c e the we althy p ro vin c es o f

the Pen in sula un til the in fluen c e o f the Y emen ites
,

an d the Be r be r s w as h o pelessly we aken ed by the c ivi l

war s pr e c edin g the foun dation o f the Western Khal

i fate . The e ff e cts o f the latter by the serious dis ,

tu rb an c es they p r omo ted an d the co n s eque n t in j ur y

in fli cted up on the in tegr ity o f the M oh ammed an em
pir e had awaken ed the h o pe s an d r evived the falter in g
,

cou r age o f the te r r ified n ati on s o f Ch r i s ten dom .

Ther e is perh aps n o r e cor ded in stan c e o f a feud so

Obs cur e in its or igin so an omalous in i ts co n dition s
, ,

so momen to us i n its con seque n c e s as this r an co r ous ,

an t ag on ism o f the tw o divisio n s o f the Ar abi an

peo ple I t illustr ates mor e c learly th an an en tir e
.

c ommen t ar y could d o the in flexibility o f pur po se

, ,

a tr a it con spi c u o u s in the Bedo uin whi ch co uld ,

s acr ifi c e all the a dv an t ages an d ple asur es o f life ,

all the h o pes o f eter n ity to the destr uc ti o n o f an

,

her editar y foe F or c en tur ies in an i s olated an d ar id

.
,

cou n tr y o f Asi a c e rt ai n h or des o f b ar b ar i an s ig n o

, ,

ran t o f the ar ts c ar eles s o f luxu r y p r oud i n t r epid

, , , ,

an d i n depen den t had pur sued e ac h o the r with u n

,

r ele n ti n g h o s tility With the a dven t Of a P ro phet

.

br in gin g a n ew r evelation the mo st p oten t i n fluen c es

,

which c an a ff e c t hu man ity ar e brought to bear upon

the n ati o n A whole peo ple emigrates ; is in time
.
284 HIS T ORY OF TH E

un ited with man y con quer ed rac es ; appr ec i ates an d

acc epts the pr i cl ess ben efits o f c iv iliz ati on ; becomes
pr e emin e n t i n s c ien c e i n letter s in all the ar ts o f
-
, ,

w ar an d g o ver nmen t i n all the h appy an d ben efi cen t

,

pursuits o f peace But ami dst this pro sperity an d

.

gran deur the her editar y feuds o f the D esert r e

main ed un r e con c iled N either the den u n c iation s o f
.

the K oran n or the fe ar o f futur e pun i shmen t wer e

a ble to mor e th an temp orar ily ar r es t this f at al en

mity I slam w as in a few gen erati on s fil led with

.

dan ge r ous s chismati cs wh o se tribal p r ej udic e w as

, ,

mor e than devo ti on to an y do gma the se cr et o f their ,

men acin g attitude t owar ds the kh alifate The mock .

ery an d s a cr ilege o f the p r i n c es o f D ama s c us s ci on s ,

of the an c ien t per secut or s o f M oh ammed we r e ,

caused by equ ally b ase selfish an d un p atr ioti c mo

, ,

tiv es . An d the peo ple o f Medin a with out who se ,

timely aid —in du c ed it is n ot to be for gotten by

, ,

this per petu al feud between K ahtan ite an d M aad ite

— I slam could n ever h ave survived were doomed ,

hen c efor th to a c ar eer o f un in terrupted misfortun e .

Their c ity which had shelter ed the P r o phet in his

,

a dver sity an d had r e c eived his blessin g

, w as s ac ked ,

an d laid w aste ; an d i n the s acr ed mo sque which

cove r ed his r emai n s wer e st a bled the h or ses o f the

S yr i an c av ah y
'
.The un h appy exiles pur sued in ,

ever y lan d by the imp ositio n s an d cr uelty o f the

tyr an ts o f S yr ia wer e despite their fr equen t e ff orts
, ,

to th r o w o ff the y oke fin a lly cowed into submi ssio n

, .

I n the lon g ser ies Of r uler s fr om S ad I bn O b ad a ,

- -
,

s u rn amed The Per fe ct the ch ampion o f Medina , ,

wh ose ele ction as the fir st o f the Kh alifs the o ver

bear in g in s olen c e o f the K or eish w as s c arc ely able to
pr even t to the e ffemin ate B oabdil his lin eal des c end
, ,

an t the con du ct o f the Defen de r s o f the P ro phet

,

is mar ked by error s o f j udgment by w ant o f tact , ,

by defian c e o f l aw an d by ill timed en ter prises pro

,
-
286 HIS T ORY OF TH E

in its origin al in teg r ity The p ro vin c e o f S eptiman ia

.
,

supp or ted by the p ower ful armies o f a un ited an d

h o mo gen eo us n ation could then h ave defied the d es ul
,

tor y ass aults o f the F r an ks The exiles s c atter ed in .

,

dist an t lan ds must by f orc e or through in du c emen ts

, ,

o f ma te r i al a dv an t a ge h ave g r a du ally be come amal

,

g a m a te d with thei r m a ste r s ; thei r c hildr en w ould h a ve

p ro fessed the pr ev ailin g faith ; an d the pro gen it or s

o f th a t dyn a sty wh o se p oli c y co n tr o lled the desti n ies

o f E u ro pe du r i n g the fifteen th a n d Sixteen th c en

tu r i es would h ave dis a ppe ar ed from the kn o wledge

o f man . The sever ity o f this pr o j ect di ct ated p artly ,

by r eligious ze al but prin cip ally by p olitic a l acumen

, ,

wo uld h ave been ex c essive yet its be n efic i al e ff e cts

,

up on the fortun es o f I sl am must h ave been in cal cu

lable But the min d o f Al S amh in ca p able o f appr e
.
-
,

c i a ti n g the p ar amou n t i mp o r t an c e o f the e n te r p r ise ,

de s pisin g the G o ths o f the Sierra s as s av ages an d , ,

like the maj o r ity o f his coun trymen un de r estimatin g ,

their r es olution an d cap acity for w ar far e in duc ed ,

him to dis co u r age the pl an o f the Kh al if by r e p re ,

sen ti n g th at it w a s unn e c ess ar y o n accoun t o f the ,

d aily in cr e asin g n umber s o f con ver ts to the do c tr in es

o f the K or an The suc c essful i n augur ation o f a simi
.

l ar p o li c y by C ro mwell in I r el an d n in e hu n dr ed ye ar s
a fte r w ar ds wh o se completion for tun ately for the
, ,

r ebelli ous n atives w as defe ated by his de a th de mon

, ,

strates the extr ao r din ary s ag ac ity o f the s o ver eign o f

D amas cus in devisin g a me asur e o f st ate cra ft wh ose
exe c uti on p orten ded su ch imp ort an t con sequen c es to
mo der n s o c iety an d whic h has fo r the mo st p ar t
, , ,

es caped the n o tic e o f the histo ri an s o f the M oorish

empi r e . Befor e dep ar tin g up on his un fortun ate
expedition Al S amh had left An b a s ah I bn S ohim
,
- - -
,

o n e o f his mo s t t rusty lieute n an ts i n c h ar ge o f the ,

a ff a i r s o f the Pen i n sul a The latter le arn in g o f the

.
,

r o ut o f T o ul ouse with o ut del ay se n t a l ar e b o dy o f

, g
 MOORIS H E M P IR E IN E URO PE 2 87

troo ps to the N or th to cover the r etr eat o f the de

fe ated ar my ; a pr e c aution r en der ed unn e c ess ar y by
the gen er alship o f Abd al Rahman w ho w a s n o w - -
,

r ec o g n ized a s emi r the c h oi c e o f his comra des bei n g

,

s o on a fter war ds c o n firmed by the Vic er o y o f Afr i c a .

The Ch ri s ti an s o f G othic Gaul an d the As turi as ,

gr eatly elated by the dis aster whi ch had befallen

their en emies s o o n man ifested gr e ater ho stility th an
,

ever an d it r equir ed all the firmn ess an d p ruden c e o f

,

—
Abd al Rahman to r estr ain them The in s urr e c tio n
-
.

which beg an to th r e aten the po wer o f the M o slems

in the tr an s Pyr en e an p r ovin c e w as ho weve r crushed
-
, ,

befor e it be c ame formid able ; the mo un tain eer s wer e

dr iven b ack in t o their stron gho lds ; the suspen ded
tr ibute w as c olle c ted an d an in cr e as ed con tribution
,

w as levied up on s u ch commun ities as h ad distin

g u i s hed themselve s by an o bsti n ate r esist an c e .

Although the idol o f his s o ldiers Abd al R ahman ,

- -

w as n ot a f avor ite with the g r e a t offic i als o f the

govern men t They admir ed his pro wess an d wer e
.
,

n ot disp o sed to dep r e c i ate his t alen t s but they h ated ,

him o n a ccoun t o f his p o pular ity for whi ch he w a s ,

main ly in debted to hi s lavish don ation s to the troo ps .

I t w as his c us tom as s o on as the r o yal fifth had been

,

set a p art to ab an do n the r emain der o f the sp o il to

,

the army a c our se s o un u s ual as to p r ovo ke the

,

r emon st r an c es o f his fr ien ds while it elicited the ,

a ppl ause an d se c ur ed the u n dyi n g att a ch me n t o f the

soldiery Appli c a tion w as made by the malcon ten ts

.

to the Vi c er o y o f Afr i c a B as char I bn H an t ala fo r

,
- -
,

the r emov al o f Abd al Rahman un der the pr etext

- -
,

th at the M o slem cause w a s be comin g en dan ger ed

through the p r evalen ce o f luxur y in tr o duc ed by his
un pr e c eden ted mu n ifi cen ce The ch ar ges wer e
.

pressed with suc h vigor th at they p revailed an d ,

An bas ah I bn S ohim w a s r ai s ed to the emi rate

-

Abd al Rahman —
-
.

- -
such w as the con fiden c e o f hi s
28 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

Oppo n en ts in his in teg ity p i tis m

r
— w as an d atr o

r ein st ated in the g o ve rn men t o f E a ste r n S p ain ,

whi ch he had held pr evious to the b attle o f Tou

louse With the submission an d piety o f a faithful
.

M o slem he c on gratulated his su cc ess or swor e fe alty

, ,

to him an d r etir ed with o ut a mu rmur to r e assume

,

a sub or din ate p o siti on in a ki n gdo m whi c h he had

r uled with a bs o lute p o we r An bas ah s oon displ ayed

.

by active an d s alut ar y measur es his fitn ess for his

high Offi c e The admin istration had become to s ome
.

exten t demoralized by the e asy temper an d pro digal

libe rality o f Abd al Rahman an d An b asah s fir st car e
- -
,
’

w as to r emo del the fis c al dep ar tmen t an d a d o pt a n ew

an d mor e ex ac t a pp or ti on men t o f t a x a ti o n C ar e .

full y avo idin g an y a ppear an c e o f in j usti ce to the

tribut ar y Ch r istian s he divided amon g the immi
gran ts —w ho n ow in l ar ge r n umber s th an ever before
,

p our ed in to S p ain from Afr i ca an d the E ast—the

, ,

lan ds which wer e un oc cupied an d had hitherto served ,

a s p a stu r es to the n oma di c B er be r s wh o se t radition s ,

an d h abits dis co u ra ged the sele c ti on o f an y perman en t

h abit ation While i n flex ibl y j ust to the loyal an d

.

o bedien t An basah pu n ished all attempts at in su r

,

r e c ti on with a r ig or akin to fe r oc ity S ome distri cts .

in the p r o vin c e o f T arrag on a h avi n g r ev olted o n ac

coun t o f r e al or f an c ied g r iev an c es the E m i r razed ,

their for tific ation s cru cified the le ader s an d impo sed
, ,

upo n the in h abit an ts a double tax b o th as a pu nish ,

men t an d a warn in g I n o r der to keep alive the .

r espe c t fo r the M o slem n ame he se n t fr eque n t ex e

p,

d ition s i n to G aul who se o pe rati on s con du c ted up on

. , ,

a limi ted s c ale we r e ma i n ly co n fin ed to the destruo

,

ti on o f pr o per ty an d the seizur e o f c aptives .

The Jewish p o pulation o f the Pen in sula r eli eved ,

from the vex atio us laws o f the G o ths an d gre atly

in c r e ased in wealth an d numb er s by for eign acces
sion s had alr e ady r isen to e x alted r an k in the s ocial
,
29 0 HIS T ORY OF TH E

pr ize o f F r an c e c oveted by ever y emi r sin c e the time

,

o f Mus a . The p r estige o f the Ar abs ha d been ma

teri all y i mp air ed by the se r i ous r eve r se they had sus
tain ed bef o r e T o ulouse The fir st en coun te r with the
.

fier y warrior s o f the S outh wh om fe ar had pictur ed as

in c arn ate demon s an d who se p r o wess w as s aid to be
,

in vin c ible had divested the f o es o f Chr isti an ity o f

,

man y o f the terr ors which ex aggerated rumor had i m

p ar ted to them O f the n u mer ous for tified plac es in
.

S eptiman i a whi ch had on c e see med to be pledges o f a

perman en t M oh ammed an settlemen t the c ity o f N ar ,

bon n e alon e r emain ed I ts massive walls had e asily

.

r esisted the ill di r e c ted e ff o r ts o f a b ar b ar i an e n emy

-

un p rov ided with militar y en gin es an d un accust omed ,

to the p ro t rac ted an d mon o t on o us ser vi c e implied by

a S iege while its vi c i n ity to the s ea r en der ed a r edu e
,

tion by block ade impr actic able Thus p ro tec ted by .

,

the n atural adv an t ages o f its lo c ation an d by the

co u r a ge o f its g arris on N arbon n e pr esen ted the
,

an omaly o f an is ol ated str on gh o ld i n the midst o f

the en emy s cou n try T r aver sin g the moun t ain ous
’
.

p asses wi th out difficul ty the E mi r t oo k C arc ass onn e ,

a c ity whi c h had hithe r t o en j o yed i mmun ity fr om

ca ptu r e ; an d by this b old str oke s o i n timid ated the

inh a bit an ts th at the wh ole o f S eptiman i a at on c e

, ,

an d with o ut fur the r r esist an c e r etu r n ed to its al l e i ,g

an c e to the Kh alif N o r etr ibuti on w a s ex ac ted for
.

p ast disloyalty as An b as ah w as too p oliti c n ot to

,

a pp r e c i ate the v alue o f c lemen c y in a p r o vi n c e held

by su ch a pr ec ari ous ten u re ; the peo ple wer e left as

befor e to the un t r ammelled exercise o f their wor ship ;
but the un p aid t ribute w as r igorously collec ted an d ,

a l ar ge nu mber o f h o st ages ch o sen from the n oblest ,

families o f the G oths wer e sen t to S p ain , .

The M o slem army pro ceedin g alon g the c oast as

,

far as the R hon e tu rn ed t o w ar ds the i n te r i or an d

, ,

as c en ded the v a l ley o f the r ive r r av a gi n g its settle ,

 MOORIS H E M P I RE IN E URO PE 29 1

men ts with fi re an d swor d Adv an cin g to Lyon s it . ,

took th at city an d then c e dir ec tin g its cour se in t o

,

Bur gun dy it s to rmed an d pillaged the t own o f Au

,

tun . Hither to the in v ader s had en coun ter ed n o o r

g an ized o pp o sition bu t a h a stily colle c ted mili ti a n ow
,

beg an to h ar ass their march en cumber ed as they wer e ,

with a pro digious booty ; an d i n a s kirmish in whi ch ,

the pe as an tr y displayed an un usu al amo un t o f d ar in g ,

An b as ah h av in g r a shly exp o sed hims elf w a s mor

, ,

tally woun ded The dyin g E mir beque athed his

.

auth or ity to O d r ah I bn Abd allah an-

a pp o in t me n t
-
,

distasteful to the member s o f the Div an ; an d in ,

ac cor d an c e with thei r deman ds the Vi c er o y o f Afr i c a ,

des ign ated Yahya I bn S almah as the succ ess or o f

- -

An b as ah The auster e an d in flexible spir it o f this

.

comman de r his keen s en s e o f ju s ti c e an d hi s deter

, ,

min atio n to en fo r c e the str i ctest dis ciplin e amon g the

soldier y mad e him ever ywher e un po pul ar The pli
,
.

an t Vi c er o y o f Afr i c a w a s on c e mor e a ppe aled to an d ,

s u ch w a s his subser vien c y to the c lamor s o f the dis

con ten ted c hieft ai n s th a t n ot on ly w as Y ahya I bn -

S almah r emoved but within a few mon ths his tw o

suc c ess ors O thman —
,

, I bn Abu N e s a an d H od hey fa
- -

I bn al Ah w a ss we r e a pp o i n ted an d dep o s ed F in al ly
- -
, .

the Kh alif himself s en t to Ai H ayth am I bn O beyd - - -

the r oyal commi s s ion as his r epr e s en t ative Thi s offi .

ci al w as a S y r i an by bir th an d i n her ited al l the bitte r

\ ,

pr ej udic es o f his fac tio n whic h had been fo ster ed by

“

the pride an d in s o len c e o f the tr iumph an t Omme

y ad es .Mer ciles s by n atur e fier c e an d r ap aciou s , ,

Al H aytham s p ar ed n eithe r M oslem n or Ch r istian

-
.

E spec i ally w a s his an imosity di r ec ted towar d s the

des c en dan ts o f the C ompan ion s o f M oh ammed an d ,

their pr o selytes an d adher en ts the Berbers The ,

.

c ompl ain ts n o w lo dged with the Vi c er o y o f Afr i c a

wer e unh eeded as the o ff en sive govern or had r e c eived

,

his app o in tmen t dir ectly from the han ds o f the Com
29 2 HIS T ORY OF TH E

man der o f the F a ithful I n thei r extr emity the

.
,

vi ctims o f Al H ayth am pr efer r ed c h ar ges befor e the

-

Div an o f D ama s cus ; an d the Kh alif H is chem con ,

v in c ed th a t the E mi r w as ex c eedi n g his auth or ity ,

a pp o in ted on e o f the mo st disti n guished pe r s on a ges

o f his c o ur t M oh ammed I bn Abd allah as special

,
- -
,

en v o y to in vestigate the admin istration o f Al H ay -

th am an d to dep ose an d pu n ish him if in his

, ,

j udgmen t the well bein g o f I slam an d the in ter ests

,
-

o f g oo d g o ve rnmen t dema n ded it Ar r ivin g in co gn ito .

at C or d o v a the ple n ip o ten ti ar y o f the Kh alif without

, ,

difficulty or delay o bt ain ed the n ec ess ar y eviden c e Of

,

the guilt o f the un wor thy offic ial Then exhibitin g .

,

his commissi on he publi c ly str ipped the latter o f the

,

in sign i a o f his ran k an d h avin g sh aved his he ad had

, , ,

him p araded thr ough the c ity up on an ass amidst the ,

j eer s an d in sults o f the peo ple he had r o bbed an d

per se c uted All his p ro perty w as co n fis cated an d
.
,

M oh ammed made amen ds a s far as p o ssible by be

sto wi n g upon the survivin g vi c tims o f the disgraced
E mi r the immen se tr e a sur es he had amassed dur in g
a r eig n o f i n dis c r i mi n ate exto r ti o n Then placin g .

Al H ayth am in i ro n s he sen t him un de r guar d to

-

Afr ic a Tw o mon ths suffic ed to r edr ess the gr ievan c es

which had thr e ate n ed a r evo lution —
.

to r e compen se the
plun de r ed to liber ate the imp ris on ed to c on s ole the
, ,

t or tur ed to expel fr om their pl ac es the cruel su bord i

,

n a tes o f the Opp r ess or ; an d h avin g eli cited the ap ,

p rob ati on an d r ec eived the blessin gs o f all classes ,

in c ludin g the her edit ary en emies o f his tr ibe M oh am ,

med dep arted for S yri a a fter c on fe rr in g the vic er egal

,

auth or ity up on the r e n o wn ed ca pt a i n Abd al R ahman - -

,

w ho thus a se con d time a s c en ded the th ron e o f the

E mi rate o f the West .

O f n o ble bir th an d disti n guished r eput ati on Abd

al —
,

R ahman un ited to the emin en t qu alities o f a su c

c e s s fu l r ule r an d ge n e ral all the i n su ff e rab le ar ro
29 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

con fis cated chur ches w er e r es to r ed to their congr e

a ti on s ; the n ew edifi c es we r e razed to the g r ound ;
g
the br ibes whi ch had pur ch a sed the in dulgen ce o f the
wali s wer e surr ender ed to the publi c tr e asur y ; an d the
corrupt offi c i als p aid the pen alty o f thei r malfe as an c e

with s courgin g an d imp ris on men t .

His r eforms completed an d se cu r e in the app arent

,

submissio n an d attachmen t o f his subj ects Abd al ,

-

R ahman n ow turned his atten tio n to the p rose cution

o f a desig n whi c h in spite o f fe ar ful r eve r ses i n the
,

p ast an d o f un kn own dan ger s impen ding in the fu

tur e had long b een the c he rished Obj e c t o f his ambi
tion—the con quest o f F r an c e As the r epr esen tative
,

o f the Kh a lif ,an d con seque n tly vested with b o th

spiritu al an d temp ora l p o wer he had c aused to b e

,

pr oclaimed fr om the pulpit o f ever y mosque visited

by him in his pr ogr e s s the o blig ati on o f all faithful
,

M o slems to aven ge the de aths o f the martyr s f allen

in former i n v asi on s an d to ad d to the e mpi r e o f I sl am
,

the r ich an d pr odu c tive terr it or y o f E uro pe .

F ully awar e o f the v ast difficulties whi ch would

n e c ess ar ily atten d su c h an un de r t aking an d en light ,

ened b y his former exper ien c e Abd al R ahman r e ,

- -

s olved to provide as f ar a s p o ssible against an y con

, ,

tin g en cy th at mi ght ar ise fr om too h asty p r ep ar ation ,

or an i n fer io r ity in n umber s sent messen gers to

,

al mo st eve ry cou n tr y a c k n o wledg in g the auth or ity o f

the K h alif to p ro c laim the Dj ih a d or H oly W ar an d

, , ,

to s o li c it the pe cun i ar y ai d o f all dev out an d liberal

b eliever s
. The c all w as promptly answer ed The .

r i ches o f the E a st an d West p o u r ed in a co nst ant

str eam int o the tr e asur y o f C or dov a We althy mer .

c h ants s ent thei r g o ld ; female dev o tees their j ewels ;

even the b egg ar w as an xious to con tr ibute his pitt an c e

for the adv an ce men t o f the F aith an d the confusion
o f the in fi del . F rom n eighb or in g lands an d fr omthe ,

r emotest confin es o f the M o h ammed an w or ld alike ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 29 5

from S yr ia E gypt Ar abi a P alestin e Al M aghr eb

, , , ,
-
,

an d Pe r si a milit ar y a dven tur e r s s oldier s o f for tun e

, , ,

despe rate fan atics h alf n aked s av a ges fr om M aur i

,
-

t ani a the pr o ud an d fer oci ous tr ibesmen o f the Deser t

, ,

as t on ished the i nh abit an t s o f the c itie s o f An dalusi a

with their multitudes their tumultuous an d un in tel ,

ligible c r ies an d their fierc e en thusi asm The en tir e

, .

for c e o f the Hi s pan o Ar ab army dis ci plin ed by man y

-
,

a s c e n e o f for eign an d i n tern e c in e con fli c t w as mar ,

s hall e d f or the comi n g cr us a de whic h un like tho se , ,

expedition s whic h had pr ec eded it aimed n ot mer ely ,

at the sp o li ati on o f c ities an d the en sl avemen t o f their

in habitan ts but at the perman en t occup ation an d

,

settlemen t o f the c oun tr y from the Pyr en ees to the

fr on tier o f German y fr om the Rhae tian Al ps to the ,

oc e an .

The s ever al walis had been or der ed to assemble with

their for c es at a des ign ated r en dezvo us o n the n orth
ern b or der o f the Pe n i n sul a Thi s distr ict which .
,

in cluded the moun t ain p asses an d the fortr esses

defen din g them w as then un der the comman d o f
,

O thman I bn Abu N es a a n ative o f Afr i ca w ho

- - -
, ,

had for a few mon ths en j o yed an d a bused the

, ,

p ower o f the emirate an d whom the gen erous ,

p olic y o f Abd al Rahman had r etain ed in thi s im

- -

p or tan t p os t bestowed upon the Afr ican chieft ain

,

a fter his dep o siti on A man o f violen t p assion s

.

an d with out p r i n c iple O thman w as h owever n ot , , ,

deficien t in tho se t alen ts which c on fer distin c tion

u p on s o ldie r s o f for tu n e O f obs cur e birth an d .

l ow ass oc i atio n s he had by sheer for c e o f c h ar acter

, ,

a n d d ar i n g w on the co n fiden c e o f the Vi ce ro y o f

,

Afr ic a w ho had con ferr ed up on him the g overn men t

,

o f S p a i n ; a p o s iti on fr om whi c h he w a s b arr ed by

the un wr itten l aw o f the C on quest which dis cou r aged ,

the a spirati on s o f in dividuals o f his n ation ali ty .

Deeply ch agrin ed th at he had n ot been r ein st ated in

29 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the Offic e wh o se delights he had s car c ely t asted an d ,

devour ed by en v y wh o se bitter n ess w as in cr e ased by

,

the an tip athies o f a p ar ty o f which he w as the ackn o w l

edged he a d O thman determin ed to r even ge his
,

f an c ied wr on gs an d to se cur e for himself the ad v an

,

t ages o f in depen den t s over eign ty His in fluen c e .

exten ded even to the E bro to the n or th an d e ast o f ,

whic h str e am the Ber ber s w ho wer e devo ted to him , ,

had est ablished themselves in g r e at n umbe r s At th at .

time the con dition o f the r edoubt able E udes Duke ,

o f Aquit ai n e had be come despe rate

, He had lon g .

wa ged a doubtful w ar with the F r an ks who se supe ,

r i or st r en gth r en de r ed his ulti ma te subj e c ti o n c er t ain .

U pon the s outh he w as men ac ed by the en cro ach men ts

,

o f the maraudi n g A rabs wh o se expediti on s kept his

,

do min ion s i n per petu al turmo il Thus plac ed be .

tween tw o fir es he r e adily he ar ken ed to the overtur es

,

o f O th man w ho p ro p o sed an alli an c e to be c eme n ted

,

by the marri age o f the wali with the daughte r o f the

Go thic n o ble A tr e aty w as made an d r atified ; the
.

d amsel—w ho w as n ot compelled to r en o un c e her faith

w as delive r ed to he r f a the r s n ew ally ; an d the
’

l atter r eturn ed to his g overn men t r es olvin g to baifi e ,

by diplomac y the design o f his ma ster an d if th at , ,

we r e foun d imp o ssible co n fiden t th at the str en gth o f

,

his mo un t ain defe n c es w as suffic ien t to defy all the

p owe r o f the emirate To the or ders o f Abd al R ah
.
- -

man to atten d him with his t r oo ps he r eturn ed evasive

r eplies ple adi n g the e n g a geme n t he had e n te r ed i n to
, ,

an d his Oblig a ti on to o bser ve it His r epe ated com .

man ds bein g ign or ed an d the p atien c e o f the army

,

to a dv an c e g r o wi n g un con t r o ll able Abd al Rahman ,

- -

secr etly desp at ched a squ ad ron o f light h or semen ,

un der G e d hi I bn Z ey an a S yri an o ffi c er with d irec

- -

, ,

ti on s to brin g in the r efrac tor y w al i de ad or alive .

P r essin g for war d with the ut mo st diligen c e the ,

troo per s came sudden ly upon O thman at C astrum ,

29 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

dis astrous times o f b ar bar ian co n quest when the ,

ferocious h or des o f G oths an d Hun s swept with ruin

an d de ath the f a i r est p r o vi n c es o f the R oman E mpi r e .

Th rough out the O r ien t i n the lan ds which ackn ow l

,

edged the sup r emac y o f the S u c c ess o r o f M oh ammed ,

the pious M oslem awaited with co n fiden c e n o t un

,

min gled with a feelin g o f ex ul t atio n tidin gs o f the ,

a n ti c ip ated t r iumph o f his b r eth r en The eyes o f the

.

en tir e world wer e turn ed in expe ct an c y to the sp ot

wher e must speedily be test e d the r espe ctive p rowess
o f the N or th a n d S outh ; to the struggle whi c h w ould

for ever determin e the futur e o f E uro pe an d de cide ,

with out appe al the f ate o f Ch ristian ity On w ar d .

,

r esistlessly pitilessly r olled the dev ast atin g floo d o f

, ,

in v asion The Duke o f Aquitain e had br avely met

.

his en emies on the ver y slo pes o f the mo un t ain barr ier .

but al l his e ffo r ts wer e p o wer less to st a y their pr o gr ess .

Cities wer e r educ ed to ashes an d their inh abit an ts

dr iven in to slaver y The p astur es wer e swept cle an
.

o f thei r fl o c ks ; the bloomin g hill sides an d fertile -

valleys o f the G aronn e wer e tr an sformed in to s c en es

o f des ol a ti on B or de aux the p o pulo us an d we althy
.
,

empo r ium o f Aquit ain e p aid for a sh ort an d in e ff ec

,

tu al r esist an c e with the plun der o f its tr easur es the ,

mass ac r e o f its c itizen s an d its t ot al destr uc tion by

,

fi re . The M o o r ish ar my e n cumber ed with th ous an ds

,

o f c a ptives a n d the b oo ty o f an e n ti r e p rovi n c e ,

cro ssed the G ar on n e with diffic ulty an d r esu med its ,

slow an d str agglin g mar ch t ow ar ds the inter ior .

U p on the b an k s o f the D or do gn e E udes had mar

s hall e d his fo ll o we r s to c on test its p a ss age A fierc e .

battle e n sued ; the Ch r isti an s ov erw hehn ed by nu m

,

ber s wer e surroun ded an d cu t to piec es ; an d the

,

c ar n a ge w as so h o r r ible as to ex c ite the pity o f the

r ude hist or i an s o f an a e p r o lifi c in vi o len c e an d bl oo d

g
shed The co n quest o f Aqui t ain e achieved the E mi r
.
,

moved o n to P o itiers an d a fter ravagin g the suburb s

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 29 9

o f that c ity wher e stoo d the fam , ous Chu r ch o f S t .

Hilar y whi ch w as utter ly destroyed pl an ted the white

, ,

st an dar d o f the Ommey ad es befo r e its walls That .

cou n t r y wh o s e hos tile faction s wer e subsequen tly

,

r e con c iled an d con s o lid ated by the ge n ius o f Ch ar le

magn e an d whi ch i s kn own to u s as F r an c e w as

, , ,

durin g the s even th c en tur y in a s tate o f fr ightful ,

an ar c hy I n the S o uth the imp or t an t p ro vin c e o f

.
,

S e ptiman ia had former ly a ckn owledged the sup r em

a cy o f the Visig o ths an d a fte r the o ve r th ro w o f,

thei r empir e had en j o yed a n o min al in depen den c e .

Aquitain e w as subj e ct to i ts dukes w ho main t ain ed ,

an un equ al con test with the g r owi n g p o we r s o f the

N or th an d the i n s ati able ambiti on o f the S ar ac en s .

T owar d s the E as t the petty lor d o f Austrasia w as,

in volved in pe r petu al in tr igues an d ho stilitie s with

hi s tu r bulen t n eighbo r s the p r in c e s o f N eust ri a an d ,

Burgun dy I n the year 6 3 8 with the de ath o f the

.
,

r en own ed D a g obe r t wh o se d omi n i on s exten ded to the

,

D an ube di s a ppe ar ed the last vestige o f in depen den c e

,

an d auth or ity p o ssessed by the mo n ar c h s o f the Me ro

v in i an dyn as ty He n c ef o r th the r eg a l po we r w a s
g .

vested in an d p rac tic all y exer ci s ed by the bo ld an d

, ,

able ma yor s o f the p al ac e the p r i me mi n iste r s o f the ,

roi s fai n éa n ts w ho th r ough in di ff e r en c e or compu l

, ,

sion wer e app ar en tly c on ten ted with the titles an d

,

glitter in g baubles o f r o yalty The super ior t alen ts .

o f the p r iest wer e i n dustr i ously empl oyed i n en r i c h

in g his c hu r ch o r hi s abbey an d the ze al an d fe ar s o f ,

the devo ut co Oper atin g with the av ar i c e o f the c ler gy

-
,

the s ac r ed edific es be c ame deposito r ies Of tr easur es

whi ch d azzled the eyes o f the gr eedy fr eebo oter s o f
Abd al Rahman with their magn ificen c e an d v alue
- -
.

N o s o ver eign in E ur o pe could b o ast o f su c h we alth

a s ha d been a c cu mul ated thr ough the l avish ge n e r

o s ity o f pilg r i ms an d pen iten ts by the sh r i n es o f

S t Hilar y o f P oitie r s an d S t M artin o f T ours

. . .
300 HIS T ORY OF THE

The ecclesi astic s h abitu ally r epr esented themselves

as the t r e asur e r s o f he ave n the c hosen in te rmedi ar ies
,

with the s ain ts ; an d the mo st costly gift w as s c ar c ely

con side r ed an equiv alen t f or a h asty b lessing or a r eli c

o f mor e th an d oubtful a uthen ti c it y grac ious ly be ,

sto wed up on the humble an d delighted contr ibutor to

c ler i cal r a p ac ity an d mon kish imp o stu r e .

The manly vig or inh erited fr om a b arb ar i an an

c e s tr y develop e ,
d an d str en gthened by milit ar y ex er
c ises had formed o f the F r an ks a n ati o n o f he ro es
,
.

Their gigan tic f orms en cased in mail enabled them

, ,

to r esist ass aults whi ch must h ave o ver whelmed mor

t als o f less p onderous build A phlegmatic temper a
.

men t j oined to a devo tion to their l or ds which n ever

,

question ed the j usti c e o f their comman ds imp ar ted ,

to them ste adiness an d i n flexible c on st an c y in the

field Their n aturally fer oci ous aspect w as i n cr ea sed
.

by gro tesque helmets o f t o wer in g height an d by the ,

skin s o f wi ld b e asts which dr aped their massive shoul

de r s while their we a pon s wer e o f a Size an d weight
,

th at the demigods o f ol d alon e might wield S uch .

we r e the warrior s to who se valor wer e n ow com

mi tted the destinies o f the C hristi an world The .

thron e o f the Franks w as then occupied b y Thierr y

I V on e o f a series o f royal ph an toms who had been
.
, ,

ex alted to this n ominal dign ity b y a c er tain mayor

o f the p al ac e n amed C h ar les the n atu ral son o f Pepi n
,

d H eri s tal Duke o f Austrasi a

’

, I t w as the p oli c y o f
.

these Offic i als ne c ess arily men o f t alent whose abili ties
, ,

had raised the m to p romin en c e an d w ho c ontr o lled ,

the empire o f the st ate to bestow the cr own upon

,

pr in c ely youths pur p o sely famil i ar ized with vic e th at ,

every n o ble aspiration mi ght b e stifled an d every

p at rioti c impulse r epr essed in the indulgen c e o f the
most wan ton an d e ffemin ate luxury The profli g ate .

h abits o f these sover eig n s which shortened their ,

r eign s ac count f or thei r number an d r apid su c c e ssi on

,

in the ann als o f F ran c e .

3 02 HIS T ORY OF TH E

w ho impr is on ed him as wel l as the S ign ifican t silen c e

,

o f the histo r i an s— evide n tly tr embli n g un de r the ste r n

r ule o f the M a yor o f the P al ac e— give con side rable

pr ob abili ty to this hypo thesis Although disin her ited

.
,

the attachmen t o f the peo ple w as su ch th at he w as ,

immedi ately a fter the de ath o f Pepin r es cued from ,

a du n ge on an d raised to the dukedom S ucc eedin g .

even ts j ustified the wisdom o f this me asur e The .

a ddr ess o f Ch ar les all ayed the c ivil dissen si on s o f

the F ran ks ; his v alor an d militar y gen ius awed

an d r estra i n ed the r estless b ar b ar i an s o f Ge rman y .

Al th ough un questi on ably the pr eser ver o f Ch ris

ti an ity he is mor e th an suspe c ted o f h avin g been
,

an ido l a te r his title M ar tel h avin g been t rac ed by

, , ,

an tiqu ar ies to the h a mmer o f Th or the emblem o f

,

the w ar g o d o f S can di n avi a He had n o r ever en c e

-
.

fo r the Chur ch n o belief in its do c t r i n e s n o con sidera

, ,

tion for its p o ssession s n o r egar d for its min isters

, .

He seized r eliqu ar ies an d s acr ed vessels destin ed for

commun i on with G o d a n d co i n ed them i n t o mon ey to
,

pay the expen ses o f his c amp aign s He desp o iled the
.

c le r gy o f thei r l an ds an d p ar titi o n ed the m amon g his

follo wer s The mo st emin en t o f his capt ain s he i n

.

vested with the Offi c es o f bish o ps a fte r expellin g the

,

r ightful i n c umbe n ts in o r de r to the bette r r et a in c on

tro l o f thei r con fis c ated est ates This s acr ilegious

.

p olic y while it ex asper ated the p r iesth oo d en de ar ed

, ,

him to his s o ldie r s w ho we r e the r e c ipien ts o f his

b oun ty ; but the wr ath o f the e c c lesi asti c al or der w as
n ot a ppe a sed eve n by his i n esti ma ble se rvi c es to its

c ause . An athematized by po pes an d coun c ils legen ds ,

in spir ed by mon kish cr edulity an d h atr ed h ave sol

emn l
y asse r ted th at his s oul had been r epe atedly seen
by h oly men surr oun ded by demon s in the depths o f
hell.

O f the per s on al ch ar acteristi c s h a bits an d domesti c

, ,

li fe o f Ch ar les M ar tel w e kn o w abso lutely n o thi n g .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UROP E 3 03

E qu ally silen t is histor y the r egulation s o f his

as to
c a pit a l the con stituti o n o f his co u r t the r ules o f hi s
, ,

milit ary t ac tic s the p rin c iples o f his govern men t the
, ,

n ames o f his coun c illo r s The bittern ess o f e ccles i as

.

ti cal p r ejudi c e while it has c urs ed hi s memor y has n ot

been able to t arn ish his r en own Hi s t or i cal j us tic e has
.

given him the ful l me asur e o f cr edit due to his ex

ploits wh o se imp or t an c e w a s n o t a pp r e c i ated by his
,

c on temp or ar ies a n d has a c cor ded hi m a high ran k

,

a mon g the gr e a t milit ar y c omman de r s o f the wo r ld .

Accusto med to ar ms fr om childho o d Ch arle s had ,

p as s ed the gr eater p or ti on o f hi s life in c amps He .

had con que r ed N eust r ia in timid ated Bur gun dy an d

, ,

had in man y s u cc e s sful expediti on s a g a in st the fo r

,

mi d abl e b ar b ar i an s o f the Rhin e left bloody eviden c es,

o f his p r o wess as f ar as the b an ks o f the E lbe an d

the D an ube He had laid c laim to the suzer ain ty o f

.

Aquit ain e in the n ame o f the r oyal fi g u re he ad un der -

who s e author ity he p ro se c uted his c on ques ts ; an d

E udes had hither to r eg ar ded his demon str ati on s with
even gr e ater fe ar an d aver sion th an the per io di c al
forays o f the S arac en s N ow h owever the c r est
.
, ,

fallen Duke o f Aquitain e s ought the p r esen c e o f his

an c ien t fo e did h omage to him an d impl or ed his aid
, , .

The pr ac tised eye an d keen in telle ct o f Ch ar les dis

c ern ed a t on c e the ser i ous n atu r e o f the i mpen din g

dan ger an d with char acteri s tic pro mptitude s ought to

,

ave r t it His s oldier s livin g on ly i n c amps an d always

.
,

un de r arms we r e r e a dy to march at a momen t s n o ti c e

’
.
,

S oon a g r eat army w as as s embled an d amids t the , ,

de a fen in g sh outs o f the s oldier y the gen eral o f the ,

F ran ks con fiden t Of the superi ority o f hi s fo llo we r s

,

in e n du ran c e an d di s c iplin e a dvan c ed to meet the

,

en emy The l atter dis cour aged by the bold fron t

.
,

pr esen ted by the in h abit an ts o f P o itier s w ho had ,

been n er ved to desperation by the memor able ex

ample O f B or de aux had in the me an time r aised
, , ,
304 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the siege an d wer e mar chin g t o war ds T our s at

, ,

tr ac ted by the f ame o f the v ast we alth o f the C hur ch

an d Abbey o f S t M ar ti n U p on an imme n se pl ain
. .

between the tw o c ities the r ival h o sts con fr on ted each

o the r This s ame r egion the c en tr e o f F ran c e still
.
, ,

c he r ished the r ememb ran c e o f a f or me r con test in

which c en tur ies befor e the G oths an d Burgun di an s

, ,

un der comman d o f ZE tiu s had aven ged the wron gs

o f E u ro pe up on the i nn umera ble h or des o f Attil a .

O f g oo d augury an d a h arbin ge r o f su cc ess w as

this forme r vi ctor y r eg ar ded by the st alwart warriors
o f the N o r th n ow summon ed a se con d ti me to c he ck
,

the p r o gr ess o f the barbarian flo o d o f the O r ien t .

Widely di ff er en t in r ac e in lan guage in per s on al , ,

a ppe ar an c e i n r eligi on in mi lit ar y ev o luti on s ari d in

, ,

arms e ac h se c r etly dr e a din g the r esult o f the in evi

,

t able con flict an d each un willin g to r etir e for seven ,

d ays the tw o armies r emain ed witho ut en g agin g but ,

co n st an tly drawn up in b attle array F i n ally un able .

,

to lon ge r r est ra in the i mpetu o sity o f the Ar a bs Abd ,

al R ahman g ave o r de r s for the a tt a ck

-
With loud .

cries the light squ a dro n s o f M oor ish c a va lr y fo llo wed ,

pell mell by the v ast mob o f foot s o ldier s hurled

themselves upon the s o lid steel —
-

c l a d fil es o f the

F r an ks But the latter stoo d fi r m—like a wall o f

,

”
i ce in the qu ain t l an gu age o f the an cien t ch ron i cler
—the d arts an d arrows o f the S arac en s struck h arm
,

lessly up on helmet an d cui r ass while the he avy swords ,

a n d mac es o f the men at arms o f Ch ar les ma de fr ight

- -

ful h avo c amon g the h alf n aked bo dies o f their ass ail
-

an ts N ight put an en d to the b attle an d the F ran ks

.
, ,

f or the mome n t r elieved fr om an or de al whi ch they

had sust ain ed with a c ou ra ge w or thy o f thei r r eputa
tion in v okin g the aid o f their s ain ts yet n ot without
, ,

misgivin gs f or the morro w slept up on their arms ,

.

At dawn the c on flic t w as r en ewed with equal ar dor

an d v ar yin g su cc ess u n til the a fter n o o n when a divi ,
3 06 HIST ORY OF TH E

influen c e they wer e comp o sed M on kish wr iter s h ave .

exh austed their p rolific imagin ati on in r ecoun tin g the

mi r aculo us in ter ven ti on o f the s a in ts an d the p ro wess
o f the c h ampi on s o f the C r o ss whi ch i n sur ed the ,

pr eser vation o f Ch risti an ity The Ar abs h owever , .

,

usu ally accura te an d min ute even in the r elation o f

their misfor tun es h ave n ot p aid the atten tion to this
,

gr e at even t whi ch its e ff e c t up on their for tun es would

seem to warran t M an y ign o r e it alto gethe r O ther s
. .

p ass it by with a few wor ds S ome r efer to it n ot .

,

a s a stubb o rn ly con tested e n g a gemen t but a s a ro ut ,

pr ov oked by the dis or der s o f an un wieldy multitude ,

in fl amed with fan ati c is m divi ded by f ac tion imp a

, ,

tien t o f dis ciplin e F r om suc h me agr e an d dis cor dan t

.

mater i als must be con struc ted the n arr ative o f on e o f

the mo st momen tous occurr en c es in the hist or y o f the
wor ld .

An a cc o un t o f the c r ushin g defe at o f P o itier s hav

in g been commu n i c ated to the Vi c er oy o f Afr i c a he ,

a pp o i n ted Abd al Melik I bn K a tt an an o ffi c e r o f the

- - - -
,

Afric an army E mir o f S p ain an d p r esen tin g him

, , ,

with his commission ur gen tly exhorted him to aven ge

,

the r ever se which had bef allen the M oslem arms The .

mar tial spir it o f this comman der in wh om the lapse ,

o f fou r s cor e an d te n ye ar s had n ot se n sibly i mp a i r ed

the vigor o f his min d or the activity o f his body ,

w as r oused to e n thusi a s m by the p ro spe c t o f an en

co un ter with the id o l ate r s o f the N or th Det ain ed .

fo r a time i n C o r do va by the distur b an c es r esultin g

from the dis org an iz ation o f al l bran ches o f the govern
men t he attempted at the he ad o f the r emain s o f the
, ,

defe ated army an d a r ein forc emen t whi c h had aecom

i d h im f r o m Afr i c a to thr e ad the d an gerous
p asses o f the Pyr en ees But the time w as ill —
p an e ,

. ch osen ;

the rain y se as on w a s at h an d ; an d the S ar ac en s ,

hemmed in by imp ass able t orr en ts fell an ea sy pr ey ,

to the missiles o f an e n te r p r isin g en e my The march .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 3 07

became a ser ies o f h ar assin g skirmishes ; an d it w as

wi th the gr eate s t diffic ulty th at the E mir w as en abled
to ext r ic ate the r e main der o f hi s t ro o p s fr o m the s n ar e
in to whi ch his wan t o f c aution had con ducted them .

Disgusted with the mis c ar r i age o f the expedition from

wh ose r e s ult s s o muc h had been expe cted Obey d all ah
Vi c er oy o f Afr ic a p r omptly depo s ed Abd al —
, ,

, M elik -
,

an d n omi n a ted his o w n b r o the r Okb ah I b n al H e a j

j ,
- - -
,

to the v ac an t p o siti on A mar tin et in sever ity an d

.

r outin e , Okb ah e n j oyed als o a well fo un ded r eput a -

tion for j usti c e an d in tegr ity He s oon became the .

terr or o f the corrupt an d tyr an n i c al o ffic i als w ho in

fested the admin istr ation He r emo ved s uch as had
.

been pr omin en t for cruelty fr aud o r in competen c y , , .

To all w ho wer e gui lty o f pe c ul ati o n o r o f even i n di ,

r ectl y r eflec ti n g up on the hon or an d dig n ity o f the

Kh alif he w as in ex orable With a v iew to in sur in g

,
.

the s a fety o f the highways he formed a moun ted ,

p oli c e the K as che fS in whi ch may be trac ed the germ

, ,

Of the Herman dad o f the fiftee n th c en tur y an d the

mo dern Gen d armes an d Civil Gu ar d s o f F r an c e an d
S p ain F ro m thi s i n stitution exten ded to the fr on
.
,

tier s o f M o s lem terr it or y as far as the Rho n e w a s ,

der ived the militar y or g an iz ation o f the Ribat—the

prototype o f the kn ightly or der s o f C alatrav a Alcan ,

tar a an d S an ti ago which played so con spi cuous a p ar t

, ,

in the R e con que s t Okb ah e s t abli s hed a co ur t i n ever y

.

village s o th at all h on es t citizen s might en j oy the pro

,

tecti on o f the l aw His foster in g c ar e als o pr ovided

.

each commun ity with a s choo l s u s tain ed by a s pe c i al

tax levied for th at pur p o se Dev out to an al rn o s t
.

fan ati c al degr ee be er e c ted a mo sque when ever the

,

n e c es s ities o f the pe o ple seemed to deman d it an d , ,

thoroughly alive to the adv an t ages o f a r eligious

educ ation he att ached to eve ry plac e o f wo rship a
,

min ister w ho might in str uc t the ign oran t in the

doctrin es o f the Koran an d the duties o f a faithful
3 08 HIST ORY OF TH E

Mussulman He r epr essed with an ir on h an d the

.

fer ocious spirit o f the vagran t t r ibes o f B er be r s ,

wh o se kin smen i n Afr i ca had in man y b attles , ,

forme r ly expe r ien c ed the e ff e cts o f his valor an d

dis c iplin e By equ alizin g the t ax ation b orn e by
.

di ff er en t commun ities he se c ur ed the gr atitude o f

,

di str i c ts whi c h ha d hither t o bee n Opp r essed by

g r ievous imp o sition s r en der ed still mor e in to lerable
,

by the ra p ac ity o f un pr in c ipled g overn or s NO .

per io d i n the histor y o f the emir ate w as d istin

g u i she d by su ch imp or t an t an d r a di c al r efor ms as
th at in cluded i n the a dmin istration o f Okbah I bn al - -

He j aj .

The Ber bers h avin g en g aged in on e o f their

,

perio dical r ev olts in Afr ic a Obey d all ah un able to

, ,

make hea dw ay ag ain st them sen t a desp atc h re ,

qui rin g the immedi ate atten d an c e o f Okbah The .

latter at the he ad o f a bo dy o f c av alr y cro ssed the

, ,

str ait an d a fter a de cisive b attle put the r ebels to

, , ,

flight His ser vi c es wer e fo un d s o in dispen s able by

.

the Vic er o y th at he kept him n e ar his per s on in the

c a p a c ity o f cou n c ill or f or fo u r ye a r s while he still ,

en j o yed the title an d emo lumen ts o f gove rn or o f

S p ain I n the me an time the g r e atest di s o r ders pre
.
,

v ailed in the Pen in sula The s alut ar y r efor ms which

.

had emplo yed the leisur e an d exe rc ised the abilities

o f the p r uden t Vi c e r o y we r e swept a w a y ; the Old
o r de r o f thi n gs w a s r e n ewed ; an d the p ro vi n c es o f

the emir ate wer e disgr ac ed by the r eviv al o f feuds ,

by the o pp r essi on o f the we ak by the n egle ct o f ,

ag r i c ultu r e by un c he cked in dulgen c e in peculation

, ,

a n d by the un iver s a l p r ev alen c e o f an a r c hy a n d bloo d

shed .

The dr e ad Of Ch ar les M ar tel an d the ruthless bar

b ari an s un de r his comman d w as wide Sp r e a d through -

ou t the p r o vi n c es o f S o uthern F r an c e Thei r ex c esses .

a pp e ar ed the m o r e ho r r ibl e when con tr a s ted with the

3 10 HIS T ORY OF TH E

but cher ed without merc y an d C h ar les h av i n g com

, ,

l etel y glutted his venge an c e by bu r ning the c ity left

p ,

it a he ap o f s moking rui n s .

H avin g been delayed by the stubborn Opp o sition

Of Avign o n , an d ur ged by the c l amor s o f hi s f 01

lower s w ho thir sted for the r i ch sp oils o f S eptimani a ,

the F r an kish general le avin g the fortifi ed to wn o f

,

Ar les in his r ear marc hed dir e ctly up on N ar b on ne

,
.

Th oroughly appr e ci atin g the p olitical an d mil it ar y

impo r tan c e o f this stron gh old the capital o f their ,

p ossession s in F ran c e the Arab s had sp ared n either

,

l ab or n o r expense to r en der it impr egn able The .

c ity w a s i n vested an d the sieg e p r essed with vig or ,

but the fo rtific ation s defied the e ff orts o f the b esieger s

an d little p r o g r ess w as ma de tow ar ds its r edu c ti on .

An expedition sen t to r ein fo r c e it maki ng the ap ,

p ro a ch by sea an d attemptin g to as c end the r iver

Aude w as foiled b y the vigilan c e of C h ar les ; the
,

boats we r e st opped by p alis ades planted in the bed o f

the str e am; the S ar ac en s h arassed b y the en emy s
,
’

ar c her s, wer e desp at ched with arr ows o r dr own ed in

the swamps ; an d o f a con siderable forc e a small
, ,

detac hment alone succ eeded i n cuttin g its w ay through

the lin es o f the besieger s an d entering the c ity The .

temper o f the F ran ks w as n ot pr oo f however again st , ,

the un daun ted r es olution o f the Ar ab g arr is on U n .

able to r estrain the g r o wi n g i mp atien c e o f his u n dis

c i li n ed
p levies C h arles r eluct an tly ab andon ed the
,

siege an d en de avor ed to in demn ify himself for his

dis appoin tment by the in fli c ti on o f all the un speak
a ble atr o c ities Of b ar b ar i an w ar far e upo n the terr itory

a c c essible to his ar ms O ver the b e autiful plain s of

.

P r o ven c e an d L an guedo c adorned w ith structur es

,

which r e called the p almiest days o f Atheni an an d

R oman genius an d who se p o pulati on w as the most
,

p olished o f Western E uro pe swept the fi er c e cavalry

,

o f the Alps an d the Rhin e Agde M aguelonne

.
, ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 311

an d B ezie r s wer e s acked The c ity o f Ni mes who se

.
,

marvellous r eli cs o f an tiquity ar e still the delight o f

the studen t an d the an tiquary pr ov oked the in di gn a
,

tion o f the in v ader by these marks o f her in telle ctual

superio r ity an d fo rmer gr e atn ess H er walls were .

r azed ; her chur ches plun der ed ; her mo st emi n en t

c itizen s c arr ied away as h o st ages ; her mo st splen did

ar chite c tu ra l mon umen ts delive r ed to the fl ames The .

massive arches o f the R oman amphithe atr e defied ,

h o wever the pun y e ff orts o f the en r aged b arb ar i an ;

,

but their blac ken ed ston es still exhi bit the tr ac es o f

fir e an en du r i n g s e al o f the i mp o ten t mali c e o f
,

Char les M ar tel impr essed in the middl e o f the eighth

c en tu r y .

I n this me mo rable i n v asion the Ar ab coloni sts d o

n o t seem to h a ve su ff e r ed so mu c h as the in digen ous

p o pul ation whic h had lon g befor e in cur red the enmi ty
,

o f the F r an ks The e cclesia stic al or der met with s can t

.

co ur tesy at the h an ds o f the ido la ter s Despisin g the .

terr or s o f an athema an d excommun ic ation Ch arles did ,

n ot he s it ate to a pp r o p r i ate the we alth o f the Chur ch

wher ever he coul d fi n d it H avin g in flic ted all the

.

damage p os s ible up on the s ubj ects an d allies o f the

Kh alif in P r oven c e the F r an ks lo a ded with booty
, ,

an d d r ivi n g befor e them a va st multitude o f captives

ch a i n ed to gether i n co uples r etu rn ed i n tr iumph to

,

their h omes .

Thi s occup ati on o f the F r an ks proved to be but

temporar y The garr ison s left in the t own s whose
.

walls wer e in tac t wer e in sufficien t to overawe the p opu

lac e ex asper ated by the outrages it had j ust sust ain ed .

The Duke o f M ar seill es sec on ded by the wali o f

,

Arles easily r egain ed con tr ol o f the coun tr y ar oun d

,

Avign on But the r eturn o f Ch arles dur in g the

.

followin g year with his al ly L iu tpr an d Kin g o f the ,

L ombar ds an d a lar ge army n ot onl y r ecover ed the

, ,

lo st terr itor y but t ook Arles hither to exempt from,

3 12 HIS T ORY OF TH E

ca ptur e an d dro ve the S ar ac en s beyo n d the Rh one

, ,

whi ch r iver f or the futur e became their e a ste rn b oun

d ar y a l imi t they wer e destin ed n ever ag ain to p ass
,
.

The absen c e o f Okbah en co ur aged the spirit o f re

bellion ever r ife in the Pen insula He had h ar dly
, .

r etur n ed befo r e the ar ts o f i n t r igu e an d the dis con

ten t o f the p o pulac e r aised up a formid able r ival to

his auth or ity Abd al Melik I bn K att an w ho had
.
- - - -
,

former ly been E mir n ow usur ped th at Offic e I n

,
.

the c ivil w ar whi ch follo wed the fortun es o f Abd al ,

-

Melik s oon r ec eived a p o we r ful impul se by the de ath

o f his co mpetito r at C arc a ss onn e .

We n ow turn to the co ast o f Afr ica a r egion whi ch ,

fr om fir st to las t has exer ted an extraor dinar y an d

alw a ys si n iste r i n flue n c e o ver the destin ies o f the

M oh ammed an empi r e i n E ur o pe The in tr act able .

c h a r ac te r o f the Be r be r s an d thei r ave r si on to the

,

r estr ain ts o f l aw an d the h abits o f c ivilized life had ,

defied the e ff orts o f the ablest s oldier s an d n egotiators

to con t r o l the m I n con sequen c e the d omi n an t Ar ab
.
,

elemen t w as n ot disp o sed to con cili ate s av ages w ho

r e c o g n ized n o auth or ity but th at Of forc e an d imp o sed ,

upon them the mo st o ppr es s iv e ex action s p r ompted ,

p artly by avar i c e an d p ar tly by trib al h atr ed The .

impetus o f Ber ber in s u rr e ction w as commun ic ated by

con t a c t a n d symp athy to the settlemen ts o f their
ki n dr ed in S p ain wher e the spir it o f in subor din ation
,

un der a less seve r e go vern men t made its outbr eaks

mor e se c ur e an d at the s ame time mo r e formidable
, , , .

Obey d all ah the p r esen t Vi c ero y w as in fluen c ed by

, ,

the s e feelin gs o f s corn even mor e th an a maj ority o f

his coun tr ymen A true Ar ab educated in the best
.
,

s ch ools o f S yri a o f e n er getic ch ar acter an d bigoted

,

impulses he r eg ar ded the un t amable t ribesmen o f

,

Afri c a as belo w the r an k o f sl aves While c olle ctor .

o f the r even ue in E gypt he had p ro v oked a r ebellion

o f the C o pts on accoun t o f an ar bit r ar y i n cr e as e

314 HIS T ORY OF TH E

wer e destin ed s oon to pro duc e the mo st impor tan t

p oliti cal r esults The B er ber s wr o ught up to a pit ch
.
,

o f un g ove r n able fu r y n o w on ly aw a ited a s u it able

,

Oppor tun ity to in augurate the mo st fo rmidable r evo lt

which had ever men ac ed the M o h ammedan g overn
men t o f Afric a I n the ye ar 7 40 an in cr e ased con
.

tr ibu tio n w as deman ded o f the i nh abit an ts o f T an gie r ,

wh o se r elation s with the s av ages o f the n eighborin g

moun tain s had pr even ted the con version o f the fo rmer
to I slam A divisi on o f the army w a s a bse n t in S i c ily
.
,

an d the Be r ber s per c eivin g their a dv an ta ge ro se

, ,

ever ywher e ag ain st their Oppr ess or s They stor med .

T an gier expelled the g ar r is on s o f the se a co ast c ities

, ,

ele cted a s o ver eign an d defeated in rapid succ essi on

,

ever y fo rc e sen t a g a in st them The pr ide an d r esen t

.

men t o f the Kh alif H i s chem at last impelled him to

desp atc h a gr e at army again st his r ebellious subj e cts .

I t n umber ed seven ty tho us an d an d w as comman ded ,

by a distin gui shed S yr ian offic er B al j I bn B es hr w ho ,

- -
,

w as or de r ed to put to de ath with o ut me rc y eve r y r ebel

w ho might fall in to his h an ds an d to i n dulge the
t r oo p s in all the lic en se o f in discrimin ate pillage .

M ar chin g t owar ds the west the S yr ian gen eral en ,

c oun te r ed the Ber be r s on the pl ai n o f M u l w i ah The

y .

n aked b o dies an d i n fe r i o r we a p on s o f the i n su r gen ts

provoked the c on tempt o f the s oldier s o f the Kh alif ,

w ho expe cted an e a sy vi c to r y ; but the r esistless im

pulse o f the b arb ar i an s supplied the wan t o f arms
an d dis c iplin e an d the S yr i an s we r e r outed with the
,

lo ss o f tw o thi r ds o f th eir n umber S ome ten th ou

-
.

s an d h orsemen un der comman d o f B a]j cu t thei r w ay

, ,

thr ough the en emy an d to ok r efuge in Ceut a The .

Be r ber s awar e o f the imp ossibility o f r edu cin g th at

,

plac e rav aged the n eighb or h oo d for miles ar oun d

, ,

an d , h avin g block aded the t own on all sides the ,

S yr i an s un able to es c ape o r to o bt ain p r ovisi ons were

, ,

thr eaten ed with a li n ger in g de ath by famin e .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 3 15

Abd al Melik E mir o f S p ain w as a n ative of

- -
, ,

Medin a H alf a c en tur y befor e he had been pr omi

.

n e n t i n the A r ab army at the b attle o f H arr a the ,

blo o dy p r elude to the s ack o f the H oly City an d the

en slavemen t an d exile o f its citizen s To him in v ain .
, ,

did the S yr ian gen eral a pply for vessels in which to

c r o ss the s tr a it The Ar ab chieft ain be ar in g upon
.
,

his b ody man y s c ars in flic ted by the spe ar s o f Yezid s ’

tr oo pe r s an d w ho had s een his family an d his n eigh

b ors mass acr ed befor e his fac e n ow exulted in the ,

pr o spe ct o f an unh o ped for r even ge ; an d for the -

,

c omplete acco mplish men t o f his pu r p o se he issu ed ,

str in gen t or der s again st supplyin g the un fo r tun ate

S yri an s with s upplies The s ymp athy o f Zeyad I bn .
-

Amru a we althy r es iden t o f C or dov a w as aroused by

, ,

the accoun t o f their s uff er in gs an d he impr uden tly ,

fitted ou t tw o vessels for their r elief ; whi ch ac t o f

in subor din atio n h avin g been c ommun ic ated to the
E mi r he or der ed Zeyad to be imp r is on ed an d h avin g
, , ,

put ou t his eyes imp aled him in comp an y with a , ,

d og a mar k o f ign omin y in flic ted o n ly on the wor st

,

o f c r i mi n a l s .

The n ews o f the de c isive victor y Obt ain ed by the

Ber ber s over the army o f the Kh alif w as r e ceived with
pr ide an d r ej oi cin g by all o f their c oun tr ymen in
S p ain The e ff ort s o f the missi on ar ie s aided by the
.
,

fier y ze al o f their pr o selyte s had in fused in to the ,

po pulatio n o f the N orth c ompo sed lar gely o f Afr ic an ,

col on ists a spi r it o f f an ati c ism whi c h th r e aten ed to

,

c arr y ever ythi n g bef or e it I n a momen t the Ber be r s .

o f Ar a g on G ali c i a an d E st r ema du ra sp r an g to ar ms
, , .

Un itin g their for c es they ele cted Offic er s ; then or ,

a n i ze d in th r ee divisi on s they p r ep ar ed to dispute the

g ,

auth or ity o f the E mir i n the str on gh olds o f his p o wer .

On e b o dy mar c hed up on C or dova an othe r in vested ,

T oledo an d the thir d dir ected its cour se towar ds Alge

,

ziras with design s upo n the fleet by wh ose ai d they

, ,
3 16 HIST ORY OF TH E

expec ted to mass a cr e the S yr i an s i n Ceut a an d to

c o lle c t a b o dy o f co lo ni sts s u ffi c ie n t to dest r o y the

h aughty Arab ar ist o cr ac y o f the Peni n sula an d foun d

an in depen den t kin gdo m Be r be r i n n ati on ality s chis, ,

mati c an d pr e cisi an in r eligion .

And n ow wer e ag ain ex hibited the sin gular in con

s i s ten c i e s an d r emar k able e ff e c ts o f the f at al an tag o

n is m o f rac e The critical con dition o f Abd al Melik

.
- -

compelled him to i mpl o r e the supp or t o f his S yr i an

fo es whom he h ated with far mor e bitte rn ess th an he

,

did his r ebellious subj e cts an d w ho wer e als o th or ,

o ughly co g n iz an t o f his feelin gs to war ds them a s well

as o f the p oliti c al n e c essity whi ch p rompted his a d

v an c es A tr e aty w as exe c uted by wh o se ter ms the

.
,

S yr i an s wer e to be t r an sp orted in to S p ain an d pledged

their assist an c e to crush the r ebell ion an d a fter this , ,

had bee n accomplished the E mir a gr eed to lan d them,

i n Afr i ca up on a terr it or y whi ch ac kn o wledged the

j ur isdi ction o f the Kh alif H ost ages sele cted from .

their pr in cip al offic er s we r e deliver ed by the h alf

famished r efugees an d they embar ked fo r An da
,

lusi a wher e the po lic y o f the g overn men t an d the

,

symp athy o f the peo ple supplied them with foo d ,

c lo thi n g an d ar ms
, a n d thei r d r oo pi n g spi r its s oon
,

r evived These exper ien c ed s o ldier s un ited with the

.
,

forc es o f Abd al Mel ik att acked an d r outed with e ase

- -

, ,

on e a fter an o the r the th r ee Ber ber armi es All o f

, .

the plun der which the latter had co llec ted fell in to
their h an ds i n addition to th at sec ur ed by expedition s
,

in to the n ow un defen ded coun tr y o f their en emies .

His app r ehen si on s con c ern in g the B erber s h aving been

r emo ved Abd al Melik n ow be c ame an xi o us to r elieve
,
- -

his d omi n ion s o f the p r esen c e o f alli es wh o se succ ess

r en de r ed them f ormid able But the allur emen ts o f
.

s o il an d climate had made the S yr ian s r eluc tan t to

ab an do n the be autiful lan d o f An d aluz — the r egi on ,

wher e they had ac cumulated so much we alth the s c ene ,

318 HIS T ORY OF TH E

ti on al i ty the p ar ti cip an ts o r the degr ee o f p rovo

of ,

c a ti on w as i n depen de n t o f its mo r al a spe c t highly

, , ,

imp olitic an d mo st pr ej udic ial to the in ter ests o f the

r evo luti on ists The S yr i an s be c ame pr a c tic all y i so
.

lated in a f or eign cou n tr y The s on s o f Abd al Melik .

- -
,

w ho held i mp o r t an t co mman ds in the N or th a ssembled ,

a g r e at army R ein fo r c emen ts wer e furn ished by the

.

gover n or o f N arbon n e an d the fickle Berber s j o in ed

,

in con side r able n umbe r s the r an ks o f thei r f ormer

a dve r s ar ies .

At a little vill age called Aqua P o rtera n ot f ar fr om -

,

C or dov a the Ar abs an d Ber ber s atta cked the for ei g n

,

er s w ho ha d e n listed a s thei r a uxili ar ies a n umbe r o f

,

c r imin als an d o utl aws I n the b attle whi c h fo llo wed

.

the l atter we r e vic to rious but lo st their gen er al B al j , ,

w ho fell i n a s i n gle c omb at with the g o ve r n or o f N ar

bonn e The S yr i an s wh o se cho ic e w as immedi ately
.
,

co n firmed by the Kh a lif ele cted as his su cc ess or , ,

Th al aba I bn S alamah a mon ste r wh o se n ame w as

- -
,

a fte r w ar ds st ain ed with a c ts o f i n c r edible i n famy .

His in human ity w a s pr o ver bi al His troo ps gave .

n o qu ar te r The wives an d childr en o f his Opp on en ts

.
,

wh ose liber ty even the mo st vio len t o f hi s p ar ty had

r espe c ted we r e e n sl aved
, O ther vi c tims he ha d pre .

vi ou s l
y exp o sed at au c ti on befor e the g ates o f C or
do va un der circumst an c es o f the gr ossest cruelty an d
,

humili ation The most illustr ious o f these wer e n obles

.

o f the p ar ty o f Medi n a By an exqui site r efin emen t

.

o f i n sult he caused them to be disp o sed o f to the

lo west in ste ad o f the highest bidder an d even

, , ,

b arte red publi cly fo r impur e an d fil thy an imals the

des c en d an ts o f the fr ien ds o f M o h ammed members ,

O f the p r o udest f amilies o f the ar ist ocrac y o f Ar a bi a .

But the at roc ities o f Th alab a had alr ea dy alien ated

man y o f the adhe r en ts o f his own p ar ty as well as
terr ified tho se o f the o pp osite fa cti on w ho had n o ,

mer cy to expe ct at the h an ds o f a le ader who neith er

 MOORIS H E M P I RE IN E URO P E 31 9

Obser ved the laws o f w ar n or r espected the f aith of

tr e aties Upon the appli c ation o f these citizen s mo st
.
,

o f the m men o f high r an k an d in fluenti al ch ar a c ter ,

the Vi c er o y o f Africa sen t Abu al Khattar to super- -

sede the s angui n ary Th alaba He arrived j ust in

.

time to r es cue the unhappy Berber s many o f them ,

M oslems w ho wer e alr ead y r an ged i n or der for sys

,

temati c ma ss acr e His p ower w as s oon felt ; an d by

.

ban ishin g the le aders o f the in s urgents ; by gran tin g

a gen era l amn esty ; by an ample distr ibuti on o f u n

settled territor y ; an d by co n ferrin g upon the trucu

len t str an ger s a p ortio n o f the public r even ue s an ,

un usual degr ee o f pe ac e an d sec urity w as s oon as

sur ed to the entir e Pen in sul a I n accor dan c e with a
.

po lic y ado pted man y year s befor e the variou s colo ,

n i s ts wer e assigned to distr i c ts which b or e s ome r e

semblan c e in their gen e r al fe atur es to the l an d o f

, ,

their n ativity a plan which O ff ered the additio n al

,

a dv an t a ge o f sep arati n g these tur bulen t spi r its fr om

e ac h other thus r en der in g mutual co Operation d iffi

,
-

c ul t i f n ot i mp o ssible i n a n y en ter p r ise a ff e ctin g the

, ,

s a fety or perman en c e o f the c en tral power .

The fir st mon ths o f the admi nistration o f Abu al -

Kh attar wer e distin guished by a degr ee o f fo rbear

an c e a n d c h ar ity u nu s ua l amidst the dis or de r whi ch

n ow pr ev ailed i n eve r y p r ovin c e o f the M o slem em

pir e But his p artis an s had wrongs to aven ge an d

.
,

the E mi r had n ot the moral courage to r esi s t the i m

por tun ate deman ds o f his kin dred An un just j u
.

d ici al de cision p rovoked r epr oa ch ; in s ul t led to blo o d

shed ; the fi ery M aad ites r ushed to arms ; an d on c e
mor e the Peninsula assu med its or din ary a spe ct o f
politic al conv ulsion an d c ivil w ar Ai S amil an d .
-

Th alab a tw o capt ain s o f distin ction obtain ed the

, ,

sup r emacy ; the E mir w as impris on ed then r es cued , ,

an d, a fte r sever al in e ff ec tu a l attempts to r eg ai n his

auth or ity put to de ath H aving over po wer ed its

,
.
3 20 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a dver s ary the tr iumph an t M aad ite f ac tion gratified

,

its r even geful impulses to the utmo st by plun der ,

to r tur e an d ass assin atio n At len gth the conditi on

, .

o f a ff a i r s be comi n g i n t o le r a ble a n d n o p r o spe c t ex ,

i s tin g o f r elief fr om the E a st whe r e the c an did ates ,

o f r iv a l tr ibes con te n ded f or the te mpti n g p r ize o f

the kh alifate a coun c il o f offic ers w as con v oked an d

, ,

Yusuf Abd al Rahman al F ehr i w a s un an imously

- - - - -

c h o sen g o v e r n or o f S p ai n .

This comman de r had by man y ye ar s o f faithful ,

servic e in F ran c e by st ric t imp ar ti ali ty i n his deci

,

si on s an d by a brave r y r emark able amon g a people

,

with wh om the slightest Sign o f co war dic e w as an

in delible disgr ace w on the r espe c t an d admir ation o f
,

his con temporar ies His lin e a ge w as high his pers on

.
,

a ttr a c tive his mann er s dign ified an d co u r te ous

, He .

had defen ded N arb o nn e ag ain st the p o we r o f Ch arles

M ar tel wh o se army flushed with vi ctor y an d an i
, ,

mated by the p r esen c e o f the gr e at M ayor o f the

P alac e himself had been un able to Sh ake his con fi
,

den c e o r distur b his equ an imity But his emin en t .

qualification s for the p o sition to whic h he w a s n ow

c alled did n o t depen d up on his forme r se r vi c es an d

his pers o n al mer it s o muc h as upon the absen c e which

had kept him fr o m all the e n t an gle me n ts an d in
tri g u e s o f f ac ti on Thus it w as th at the fierc est par
.

ti san s h ailed hi s ele c tion as a h ar bin ge r o f pe ac e an d

c o n cor d ; a wise st r ok e o f p oli c y th at might r e con cile

the an tagon isti c p r eten sio n s o f the n o bles o f D amas

c u s an d Medi n a ; c u r b the l awlessn ess o f the Be r ber s ;

a n d r est or e the E mi r ate o f the West to th at tr an

quillity an d p ro sperity it had at lon g in terv als en

j o yed an d o f which the memory like a h alf forg otten
, ,
-

traditi on alon e r emain ed This illegal act o f the

, .

Offic er s w a s with out hesit ation s an ction ed by the

Kh alif M erw an w ho pr uden tly overlooked the spirit
,

o f i n depen den c e i mplied by its ex erc ise on acc ount o f

3 22 HIS T ORY OF TH E

an d this confusio n o f in ter ests o ften subj ec ted them

to the in j usti c e o f double an d even tr eble t ax ation
, , .

At n o time in the histor y o f S p ain Sinc e the i rr uption ,

o f the G oths ha d su c h a con diti on o f an ar c hy an d

,

s oc ial wr et chedn ess p r ev ailed ; when the inspiration o f

a few S y r i an c hieft a i n s b ro ught the existing ch ao s to

an end by the in tr o du c tion o f a n ew ruler an d the

,

re est ab lishment o f a dy n asty wh o se

-
pr in c es the ,

ty r an ts o f D amas cus had hitherto r eflected little

,

mor e th an Odium an d der ision on the M o slem n ame .

The history o f S p ain un der the emir s pr esents a

melan cho ly su cc ession o f tr a gic even ts ar ising from
an tip athy o f rac e po li tical ambition r eli gio us zeal
, , ,

an d p r ivate en mity An extrao r din ary degr ee o f

.

in st abili ty mis rul e distrust an d avar ice ch aracter

, , ,

i zed their a dmi n istr ati on The r evolutions which

.

const an tly affli c ted the Kh alif ate o f D amas c us ex er

c i sed n o in c onside r able in fluen c e o ve r the vi c e r eg al

c apit als o f K ai r o an an d C o r d o v a The Ommey ad e .

p rin ces o f S yr ia liv ed i n con s t an t appr ehension o f

death b y violenc e The meth o ds by which they had
.

ar isen in man y i n st an c es con tri buted to their o ver

thro w The ass assin Of yeste r day o ften b ecame the

.

vi ctim Of to d ay The per petr ation o f ever y crime

-
.
,

the in dulgen c e in eve r y vi c e by the S ucc ess or s o f the

,

P rophet diminished the faith an d loyalty o f their

,

subj ects an d serio usly a ff e c ted the pr estige an d

divi ne ch arac ter b el ieved to a tta ch to their offic e .

The subor dinates nec ess ari ly shar ed the Odium an d

ignomi ny of their superior s The E mi r o f S p ain .

l abor ed under a two fold di s advan t age He held .

un der the V i c eroy o f Afr ic a while the l atter w as ,

a pp o i n ted di r e ctly by the Kh alif This division of .

auth or ity an d r es p on sibility w a s n ot con du c ive to the

in ter ests o f goo d govern men t s oc i al or der or domestic , ,

t r anquillity The pe o ple o f the Pen insul a subj ect to

.
,

the capric es o f a double tyr ann y could n ot b e expected ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 3 23

to feel much r ever en c e for the supr eme po ten tate o f

their governmen t an d r eligion thir teen hun dr ed miles
aw a y . With the ac c ession o f e ach r ule r aro se fr esh
pr etexts f o r the exer cise o f ever y r es ou r c e o f extor tio n .

The r a pac ity o f thes e offici als r iv alled in the in gen ui ty

o f its devi c es an d the value o f its r etu r n s the ex ac ti on s

o f the Ro man p r ocon s ul s The metho ds by which the

.

maj or ity o f them main tain ed their p ower provoked

un iver s al exe crati on Un der such p oliti c al con dition s
.
,

loyalty un io n an d commerc i al p r os per ity wer e im

, ,

po ssible The an c ien t co urs e o f a ff airs —an or der

.

whic h had exis ted for thr ee hu n dr ed ye ar s—had been

r udely i n terr upted E ven un der favora ble auspi c es
.

the foun d atio n o f a go vern men t an d the r e or gan iz a

tion o f s o c iety would h ave been tasks fr aught with
man y per plexities an d d an ger s The Vi s ig o thic em .

pir e had it is tr ue been s ubdued but its n ation al spir it

, , , ,

its r eli gion an d its tr aditio n s r emain ed The ch an ge s

,
.

o f M o slem g ove r n or s we r e s udden an d fr equen t The .

aver a ge du r ati on o f an emi r s O f fi c i al life w as ex ac tly

’

twen ty seven mon th s I t r equir ed the exer tion o f the

-
.

gr e atest wisd om o f the mo st en lighten ed s t atesman

,

s hip, to ave rt the c al amitie s whic h must n e c ess ar ily

r esult fro m the c o llisi on between a hete r o gen e ou s

p opul ac e s ubj ec ted sudden ly to the will o f a still mor e

heter ogen eo us mas s o f for eign er s ; to r e con c ile the
in ter ests o f a dver se fac tion s ; to a ppe ase the deman d s
o f wild b ar b ar i an s un a c cust omed to be den ied ; to
decide ali ke pr o foun d question s o f p oli c y an d friv o
lous dispute s con n e cted with the v ar iou s gradation s
o f e cc lesi a stic a l dig ni ty o f her edit ar y ran k o f mili
, ,

tar y distin ction an d o f s oci al pr e c eden c e

, The in .

flexibili ty o f the Ar ab char ac ter the as s umed supe ,

r i or ity o f the Ar a b r ac e the un quen ch able fir es o f

,

tribal h atr ed the n e c es s ity o f main t ain in g the r ights

,

acc or ded under s o lemn t r e atie s to the va n quished ,

en h an c ed a hun dr ed fold the difficulties whi ch con

-
3 24 HIS T ORY OF THE

fr on ted the s over eign As an in evit able con sequen c e

.

a ch ron i c st ate o f dis or de r p r ev ailed The authority .

o f the Kh alifs o f D a mas cus w as in fa c t but n omi n al ,

an d w as n eve r i n v oked ex c ept to cou n ten an c e r ev o lt

o r to a ssu r e the o bedie n c e o f th o se w ho fa lter ed in

thei r lo yalty to the emir s the ac tu al r ul er s o f S p ain

, .

But despite these ser i ous impedimen ts the gen ius o f

, ,

the Ar a bi an peo ple adv an c ed r apidly in the p ath o f

c iviliz a ti on while the den se an d sluggish i n telle c t o f
,

the n o rthe rn b ar bar i an s w ho in their or igin wer e n ot

, , ,

less ign or an t r emain ed st ation ar y I t took S p ain

, .
,

un der the M o slems less th an h alf a c en tur y to r each

,

a p o i n t i n human p r o g r ess whi c h w a s n ot a tt ai n ed by

I t aly un der the p o pes in a th o us an d ye ar s The c a .

p a city o f the Ar ab min d to abs or b to a pp ro p r i a te to , ,

in ven t to develo p to imp rove has n o p ar allel in the

, , ,

a n n a ls o f an
y r ac e The empir e o f the kh alifs in
.

c luded a n eve n g r e ater dive r sity o f c li mate a n d n ati on s

th an th at o f Rome The ties o f un iver s al bro ther h oo d

.

p ro c laimed by the K o r an ; the conn e c ti on s deman ded

by the r equir emen ts o f an exten ded commer c e ; the
in timate ass oci ation s en c o ur a ged by the pilgr image to
Me cca awaken ed the cur io sity an d en lar ged in an
, ,

equ al degr ee the min ds o f the M o slems o f Asi a

, ,

Afr i c a an d E uro pe Y et mo r e impor tan t th an all

, .

w as the e ff e c t o f the a lmo st in c ess an t h o stili ties waged

a g ai n st the i n fidel By its con st an tly v ar yin g even ts
.
,

its fas cin ati on s its thrillin g ex c itemen ts its dan gers
, , ,

its vi cto r ies defe ats an d triumphs w ar has a r emark

, , ,

a ble ten de n c y to exp an d the i n telle c tu a l f ac ulties an d ,

ther eby to a dv an c e the cause o f tr uth an d promote the

impr ovemen t o f ever y bran ch o f useful kn o wledge .

The advan t ages der ived from travel experien c e an d , ,

con quest the M o slems b r o ught with the m i n t o the

S p an ish Pen in sul a Un der the emir ate h owever

.
, ,

these wer e c on st an tly coun ter ac ted by the ferocious

an d i n domit a ble c h arac te r o f the Be r be r s The latter .
326 HIS T ORY OF TH E

The mor al an d p oli tical aspe c t o f the Wester n world

co in c ided i n man y p ar ti c ul ar s with th at o f S p ai n d u r

i n g the a g e Of t r an siti on whi c h p r e c eded the est ablish

men t o f the Kh alifate o f C o r d ov a O f all the st ates
.

whi ch had comp osed the vast f abri c o f the Roman

E mpir e s carc ely on e w as at pe ac e with its n eighb or s or
exempt fr o m the calamities in c iden t to r eligious dis cor d
an d c ivil w ar The s can ty r ema in s o f ar t an d learn in g
.

whic h had es c aped the fur y o f the b ar b ar i an s had

t aken r efuge in C on st an tin o ple n ow the in telle ctu al
,

c en t r e o f E u r Op e . The n oble p r o du cti on s o f the an

c i en ts ha d h o weve r bee n c a st a side with c o n te mpt f or
, ,

the h omilies o f the F a ther s an d ar gumen ts con cern

,

i n g the mi ra culous vi r tues o f images t o gether with

d aily r io ts an d ch ar io t —
,

r ac es en g aged the atten tion

,

an d a mused the lei s u r e o f the we a k an d pusill an imous

Byz an tin e wh o se ch ar ac te r defor med by ab j ec t vi c es

, , ,

had lo n g sin c e f or feited al l r ight to the h on or ed n ame

o f R oman . The turbulen t p o pulac e o f th at gre at
c ity whi c h vi r tu ally di c t a ted the edi c ts o f its r uler s
, ,

pr o te cted by its i mp r egn able walls had seen with , ,

cr aven in di ff e r en c e its en vir on s plu n der ed an d its

,

s over eign ty defied by the p o wer s o f Per sian G oth , ,

a n d S ar a c en The gen ius an d en er gy o f its f oun der

.

had been suppl an ted by the supe r stitio n s an d cruelties

o f a s u c c e s sio n o f feeble tyr an ts wh o se man ifold
,

cr i mes we r e n ow , for a sh or t in te r v al r edee med by ,

the mar ti al t alen ts an d p o litic al virtues o f L eo the

I s auri an
.

I n I t aly the pe ac e o f s oc iety w as distu r bed by the

,

i con o c las tic her e s y an d the dis o r de r s whi ch accom

pan i ed the foun d a ti on o f a r epubli c commotion s ,

desti n ed s oon to pr ov oke the in ter fer en c e o f the

L omb ar ds an d the subsequen t imp o litic alli an c e with
tho se per fi d i ou s b ar b ari an s The stern an d un com
.

p romi sin g ch ar acter o f G r eg or y the Gr e at had est ab

lished the Chu r ch up o n a b a sis so s o lid th at the e ff or ts
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 3 27

of al l its en emies h ave to this d ay been un able to

pr ev ail again s t it ; an d the s agac ity o f this distin
g u ishe d p on ti ff ha d vin di cated the p oli c y o f a system
pr ompted by the in spir ati on o f almo st superhuman
wisdom s an ctified by the pr e c epts o f an tiquity
, ,

str en gthen ed by the en thusi as m o f its s ain ts an d

mar tyr s an d c on firmed by the p r es c ription o f cen
,

tur i e s .

No un tr y in E uro pe du r in g the eighth c en tur y

co

exhibited such a pictur e o f un r edeemed b arbar ism as

B r itain The Roman s had n ever been able to mor e
.

than tempor ar ily est ablish their in stituti on s in th at

islan d The legion s with difficulty held in subj e ction
.

a pe o ple wh om n either for c e n or the ar ts o f per s u a si on

c ould make amen able to the ben efits o f c ivilized life .

The cru el r ites whic h ch aracterized the wor ship o f the

D ruids had been ab oli shed but the elegan t mytholo gy
,

o f I t aly obt a i n ed n o h old upon the mi n ds o f the

degr aded abor igin e s w ho welco med with deli ght the
,

s av age c er emon ies which wer e per formed aroun d the

alt ar s o f the S c an din avi an Wo den U p on this un con
.

gen ial s oil the r efin in g gen ius o f Rome left n o perma
n en t tr a c es o f its o c cup an c y n o s plen did memo r i als
,

o f its ar t an d cultu r e The n atur e o f the tr an sitor y

.

impr es s ion s eman atin g fr om the p os session o f B rit ain

by the mas ter s o f the wor ld w as dis clo sed by the cr us h
i n g misfor tun e s whi c h befell the empir e in the fifth
c en tu r y Un able to s ust ain the car es o f go ver n men t
.
,

h ostile chieft ain s ab an don ed the islan d to all the wo es

o f an ar chy a n d p ar tis an j e al ousy in voked the pe r ilous
,

aid o f the pir ates o f G e r man y wh o se d o min i on w as

,

fin ally est ablished on ly by a w ar o f extermin ation

in vo lvin g b o th ally an d foe The obs cur ity o f the
.

B r itish an n als con c ern in g the per io d un der con sider a

tion den se o f itself is in cr e ased by the p o pular a cc ept
, ,

an c e o f myt h an d legen d a s histor i c truth The chron .

i cl ers o f Weste rn E ur o pe h o weve r h ave made us

, ,
3 28 HIS T ORY OF TH E

ac qu ain ted with the n ati on al ch aracter o f the S ax ons .

We kn o w th at in B rit ain the customs o f the ab or igines

an d the l aws o f the empi r e we r e a like ab r og ated ; th at

n o worship p r ev a iled but the b asest form o f idolatry ;

th at ever y vestige o f R oman in stitutions w as swept

a w ay ; th at the r eligi on wh o se ma xi ms had b een pro

c l a imed by the el o quen c e o f Augustin w as exti r p ated ;

an d th at the v o i c e o f f ac ti on whi c h ha d evo ked this

barb ari an tempest w a s silen c ed in the convul sions

which pr ec eded the fo un dation o f the S ax on Hep
tar chy The islan d who se n ame is n ow the most
.
,

familiar on e kn own to man kin d became mor e my s ,

teri ou s th an it had been in the r emo test age s o f

an tiquity ; the c ou n t r y wh o se con sti tu tion is n ow in

sep arably ass oci ated with the en j o ymen t o f the l arges t
me asur e o f fr eedom w a s then n o ted as the most ad v an
tag e ou s market f or the purc h ase o f sl aves I n the .

cultiv ated s ociety o f C o n st an ti n o ple le ar ned men b e

,

liev ed th at B r it ain w a s a r egi on o f pestilen c e an d

h orrors whither as to a plac e o f etern al punish ment
, , ,

the spir its o f the F r an ks we r e fe rried at midnight by

a t r ibe o f wei r d fishe rmen w ho b y r e as on of this s er
, ,

vi ce wer e exempted fr om c ert ain bur den s an d enj oyed

,

pe culi ar p rivileges Amon g the luxur ious e cclesiastics

.

o f G a ul the slaves imp or ted from B r ita in wer e

,

gr e atly esteemed as bein g bo th che ap an d servi ceable ;

an d the s acr ed o ffi c e o f pr iest o r ab b o t w as n ot de

graded b y the own er ship o f h apless b eings in whose

un natural p ar en ts the feelin gs o f human ity an d the
in stincts o f a ff ec tion had been subor din ated to the
deb asin g p assion o f av ar ic e .

The general complexion o f a ff a ir s in Gaul off er ed

a str iking an al o gy to th at p r ev a iling in S p ain at the

time o f the subver sio n o f the kin gdom o f the V isi

goths I n on e r espe ct h owever a di ff er ence more
.
, ,

a pp ar ent th an r e a l existed ; n o mon ar c h w as deluded

by the pr o fessed allegi an c e an d w as at the s ame time

,
330 HIS T ORY OF TH E

their comp an i on s When the attrac tion s o f the world

.

wer e too p ower ful to be r esisted the p roudest chief ,

tain s comp romised with con s cien c e either by the don a

tion o f their ser fs to the abo des co n se cr ated to the s er
vic e o f G o d or by the ran s om an d pur ch ase o f slaves to
,

in c r e ase the lo r dly abb ot s imp o sin g r etin ue I n the

’
.

foun d ation o f r eligi ous h ouses in F r an c e ther e existed

an e mul a ti on u n k n o w n to an y o the r c o un tr y e mb r ac ed

i n the spiritu al d omai n o f the P a p ac y The fame an d .

piety o f the p atr on o f on e o f these est ablishmen ts w as

in a dir e ct p r o p o r ti on to the n umbe r o f r e c luses whom
his ri ches o r his in fluen c e w as able to assemble within
its walls As a con sequen c e n o in con sider able p or tion
.
,

o f the p o pul ati on o f F r an c e w as devo ted to a c on

v en tu a l life a n d the n u mbe r o f mon ks con g r eg ated

,

i n a si n gle mon a ste r y w as p ro digio us i n man y i n ,

s t an c es amou n ti n g to a s man y a s eight hu n dr ed The .

gen er o sity an d devo tion o f the foun der o f a r eligious

com mun i ty wer e c er tain to be r ewar ded with the
c o veted h o n o r o f can o n iz a ti on an d r e co r ds o f the
,

G allic Chur ch durin g the fir st h alf o f the eighth

c en tu r y i n c lude the n ames o f mo r e s a i n ts th an an
y
co rr esp on din g pe r i o d i n the histor y o f L ati n Ch r is

ti an ity. Libe rality to these h oly in stitution s w as

esteemed n ot on ly a virtue o f sup r eme ex c ellen c e
but a c e rt ain p roo f o f or th o doxy an d their v aults ,

en clo sed t r e asur es wh o se v alue w as sedulously ex ag

ge rated by the v an ity o f the cle r gy an d the cr edulity
o f the ra bble The a ccoun ts o f the en ormous we alth
.

Of these esta blishmen ts dissemi n ated f ar an d wide

,

thr ough the garr ulity o f pilgr ims an d traveller s by ,

stimulatin g the cupidity o f the Arabs an d in c itin g

them to crus ade an d c olon iz ati on pro du c ed a de c ided ,

e ff ec t up on the poli tic al fortun es an d s oc ial or g an iz a

tion o f F r an c e an d through F ran c e in dir ec tly up on
,

tho se o f all E uro pe .

Ruden ess b rut ality coar s e li c en tio usn ess aff e c ted
, , ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 331

s an ctity an d barbar ic s plen d or wer e the pr omin en t

,

c h ar a c te ri s ti c s o f the s o c iety con stituted by the n o mi

n a l s over eign s a n d thei r cou r t s the mayor s o f the

,

p al ac e an d thei r r et ain er s an d the lazy ec cle s iastics

,

w ho swarmed in eve r y p o r tio n o f the d omin io n s o f

.

the Mer ovin gi an p r in c es The will o f the mo st po wer

.

ful n oble w as the l aw o f the l an d Appr ehen sion o f

.

in testin e war far e an d the mutu al j e alousy an d

s cr upul o us ambiti o n o f the feuda l lor d s pe r petu a lly

dis cour a ged the in dustr y o f the husb an dman A feel .

in g o f i n di ff e r en c e pe rv a ded the r an ks o f the ig n o

ran t p o pul a c e stupidly con ten t with the ple a sur es O f a
,

mer e an imal exis ten c e The priesth oo d assiduous i n

.
,

the ex actio n s o f tithe s evin ced a marked r epugn an c e

,

to con t r ibu te pe cun i ar y aid in time s o f n ati on al emer

g en cy when even thei r o w n existe n c e w as impe r illed .

Unn atural c ri mes fr atr i cide in c e s t an d n ameless

, , ,

o ff en c es a g a in st public de c en cy wer e commo n .

C on cubin age w as un ivers ally pr ev alen t amon g the

we althy I n a practi ce s o fat al to the pur ity o f
.

domesti c life the cler gy Obt ain ed a disgrac eful pre

emi n en c e an d in the c lo ister ed se clusio n o f c on ven ts
,

an d mon as te r ies th o se a pp a r en t se ats o f auste r ity a n d

,

devotion wer e en ac ted with impu n ity s c en es whic h

,

s h r an k fr o m the publi c ity o f c itie s an d i n di c a ted the

a l armi n g an d h o peless exten t o f e cclesiastic al de

pravity .

I n the p r o vin c es o f the S o uth forme r ly subj e c t to

,

the j ur is diction o f the Visigoth s a gr e ater degr ee o f ,

in telligen c e an d a mor e p olished in ter cour se existed ,

the inh e r it an c e o f the an c ien t col on i s ts w ho had b e

qu eathe d to thei r p o ste r ity the tr adition s o f R oman

luxur y an d Gr e ci an cultur e Her e up on the shor es.
,

o f the Medite r ran e an an d in the v alley o f the Rh on e ,

the gifts o f n atur e wer e better a dapted to pr ogr ess

i n the ar ts ; the c limate w as mor e p r o pitio u s to the
in telle ctual devel o pmen t o f the masses While s o cial .
332 HIS T ORY OF TH E

equality w as yet s tric tly Obser ved i n the assemblies

o f the Teut o n s an d the F r an ks the pr ide o f ar is
,

to c r a cy he r e fir st a sse r ted its supe r ior c l aims to con

sideration I t w as from this r egio n favor ed by its
.
,

geo g raphi c al p o s iti on its co mmer c ial r elati on s an d

, ,

its symp athy with the philo s o phi cal ideas an d literary
a spi r a ti on s o f the i n h abit an ts o f M o sle m S p a i n th at ,

w as to sp r e a d the r e fi n in g in fluen c e o f c hiv alr y an d

lette r s a fte rwar ds so p r omin en tly displayed in the
cou r ts o f the Albige n si an p r i n c es .

The u n s atisfa cto ry n atur e o f the in fo rmation

a ff or ded by the defe c tive c h r on i c les o f the eighth

c en tu r y is a se r i ous i mpedimen t to the s atisf a c to ry

elu cid ati on o f even ts wh o se p ar amou n t imp ortan c e

has bee n r e co gn ized by eve r y hist or i an A lamen t able
.

wan t o f det ail an d an utter absen c e o f philo s o phical

,

dis c ri min ati on ar e the ch arac ter istic tr aits o f these

,

illiterate an n alists O f the gradu al un fo ldin g o f

.

n ati on a l ch ar ac te r ; o f the se c r et mo tive s whi c h a c tu

a ted the r ude but dexte r ous st a tes men o f th a t ep och ;

o f the i n c ess a n t mut a ti on s o f publi c p o li c y ; o f the

silen t but p o wer ful r ev oluti on s e ff e cted by the in ex

o r abl e l aws o f n a tu r e a n d the f aili n gs o f h uman ity ,

they tell us n ext to n othin g An d yet n o per io d men

.

tio n e d in hist or y has been mo r e p r o lifi c o f g r e a t even ts .

N o a chievemen t o f an c ien t or mo de rn ti mes w as per

fe cte d with s u c h r a pidity o r p r o duc ed su c h de c ided
e ff e c ts up on the in telle ctu al p ro gr ess o f the human
rac e a s the M o h ammed an C o n quest o f S p ai n . The
valor o f the idolater Ch ar les M artel p r ep ar ed the
, ,

w ay for the v ast e mpi r e an d b ou n dless auth or ity o f

Ch ar lemagn e The ze al o f his or th o d o x succ essor
.

a ssu r ed the pe rman en c e an d sup r e ma c y o f the H o ly

S ee U p on the suc c ess or f ailur e o f the M o slem

.

c rus a de hu n g , as i n a b al an c e the p o litic al fortunes

,

o f E u r o pe an d the r eligi ous desti n y o f the w or ld The

.

b attle o f P o itier s w as n ot as is gen er ally asser ted a

, ,
3 34 HIS T ORY OF TH E

men t or the r et ar d ation o f n ation s The pro spec t o f .

M oh ammedan con quest ha d lon g been the terr or o f

E u r o pe The P o pe tr embled in the Vati c an The
. .

pio us devo tee as he pro strated himself befor e the

,

ima ge o f his patro n s ain t vowed an addition a l pen an c e

,

to w ar d o ff the c al amity whi ch eve r y d ay w as expe cted

to br in g f or th I magin ati on an d fe ar p ain ted the
.

S arac en s as a rac e o f i n carn ate fien ds wh o se aspe ct ,

w a s far mor e fr ightful wh o se at roc ities we r e far mor e

,

r uthless th an th o se o f the Hu n s w ho had been r outed

,

by E tiu s four hun dr ed ye ar s befo r e on the plain s o f

Ch alon s The la pse o f twelve c en tur ies ha s n ot suf
.

fi ced to dispel this supe r stiti o us d r e ad an d the S ar ac e n , ,

a s a mon ste r a n d a bugbe ar still figu r es i n the n ur ser y

,

t ales an d rhymes o f Cen tr al F r an c e .

The S p an ish E mi r a te in cludes the mo st o bs cu r e

epoch o f M oslem an n als I ts even ts h ave been for .
,

the mo st par t p r eserved on ly by tra dition I ts chron

, .

i cl es ar e c h ao ti c defe c tive a n d con t r adi ct or y

, , I ts .

dates are con fused I t a bo un ds in an ac hr o n isms ; in

.

the con fusio n o f localities ; in the multiplic a tion o f

in dividuals un der a v ar iety o f n ame s The cr edulity .

an d p r ej udi c e o f ann alists few o f wh om we re con

,

temp or an e ous with the o ccur r en c es they pr o fess to de

s c ribe r en der their st atemen ts suspi cio us o r a bs o lutely
,

un worthy o f belief With su ch dr awb acks a ttainmen t

.

to accur ac y is man ifestly i mp ra c ti cable an d a r e as on ,

a ble deg r ee o f p r o b ability c a n al on e be h o ped f o r from

the b affled an d per plexed histori an .

E x actly a hun dr ed an d ten ye ar s had el apsed sin c e

M oh ammed fled fr om Me cca li ke a common male
factor un der sen ten c e o f exe cution by the le a der s o f
,

his tr ib e with a r ewar d o f a th ous an d pie c es o f gold

,

up on his he ad an d I slam w as r eg ar ded as the dr eam

,

o f a h alf de men ted en thusi a st

-
N ow the n ame o f the .

P ro phet w as r ever ed fr om the I n dies to the Atlan tic .

The n ew sect n umber ed its a dher en ts by million s I ts .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 335

ar ms ha d in v ar iably been vi c torio us I ts en ergy had .

surmo un ted ever y obstacle The mo st ven erated

.

shrin es o f Chr isti an ity an d the cra dle o f that r eligion

—
,

Anti och Alex an dr ia C ar th age an d J eru s alem

, , , ,

plac es a ss o ciated with all th at i s dear to the follower s

o f o ur S avi our an d ma de s ac r ed by mi r a c le legen d
, , ,

an d tra diti on wer e i n its h an ds

, Ro me an d C on stan .

tin o pl e the r emain in g gr e at c en t r es o f Chr i s ti an f aith

,

—the on e destin ed to be att acked by the M o slems o f

S i c ily the o ther n ow men ac ed by the M o slems o f
,

S p ain —tr embled f or their s a fety S ar ac en fleets .

wer e alr ea dy c ruisin g i n the e astern Mediterran e an .

The Mussulman st an dar d had been plan ted on the

Lo ir e thir ty six hu n dr ed miles distan t fr om Me cc a
,
-
.

I n eve r y co un tr y i n to whi c h I s lam had pen etrated it ,

had foun d faithful alli es an d a dher en t s R eligiou s .

in di ff er en c e public o ppr ession the bur den s o f feud

, ,

ali s m an d the evil s o f s l ave r y p aved the w ay for its

,

acc ept an c e The J ews Open ed the gates o f c ities The

. .

leader s o f depr e s s ed faction s con tr ibuted to the ruin

o f their c o un tr ymen with pu r s e an d swo r d Va ss als .

an d sl ave s a p o s t a tized by th ous an ds M o st omin ous .

o f all the te s t o f spi r itu al tr uth an d i n spi rati on in

,

v ar iably depen den t in the estimation o f the cr edulous

, ,

upon super iority in arms w as ste adily on the side o f

,

the in fidel I t is n o t s tran ge ther efor e th at Ch r is ti an

.
, ,

E ur o pe looked with un disguised dismay upon the po r

ten ton s adv an c e o f the Mussulman power I t is a .

matter o f s ome do ubt whether the doctri n es o f MO

h ammed could h ave Obtain ed a perman en t foothold
in the fro zen r egi on s o f the N o r th The ge o gr a phi c al .

distribution o f r eligion s is largely determin ed by

c li mate I s l am i s essen ti ally exoti c I t has sur vived
. .
,

but n eve r flour ished beyon d the tro pics A le arn ed

, .

histor i an has advan c ed the hypothesis th at it cann ot

exist in a l atitude wher e the olive do es n ot gro w a ,

statemen t whi c h seems to be justified by the ex p eri

33 6 HIST ORY OF TH E

en c e o f hist ory I t is highl y impr ob able th at the

.

do gmas an d c ust oms o f the O rien t wo uld h ave fo un d ,

un de r a le a den sky an d amidst the c hillin g bl asts o f

H ollan d an d Ger man y con diti on s pr o piti ous to their

,

p ro p agation I mp o rt an t mo dific ati on s must h ave re

.

s u l te d , an d with these mo dification s r eligi ous an d

, ,

s o ci al r ev olution The ste adin ess an d pr o wess o f the

.

Teuton ic s oldiery had fo r ever a ssur ed the s a fety o f

E ur o pe from ser i ous molest a ti on by the p r in c es Of the
Hisp an o Ar ab empir e The irr egular an d ill con
-
.
-

c e r ted att ac ks whi c h subseque n tly fo ll o wed at l o n g

,

in terv als wer e ea sily r epulsed Whether the wor ld

,
.

at l ar ge w as p ro fited by the vi c t or y o f Ch arles M ar tel

may in the li ght a ffo r ded by the brilli an t r esults o f

,

M o slem c iviliz ation wel l be question ed I t is h ar dly

,
.

po ssible to c on j e ctur e wh at e ff e ct wo uld h ave been

p ro du c ed up on the cr eeds an d h abits o f the pr esen t
ag e by the t r iumph o f the S a r a c en p o we r but i n the , ,

words o f an emin en t wr iter the le ast o f ou r evils

,

had n o w bee n th at we sh o uld h a ve wo r n tur b an s ;

combed o u r be ar ds i n ste a d o f sh avi n g them; h ave
beheld a mor e ma gn ific en t ar chitec tur e th an the
Gr ec ian while the publi c mi n d had been bou nded by
,

the arts an d lite r ature o f the M oor ish Un iver sity o f

”
C o r d ov a .
338 HIS T ORY OF TH E

of the s un The mo st un tir in g in dustr y is r equi site

.

to p ro cur e the me an s o f a me ag r e subsiste n c e an d the ,

labor ious e ff or ts o f the c ultiv ator o f the s oil ar e sup

pl emen ted by the vi gilan c e o f the shephe r d wh o se ,

flee c es gen erally pr eferr ed to the co ar se p ro duc ts o f

,

the loom furn ish the male p o pulation with c lo thin g

,
.

U p on the coast en tir e co mmun ities o bt ai n thei r liveli

hoo d by fishin g ; an d the in cr e ased o pp or tun ities for
in ter cour se with the wor ld h ave p ro duc ed n o tic e able
modific ation s in the ch aracter o f these peo ple w ho , ,

while defic ien t in n on e o f the man ly qu alities o f the

den izen s o f hill an d fastn ess seem less un couth an d
, ,

a r e p o ssessed o f a g r e ate r deg r ee o f i n telligen c e th an

their b r ethr en o f the in ter ior The customs o f these

.

famous moun t ain eer s v ari ously kn o wn as B asques

, ,

Asturian s C an t abri an s an d G alic i an s accor din g to

, , ,

the r espective loc alities they inh abit h ave v ar ied but ,

li ttle in the cour se o f man y c en tur ies They h ave ever .

been distin guished by simplic ity o f mann ers stur dy ,

hon esty un selfis h ho spitality an d a spir it o f in de

, ,

pen d en ce whi ch has seld om failed to su cc essfully

ass er t itself a g ai n st the mo st per sisten t a ttempts at

con quest . A myste r ious an d unkn o wn origin attaches

to the B asques wh o se str an ge t on gue an d wei r d tr adi
,

ti on s ar e suppo sed to conn e c t them with the origin al

in h a bitan ts o f the Pen in sula an d w ho in this isolated
, ,

wildern ess h ave p r eserved the memo r y o f on e o f the

,

a b or igi n a l r a c es o f E u r o pe The rugged districts

.

lyin g to the westw ar d o f wh at is n ow c alled Bis cay ,

the h ome o f the B asques wer e f ormer ly in h abited by

,

the I ber i an s a bran ch o f the C elts which by f orc e

, , ,

o f c i rc umst an c es an d thro ugh the ne c essities o f self

pr eser vation ha s become fused with co lon ists from

,

the s outhern p ro vin c es un til its distin guishin g fe atur es

h ave dis appe ar ed The well kn own braver y o f the
.
-

defen der s o f this bleak an d forbiddin g coun tr y its ,

p overty—which o ff er s n o allur emen ts to either the

 MOORIS H E M P I RE IN E URO P E 339

a var ic e or the v an ity o f ro yal p ower—its ravin es swept

by pierc in g win ds an d its mou n t ain s d raped with
,

per petu al clo uds lo n g se cur ed for it fr eedom fr om

,

in vasion The C arthagin i an s n ever p assed its bor der s

. .

The Roman s un der Augustus s uc c eeded a fter i n fi

, , ,

n ite di ffic ulties in est abli s hin g ove r i ts terr it or y a

,

pr ec ar iou s au th or ity disputed at in ter vals by fier c e

,

an d stubb or n i n sur r e cti on s I t yielded a r eluc tan t .

Obedien c e to the Visigo thi c kin gs wh ose n otion s o f ,

liber ty c o ar s e t astes b ar b ar ic cus to ms an d fr an k

, , ,

deme an or wer e mor e co n gen ial with the n atur e o f the

w ild I ber i an th an the luxur i o us h abits an d c r a fty
maxims o f Pun i c an d L atin c iviliz atio n .

The most b arr en an d in ac c es sible p ar t o f this

se cluded r egion at the time o f the M o slem c on quest
w as th at embr ac ed by the mo der n p r in c ip ality o f the
Astur i as A formidable b arr ier o f lo fty pe aks who se
.
,

p as ses r e adily eluded the eye o f the s tran ger blo cked ,

the w ay o f a ho stile ar my Within this wall a dive r .

s i fi e d l an ds c a pe o f mou n t a i n a n d va lley pr esen ted i t

self with an o cc as ion al village who se huts c luster ed

, , ,

up on a hill s ide or str agglin g alon g s ome n arr ow

-

ra vin e ,
in dic ated the pr es en c e o f a settlemen t o f
s hephe r ds o r husb an dmen These dwellin gs who se .
,

co un ter p ar ts ar e to be seen to d ay i n the wilde s t d i s -

tri cts o f the Astur i a s an d G ali c i a we r e r ude h ovels ,

con stru c ted o f sto n e s a n d u n hewn ti mber s th at ched ,

w ith str aw floor ed with r ushes an d p r ovided with a

, ,

hole in the r oo f to en able the smoke to es c a pe Their .

walls an d c eilin gs wer e s me ar ed with s oo t an d gr e ase ,

an d eve r y cor n e r r eeked with filth an d swa rmed with

vermin The o wn e r s o f these h abitation s we r e in a p

. ,

e ar an c e an d i n tellige n c e s c arc el v r emoved fr om the

p ,

con diti o n o f s av a ges They dr essed i n sheepskin s an d

.

the hides o f wild be asts which un ch an ged r emain ed , , ,

in on e family for man y gen e r ation s The s alut ar y .

h abit o f ablution w as n eve r practised by them Their .

3 40 HIS T ORY OF TH E

g armen ts wer e n ever c le an sed an d wer e worn as lon g

,

as thei r t atte r ed fr ag men ts held t o gethe r Their f oo d .

w as comp o sed o f n ut r itio u s r o o ts an d he r bs an d o f the

pro du cts o f the ch ase a diet s ometimes var ied by
,

veget ables wh o se seeds had been impo r ted fr om the

,

s o uth an d by a coar se br e ad ma de fr om the me al o f

,

c hestn uts an d acorn s T o t al ign oran c e o f the c our

.

tes i es an d ame n ities o f s oc i al life p r ev a iled ; p r iv ac y

w as u n kn o wn ; an d the pe a s an t en te r ed the hut o f his
n eighb or with o ut fe ar o r c e r emon y An in depen den t .

p o litic al or g an iz ati o n existed in e ac h o f these com

mu n itie s wh ose is o l ated situ ati o n ext r eme p over ty
, , ,

a n d p r i mitive man n e r s di s pen sed with the n e c essity

fo r the co mpli cated an d expen sive machin e r y o f g ov

e rnme n t .O ld a g e as amo n g man y n ati on s in the in
,

fan c y o f their existen c e w a s a title to autho r ity an d

,

r espe c t an d the elev ati on o f an in dividu a l to a c er t a i n

,

deg r ee o f po we r w as n o t un usual when he had distin

g u i she d hi mself amon g his fellows f or skill in hun tin g
o r v al o r i n w ar f ar e Ch risti an mission aries had cen
.
,

tu ri e s befo r e c arr ied the p r e c epts o f the G o spel in t o

,

the depths o f this wilder n ess an d ch a pels an d alt ar s

, ,

wher e the idol atr ous p r acti c es o f D r uidi c al s u pe r s ti

tio n wer e stran gely min gled with the c er emon ies o f
the Roman C ath o lic r itu al attested the per sisten c e Of
,

a f a ith whi c h had existed f or a ges M an y o f the .

per s on al h abits an d s o c i al c ustoms o f the I ber i an s ,

while well deser vin g the atte n tion o f the an tiquar y ,

wer e o f s uc h a n atur e as to p r e c lude des cr iption .

Un der these man ifold dis adv an t a ges wer e n ow to be

l aid the fo un d atio n s o f an empir e destin ed to embrace
the r ic hest p or tion s o f tw o g r e at con tin en ts ; to exten d
its lan gu age its ide as its p oli c y its r eligion its au
, , , ,

tho ri ty to the ext r e me limits o f a w or ld as yet un

,

kn own ; to humble the pr ide o f the mo st r en own ed

s over eign s o f E uro p e ; to per fe ct the most formid
able en gi n e fo r the supp r essi o n o f f r ee th o ught an d
3 42 HIS T ORY OF TH E

rui n ed ar tis an s an d dis con ten ted slaves s ought the

,

co mp an i on ship an d aid of thei r f ello w se ct ar ies ; -

man y in appr ehen sion o f futur e evil v o lun t arily

, ,

a b an d on ed their p o ssessi on s ; an d the Astu r i a s b e

c ame the co mmon r efuge o f a l l w ho had su ff er ed as

well as o f all w ho wer e willin g to r en oun c e a life o f

c o mp ar ative e a se an d depen den c e f o r the t o ils an d

pr iva tion s whic h accomp an ied the en j o ymen t o f po

l iti cal an d r eligio us libe r ty With the a dv an t a ges o f
.

fr eedom wer e als o blen ded ass oc i ation s o f a mor e

s acr ed ch arac ter The gr eate r n umbe r o f the most
.

c eleb ra ted sh r i n e s o f a co u n tr y r emar k able for the

vir tues o f its r elic s an d the splen dor o f its temples

had been dese crated by the in v a der H e had de .

stroyed man y chu rches O thers he had a ppro pri ated

.

for the uses o f hi s ow n r eligi on The piety o f their .

min ister s had h owever secr eted an d b or n e away in

, , ,

s a fety the mo st p r e c ious o f th o se token s o f divin e

,

in ter p o sition wh o se efficac y had been est ablished by

the per forman c e o f co un tless mi r ac les supp orted by
the u nquestion able testimon y o f the F ather s o f the
Chur ch T ran sp or ted by r ever en t h an ds from ever y
.

p ar t o f the kin gdom these c on se crated Obj e cts wer e

,

n o w colle c ted i n f a s tn es se s i mp r eg n a ble to the en emies

o f Ch r ist Wher e the r efor e c ould the devo ut b eliever

.
, ,

better h o pe fo r se cur ity an d h appin ess th an un der the

p r o te ction o f h oly s ouven i r s which had r e c eived the
o bl a ti on s an d the p r ayer s o f su c c essive gen e ra ti on s o f

his an c estor s ? The war s an d r evo lution s o f mor e than

a th o us an d ye ar s h ave n ot di min ish e d the feeli n g o f

po pular ven er ation att achin g to these memen t os o f

the mar tyr s whi ch en sh r in ed in qu amt an d co stly
, ,

r eliqu ar ies o f c r yst al an d g old are still e x hibited in

,

the C athed ral o f O vied o .

E n g ro ssed with the c ar es whi ch n e c ess ar ily atten ded

the est ablishmen t o f a n ew r eligion an d the or gani z a
ti on o f a n ew gover nment the first vi c eroys o f S p ain
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 3 43

t ook n o n oti c e o f the embr yo ti c s tate which w as grad

u al l
y for mi n g in the n or thwestern corn er o f the Pen in
s ul a
. Their s co utin g p ar ties which had pen etr ated to
,

the bor der s o f the Astur ias had lon g sin c e ac qu ain ted
,

them with the severity o f the climate an d the gen eral

sterility o f the s oil N o b oo ty s ave perhaps s ome
.
, , ,

s acr ed vessels an d a few flo cks o f sheep w as ther e ,

to tempt the av ar i c e o f the marauder D omi c iled i n .

the gen ial r egion s o f the S o uth who se n atural ad v an

,

ta ges c on tin u ally r e c alled the v oluptuous coun tr ies o f

the O r ien t the M o or in stin ctively shr an k fr om con t ac t
,

w ith the pie r c in g win ds an d blindin g tempests o f the

mo un t ain s far mor e th an fr om an en coun ter with the
un co uth an d w ar like s ava ges w ho defen ded this in

hos pit able lan d Mus a had alr e ady en ter ed G ali ci a
.

at the he a d o f his t r oo ps when he w as r e called to

D amas cus by the per emptor y man d ate o f the Kh ali f

an d fo r a gi n g p ar ties had on di ff e r en t oc c a sio n s r av
, ,

aged man y Of the settlemen ts o f the B asques ; but as

yet the M oslem b ann er s had n ever waved alon g the

n arro w p athw a ys le a din g i n to the Astu r i an s olitudes ,

n or ha d the e c h o es o f the M o or ish at ab al r es ou n ded

fr om the stupen dous walls which pro te cted the su r

v i v in
g r emn an t o f the Visigo thi c mon ar chy an d the
l as t h ope o f Chr isti an f aith an d I be r ian in depen den c e .

At an e arly per i od who se ex act d ate the un c er tain ty

,

o f the ac c ou n ts tr an smitted to us r en de r s it imp o ss ible

to dete rmin e the settlemen t s o f the co as t fell in to the

,

han ds o f the S ar ac en s w ho fortified the tow n o f

,

Gi j on a pl ac e wh o se Size might n ot i mp r o per ly as sert

,

for it the c l aims o f metr o p olit an i mp or t an c e The .

govern men t o f this city w as en trusted to o n e o f the

most distin guished offi c ers w ho had ser ved in the army
of T ar ik
,
the f o r me r E mi r O th m a n ,I bn Abu — N es a- -
,

w ho as we h ave al r e ady S een h avin g con tr acted a

, ,

tr ea s on able allian c e with the Duke o f Aquit ain e had ,

been pur sued an d put to death by the s oldier s o f Abd

344 HIS T ORY OF TH E

al R ahman i mmedi ately befor e the l atter s in v asion

-
’

o f F r an c e .

Their c ommun icatio n s with the s ea coast h avin g -

been thus in terr upted the Astur i an s imp atien t o f

, ,

con fin eme n t deter min ed to secur e an o utlet by ex

,

ten din g the limits Of their terr itor y up on the s outhern

sl o pes o f the moun t ain s The a dven tur o us spir it o f
.

the moun tain eer s welcomed with ar do r a pro p os al

whi ch must n e c ess arily be atten ded w ith ever y c ircum
st an c e O f ex citemen t an d glor y Amon g the r efugees .

w ho co n stituted the bulk o f the p o pul ati on we r e man y

w ho had seen se r vi c e in the Visigo thi c a rmy an d s ome ,

w ho we r e n o t un f amili ar with the t ac ti c s an d milit ar y

ev o luti on s o f the S arac en s On e o f the most emin en t
.

o f these w as P el ay u s a n a me ass oc i ated with the mo st

,

glor ious tr adition s in ter woven with the origin o f the

mon ar chy o f S p ain The imagin ation o f subsequen t
.

e cc lesi asti cal ch ro n ic le r s has exh austed itself in at

tempts to ex alt the ch ar acter an d ma gn ify the exploits
o f this he r o The M oor ish auth orities h o wever whi le
.
, ,

they a ff or d but s c an ty det ails con c e rn in g him ar e en ,

titled to far mor e c r edit a s their mate ri al in ter ests

,

we r e n ot to be subs er ved by the f abr ic atio n o f spur ious

mir ac les an d pr epo ster ous legen ds F rom the best .

a ccoun ts n o w a tt a i n able — whi c h it must be con fe ssed

, , ,

ar e f ar fr om r eli a ble —i t a ppe ar s th at P el a u s w as o f

, y
the mixed r ac e o f G o th an d L atin The Arabs in .

var i ably called him the Roman an appellation they ,

”

wer e n ot in the h abit Of con ferr in g up on such as wer e

o f the pur e bl oo d o f the Visig o ths He w as o f n o ble .

bir th had held an imp or t an t comman d in the army o f

,

Ro deri ck an d w as n o t less esteemed fo r br avery an d

,

experien c e th an for h atr ed o f the in fidel an d for the ,

r eve r e n t hi un ility with whi c h he r eg ar ded ever t hin g

y
con n e c ted with the c er e mon ies an d the mi n ister s o f the

Chur ch To this chieft ain with the un an imous con

.
,

c u rr en c e o f b o th r efugees an d n atives w as n o w eu ,
346 HIS T ORY OF TH E

less an d exiled comman der w a s destin ed to b e the pro

genitor of a long lin e o f illustr ious s over eigns .

The origin al realm o f P el ay u s a ff or ded n o indi ca

tion o f the enormous dimen sion s to which it w as des
tined to exp and I t emb rac ed a territor y fi ve miles
.

long b y thr ee miles wide I ts p o pul ation could not

.

h ave ex ceeded fi fteen hun dr ed s oul s I ts fi ghtin g .

men wer e n ot more th an five hun dr ed in number The .

bulk of the army w a s comp osed o f B asques an d

G alic ians attr acted by the h o pe o f spoil held together
, ,

for the momen t onl y by the sen se o f commo n d anger ;

imp atient o f r estrain t ; s c ar c ely r ecogn izing the au
thori ty o f p o pul ar assembli es o f their own cr e ati on ;
vali ant in action ; br ut al in vi c tor y ; selfi sh an d cow
ar d ly in defe at They wer e without org anization
.
,

offi c er s
, suit able arms or commiss ari at O f the art
,
.

o f w ar, as p rac tised by even semi b ar b ar i ans they -

,

knew n othin g Their milit ar y Operations wer e con

.

trolled by the usu al str at agems o f s avages the noc ,

tu rn al att ack the sudden sur p r ise the ambus c ad e

, ,
.

The civil system Of the in fan t mon ar ch y w as no

fur ther adv anced The exiled sub j e cts o f Roderick
.

still r et ained in s ome me asur e the maxims an d tradi

, ,

ti ons o f g overnmen t The pe o ple among whom their

.
,

lot w as c ast an d who gr e atly outn umber ed them had , ,

however little knowledge o f an d n o r ever enc e for

, , ,

the V isigothic C o de The duch y o f C antabria to

.
,

whic h the latter ma inl y belon ged w as never mor e than ,

a n omi n al fi e f o f the ki n gdom o f T o ledo The fn eros .

,

or l aws ,by whi c h they had been govern ed through

succ essive for ei g n domi n ation s o f the Peninsula were
o f im memori al an tiquity Their long p reserv ed in
.
-

dependenc e had n o ur ished in their minds sentiments

o f ar ro g an c e an d a ssu med super ior it y whi ch we r e

o ften carr ied to a r idi c ul o us extr eme These influ .

en ces had n o Small sh ar e in the subsequent fo rmati on

o f the S p ani sh con stituti on .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E U RO PE 347

Thus in a des ol ate an d barr en r egi on ; in sign ifican t

,

in n umber s ; destitute o f r es our c e s ; ign oran t o f the

ar ts o f c iviliz ati on ; with o ut milit ar y system o r c ivil

polity ; with n either cou r t hier ar chy n or c apit al ; an i

, ,

mated by the in c en tives o f r eligi ous ze al an d in her ited

love o f fr eedom a h an dful o f bar bar ian s l aid the
,

foun d ati on s o f the r en own ed empir e o f S p ain an d the

I n dies .

The bustle which n e c ess ar ily atten ded the warlike

pr ep aratio n s o f P el ay u s w as n ot lo n g in a ttra ctin g
the atten tion o f the go v ernmen t o f C ordova I n for .

mati on w as con veyed to An b as ah I bn S ohim the rep - -

,

res en tati v e o f the Kh alif con c er n i n g the le ague th at

,

had been formed between the fugitive G oth s an d the

den izen s o f the Astur i as as well as o f the o bj ects o f
,

the expedition which w as o r gan izin g in the n orther n

wilder n ess The E mir wh ose con tempt fo r his en e
.
,

mi es added to a p r o foun d ign oran c e o f the c h arac ter

,

o f the cou n tr y they in h abited in du c ed him to u n d er es

,

timate the difficultie s to be en c oun ter ed in their subj ec

tion did n ot deem it worth his while to att ack them in
,

per s on He n atur ally th ought little w as to be appr e

.

hen ded fr om the irr egular h o s tilities o f a few r efugees

who had r eti r ed with p r e c ipit ati on at the a ppr oac h o f
the M oor ish c av alr y un ited with a hor de o f v ag abon d
,

shephe r d s an d hun ter s un accustomed to dis cipli n e an d

in expe rien c ed in war far e I n his bli n d depr eci atio n
—
.

of the p ro we s s o f his a dve r s ar ies A n b as ah I b n

, S ohim -

left ou t o f c on sider ation man y circumst an c es whic h

in fluen c ed in a marked degr ee the s ubsequen t for
, ,

tun es of the M oslem domin ation in S p ain Their n u .

meri cal in fer io r ity w as o f trifli n g momen t in a coun try

thoroughly f amiliar to its inh abit an ts but hither to un ,

explor ed by the S arac en s an d whose steep an d t ortu

,

ou s p a thw ays a ffo r ded s u c h f ac ili ties f or r esisti n g an

in truder th at p oin ts mi ght r eadi ly be selected wher e

a s cor e o f men coul d wi th little e ff ort su cc essfully
, ,
348 HIS T ORY OF TH E

with s t an d a th ous an d The E mir t o o k n o a cco unt o f

.

the mists whi ch always en sh ro udin g the sierra o ften

en tir ely o bs c ur ed the lan ds cape ; o f the den se for ests
which might s o e ff e ctu ally con c eal the ambus cade ; o f
the sudden an d destru ctive r ise o f the moun t ain tor
r e n ts ; O f the d an ge r s a tten d an t up on the l an dsli de

an d the av a l an c he . N or did he a pp r e c i ate the feelin gs

which must h ave been in spir ed by the desper a te situa
tion in which the Chr isti an s wer e plac ed They wer e .

at b a
y i n thei r l a st st ro n gho ld O n c e dr iven fr om the
.

Shelter o f their fr ien dly mo un t ain s n o thin g r emain ed

fo r the m but de ath or sl ave r y Their r etr eat in to
.

F ran c e w as c u t o ff by the Ar ab co lumn n ow ad

v an c i n i n t o S e timan i a Thei r b r eth r en th ro ughout
g p .

the Pen in sula had b o wed befor e the s c eptr e o f the

Kh alif an d n o a ssist an c e could be expe cted from
,

them Thei r p atr i o tic ar dor w as ex c ited by the proud

.

con s c i o us n ess o f i n depe n de n c e an d by a pp r ehen sion s

o f the deg r a d a ti o n o f se r vitude ; their pious fr en zy

w as ar oused by the dest ru c ti on whi c h men ac ed the
r eligi on o f thei r f a the r s .I n their c amp we r e the s ole
memor i al s o f a mon ar c hy wh o se pr in c es had di ct ated
terms to the Mi s tr ess o f the Wor ld Ar oun d them o n .

ever y side wer e s acr ed r eli c s whi ch had been visited

fr om far an d wide by pilgr ims wh o se mir aculous ,

po we r in the he alin g o f dise ase it w a s s acrilege to

doubt an d whi ch ha d n ot on ly bro ught r elief to the
,

su ff er in g but al s o comfor t an d s alv ation in the hour

o f de ath G o d had made the m the custo di an s o f these
.

tr easur es r es cued from His desec r ated alt ar s ; t ruly He

woul d n ot aban don them in time o f peril By ever y .

ar tific e pe c uli ar to thei r c r a ft ; by all the ferv i d a

p
pe als o f elo quen c e ; by ever y promise o f p r esen t an d
pro spe ctive advan t a ge ; an d by ever y thr e at o f futur e
r et ributi on the p r elates in fl amed the ze al o f their
,

fan ati c al he ar er s They mor e th an an y o ther class

.
, ,

un der sto o d the gr avity o f the situ ation Whi le n ot .

350 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the imp o sin g peak o f Auseb a The n or ther n side o f .

this moun t ain f or a hun d r ed feet fr om its b a se pre

sen ts a steep an d fr o wn in g p r e cipic e c lo sin g on e en d
o f a n arro w v alley an d wh o se ahn os t per pen di cul ar
,

sides are on ly acc essible to the t r ain ed an d ven tur e

s ome n ative A c ave in wh ose depths thr ee hun dr ed
.
,

men co uld r e a dily be shelter ed exists in the f ac e o f the ,

c li ff an d th r o ugh the g or ge ben e ath r un the tr o ubled

,

w ater s formin g the s ou r c e o f the r iver Dev a A p ath .

,

completely comman ded by the heights up on either side ,

win ds thr ough the un der gr owth an d gives acc ess to

the cave an d its en vi ron s in f or mer times the r es or t o f
,

ben ighted goather ds I n this sp ot admirably ad apted

.
,

to pu r p o ses o f defen c e P el ay u s dete r min ed to make

,

his fin a l st an d All n o n comb at an ts wer e se cr eted in

.
-

the for est Ambushes wer e po sted alon g the on ly

.

p ath by whi ch an a pp r oach w a s p racti cable I n the .

c ave r n wh o se n ame C ov adon g a is still r ever ed by

, , ,

ever y Astur i an n oble an d pe as an t P el ay u s con c e aled ,

himself with a bo dy o f men selec ted fo r their cour age

an d the supe r i or ity o f thei r ar ms S ki rmisher s n ow .

a ppe ar ed in the fr on t o f the M o slem army whi ch with , ,

a c on fide n c e b or n o f f or me r s u cc ess witho ut hesit a ,

tion follo wed its tr eacherous gu ides in to the f at al

v alley N O s oon e r w a s the c omman d o f Al kamah
.

within arro w sho t o f the cave th an the moun t ain eer s

-

sp ran g fr om thei r hidin g plac es Wild c r ies o f de -

.

fian c e an d expec t an t tr iumph e ch o ed fr om the r ocky

slo pes o f the r avin e F r om ever y h an d the pr oj ectil es
.

o f the Ch r isti an s p o u r ed do wn up o n the he a ds o f thei r

a ston ished f o es When the ammun ition o f the bows

.

an d sli n gs w as exh austed the stu r dy pe as an ts rolled ,

do wn gr e at ston es an d tr un ks o f tr ees whi ch crushed ,

a s cor e o f me n a t a si n gle bl o w M a ssed t o gether an d .

,

thrown in to con fusion by the un expe cted att ack the ,

S ar ac en s could n ot use thei r we ap on s to a dv an tage .

Their arrows r eb oun ded h armlessly fr om the rocks .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 35 1

The agility o f their en emies an d the ch ar acter o f the

gr oun d p r even ted a h an d to h an d en g agemen t which - -
,

the in feri or str en gth o f the Ch risti an s n aturally

pr ompted them to avo id Un able to en dur e the storm .

o f mi s s iles whi c h w as r a pidly depleti n g thei r r an ks ,

the S arac en s attempted to r etr ac e their s tep s The .

fir st in timatio n o f a des ir e to r etr e at w as the sign al for

r edo ubled ac tivity o n the p ar t o f the Astur i an s Pe .

layus an d hi s b an d issui n g from the cave fell up on

, ,

the r e ar o f the en emy The det ac hmen ts upon the.

flan k s c lo sed in an d the un for tun ate M o s lems su r

, ,

r oun ded an d a lmos t helpless r esig n ed thems elve s to ,

their fate The b attle be came a mass acr e T o ad d

. .

to the d i s co mfi tu re o f the in va der s a fe ar ful tempest , ,

which in a latitude wh ose air is always ch ar ged with

,

mois tur e o ften c omes with out warn in g bur st up on

, ,

the v alley I n a few momen t s the little bro ok had

.

swo llen in t o a r o ar in g t orr en t A se ction o f the .

moun tain s ide un dermin ed an d alr e ady t o tterin g

with terror —
-
,

an d c r o wded str icken S arac en s gave ,

w ay , c ar r yin g with it hun dr eds o f vi c tims to be

en gulfed in the rushin g water s A tr ifli n g n umber .

o f fugitives a ided by the d ar kn e s s an d the st o rm

, ,

suc c eeded i n eludin g the vigil an c e o f the moun t ain eer s ,

but the gr e at maj or ity o f th o se c omp osin g the det ach

men t in cludin g all o f its o ffi c ers per ished The esti
, , .

mated los s o f the M o s lems v ar ie s accor din g to the ,

n ati on ality o f the ann a list from thr ee th ous an d to ,

on e hun dr ed an d twen ty fo u r th ou s an d I n this as

-
.
,

in all o the r in st an c es whe r e the st atemen ts o f the Ar ab

an d Ch r isti an w r ite r s o f th a t a g e co n fli c t the p r efe r ,

en c e sh ould be given to the asserti on s o f the former .

The v alley o f C o v adon ga is s o r e s tr i cted in exten t ,

espec iall y wher e the b attle t ook pl ac e th at it would ,

with difficul ty aff or d s tan din g r oom for twen ty th ou

s an d comb at an ts The v ain glorious c h arac ter o f the
.

n or the r n S p an i ar d w ho p o ssesses n ot a little o f the

,
352 HIS T ORY OF TH E

bragg adoc io o f his c o usin the G as con has in c ited him

, ,

to g ro ssly ma gn ify the imp or t an c e o f an explo it whi ch

r equi r es n o ex a gge ra ti on ; an d his f a bul o us acco un ts

h ave bee n r ecor ded wi th ex trav ag an t addition s by the

, ,

e cc lesia stic al hist or i an s o f the D ark Ages with wh om ,

men d acity w as the rule an d a ccura c y the ex c eption .

Abs olutely con tr oll ed by the p r ej udi c es o f their pro

f es s io n they studio usly embellished eve r y t ale whi c h
,

could h ave a ten de n c y to p r omo t e its i n te r ests an d a s

car efully supp r essed al l h o stile testi mon y The mon k

.

ish wr iter s wh o se c r edulity kept p a c e with their love

,

o f the mar v ell ous , con c eived th at the glor y o f the

Chur ch w a s in a d ir e c t r atio to the n umbe r o f i n fi d el s

exte rmin ated by her ch ampion s To this motive are
.

to be attr ibuted the a bsu r d st a temen ts c o n c e r ni n g the

lo sses o f the en emy in ever y vic tor y w on by the Chr is
tian arms a pern ic ious h abit whic h w as c o n fi rmed by
,

the imp r o bability o f subsequen t detec tion ar isin g from

the un ive r s al illitera c y o f the ag e The th or ough un
.

r eli ability o f these o l d c h ro n i c le r s in this an d o the r

p articul ars whi ch mi ght dir ec tly or in dir ec tly a ff ect

the p r estige o f their or der is c alcul ated to cast sus
pici on o ve r their en tir e n arr atives . When we ad d to
these gr o ss mis r ep r esen tation s their me agr e an d con
fused accoun ts o f the mo st importan t even ts their ,

pr o foun d ign or an c e o f the hidden mo tive s o f human

a c ti on s
, thei r super stitious p r ej udi c es an d their in
,

ca p ac ity O f a pp r e c i atin g or eve n o f un der stan di n g

, ,

the pr in c iples o f histo ri cal cr iti c ism it may r e adily be

,

perc eived how ar duous is the t ask o f th o se w ho attempt

to b r in g or de r ou t o f this lite r ar y ch ao s To the Arab
. .

writer s ho wever we can turn with a muc h gr e ater

, ,

degr ee o f con fiden c e They make n o attempts to dis

.

gu ise the magn itude o f thei r r eve r ses o r to dimin ish

the glo r y o f thei r en emies N o con temporan e ous ac
.

c oun t o f the b attle o f C o va d on g a has des c en ded to

us I t w as n ot f or a c en tur y th at its p ar amoun t im

.
354 HIS T ORY OF TH E

w as der ived the germ o f fr eedo m which succ essful ly

,

a sser ted its r ights u n de r the fr o w n o f r o y alty an d , ,

i n cor po r ated in t o the con stitutio n o f Aragon long ,

in ter p o sed a formid able o bst acle to the en cr o a chmen ts

o f a r bit r a r y an d desp o ti c s o ve r eig n s Duri n g th at
.

ep och by the fusion o f r ac es we r e l aid the fou n d a

, ,

ti on s o f th at n o ble an d s on o r ous idiom un sur p assed in,

simpli c ity o f con struc tion in c on c isen ess an d elegan c e

,

o f di c ti o n in c le ar an d h ar mo n i o us r es on an c e
, Then .

w as man ife s ted f or the fir st time the adve n turo us

a n d d a r i n g spi r it whi c h c arr ied the b a nn e r s o f S p a i n

beyon d the Mis s issippi the An des an d the P acific

, , .

Then w as in stituted the s cheme o f e cclesi asti cal p olic y

which per fe cted by a suc c ession o f able an d aspirin g
,

c hu rc hmen plac ed the th ro n e o f E ur o pe s gr eatest ’

mon ar chy un de r the tutelage o f the p r imac y o f

T oledo Then or igin ated th at fier c e an d in termin able
con tes t —
.

fi rs t fo r self p r ese rv ation then fo r plu n der

-
, ,

lastly fo r empir e— whi ch for a tho us an d ye ars en

gro ssed the atten ti on o f the wo r ld .

The r en o wn ac quir ed by P el ay u s th ro ugh the v ic

t or y o f C o v a do n g a r aised him at on c e fr om the p o si
tion o f gen eral to the dign ity o f kin g I n his ele cti on .

the tra dition s o f the an cien t G o thic c on stitution wer e

Obser v ed The sen timen ts o f fr eedom in n ate i n the
.

moun t ai n eer o f ever y l an d are r eluct an t to admit the

supe r ior ity implied by the laws o f her edit ar y des c en t
or by the exe r c ise o f u n li mited auth or ity The rude .

c e r emon ies by whi c h r eg a l p r er o g atives we r e con c eded

to this gue r illa c hieft ai n co uld n ot suggest to the

wi ldest visio n ar y the po ssibility o f the gor ge ous cer e
mon i al o f the S p an ish c ourt or o f the abs olute p o wer
exe rcised by Ch arles the F ifth an d Philip the S e con d .

I t is n ot impro b able th at the c omman ds o f P el ay u s

wer e fr equen tly disputed by his h alf s av age r etain er s
-
.

But it may well be doubt e d if among all the n ation s

which comp o sed the v ast d omin io n s o f the H ouse Of
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 35 5

Austr i a co uld h ave been foun d an equ al n umber o f

a dhe r e n t s mo r e fa ithful i n misfo r tu n e mo r e in tr epid
,

in d an ge r th an tho se w ho formed the little b an d o f

,

the exiled hero The immun ity gr an ted the Chr isti an s
.

a fte r thei r t r i u mph wo uld s ee m to ra the r i mply c on

tempt by the p r in c es o f C or do v a th an their dis cour

a emen t o r an
g y a ppr ehen s i on o f fu r the r mi s fo r tu n e .

The mor al e ff e ct o f the vi ctor y if imper c eptible o n

,

the Ar ab s p ro duc ed at o n c e mos t sign ific an t r esult s

,

in the r egio n s b or der in g on the As tur i as The thr e at

.

e n in
g a ttitude o f the fishe rme n n e c essit ated the ev ac u
ati on o f the c oa st an d O thman I b n Ab u N e s a G ov
,
- - -
,

er n o r o f G i j o n a b an d o n ed hi s c h ar ge an d by a f or c ed
, , ,

marc h j o in ed his c oun trymen beyon d the mo un t ain s

,
.

The warlike s pi rit sp r e ad f ast th rough C an t abr ia an d

Gali c ia an d w as even felt up on the b orders o f wh at
,

is n ow Leo n an d C astile ; the S arac en c o lo n ists w ho

had est ablished thems elves in the mo st fe r tile dist r i c ts
we r e exter min ated ; an d the r eligious as pec t o f the
s tr uggle whi ch s eemed to iden tify the c ause o f the
,

in s ur ge n ts with th at o f the Ahn ig hty cr owded the ,

squalid h ovels o f the h o spitable As tu r ian s with tho u

s an ds o f fugitives w ho s o ught pro tecti on an d liber ty
in the s oc iety o f thei r fr ie n d s an d ki n s me n .

N either histor y n or traditi on has as cr ibed to P e

layus an y othe r militar y achievemen ts th an the f amous
on e whi c h sign alized his a cc e s s i on to s up r e me p o we r .

I n the r eti r eme n t o f his little kin gdo m fo r the r e ,

main d er o f his days he employed the s e cur ity for

, ,

which he w as i n debted to the con tempt o f his en emies ,

in con s o lid atin g his auth or ity ; in the formati on o f a

plan o f gove rnmen t ; i n the e r ection o f c hurches ,

shr in es an d mon aster ies ; an d in en couragin g amo n g

,

his subj e c ts the pur suit o f agri cultur e H i s extr eme

.

devotion to the in ter ests o f the Chur ch has obtain ed

fo r his memor y the gr ateful ac kn o wledgmen t o f the
priesth oo d ; while the little cro ss born e by him in lieu ,
35 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

of a stan d ar d at C o va don ga an d still p r eser ved at

, ,

O viedo is r eg ar ded with sen timen ts o f pe culi ar r ever

,

en c e by the peas an tr y as a symb ol who se miracul ous

p o wer s wer e c on fir med by the h and o f G o d an d wh o se ,

vi r tu es wer e tr an s mitted to the magn ific e n t emblems

o f the C ath oli c hie rar c hy whi c h the su cc ess or s o f the

, ,

R oman e agles s an ctified in dist an t l an ds the expl ora

,

tion s an d the co n quests o f the Ch r isti an mon ar chs o f

the Pen in sula .

The r eign o f P el ay u s lasted thir teen ye ar s S uch .

wer e the ben efits r esultin g fr om its mu n i fi c en ce to the

c ler gy an d his j usti c e to the pe o ple th at at his de ath , ,

the sen timen ts o f lo yalty an d gratitude over c ame the

tradition s o f c en tu ries an d the pr ej udi c e ag ain st he
r e d itar y des c en t a n d F avi l a his s on
, w a s pe rmitted
, ,

to su c c eed him by the t ac itly a dmitted r ight o f in

her itan c e .

Little is kn o wn o f the life o f F avila ex c e ptin g th at

it w as p assed in pe ac e Witho ut aspir ation s to en
.

lar ge the circuit o f his domin io n s an d destitute o f all ,

desi r e for milit ar y r en own he p r eferr ed the rude

,

s ociety o f his comp an i on s an d the ex c itemen ts o f the

c h a se to the per il ous an d d o ubtful h on or s o f w ar far e .

Tw o ye ar s a fte r his a cc essi on he w as t o rn to pie ces by

a wild b o a r wh o se fu r y he ha d r a shly p rov o ked un der
,

c i r cumst an c es whi c h admitted o f n o es c a pe He w as .

bur ied by the side o f his father in the church o f C an

g a s de O n is an in sign ifi c an t h amlet n ot f ar from the
,

battle fi eld o f C ov ado n g a whi c h w as alr e ady dign ified

-

by the title o f c apit al o f the Astur i as an d wh ose ,

chu r ch w as for man y ge n e r ation s a fte r war ds the

p an the on o f its prin c es .

F avil a left n o s on s o f sufficien t a g e to assu me the

r esp o n sibilities o f
g ov ermn en t while the exigen cies o f
,

the time deman ded the servic es o f a r uler p o ssessed o f

t alen ts an d exper ien c e The right o f elec tion w as as
.
,

o f old , on c e mor e a sser ted to the ex c lusi on o f the

35 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

f ac t as yet mer ely n omin al I t had been con ferr ed

, .

by the v otes o f the pe o ple an d w as un der stoo d to be

,

co n diti o n al up on the o bser v an c e o f the l aws an d the

main ten an c e o f or der The p ower o f the Astu r i an

.

s over eign w as at this time n ot g r eater th an th at o f

man y a petty feudal chieft ain o f German y an d w as ,

far in fe r i or to th at p o ssessed by the F r e n ch M ayo r s

o f the P al a c e .

The occ asio n w a s p r o piti ous to the r e aliz ation o f

the ambitious design s o f Al fo n s o The emirate w as .

tempo rar ily v a c an t th r ough the absen c e o f Okb ah its ,

he a d in Af ri ca An ar chy with all its n ameless hor

, .
,

ror s p r ev a iled i n eve r y p o r ti on o f the Pe n in sul a

, The.

terr itor y ac quir ed in F r an c e wh o se o cc up ation had

,

shed so much lustr e o n the M o slems an d wh o se pos

sessi on w a s design ed as the pr elimin ar y step to the
subj ug ation o f E ur o pe had th rough the valor o f the
, ,

F r an ks an d the i n c ap ac ity an d j e alo usies o f the emir s ,

with the s ol it ar y ex c epti on o f the city o f N ar bonn e ,

been wr e s ted fr om the con quer or The p r estige o f .

the he r eto for e in vin c ible S ar a c en s had been lo st by

r epe ated r eve r ses cro wn ed by the te r r ible misfo r tu n e
,

o f P o itie r s
. I n G ali c i a an d the B a sque p r o vin c es the
pe as an t r y had delive r ed the gr e ater por tion o f their
coun t r y f ro m the e n emy an d we r e in full symp athy

with the plan s an d aspir ation s o f thei r Astur i an n eigh

b or s alth ough they r es o lutely kept aloo f fr om p oliti
,

c a l u n i o n with them an d de c li n ed to ack n o wledge the

auth o ri ty o f thei r ki n g The Oper atio n s o f Al fon s o

.

wer e c h ar a cter ized by the activity an d j udgmen t o f

an expe r ien c ed p ar tis an P as s in g sudden ly in t o G a
.

lici a he sur p r ised Lugo whic h had r emain ed in the

,

h an ds o f the Arabs sin c e its captu r e by Mus a an d ,

s o on a fte rwards o c cupied the stron gly f ortified c ity o f

Tuy a pp ro p r i atin g the te rr it or y n o r th o f the r iver
,

Minh o by the r ight o f con quest Then c e he pen e .

tr ated i n t o Lusit an i a t akin g s ome o f the p r in c ip al

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 59

town s o f th at pr ovin c e an d exten din g his mar ch to the

e astwar d u n til he had o verr un all o f the r egion lyin g
to the n or th o f the ran ge o f mo un t ain s n o w kn o wn as
the S ierra Guad arr ama .

The an n ali s ts w ho h ave men tion ed the expedition s

un der taken by Al fon s o I h ave n egle cted to r egulate
.

thei r or de r o f occurr en c e an d attr ibu te to the move

,

me n ts o f the Ki n g a c eler ity which is al mo s t i n cr edible .

I n fac t these much v aun ted c o n quests we r e n o thin g

,
-

mor e th an me r e for ays N o perman en t occup ati on o f

.

the c o un tr y w a s p o ssible The un in terrupted succ es

.

sion o f c alamitie s whi ch had des c en ded up on it had

tr an s fo rmed a r egi on n ever r en own ed for gr eat pr o
,

d u c tiv e n es s in t o a dese r t
, I n the few fe r tile spo ts
.

wher e the in dus tr y o f the M oor had o btain ed a foo t

h old the fie r c e squ adr on s Of Alfon so blacken ed the
smilin g lan d s c ape with the fir es Of destru ction an d
carn age . S uch to wn s an d v ill ages as l ay in their p ath
wer e destr oyed ; the M oo r s wer e con demn ed to
slaver y ; an d the Chr isti an s de s pite their r emon ,

s tran c e s , wer e compelled to follow in the t rain o f

the in v ader to a cc ept from him h omes in the moun
,

t ain s an d to s we ar fidelity to the C ro wn This p olicy

,
.

o f i n c r e asi n g the p o pul a ti on o f his d omi n i on s by c om

pu l s or y i mmig ra ti on p o ssessed at le a st the mer it o f

or igi n ality an d w a s i n the e n d e mi n en tly s u c c e s s ful
,
.

The r eluc tan t co lo n is t s who s e cities had been razed

,

an d wh o se l an d s ha d bee n dev a st ated we r e dep r ived o f ,

all in c e n tive s to r etu rn to a r egi on th at c ould n o lon ger

a ffor d the m sub s isten c e The tie s o f r ac e an d the

.

pr ec epts o f r eligion alre ady un ited them to tho se

whom despite the violen ce they had displayed they
, ,

could n o t c on side r a s en emies Dist ributed j udi .

c iou s l y in the dist r i c ts mo st defic ien t i n in h abit an ts ,

who se s o il in man y in st an c es w a s n ot mor e ste rile

, ,

than th at whi ch they had fo rmer ly tilled the n ew ,

subj e cts o f Al fon s o s oon became r econ ciled to their

36 0 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a lter ed con ditio n o f life Their n umber s greatly con

.

tributed to the str en gth o f the gro wi ng kingdom .

Their tradition s pr ej udic e s an d aspirations wer e

, ,

iden tical with th o se o f the Astur ians C omplete amal .

g amation w as s oon accompli shed by in te rmarr i age an d

by the intimacies o f c ommer c ial an d s ocial intercourse .

The Oper ations o f Al fon s o are for the most p ar t , ,

des cr ibed with even mor e c on fusion o f d ates an d

lo calities th an th at which o r din arily ch aracterizes the
historical accounts o f his ag e B oth the love o f the .

mar vell ous an d the bia s o f super stition h ave combin ed

to magni fy his ac hievemen t s N evertheless the ao
.
,

cou n t Of n o g r e at vi c t or y b r e aks the mo n o to ny o f an

en dless r e cital o f mur der pilla ge an d conflag ration

, ,
.

I n the moun t ain s wher e eve r y ravine favor ed an am

,

bu s cad e the C h r isti an s we r e in vin cib le b ut up on the

, ,

pl ain even when aided by the a dv an t age o f superior

,

n umbe r s they wer e n o ma t c h for the M oor ish c av alr y

, .

The vulne rable con diti on o f the cou ntr y which suf ,

fere d from the inr oads o f the Astu ri an p r in ce im ,

p r essed him with the n ec essity o f er ec ting suit able

defe n sive works along the bo r der s o f his own d o
min ion s He ther efor e establish ed a lin e o f castles
.

upon the s outhern slo pe o f the sierra dividi ng the ,

pr esent p rovin c es Of O ld an d N ew C astile whic h were ,

then kn own under the common design ation o f B ar

dul i a an d from these for tified p o sts the tw o f amous
,

p r ovin c es h ave derived their mo dern n ame .

The r eign o f Alfon s o do es n ot seem to h ave kn o wn

the blessings o f tr anquillity His expeditions wer e.

i n c ess an t an d their r esults almo st in v ariably success

,

ful The M oor s un iver s ally r eg arded him with a fe ar

.

whi ch far mor e th an the p ro fuse adulatio n o f his

,

mon kish biogr apher s con firms the p r evaili n g ide a of

,

hi s p r owess an d indi cates the r espec t in whi ch he w as

held by his enemi es who se histor ians conferr ed upon
,

him the hon or ab le an d signi fic an t appellatio n of I bn

362 HIS T ORY OF TH E

g ation s we r e s c atter ed When ever the p o ve r ty o f the

.

devo ut w a s s o gr e at th at the r egul ar tribute could n ot

be raised all wor ship w a s p ro s cr ibed I n tho se locali
.

ties whe r e the in dulgen c e Of the con quer or permi tted

the Ch r isti an r ites the r e w as small i n duc emen t to
,

pro selytism as n o n ew chur ches could be e r e cted an d

, ,

the con ver sio n o f a M o h ammed an w as a ca pit al crime ,

o f whi c h b o th tempter an d a p o st ate we r e equ ally

guilty I n the f ac e o f the o ver whelmin g c at as tr o phe

.

which had o ver t aken the Chur c h it is but n atur al th at

,

the eyes o f its min isters sh ould be turn ed towar ds the

thr on e o f the H oly F athe r wh o se a dmo n iti on s they
,

had un heeded an d who se comman ds they ha d defied .

I n a c r o wd o f ign o r an t an d supe r stiti ous pe a s an ts the

pr estige att achin g to an c ien t ec c lesi asti c al dign ity an d
the r ever en c e ex acted by its s a cr ed offi c e s oon raised
the cler gy to an u n usu al degr ee o f pr omin en c e I t .

w as their i n flue n c e whi ch ac tu ally fo un ded the in f an t

st ate ; which di ct ated its p olic y ; whi ch dir e cted its
c a r ee r ; whi c h p ro fited by its su cc ess ; whi c h ten de r ed

symp athy in the h our o f a dver sity ; whic h sh ar ed its

glor y in the h our o f tr iumph And as in the begin
.
,

n i n g it w as p r ed omi n an t s o th r o ugh the l on g c ou r se

,

o f age s its g ras p n eve r sl a c ken ed an d to its sug

,

gesti on s s o metimes p rompted by wisdom but Often

, ,

d arken ed by bigotr y ar e to be a ttr ibuted the me asur es

,

eman atin g fr om both the c ivil an d e cclesiasti cal p olity

o f the dyn a sties o f S p ai n .

The min glin g o f v ar io us n ati on alities in the As

tu ri as p r o du c ed its i n e v it able eth n i c al r esult the ev o ,

l u tion o f a r ac e supe r i or to e ac h o f its co n stitue n ts .

But with physical impr ovemen t an d men ta l cultur e

came man y depl orable evi ls me r c iless h a tr ed s u p ers ti
, ,

tious cr edulity mi lit ary in subor din ation an d the vi c es

, ,

o f a s oc iety i n dulge n t to the maxims an d p rac ti c e o f

a l ax mor ality . The r emor seless but cher y o f in fi d el s

w as e n co ur a ged as highly me r it or i ous an d on ly a ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 36 3

pr o per r etur n fo r the c alamities p roduced by in v asion .

The fero c ious s o ldie r y wh o s e lic en s e dur in g the con

,

tin u an c e o f h o stili ties w as n ev e r r estrai n ed by their

c o mman de rs we re as might be expected n ot amen
, , ,

able to dis c iplin e o r o bedien t to the n e c ess ar y r egu

l ation s o f thei r p ro fe s s io n i n time o f pe ac e The .

or de r s o f the Ki n g we r e s ometi me s o pen ly dis o beyed ;

an d su c h w as the p r e c ar i o us n atu r e o f his au th o r ity

th at he n ot in fr equen tly con sider ed it mor e expedien t

to di s semble th an to pu n i s h The lic en tiou s h abits o f
.

the Visigo thi c p r elate s an d n o bles had been c arr ied ,

al on g with the tr a diti o n s o f thei r an c ien t g ran deu r

an d the meme n t o s o f their f or me r we a lth in to the ,

r u de but hither t o c omp ar a tively pur e s o c iety o f the

, ,

moun t ai n s The se v e r ity o f the c limate the i n c ess an t

.
,

an d vi o le n t exer c i s e de man ded by thei r a vo c ati on s an d ,

the un c er tain ty o f subsisten c e had pr e s erved the chas

tity o f the As tur i an pe as an tr y w ho in man y other , ,

r e s pe ct s , wer e r emark able for degrad atio n an d br u

tality P o lyg amou s u n i on s pr ac tised with mor e or
.
,

les s co n c e almen t by the pr ivileged cla sses dur in g the

r eign o f P e l ay u s up on the a cc es s i o n o f Alfo n s o b e
,

c ame Open an d n ot or i ou s The in n umer able capti

.

se cur ed by mar audin g expedition s aff or ded exc ellen t

facilitie s for supplyin g o r r eplen i s hin g the h ar ems o f
the n obles an d the cle r gy The h oly f ather s like their
.
,

p r ede c e s s ors un der W itiza an d Ro der ick wer e n o ted ,

fo r thei r t as te an d a pp r e c i ation o f the c h arms o f

female lovelin ess ; an d the o wn er o f a be autiful slave
whose p r ic e w as too high for the c ou n t w as r ar ely
dismi s s ed for this c aus e by the bi s ho p A well
, , .

a pp o in ted s e r a gli o w a s an i n dispen s able a ppen d age

to the h ou s eh o ld o f eve r y s e c ul ar an d e cclesi astical

dign it ar y The ex ample o f their an c estor s an d the
.
,

temptation s o ff er ed by the f as cin ation s o f the be au

tiful M oor ish captives wer e to o p owe r ful to be with
,

stoo d To the allur emen ts o f p assion w as als o added

.
36 4 HIST ORY OF TH E

the gr atific ati on r esultin g fr om the con s c iousn ess o f

in flic ted an d well deser ved r etr ibution The f air es t
-
.

o f the G othi c an d R oman maide n s had bee n t or n fr om

weepin g p ar en ts to fill the h ar ems o f C or dov a C airo , ,

an d D ama s c us .Alfon s o I wh o se title The C ath olic

.
, , ,

has bee n con fir med by the p ro fuse an d fuls ome eu

lo gies o f the Church w as behin d n on e o f his gh o stly
,

coun sell or s in his p olyg amo us i n c li n ati on s ; an d the

o ff sp r i n g o f a c on n e c ti on with an in fidel con c ubin e ,

w ho r e c eived the n ame o f M au r e g ato w as destin ed to ,

play an imp or t an t p ar t in the ann als o f the Re con

quest I n ever y for m an d man ifest ation o f s oc ial life
.

the in fluen c e o f the su rvivin g elemen ts o f the Visi

gothic mon archy p r o duc ed imp ort an t an d per man en t
r esults . T o an ar chy succ eeded p o liti cal o r g an iz atio n ,

imper fec t it is tr ue but the wisdo m o f who se p rin

,

c i pl es w a s r epe a tedly co n fir med by thei r a d a pt ability

to the r equi r eme n ts o f an exte n sive empir e The .

physi cal con dition o f the pe o ple w as imp r oved an d ,

their str en gth hitherto emplo yed a gain st e ac h o ther

, ,

w as n o w di r e c ted to the in j ur y o f a co mmo n e n emy .

With n ew aspir ation s an d alter ed mann er s wer e in

tr o d u c e d ch an ges i n the Astur i an di ale c t whi ch w as ,

origin ally de r ived fr o m the E usk ar i an the idiom of ,

the B asques The in tercour se o f the v ar ious c lasses

.

o f s o c iety g r ew mor e r efin ed L aw g r a du ally sup

.

pl an ted govern men t by forc e Religion a gain exerted.

its ben efi cen t an d p o wer ful sway The c er emon ial .

o f the Visig o thi c co u r t—a mixtu r e o f b ar b ar i an in s o

len c e Roman dign ity an d Byz an tin e pomp—w as re

, ,

vi v ed, an d a f ai n t i ma ge o f an c ien t g r e a tn ess w as

exhibited by the pr ide an d prowess o f r epr esent atives

o f n oble families w ho mi n dful o f fo rme r a s c e n den c y
,

an d c on fide n t o f futu r e distin c ti on g all an tly rallied

,

r o u n d the th ro n e .

The spirit o f her o wor ship as may r e a dily be in

-
,

fe rr ed fr om the super stitio us cr edul ity o f the moun

36 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

emirate an d in spir ed with an un sh aken con fiden c e

,

i n the p r o te c ti on o f he ave n an in sig ni fican t b an d o f

,

exiles in the sh ort sp ace o f a qu ar ter o f a c en tur y

, ,

in sen sibly exp an ded in t o a peo ple wh o se existen c e ,

hither to ign or ed b e g an when too l ate to ar ouse the

, , ,

ser i ous a pp r ehen sion s o f the co ur t o f C or d ov a The .

Astur i an elemen t as j e alous o f liber ty as the B asque s

,

but far less in t o ler an t in fused in to the publi c d el ib

,

e r ati on s th o se p r i n c iples o f f r eed om subsequen tly so

p romin en t in the laws o f the n o r thern p ro vin c es ; an d

even n o w a fter c e n tur ies o f despo tis m n ot en ti r ely
, ,

er adi c ated fr o m the S pan ish c on stitution I t is on e .

o f the st r an gest o f p o liti c al phen omen a th a t fr om

su ch a s our c e sh ould h ave p r oc eeded in stitution s th at

made the I n quisition p ossible The imper c eptible but
.

lastin g in fluen c e o f the A s tur i an s did n ot p ass away

with the pr estige o f the gr eat p r in c es o f the H ouses
o f Aust r i a an d B o u r b on The r eligion o f the n ati on al
.

hier ar chy or g an ized within its bor de r s an d pr omu l

,

g ated by its armies still a ffor ds con s o lati on to the

,

devout o f man y lan ds an d the musi cal lan gu age

, ,

for med by a fus ion o f b ar bar ous di ale cts is the idiom
,

o f o n e sixth o f the ge o g r a phi cal ar e a o f the h abit able

-

globe .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 36 7

CHAPT ER V I II

TH E OM M E YAD E S ; REIGN OF ABD AL

- -
RAH M AN I .

7 5 6 —7 8 8

—
i i — H t it
Omme y a d e F a mi l y I ts O r g n I tsh os il y to M o a mme d
—The yr a n P r in c e s
S i Th —S l
ei r P r o fli g a c y p en dor s o f
—
-

D ama s c u s Lu x u r y o f the yr an C a p a —R s e o f the

S i it l i
— i ti t ti —
Abbas i d es P r e s c r p o n O f the D e f e a e d F a c o n E s c a p e
of Ab — h — ti — t
d a l R a ma n H i s R oma n c C ar ee r H e e n e rs
S i — —
-

t t t
p a n H i s u c c e s s D e fe a a n d D e hron eme n o f Yu s u f
S

—
— t t I ti — t i
C on s a n n s u r rec on s E n er pr s e o f the K al f o f
h i
B —
a gd a d i t T i ti —I
I ts D s a s r o u s i
erm n a o n h l n v a s on o f C ar e

ma gma S t l — th Ab —
la u gh er o f R on c es v a les D e a o f d al R ah
— h t — i ili ti —
-

ma n H i s C a r a c e r H i s e r v c e s to C v z a on F o un
S i
ti t —
da on of the G r e a Mo s qu e The F r an ks r ec on qu er
S epti ma n i a .

I N ow tur n to th at sple n did per io d wher ein w as

dis played the glor y o f the lin e o f the Ommey ad es ,

an ep och for eve r memo rable f o r its a chieve me n ts i n

s c ien c e an d p rac tic al phil o s o phy ; for ever illu s tri ous
in the hist or y o f i n telle c tu al p ro g r e s s as well as for
the develo pmen t o f tho se useful arts w hich dimin ish
’

'

the t oil a n d i n c reas e the h a ppin e s s o f ever y in dividu al ,

irr espec tive o f r an k who se i n fluen c e an d a v oc ati on s

,

in s en sibly co n tr ibute their sh ar e to the amelio r ati on or

degrad atio n o f human ity .

P r omin en t amo n g the n obles o f Mec c a equ al in ,

pride o f lin e a ge an d s uper ior in r e al p ower to the

H as hemites to whi ch tr ibe the P r o phet belon ged w as
, ,

the family o f the Ommey ad es Alth ough n o t exempt .

from a well gr oun ded s u s picion o f atheism they wer e

-
, ,

fro mmotives o f policy devoted ch ampion s o f the w o r

,

ship o f the K aab a Their id olatr ous pr edile c tion s we r e

.

dis clo sed by the sign ifican t n ames o f their chie ftains ,
36 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

an d espe c i al ly by th at o f their fo un der Abd al S h ams ,

- -
,
”
The S la ve o f the S un While the sheiks o f the
.

H ashenri tes the her edit ar y gu ar di an s o f the K aab a

, ,

en j oyed the n omin al auth or ity o f he ads o f the K or e

ish the milit ar y t alents an d in telle ctu al en do wments
,

o f the Ommey a d e s se c ur ed for thei r c hiefs the com

man d o f the army an a dv an t age by n o me an s coun ter

,

bal an c ed by the spiritu al in fluen c e p o ssessed by their

r iv als o ve r the w or ldly a n d skepti ca l p o pul ati on o f

Me c ca The commerc e o f the H o ly City which

.
,

r e a ped su c h subst an ti a l ben efits fr om its p o siti o n a s

the c en tr e o f Ar abian sup er stition w a s lar gely in the ,

h an ds o f the Ommey ad es The gr e at c ar avan s which .

, ,

a t r egul ar pe r i o ds c ar r ied on a lu cra tive traffic with

,

E gypt an d S yri a we r e pl ac ed un der the ch arge o f

,

their mo st distin gui shed le ader s The r iches amassed .

by the pr in c ip al member s o f the f amily wer e pro

di g i ou s an d their i n s o le n c e an d c r uelty wer e in n e ar ly
, ,

ever y in st an ce in a dir e c t ratio to thei r we alth an d

,

p owe r Quick to per c eive th at their p oli tic al in flu

.

en c e a s well as their pec un i ar y in ter ests woul d be

ser iously imperilled by the spr e ad o f I sl am the Om ,

mey a d es e ar ly displayed the mo st un r elen tin g ho stili ty

to war ds their co un tr y man M oh ammed They r eviled .

his doc tr in es They s co ff ed at his p r eten sion s to

.

divin e in spir atio n His pro sely t es wer e fo llo wed by

.

the taun ts an d in sults o f the mob o f Me cc a in stigated ,

by the diss olute yo ung n obles o f the K or eish aristo c

r ac y . L on g befor e he had secur ed a r espect able fol
lo win g the P r o phet on sever al occa si on s n arr owly
, , ,

es c aped the vi o len c e o f his in sidio us en emies ; an d

the Hegi ra itself the e r a from whi c h the magn ificen t
,

dyn a sties o f S yr ia an d S p ain we r e to date the acts o f

their s over eign s w as n e c essit ated by the dis covery o f
,

a mu r dero us plo t ag ai n s t him h at c hed an d matu r ed by

the chiefs o f the Ommey ad es .

I n the defeat o f O b od whe r e the P r o phet w as ,

3 70 HIS T ORY OF TH E

Asia . A spir it o f b oun dless ext rav a gan c e w a s culti

v ate d a s a n e c ess ar y att r ibute Of r eg a l splen d or an d ,

a ti mely j es t or a r ib ald s o ng o ften p ro c u r ed fo r an

un worthy f avor ite a r ewar d equ al to the r even ue o f

a p rovin c e .

D amas cus un der the r ule o f the Ommey a d es pre

, ,

sen ted a pic tur e o f lic en tio us n ess an d luxur y un

equ alled befor e o r sin c e by th at or an y o ther com
, ,

mun ity o f the M o slem world The imp ort an c e o f its

.

commerc e the o pulen c e o f its c itizen s the be auty o f

, ,

its subur bs the s an ctity o f its tradition s an d the pr es

, ,

tige o f its n ame g ain ed for the mo st ven erable c ity

o f an tiquity the a dmi r a ti o n an d the r eve r en c e o f ever y

traveller I ts temples we r e embellished with al l the

.

magn ific en t cr ea ti on s o f O r ien t al art I ts p alac es .

wer e en crusted with p or phyr y ver de an tique lapis ,

-
,

lazuli an d ala baster

, Th rough its g ar den s over
.
,

wh o se mo s aic w alks w aved in st ately maj esty the

p ahn an d wher e the air w as per fu med with the fra
,

gran e e o f a th ous an d fl o wer s an d ar oma tic shr ubs ,

flo wed r ivulets o f the pur est water I n ever y court .

yar d wer e f oun t ain s an d in the h ar ems o f the we althy

,

they wer e Often fed with c o stly win es The most .

g audy attir e w as aff e cted even by the po pulac e an d ,

n o mate r i al but si l k w as con sider ed wo r thy o f the dig

mity o f a S yr i an n oble I n the sh o ps o f the b az aar

.
,

divided as ar e th o se o f the E ast to d ay in t o se cti on s -

a pp r o p r i ated to di ff e r en t w ar es we r e to be fou nd Ob
,

j ects o f commer c e o f ever y coun t r y fr om Hin dustan

to B r it ain The v ari ous n ation alities which comp osed
.

the p o pul ati on o f the c ity wer e e ach distin guished by

a pe c uli ar c o stume an d the b r illi an t an d pi c tu r esque
,

a spe c t o f the livin g str e ams whi c h p o u r ed u n c e a sin gly

through the str eets w as en h an c ed by the mul titudes

o f visit or s wh om business or c u r i o sity had a ttr ac ted to

the capit al o f the kh alif ate .

With the o cc up ation o f the c ity by the M o slems ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 1

its physi c al aspe ct the ch ar acter o f its po pul ation

, ,

an d the n a tu r e o f its p oliti c al in stituti o n s ha d ch an ged

with its r eligio n F r om G ra-co S yr i an a ff ected to

.
-
,

s ome exten t by Pers i an in fluen c e it be came th or ,

oughly Ar a b .The app ar en tly in eradicable ideas o f

pers on al liber ty en ter t ain ed by the Bedo ui n in con ,

sisten t even with the s alut ar y r e s train ts n e c ess ar y for

the main ten an c e o f govern men t an d the p r eser v ation
o f s o ciety , wer e c arr ied fr om the bo un dless Deser t
in to the c irc ums cr ibed ar e a o f the S yr i an metr o p o lis .

E very tribe ha d its ow n mun i cip al distr i c t or war d ,

sep ar ated fr om the o ther s by walls fortified by tower s ,

an d c l o sed a t sun set by ma s s ive g a te s S o pe r fe c t .

w as this is o lati on th at e ach qu ar te r e x hibited the

pic tur e o f a min i atur e t own in depen den t o f the ,

o the rs with its markets c ar av an s ar ie s mo sques an d

, , , ,

c emete r ie s. The r ule o f sep ar ation w a s c arr ied s till

far ther i n these c ommun ities by a ssign in g di ff er en t
war ds to J ews an d Chr isti an s a p r ac tic e still to be ,

obser ved in the c itie s o f the O r ien t Un o b s tructed .

c ommun i c ati on with the su r r o un di n g coun tr y w a s ob

tain ed by me an s o f g atew ays in the p ri n c ip al wall o f .

,

whic h e ac h qu ar te r always po sses s ed on e an d s ome

times mor e Thi s Sin gular arran gemen t a con stan t
.
,

protest a g ain s t the c en tralized de s p otism whi ch de ,

spite its p ro fessio n s is the govern in g pr in c iple o f

,

I slam gr e atly facilit ated the politi c al distur b an c es

,

an d in sur r e cti on s wh o se p r ev a le n c e is s o marked a

featur e in the histor y o f D amas cus .

The Gr e at M osque in fe r ior i n s an ctity on ly to the

,

temples o f Me cc a Medin a an d J erus alem s to o d in

, , ,

the ver y c en tr e o f the city The plan an d de coration s

.

o f the st r u c tu r e we r e Byz an tin e an d s till be ar n o in

,

co n side r able r ese mbl an c e to th o se o f the C a thedral o f

S t M ark at Ven i c e I n such p ro fusi on wer e mo s ai c s

. .

lavished up on its walls that even the exterior blazed

with the in tolerable br illi an cy o f this eleg an t orn a
3 72 HIS T ORY OF TH E

men t ation I ts imp osin g dome an d slen der min ar ets

. ,

r isi n g a b o ve a maze o f h ouses a n d g ar den s we r e the ,

fir st obj e c ts whi ch met the expe ctan t gl an c e o f the

c amel d r iver as he u r ged his we a r y be a s t o ve r the
-

driftin g s an ds o f the Deser t At the fo unt ai n o f .

its sp acious court the pilgrim from Y emen an d the

mer ch an t fr om I rao side by Side per formed the lus
, ,

tr ati on s e n j o in ed up on the t r ue believe r Befor e its .

gor geous Kibl ah the cur ious o f ever y c lime the devout ,

o f eve r y r an k the p r i n c e an d the begg ar the n o ble

, ,

an d the de r vish the maste r an d the sl ave i n fr a te rn al

, ,

con cor d i mpl o r ed the p ro te c ti o n an d the blessin g o f

G od .

The Splen do r s o f the O rien t we r e r eflected by the

c ou r t an d the p a l ac e o f the kh alifa te The qu arries .

o f E u r o pe Afr i c a an d Asi a we r e ran s acked for the

, ,

rar est mar bles Temples o f P a g an deities wer e

.

str ipped o f fr ieze an d c apit al c ar ved by the h an ds o f

famous s culptor s o f an tiquity Byzan tin e mos ai cs .

glitter ed up on the flo or s an d w alls with a sheen th at

r ese mbled fo lds o f s a ti n d r a pe r y an d c l o th o f g old .

The t apestries o f Persi a wh ose des i g n s ign or ed the

,

in j un ction o f the K or an pr ohibitin g the r epr esen t a

tion o f forms o f an imal life wer e suspen ded in g or , ,

g eou s mag n ific en c e fr om p or t als o f ve r de an tique

-
,
'
a n d ar c a des o f N u midi an mar ble an d p o li shed j asper .

The gilded c eilin gs we r e o f o dor ifer ous woo ds curi

ou s ly in la id in bewilderin g arabesques with ivory
mothe r o f —
,

-
pe arl ebon y an d to r toise shell The pro
, ,
-
.

fusio n o f wa ter r e called the p ar tiality o f the Arab

for the p r e c i o us fluid a ss oc i ated with the toilsome
marc h o f the carav an with the r epo se o f the camp
, ,

with the r efr eshin g cooln ess o f the ver dant oasis with ,

the triumph o f the for ay with man y a h appy memory ,

an d s ac r ed tra diti on o f the Deser t I n eve r y court .

yar d sp arkled j ets o f spray d rawn fr om the sourc es

o f the famo us r ive r s Ab an a an d Ph ar p ar Channels .
374 HIST ORY OF TH E

of E gypt raised to the coveted dig n ity o f secr et ar y

,

of M ohanrrn e d had per ver ted the texts o f the K or an

, ,

an d had fled an d a po st atized ther eby in c urring the ,

pen alty o f de ath Un der Mu avi a the fir st S yri an

.
,

Kh ali f the o utwar d c er emon ies o f r eligion we r e

,

pr actised an d the pr e c epts o f the K oran ob eyed with

a pp ar en t fidelity But this con fo rmity p alp ably in
.
,

s in c er e w as lar gely the e ff e ct o f p olic y The ortho

,
.

do xy o f a pe o ple wh o se an c esto r s wer e fo r c en tur ies

the min ister s o f idolat rous wor ship w ho r esisted with ,

ever y r es our c e o f con tumely an d vi olen c e the ap ostle

o f a n e w r eligi on i n his we a kn ess an d a ssen ted re ,

l u ctan tl y to his d o g mas in his p o we r an d wh o se po ,

l itical i mp or t an c e w as di r e c tly depe n den t up on the

main ten an c e o f th at r eligio n may with pro p riety be
, , ,

question ed The P ag an tr adition s o f his an c estors

.

wer e p r edomin an t in the br e ast o f Mu avia A de cen t .

r eve r en c e fo r the K o r an an a pp ar e n t a ssen t to its

,

ten ets t ogether with a po litic an d str ic t per forman ce

,

o f the c er emon ies o f its r itu al con c e a led f r om his sub

,

j ects all o f the skeptic ism o f his family al l o f the ,

a bj e c t super stiti o n o f his rac e H rs p alac e swarmed .

with s o oths ayer s an d ch ar lat an s Befo r e en gagin g .

in an y i mp or t an t u n de r t akin g in the p r esen c e o f pub

,

li c c al amity un de r the weight o f d omesti c misfortun e

, ,

he a ppe aled for c oun sel to the ar ts o f divin ation de ,

n ou n c e d by M o h ammed a s a r eli c o f ido l a tr y an d

o ff e n sive to G o d I n his adhe r en c e to these he athen

.

r ites he w as en cou r aged by the i n fluen c e an d ex ample

o f his fa vo r ite con s o r t the mo the r o f Y ezid a Bedo uin

, ,

o f the t ri be o f the Ben i K alb w ho amidst the lu x u ri

-
, ,

ou s p omp o f the S yr i an cou r t still pi n ed f or the coar se

,

f ar e an d un trammelled fr eedom o f the Dese r t .

The Ommey ad e Kh alifs gr udged n o t r e asur e and

sp ar ed n o t o il in the adorn men t o f their capital the ,

c en tr e o f thei r r el igi on the se a t o f their e mpi r e

, To .

their p olitic al s ag ac ity ar e to be attr ibuted the massive

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 3 75

for tific ation s which pr eser ved the c ity from the en
cr o achmen ts o f Pe r si a an d the plo ts o f d ar i n g aspi

r an ts to imper i al p o we r Their p atern al ben efi c en ce

.

w as man ifested by a quedu c t s an d coun tless s u bter

ran e an con dui ts whi c h con veyed an un f aili n g supply

o f w ate r i n t o eve n the h u mblest dwelli n gs o f the p oor .

Their en lighten ed gen e ro s ity r elieved the suff erin g ,

en cour aged the le ar n ed pr omoted commerc e r e , ,

pr essed fan aticism dispelled the mists o f ign oran c e

, .

The white b ann er o f their dyn asty flo ated in tr iumph

ove r the mo sque o f Medin a the to wers o f B a ss ora the
, ,

walls o f K airo an the c it adel o f T oledo I n s cien tific

, .

ac umen an d liter a r y r en own the r eput ati on o f the

c ou r t o f D amas cus w a s f ar in fe r i or to th at s u b s e

quen tly att ain ed by the Kh alifate o f B agdad The .

gen ius o f the S yr i an s eemed less a dapted to the slow

an d pl o ddi n g r ese ar c hes o f the l ab or a t or y th an to the

n o isy wra n gles o f the o lo gi c al con t ro ver sy But in the .

mater i al en j o ymen ts o f life in the pomp which in ,

vested the dign ity o f s o v er eign i n the r iotous ex hibi ,

tion o f sen sual extrav agan c e D amas cus w as s upr eme , .

On o c casio n s o f c e r e mon y the attir e o f the Kh alif

w as o f g old b r ocade an d o n ly when he exer cised the
,

r eligi ou s fu n c ti on s o f hi s h oly offic e i n c umben t o n him

as the he a d o f I sl am did he c on des c e n d to d on the

plain white vestmen ts o f his o rder The men i als o f .

his househo ld even to the cooks when they appear ed

, ,

befor e the Div an wer e cla d i n d amask The devotees

, .

o f ple asur e we r e the f av or ite comp an i on s o f the S u c

c ess or o f the P r o phet His d ays wer e p assed at cock

.

fi g hts an d h or se r ac es-
The nu mber o f cou r ser s whi ch
.

c on ten ded i n these t r i als o f speed w a s immen se s o me ,

times amoun tin g to the in cr edible figur e o f on e thou

s an d His n ights wer e amused by the t ales o f story
.

teller s by the impr ovis atio n s o f p o ets by the an tic s

, ,

o f bu ff oon s by the l a s c ivi ous con t or ti o n s o f p ro f es

,

s i on al d an c er s .The barbaric orgies o f the Bedouin

376 HIST ORY OF TH E

ten ts wer e tr an sferr ed to the p ala c e o f the kh alif ate ,

an d supplemen ted with the p o lished vi c es o f E gyp t

an d the n ameless i n iquities o f R ome an d C on st an ti

n o le
p . I n the depth an d fr equen c y o f his p ot ati on s ,

the r oyal exp oun de r o f the K or an might well ch al

len ge the admir ation o f the se as on ed r eveller s o f S ean
d in av i a .His d r in kin g h orn s wer e o f en ormous size
-
.

The win e used in the b an quets w as o f the ch oic e v in

t age o f T ayif a to wn in the vi cin ity o f Me cc a P o
,
.

ten t o f itself the e ff e ct o f its draughts w as heighten ed

,

by the a ddition o f musk an d o ther aphro disia cs When .

the sur fc ited stomach could en dur e n o mor e emetics ,

wer e emplo yed to pr o lon g the debau ch an d o bvi ate its

u n ple as an t con sequen c es .

Wh at a con tr ast do es all this splen do r an d profli

ac p r ese n t to the fr ug a l h abits p at r i ar ch al s im
g y ,

pli city an d h omely vi r tues o f the e ar ly kh alifs "

,

Wh at a ch an ge fr om the humble domestic Offic es per

formed by the Ar abian P r o phet w ho o ften himself ,

p r ep ar ed his frugal me al an d men ded his t atter ed

s an d als " H ow di ff er en t fr om the dign ified r eserve
an d e arn est piety o f Abu Bek r ; ho w str an ge when
-

comp ar ed with the st o i ca l de me an or a n d a bste mi o us

life o f O mar w ho en te r ed Jeru s alem at the head o f

,

his victo r ious ar my i n a g ar b in fer ior to th at o f the

me an est s o ldier an d wh om an ambass a dor o f the
,

Kin g o f Per si a foun d asleep s u rroun ded by beggar s

, ,

up on the steps o f the Gr e at M o sque o f Medin a "And

yet a c en tur y had n ot elapsed fr om the Hegira to the
per io d when the Ommey ad es Of S yr i a r e ached the
mer idi an o f thei r gr e atn ess an d their p o we r .

The liber ty en j o yed by women at this per io d w as

mu ch gr e ater th an th at subsequen tly con ceded them
by M oh ammed an l aw The l ax man n e r s o f the Desert
.

had n ot yet been co mpletely sub j e c ted to the restric

tion s deman ded by n ew s o cial con dition s Dur in g the .

r eign s o f the fir st kh alifs the barb ar ous practice

,
3 78 HIST ORY OF TH E

h alted at the termin ation o f the flight from Me cc a .

Ther e tether ed between the pulpit when c e the texts

, ,

o f the K oran ha d f allen fr om the lips o f the P r o phet

upon the atten tive e ar s o f multitudes o f beli ever s an d ,

the t omb wher e his r emain s had been r ever en tly l aid
by the h an ds o f his comp an ion s the r estless h or ses ,

d e fil ed the pl ac e h o liest o n e ar th to the M u s s ul n

‘
ran

s ave the K aab a alon e The sur viv or s o f B ed r whom

.
,

the f avo r o f M o h ammed an d the ven e ratio n o f the

po pulac e had ex alted to the r an k o f an e c clesi astical
n o bility pe r ished to a man
, At the siege o f Me cca
.
,

which s oon f o llowed the p r ivileges th at from time

, ,

immemor i al had p r o te c ted the s acr ed terr it or y from

,

in sul t we r e vio lated an d the mo sque set on fir e by

, ,

o r de r o f the comman de r o f the a rmy w as with the , ,

K aaba en tir ely con sumed

,
.

Un der the a dmin ist rati on o f the succ eedin g kh alifs

o f the H o use o f Ommey ah the mad fr e aks o f these ,

un wor thy chiefs o f I slam att ai n ed the climax o f ex

tr av ag an ce an d s acrilege E xh austed by deb auchery
.

an d c ar eless o f publi c o pi n i o n they sen t their boo n ,

comp an i o n s an d thei r con cubi n es mu ffled in the r o yal ,

ro bes to r epe at the morn in g p ra yer from the pul pit

,

o f the mo sque They degra ded their s ac r ed offic e by

.

the assumption o f mean disgui ses the better to pen ,

e tr ate the i n te r io r o f the h o uses o f thei r n eighb or s ,

in vio lable in the sight o f ever y sin c er e Mussulman .

They main t ain ed an d publi c ly car essed an imals whose

con t ac t the l aw o f I sl am de c l ar ed u n c le an Their .

lives wer e sullied with in c ests an d eve r y physical

ab omi n ati on The r eve r en t M o slem will n ot tr ead
.

upon a piec e o f p a per for fe ar it may be in s cribed

,

with a sen ten c e from the K or an ; but s o little r egard

did the s coffi n g Ommey ad e pr in c es en ter tain f or its
s acr ed texts th at they used it as a t ar get for their
ar ro ws E ach w as n o ted for his p r edilec ti on for s ome
.

fav or ite vic e Al W alid I w as seldom s ob er an d

.
-
.
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 3 79

su ff er ed no d ay to
p ass with out a drun ken orgy .

Yezi d II st ar ved hims elf on ac coun t o f the death

.

o f a female sl av e The c on duc t o f Al Walid II w as

.
-
.

a stran ge comp o un d o f the tr i ck s o f a bu ff oon an d

the v agar ies o f a lun atic I n abs olute defian c e o f the .

pr ejudic es o f his f el l o w Mu s sulman s he in sisted th at

-
,

his dog s sho u ld acc omp an y his r etin ue o n the Pilgr im

ag e to l W ecc a Alth ough by virtue o f hi s o ffic e the
.
, ,

leader o f the gr e at Pilgr im c ara van w ho w as ex ,

pecte d to a ff o r d an edifyin g ex ample o f piety to his

fo llo wer s an d dir e c t the c ustomar y devotion al ex er
c i s e s s o little did he a ppr e c i a te the duties o f the occasi on
,

that he deleg ated hi s s pir itu al auth or ity to on e o f his

fr ien ds an d w a s with difficulty dis s ua ded fr om er ec t
,

in g a ten t on the ve r y summit o f the K aab a wher ein ,

he might the mor e public ly o utr age the feelin gs o f

the inh abitan ts o f the H oly City by s c en es o f drun ken
n ess an d r i o t A pet mo n key whic h had been chris
.
,

ten ed Abu K ais w as an in sep ar able comp an ion o f his

-
,

r evels . He qua ff ed the stron g win e o f T ayif fr om

the s ame cu p as his r o yal master an d with him sh ar ed ,

alike the ple a su r es o f in t o xi c ati on an d the depr essi on

con s eque n t up o n p r olo n ged i n dulgen c e The Khalif .

pr esen ted his str an ge a s s oci ate to gr ave ambass a dor s

a s a ven er a ble an d le arn ed J e w wh om the justi c e o f

the Al mighty had over taken an d w ho un der the s pell , ,

o f en ch an tme n t w as n o w expi atin g i n the form o f

, ,

an u n c le an an i mal a life o f hyp oc risy an d s in

, When .

the Kh alif ro de abr o ad Abu K ai s acco mp an ied him ,

-
,

c l ad in silk a n d moun ted o n a d on key magn ifi c en tly

,

c a p ar is on ed But it h a ppen ed on e d ay th at Abu K ais -

.
,

h avin g imbibed to o fr eely o f his ma ster s liquor w as ’

thrown fr om his s teed an d broke his n eck The gr ief .

o f Al W alid fo r the l o ss o f the mon key w as f or weeks

-

the j est o f the capit al Abu K ais w as to the gr eat .

-
,

s c an d al o f the faithful hon ored with the r ites o f ,

M o slem bur ial an d the Kh alif wh ose po etic t alen t

, ,
3 80 HIST ORY OF TH E

w as f ar ab o ve medio cr ity comp o sed s ome plaintiv e

,

verses as a well me r ited t r ibute to his con v ivi a lity an d

-

wisdom .

I h ave dwelt at s ome len gth up on the des cr iption

o f D ama s c us be c aus e o f the c lo se an d sig n i fi c an t r e

semblan c e o f the p oliti cal s oc ial r eligious an d mili

, , ,

t ar y in stitution s o f S yri a to tho se o f M o hammed an

S p ain I n the p o pul ati on o f the l atter co un tr y the
.

S yri an elemen t gr e atly p r epon derated in in fluen c e if ,

n o t in numbe r s The first Kh alif o f An daluz w as the

.

last s cio n o f the r ac e o f the Ommey ad es The feuds .

,

the pr ej udi c es the tr adition s o f b oth n ation s wer e

, ,

iden tic al The S yri an exile ever r et ain ed in aff ec tion

.

ate r ememb ran c e the s c en es an d even ts o f his child

h ood His armi es wer e marsh al led in the s ame or der

.

as we r e th o se whi c h wen t fo r th to vi c tor y u n der the

white bann er o f Muavia an d Ai W alid His c ities

-
.

wer e laid ou t i n imit ation o f the i rr egular lin es an d

labyr in thin e str eets o f the S yri an capit al His p alac es .

wer e con str ucted by ar chitec ts f amili ar with the splen

did edific es whi ch wer e the cr o wn in g orn amen t O f the
E astern Kh alifate The mo s aic s th at sp arkled ar oun d
.

the Kiblah o f the G r e at Temple o f the West wer e

the h an diwor k o f the s ame s ch oo l o f Byz an tin e artists
whose cr e ation s had adorn ed the st ately d ome which
ro se over the site o f the an c ie n t C hu rc h o f S t J oh n .

the B aptist The K or an wh o se leaves dyed with the

.
,

life bloo d o f O th man we r e lon g e x hibited with the

-

g armen ts o f the mar tyr ed Kh alif in the Dj ahn a o f

D amas cus w as fo r mor e th an tw o c en tur ies the obj ect
,

o f a ven er a ti on a pp r oac hi n g to id ol atr y r ender ed b y ,

coun tless myr i a ds o f w or shipper s at tra cted from

,

every quarter o f the glo be by the mar vels an d the

s an c tity o f the M o sque o f C or dov a .

The gross an d o ff en sive r idi cul e o f ever ythin g con

n ec ted with r eligi o n an d with a life p assed i n str i ct

ac cor d an c e with the p r in c iples o f mor al r e ctitude s o ,

3 82 HIS T ORY OF TH E

hypocrite s the con tempt o f wh o se rul e r s is c on st antly

,

mani fested t o war ds a f aith to whic h they ar e s olely

in debted for their auth o r ity an d wh o se wickedn ess has
become pr over bi al c an h ar dly su rvive the fir st r es o
,

lute attempt at its overth row An d so it h appen ed .

with the Ommey ad es at D amas c us N ot on ly in S yr i a .

,

but to the utter mo st b oun ds o f the kh alifate the ,

stor ies of the vic es an d skeptic is m o f the C o mman der

o f the F aithful we r e he ar d with disgust an d horror .

The l aw abidin g wer e s c an d alized by the orgies

-

o f the c o ur t The des c en d an ts o f th o se w ho had

.

perished at H arr a an d Me cc a the r emn an t o f the ,

r e c a l c it ra n t n on con fo r mists o f Pe r si a
-
the seditious ,

p o pulac e whi ch had felt the iron h an d o f the govern ors

o f I r ae we r e i n fl amed with the desi r e an d the h o pe
,

o f ven ge an c e The dev out M u ss u hn an w ho con

.
,

s ci en tio u s l y o bse r ved the i n j u n c ti on s o f the K or an a n d

to wh om the t raditi on s o f I sl am we r e s acr ed as con

n ected with the life an d s ayi n gs o f the P r o ph e t w as ,

sh o cked at the blasphemy whi ch the S ucc ess o r o f M o

h ammed did n ot hesit ate to utter even within the pre ,

c in c ts o f the mo sque an d befo r e the ve r y a lt ar o f G o d .

.

F ro m time to time the p o pul ar i n dig n ation w as dis

played in in sur r e ction s whi c h bein g sp on t an eous an d
, ,

defic ien t in o r gan iz ation an d le a der s hip wer e cr ushed ,

without diffi culty But u n der the r eign o f M erw an

.

I I the fourteen th kh alif o f the dy n asty a f ormid

.
, ,

able r ebelli o n b r oke o u t in P er si a The des c en d an ts

.

o f Abb as the un c le o f M o h ammed an d the gr an d

,

f ather O f Ali o pen ly laid cl aim to the th r on e o f the

,

O rien t Thei r p arty w a s supp or ted by Abu Muslim

.
-
,

the gr eatest milit ar y comman der o f the ag e Att ached .

for gen e rati on s to the memo r y o f Ali the Pe r si an s ,

flocked by th ous an ds to the camp o f the in surgen ts ,

an d the p r ete n de r Abul Abb as h avi n g est a blished his

,
-
,

auth or ity o ve r the e a ste rn p ro vi n c es mo ved westw ar d ,

to the co nquest o f S y r i a Awar e when too late o f

.
, ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 83

the magn itude o f the impen din g d an ger which at fir st ,

had been despised the Kh alif br o ught i n t o r equi s iti on

,

the en tir e r es ourc es o f hi s empir e to r epel the in vasion .

I n the pla in s o f the Z ab a t r ibut ar y o f the Tigr is an d

, ,

n ot f ar fro m the s ite o f a n c ie n t N i n eveh the tw o ,

armies met i n a con fli c t up o n wh o se r e s u lt we r e st aked

the de s tin ies o f the tw o gr e at fa ction s o f I slam The .

valor o f the Abbas id e s aided by the tr e as on whi ch per

,

v aded the r an ks o f the en emy pr ev ailed ; the for c es ,

o f M er w an we r e r o uted ; an d the fo u n d ati o n s o f a

n e w empi r e we r e l aid whi ch w as de s tin ed to e c lipse by ,

the glor ies o f B agd ad the dazzlin g an d mer etr i c iou s

,

splen dor o f the cour t o f D amas cus An d n ow a .

fr ightful pro s cr iptio n w as in augurated E ven the .

s chismatic s wh o se lukewar m supp or t had in curr ed the

,

s u s pi c i on s o f the Omme y a d es we r e un a ble to es c a pe ,

the swor d o f the co n quer or I t s oon bec ame eviden t .

th at the fur y o f the Abba sid es would be s atisfied o n ly

with the abs olute extermin ation o f the ho s tile faction .

The dep o sed Khalif M er w an w ho had fled to E gypt

, , ,

w as defe ated i n a ski rmish an d killed E ver y member .

o f his h ouse wh o se r an k w as su ffic ien tly ex alted to i n

spir e the usur per with appr ehen si on s w as r uthlessly

mur der ed . Wher e o pen vi olen c e did n o t av ail the ,

bas es t tr e acher y w as employed Abd allah the un cle .

,

o f Abul Abb a s by a ff or di n g s ome o f the exile s a s sist

-
,

an c e had s u cc eeded i n g a in in g the c on fiden c e o f the

,

pro s cr ibed fac tio n He s olemn ly pr omis ed an as yl

.

to all w ho would r es or t to D amas c us an d in voke hi s

protection Deluded by his pr o fes s io n s man y left
.
,

their hidin g plac e s wher e they had been in c omp ara

-
,

tive sec ur ity to expo se themselves to the design s o f a

,

p er fid i o u s e n e my Whe n all ha d arr ived w ho co uld be

.

in du c ed to con fide in him Abdallah gave a ban quet ,

in hon or o f his dis tin guished p r oteg é s whi ch mor e ,

than seven ty o f the Ommey ad es atten ded I n the .

midst o f the festivities at a given sign al a b an d o f , ,

3 84 HIS T ORY OF TH E

s oldier s bur st i n up on the a ssembly an d the un h appy ,

guests wer e ma ss ac r ed Rugs an d cur t ain s wer e

.

thrown o ver their pro st rate b o dies ; the r evelr y w as

r en ewed ; an d the p ar tis an s o f the Abb a s id e s t oa sted

the mon ster wh o se fe roc ious cun n in g had cu t Off his

most dan gerous adver s ar ies by the s acr ific e o f the r ites
o f h o spit ality .Within the ten t o f the Bedouin the
life o f his mo st de adly e n emy is s acr ed But to the .

Arab o f S yri a or Per si a n o p romise w a s bin din g n o ,

en g agemen t w as in vi olable wher e his in ter ests or his

,

ambiti o n we r e c on c e r n ed Thus had the f at al in flu

.

en c e o f Roman an d Byz an tin e man n er s viti ated the

n atur e o f a pe o ple wh o se se n se o f man ly dig n ity an d

pers o n al ho n or had for ages been con spi cuo us ami dst
the w ide spr e a d dep r avity o f Asi a
-
.

E very member o f the detested rac e wh om the blo od

thir sty diligen c e o f their f o es c ould dis cover w as
hun ted like a wild be ast an d put to death Childr en .

wer e butcher ed in the p r esen c e o f their p ar en ts .

Women w ho r efused to dis close the hidin g plac es o f -

their kin dr ed or the wher e ab outs o f their j ewels wer e

st abbed with out c e r emon y Abu I bn —
, ,

. Mu avi a on e o f
-
,

the n o blest c av aliers o f D ama s cus w as depr ived o f a ,

h an d an d foot an d p ar aded thr ough the cities o f S yri a

,

up on an a s s un til p ain an d exh austion r elieved him o f

his mise ry The fe r oc io us Abba sid e s wer e n ot con ten t
.

with out rages up on the livin g ; they even vi o lated the

t ombs o f the kh alifs an d s catter ed to the win ds the
r e mai n s o f th o se p r i n c es wh o se gl or y an d wh o se c r imes

had ad o rn ed o r d e fil e d the thr on e o f the E a st .

Amidst the un ive r s al ruin o f his f amily o n e prin ce ,

a lon e o f the Ormn ey ad es Abd al Rahman I bn Mu a

,
- - - -

v i a had su r vived
, O f r ar e p romise an d en do wed with
.

man y vir tues he had lon g been the o rn amen t o f the

,

c ou r t o f S y r i a He had r ec eived the best education

.

obt ai n able in the s c h o o ls o f the c a pit al His mind had .

b een enl ar g ed b y tr avel The for tuitous adv an t ag es

.
386 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a dh er en ts wh o se symp athies wer e ar oused an d who se ,

p assion s wer e ex c ited by the st ory o f his w r on gs .

Y e ar s befor e the do wn fall o f the r ac e o f Ommey ah

,

had been for eto ld by an a str o lo ge r w ho had at the , ,

s ame time pr edi cted the futur e gr e atn ess o f the illus
,

triou s fugitive The in telle ct o f Abd al Rahman

.
- -
,

though str on g w as n ot p r o o f a g ain st the or ac les o f

,

super s tition whic h fl atter ed his van ity while they i n

S pi r ed him with aw e an d he ha d liste n ed with al l the
, ,

c r edulity o f an O r ie n t a l to the myster i o us hin ts o f ,

the ch ar l at an The fir st p or tion o f the pr edic tion had

.

been verified With the sin gle ex c eption o f himself

.
,

the pr in c es o f his h ouse had been exter min ated His .

c on s c i o u s men t a l supe r i or ity his p oliti c al exper ien c e , ,

his keen in sight in t o human n atur e his publi c an d ,

domestic virtues per su aded him an d suggested to his

,

p ar tis an s th at n o on e o f his fami ly w as s o wor thy o f

a thr on e . Actuated by these ambitious feelin gs an d ,

ra shly permittin g hi s a spi rati o n s to p r ev ail o ve r his

gratitude Abd al Rahman began to en te rt ain h o pes

,
- -

o f se cur in g the s o ve r eig n ty o f Afr i c a His impru .

den t speeches c ame to the e ar s o f the Vi c er o y I bn ,

H abib a ster n ol d s oldier w ho w as a r elative o f Yu

, ,

suf an d had on c e held high comman d i n the army o f

S p ain He als o w a s a c qu ain ted wi th the astro lo ger s
’
.

p rediction an d w as n ot disp o sed to con tr ibute to its

,

a ccompli sh me n t by the l o s s o f his o w n life an d the

s acrifice o f his p o wer Despisin g the g uests wh ose .

ba se con duct had so ill r equited his h ospit ality he ,

ten der ed his allegian c e to the Abbaside Kh alifate .

All memb ers o f the obn o xi ous faction wer e at on c e

expelled fr om the coun tr y Abd al R ah man w as .
- -

for c ed to seek i n disguise the mo st secluded r egion s

o f the Deser t His con dition became mo r e an d mor e
.

pr e car i ous A r ewar d o f a th ous an d pie c es o f gold

.

w as O ff er ed for hi s he ad He s ought con ceahn en t .

amon g the B ed oui n s but their gen ero us h o spit ality

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 38 7

w as n ot able to pr o te ct him fr om the tir eless emiss ar ies

o f the Vi c er oy w ho pu r sued him fr om c amp to camp
,

an d from t r ibe to tr ibe On on e o c casio n he es c aped

.
,

from a ten t j us t as the Ber ber s r ushed in to it On .

an o ther the wife o f a sheik con c e aled hi m in a c or n e r

,

un der a pile o f her g ar me n t s H i s me an s lon g sin c e .

exhausted he be came depen den t up on ch ar ity H is

, .

foo d w as c o arse an d s c an ty his c lo the s old an d ,

t atter ed Al tho ugh his youth had been p ampe r ed

.

with the ch o ic e s t delic ac ies o f a ro yal t able he ate ,

the b arley br e a d an d dr an k the c amel s milk o f the ’

d ouar s witho ut a murmur The n obility o f his bir th .

,

the su avity o f his mann er s his skill an d dar in g in ,

the ch ase an d the p atien c e with which he submitted

,

to the t r i al s o f a dve rs e for tun e g a in ed for him the ,

r espe c t an d esteem o f his wild a s s o c i a te s E ven i n his .

destitution he n ever c ea sed to a spir e to the thron e o f

Afr i c a an d while hi s e ff or ts we r e futile the acti v ity
, , ,

o f the i n dign an t Vi c e r o y kept hi m i n co n ti n u a l a p pr e

hen sion At len gth a fter five ye ar s o f vag abo n dage

.
,

an d pe r il o us a dven tu r e he be c ame the guest o f the

,

Berbe r tr ibe o f the Ben i N a fs a a br an ch o f the Zen e -

,

tah fro m whi ch hi s mo the r der ived her or igin an d

,

wh ose member s inhabited the moun t ain ous r egio n to

the s outh o f Ceut a Her e un der the guar di an ship
.
,

o f his f el l ow tr ibe s me n a n allu r in g p ro s pe c t w a s er e

-
,

lon g o pen ed to his ambition an d the penn iles s w an ,

der er with out coun try or kin dr ed w as sudden ly c alled

, ,

by the v oi c e o f a distan t n ation to foun d a n ew empir e

an d fulfil a g ran d an d ma gn ific en t desti n y .

I n the me an time the c i vi l w ar i n S p ai n between

,

Yusuf an d Ah mar r uler o f S arag o s s a had been pro

, ,

c e ed in g with i n c r e a si n g a tr oc ity but with v ar i ous an d

doubtful for tun e O win g to the close r elation s main

.

tain e d by Afr i c a an d the S p an ish Pe n i n sula with e ach

o the r the ar mies o f the l atte r coun tr y bein g c on st an tly
,

r e cruited fr om the mar ti a l p o pul ati on o f the fo r me r ,

38 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

an d the go ver n o rs themselves bein g c onn e c ted by the

ties o f bloo d an abidin g in ter es t i n the p olitical fort
,

un es o f their br ethr en beyon d the strait w as n atur ally

man ifested by the Ar ab an d Be rber tr ibes an d in tel ,

li g en c e o f eve r y i mp or t an t mo veme n t i n S p a in w as
tr an smitted to the c ities an d c amps o f Al M a ghr eb with -

un failin g r egul ar ity The vigilan c e an d abili ty o f the

.

Vic er o y o f Afr i ca had at len gth con vi n c ed Abd al -

R ahman o f the h o peless n ess o f an y a ttempt to usur p

his p ower E ase o f acc ess to An d a lusi a an d the dis
.

t ra cted con dition o f th at coun try with wh o se troubles

,

he w a s tho r oughly familiar caused him to aban d on the

,

s cheme whi ch had f or so lo n g been the cherished obj ect

o f his life for an o the r whi c h p r omised to be less i m

pr ac ti c able A se as on able supply o f mon ey had lately

.

r e a c hed the i mp o ver ished p r i n c e fr om his fr ie n ds in

S yr i a. With this he desp at ched the faithful B ed r ,

w ho had with out co mpl ai n t sh ar ed the p riv ati on s o f

his exile to S p ain ; a fter en t rustin g him with a letter
, ,

i n whi ch he l aid c l ai m to the thr o n e by r ight o f in

her it an c e dir e cted to the p ar tis an s o f his f amily who
, ,

to the n umber o f seve r al hun dr ed in h abited the e ast

,

e rn p or ti o n o f An d alusi a The letter w a s in due time

.

deli ve r ed to the chiefs o f the S yr ian s w ho secr etly con ,

v oke d an a ssembly o f thei r tr ibes men to dete rmi n e

wh at c our se sh ould be pursued The her editary

.

loyalty o f the adhe ren ts o f the Ommey ad es ; the ap

p ar en t j ustic e o f the title o f Abd al Rahman ; the - -

a n ar c hy th at ever ywhe r e p r ev a iled an d wh o se e ff e c ts

,

wer e at th at time p ain fully man ifest in the th r eefold

s courge o f mass acr e famin e an d dise ase ; an d the
, ,

p rospe c t o f offici al p r omoti on assisted by a j udic ious

,

distribution o f the go ld brought by B ed r de cided ,

the su ff r ages o f the coun cil in favor o f the p rin ce .

S c ar c ely had this o pin i on been a do pted when a new

difficulty w as a dded to th ose whi ch had alr e ady r en
de r ed the issue o f the en ter pr ise do ubtful as well as
39 0 HIS T ORY OF TH E

s er te d his st an d ar d by hun dr eds The fo r c es o f the .

Ommey ad e p r in c e i n cr e as ed d aily ; the Y e me n ites ,

w ho r eg ar ded his f amily with a h at r ed i n ten sified by

gen er ation s o f in j u r y an d Opp r ession but wh ose de ,

test ati on o f Yusuf w as even deeper th an th at en ter

tain ed to w ar ds the S yr i an dyn a sty we r e e asily i n ,

d u c e d to emb ra c e the cause o f the forme r ; an d by a ,

stran ge r evo luti on o f fortune the fugitive w ho but , ,

a f e w weeks befo r e ha d been in h o u r ly pe r il o f his

life n ow foun d himself in vested with i mper i al au

,

thor ity an d the comman de r o f a veter an army o f

s eve ra l th ous an d men F ully a ppr e ci atin g the d an
.

g e r ou s ch arac te r o f the r ev o lt as well as the u n c e r t ain

,

c on sequen c e s of a p ro lon ged con flict Yusuf at ,

tempted n eg oti atio n E n vo ys be arin g v alu able p r es

en ts wer e desp at ched to the camp o f Abd —
.

al R a h man -
,

w ho we r e auth or ized to p r omise him the d aughte r o f

the E mir in marr i age an d an est ate commen surate
with his dign ity if he would r en oun c e all c laims to
the th r on e The advise r s o f the pr in c e wh o se en thu
.
,

s ia s m had s omewh a t a b a ted si n c e they had t aken ti me

to r efle c t up on the p o ssible r esults o f thei r temer ity ,

r e c omme n ded th at the p ro p o s als be acc epted A .

bitter t aun t h owever pr o voked by the awkw ar dn ess

, ,

o f o n e o f Abd al R ah man s r etin ue ab ruptly termi

’
- -
,

n ate d the n eg o ti ati o n ; the s arcasti c en v oy w as cast

in to a dun geon ; an d the emba ssy o f the E mir dis ,

missed with out c e r emon y n arrowly es caped bein g

,

plun der ed befor e it r eached the g ates o f C or do v a .

N o fur ther cou r se w as n o w p o ssible exc ept an ap

pe al to arms The p r ev alen c e o f an archy the fre
.
,

quen t ch an ge o f rule r s the pe rn i c ious immigr ation o f

,

b arb ari an s from Afr ica had tho roughly dis org an ized
,

s oc iety The allegianc e o f eve ry sub j e ct w as r egar ded

.

a s a me r e matter o f p o li c y o r c h o i c e The armies wer e .

little better th an b an ditti E ven the ties o f tribal

.

un ion had been r el axed s ave when the spirit o f ven

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 39 1

g e an c e equir ed to be s atisfied in accor dan c e with the

r

bloody tr aditi on s o f the Desert T r e achery w as s o .

r ife th at n o ma n w a s c e r t ai n o f the sin c er ity o f his

n eighb or o r co uld t r ust the l oy a lty o f hi s fr ie n d It .

w as n o un c ommo n o ccur r en c e f o r t r oo p s at the cr itic al

momen t o f a b attle to publi cly deser t to the en emy ,

an d i mmedi ately tu rn thei r we a p on s a g a i n st thei r l ate

c omp an i on s i n arms -
The grave un c ert ain ties o f a
-
.

c on test c arr ied on u n der s u ch c i r cumst an c e s ar e a

, p ,

p ar en t to ever y r e ade r The for ce s o f Abd al R ah .

- -

man had r ec en tly r ec eived an imp o r tan t acc ession by

the ar r ival o f a con sider able n umber o f Afr i c an
c av al r y warr io r s o f the clan o f the Z en etah who se
, ,

trib al c on n e ctio n s as well a s their in exper ien c e in the

,

politi cal in tr igues o f the emir ate r en der ed their alle ,

g i an ce le s s p r e c ar io us than th at o f the vete ran s to

whom all mas ters wer e ali ke an d who s e pr in cip al in
ce n tiv e w as plun de r

E ar ly in the spr i n g the army o f Abd al —

.

R ahman -

t ook up its mar ch with a view to the c aptur e o f C or

dova I ts cour se ho wever w as n ot dire ctly to wards
.
, ,

the c apit al but f ar ther to the s o uth wher e the S yr i an

, ,

an d E gypti an tr ibes—wh o se se n ti me n ts we r e kn o wn

to be f av ora ble to the c ause o f the Ommey ad es —had

been distr ibuted E ver ywher e the in surgen ts wer e
.

welc omed with en thusi asm ; the br avest warr ior s

j oin ed their r anks ; an d the town s on e a fter an ,

o ther in cludin g S eville the mo st impor t an t c ity o f

, ,

An d alusia in p o in t o f p o pulati on Open ed their g ates ,

to the p r eten der Abd al Rahman had s car c ely re

.
- -

c e iv e d the h omage o f his n ew subj ects befor e he

learn ed th at Yusuf w ho aided by his c oun sellor Al
, ,

S amil had collected a formid able army in the pr ov

,

in ces o f T o ledo an d Mu r c i a had mar ched fr om C or ,

dov a to in ter c ept him Leavin g the c ity the pr in c e .

,

pr oc eeded n or thwar d with the expectati on o f seizing

the c a pit al dur in g the absen c e o f the E mir But the .
39 2 HIS T ORY OF TH E

cra fty old s o ldier w a s n ot to be t aken un awar es The .

movemen t o f the in sur gen ts w as at on c e detec ted ;

Yu s uf r etr ac ed his steps ; an d f or several h o ur s the
tw o armi es rac ed o n t o gethe r wi th the r ive r between
them Ar r ivin g at a vill a ge c alled M o s ara situated
.
,

ab o ut a le a g ue fr o m C or d o v a Abd al R ah man h alted

,
- -
.

The clamor s o f his s o ldier s w ho had been on Sh or t ,

r ati on s an d we r e g r e atly f a tigued by the r a pid mar ch

they had been compelled to un der take n ow r ose ,

omi n o usly on his e ar s A coun cil o f w ar w as called

.
,

a n d it w as de c ided to a tt a c k the e n emy o n the foll o w

in g mo r n in g By me an s o f a r use whi ch r efle cted

.
,

little c r edit upon his char acter Abd al Rahman w as ,

- -

en abled to c r o s s the r iver with out mo lest ation He .

sen t wor d to Yusuf th at he w as willin g to r en ew the

n ego ti ati on s whi c h ha d bee n b r o ke n Off befor e the

co mme n c eme n t o f h o stilities ; th a t the ter ms we r e en

ti rel y ac c ept able ; an d th at the r e w a s s o fa ir a p r o spe ct

o f pe ac e th a t the t r e aty co uld be mor e con ven ien tly

ar ran ged if the tw o camps we r e mor e a cc essible to e ac h

o ther Duped by these plausible r ep r esen t ation s the

.
,

E mi r su ff er ed his en emie s to p ass the Gu a d alquivir ,

an d ,le arn in g o f their h alf f amished con dition even

-

sen t p r ovision s to their camp At d awn the troo ps o f.

Abd al Rahman pr ep ar ed for acti on The d ay w as

- -
.
.

pro pitious I t w as the ann iver s ar y o f the con fli ct o f

.

the P r a ir ie wher e an an c est or o f the you n g prin c e had

,

sign ally defeated an adve r s ar y wh o se title w as the

s ame a s th at o f Yusuf The c o in ciden c e w as c arried
.

still fur ther for it w as n o t fo r go tten by the super

,

s titiou s Arabs th a t the vizie r o f the E mi r an d his ro yal

t ribes man b oth belon ged to the r ac e o f K ais These .

pr ogn o stic s o f su cc ess wer e diligently c ir culated

through the r an ks o f the Ommey ad e s alr e ady elated ,

by the prospec t o f victor y The unwelcome omen s .

did n ot h ave a less p o we r ful in fluen c e up on the imag

in atio n o f their o pp on en ts for dishe ar ten ed an d f al
, ,
39 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

it with out r egar d to its mor al aspec t but s o lely with

a view to its p r esen t expedie n c y an d p o liti cal con s e

q u en ces an d ,the m o r e r e a dily a s t r ib al in ter est w as

ever the con tr ollin g motive o f their c on duc t N o tified .

o f thei r t r e a s o n able deliber ation s Abd al Rahman ,

- -

lo st n o time in surr oun din g himself with a gu ar d .

Thus foiled the le ader o f the con spir ato r s dissembled

,

his ch a gr in an d en de av o r ed by ext r av a g an t demon

s tr ati on s o f lo y a lty to a t on e fo r his c r i me but the ,

pen etratio n o f Abd al Rahman w as n ot to be de c eived

- -
,

an d , s ome mon ths a fterwar ds the tr e acher ous Abu ,

S abb ah w as summar ily exe cuted .

Al tho ugh a tten ded with su cc ess at the o utset the ,

task o f Abd al R ahman w as f ar mo r e difficult than

- -

he had an tic ip ated The chiefs o f the o ppo site f action

.

s oon r ep a i r ed thei r for tu n es an d a ppe ar ed at the he ad

o f fr esh t ro o ps While Abd al —

. R ahman w as on the -

mar ch to a tt ac k Yusuf w ho had j o in ed Al S amil in ,

-

the p r ovin c e o f J a en the E mir sen t his s on Abu Zaid

, ,
-
,

by un fr equen ted ro ads to seize an d r e co ve r the capital

, .

The c ity w as sur p r ised an d the g arr is o n ma de pris

on e r s but the h asty r eturn o f the Ommey ad es r en
,

der ed an immedi ate ev acu ati on n e c ess ar y R e surn in g .

his march Abd al R ahman proc eeded r a pidly t owards

,
- -

the moun tain s o f J aen Yusuf an d Al S amil con .

-
,

s c i ous o f thei r p r ese n t we a kn ess ma de o ve r tu r es for ,

pe ac e ; an d a tr e aty w as con cluded by who se terms

Abd al R ah man w as to allo w the E mi r an d his vizier
- -

the un molested po ssession o f their est ates an d they , ,

on the o the r h an d we r e to su rr en de r the str on gh olds

,

held by their p artis an s I t w as als o stipulated th at .

Yusuf sh ould r eside pe rman en tly at C or d ova wher e

tw o o f his s on s Abu —
,

Z aid an d Abu al Aswad were

,
- -
,

det ain ed as h o st ages .

The r en un c i ation o f auth or ity by Y usuf left Abd

al R ahman
-
the n omi n al master o f the Pen in sula .

But the elemen ts o f dis co r d which had s o long ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 39 5

h ar assed the coun try wer e too power ful to be re

,

str ain ed by the in fluen c e o f a youth w ho w as a

comp arative st r an ger to the maj or ity o f hi s sub j e cts .

An ar chy su s tain ed an d promo ted by the av ari c e o f

,

lawless b an ds an d the ambitio n o f un s c rupulous chief

tain s had be c ome the n o rmal con dition o f a s ociety
,

who se con stituen ts wer e accustomed to be arrayed

a g a in s t e ac h o the r an d the s er vi c es o f wh o se s o ldie r s
,

wer e n otor io usly at the disp o s al o f wh o ever w as will

in g to pay the mo st libe ra lly for them At fir st the .

deposed E mir an d his faithful coun cillo r s eemed r e

sign ed to the r evers es whi ch had imp o sed up o n them
the c on ditio n s o f v ass alage They li ved in a pp ar en t
.

h armon y with the n ew s o ver eig n Their a d v i c e w as .

fr equen tly s olicited an d ado pted in matters o f impo r

t an c e Their v an ity w as fl atter ed an d their dign ity
.

sustain ed by the p omp o f es tablishmen ts n o t in fer ior

in sple n d o r to tho se whi ch they had p o s s e s s ed in thei r
days o f in depen den c e N o t s o h o wever with the sub
.
, ,

o r di n ate offi c er s an d mi n ister s o f the emi r ate Un der .

the n ew admin istr atio n al l emplo ymen ts o f r espo n si

bility an d p o we r had been ve s ted in the fr ie n d s an d
adhe r en ts o f Abd al R ah man
- -
The Oppo r tun ities fo r
.

pec ulation an d o fficial corr uptio n o n c e so abun dan t ,

an d lu crative had dis appe ar ed o r we r e e n j o yed by

, ,

ali en s a n d he r edit ar y en emie s F rom po siti on s o f

.

trust an d cir c ums t an c es o f o pulen c e man y di s tin

g u i s he d n o bles ha d bee n degr a ded to a life o f in s ig n ifi

c an c e an d p o ve r ty The s e malc on ten ts who se tr ibal

.
,

r el a ti on s with Yusuf g ave them r e a dy a c c ess to his

pr esen c e took advan tage o f eve ry occasion to i n flu

,

en c e his h atr ed an d stimul ate hi s ambition with t ales

o f Oppr essi on an d h o pes o f i n depe n de n c e The con .

s titu ti on al we akn ess o f the E mir w as n o t pr oo f

a g a i n st these spe cious r epr e s en t ation s in c ess an tly ,

ur ged by his p ar tis an s H avin g secr etly made his

.

pr ep ar ation s he fled to Merid a Pur suit w as fruitless

.
,
39 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

an d the s ole c on s olation left to Abd al — R ahman w as —

the kn owledge th at Al — S amil an d the s on s o f Yusuf
wer e still in his p ower M or ti fi ed beyon d exp r ession
.
,

an d a pp r ehen sive th at they als o might e s c ape he ,

or de r ed them to be c a st i n t o p r is on .

The r eput ation o f Yusuf an d the h abitu al dis con

,

ten t o f the masses n atur ally in clin ed to dis or der s oon

, ,

p rovided him with a well app oin ted fo r c e o f twen ty

-

thous an d men With this he l aid siege to S eville

.
,

who se govern o r at th at time w as Abd al Melik an - -

,

Ommey a d e r efugee S c ar c ely had the E mir in vested

.

the c ity when he ab an don ed the un dert akin g an d ,

attempted by a r a pid mar c h to seize C or d o v a befo r e

, ,

its g arris on could be r ein for c ed He w as too late ; the .

a rmy o f Abd al R ahman w a s alr e ady i n mo ti on an d

- -
,

Yusuf r etir ed on ly to meet the for c es o f Abd al Melik - -

,

wh o se s on had come to his aid with a lar ge det achmen t ,

en ablin g him to app roach the en emy fr om the r e ar A .

battle w as fought an d Yusuf sust ain ed a crushin g

,

defe at With gre at difficulty the d i s c o mfi ted p r in c e

.

es caped the s wor ds o f the vi ctor s an d he had almost ,

r e a ched T o led o whe n he w as i n te rc epted an d c u t d ow n

by a p ar ty o f Y emen ites w ho ho ped by thi s imp or t an t

,

servic e to obt ain f avo r for themselves an d pe ac e for

their distr a cted c oun try Thus per ished miserably the
.

mo st for mid able adver s ar y o f Abd al R ahman His - -

.

distin guished c on n exion s ; the milit ar y exper ien c e o f

h alf a c en tur y ; the r esp on sible comman ds which he
had admin iste r ed ; the p r estige th at att ached to him as
the suc c essful o pp on en t o f Ch arles M ar tel ; the con
side rati on r esultin g from the exer cise an d en j oymen t
o f ro yal dig n ity ; the n ume ro us fo ll o wi n g whi c h had

sh ar ed his favo r an d ho ped for the r e est ablishme n t o f -

his p owe r had ac qui r ed for him a r eput ation an d an

,

in fluen c e far beyon d his merits His ch ar ac ter w as a .

str an ge c omp oun d o f n oble an d vi cious qu alities .

C our ageous on the field o f b attle in his ten t he b e came ,

39 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

B an ds o f marauding Berber s roamed f ar an d w ide ;

mo lesting the pe as an tr y thr e atenin g the c ities c lo sin g
, ,

the avenues o f trade dis cour a gin g all the avo cation s
,

o f pea c e The un iver s al a git ation at len gth devel o ped

.

in t o Open r ebelli on H is chem I bn Ozra a F ihrite

.
- -
,

c hieft ain wh ose r el ation ship to Yusuf j o ined to an

, ,

en ter prising spirit gave him considerable p oliti cal

,

in fluenc e or g an ized an in surr e c ti on i n the N or th an d

, ,

o c c upied T o led o S t r on gly g arr is oned b y the in su r

.

gen ts it had held ou t again st the army sent to r edu c e

,

i t for mor e th an a ye ar when tidin gs we r e r e c eived

,

by the cour t o f C or do va o f the landing o f a mor e d an

ger on s en emy th an had yet men ac ed the st ab ility o f
the newly established kin gdom The Abbasi d es .
,

who se capital had been r emoved from D amas cus to

B agd ad had under a s u cc es sion o f able p r in c es
, ,
.
,

r e a c hed the s ummit o f in telle ctu al gr eatn ess an d

milit ary r enown They had seen with envy an d
.
,

in dign ation the accomplishment o f the amb itious

,

design s o f the most impl acable en emy o f their house .

He had almost miraculously es c aped the man ifold

s n ar es which their in gen ui ty had laid for him The .

magni ficen t r ewar d which had been o ff er ed for his

head had failed to corr upt the fidelity o f the in digen t
an d g r asping Ber ber s wh o se cupidity w as seldom
,

pro o f against the mo st in sign ific an t b auble I f o f .

suffic ient impo rtan c e to ex c ite a ppr ehen sion when a

fugitive how mu ch mor e w a s to be fear ed from his
,

ambiti o n an d r evenge as a r iva l ; the s over eig n o f a

mighty kingdom the cl aiman t o f the hon or s an d dig

,

mity o f the kh alifate " R es o lved to crush if p ossible the , ,

gr owin g power o f the Ommey a d es befor e it b ecame

too strong to be su c c essfully ass ailed the Abb aside
Kh alif Abu G iafar — al —
,

,
-
M an sur or der ed Al a I bn ,
-

M u g ay th wali o f K air oan to attempt the subj e ction

, ,

o f S p ai n I n order to in spi r e deepe r co n fi denc e in

.

the po wer s deleg ated to his li euten ant a black silken ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 39 9

b an n er wh o se colo r w as the emblem o f his p ar ty ao

, ,

comp an ied th at o ffic e r s commi s s i o n The det ail s o f

’
.

this u n der takin g —the mor e omin ous be cause it pre

s en ted an o pp o r tu n ity f o r the r e co n c ili ati on o f fac

tion s ; a ppe aled s tr o n gly to the turbulen t an d

ra p a c i ous s pi r it o f the p o pul a c e ; a n d as se r ted a
pr e
s criptive c l aim o f auth or ity b as ed up on co n quest an d
domin ion hither to t ac itly ac c o r ded to the mo n arc h
o f the E a s t—had been c ar efully p r e arr an ged An-
.

un der stan din g had been establis hed between the mal
c on ten t s o f the Pen i n sul a an d the cou r t o f B a gd a d .

The r ebels be s ieged in T oled o main tain ed through ,

their frien ds fr equen t an d un in terrupted commun i

,

cati o n with the Vi c e r o y o f Afr i c a When Al a I bn

.
-

Mu g ay th lan ded in the p rovin c e o f Bej a he w as ,

r e c eived with e v e n mor e e n thu s i asm th an had been

man ifested on the arriv al o f Abd al Rahman The

’

- -
.

Kh alif o f B agd a d w as proc laimed The pr in c e o f .

the Ommey ad es w a s n ot on ly de clar ed a r ebel an d

an usu r per , bu t an e ffo r t w as made to i n fl ame the
p assio n s o f the comb at an t s i n a s truggle alr e ady suf
,

fi cen tl y male v o len t by i n vestin g it with a r eligi ous

,

ch ar a c ter an d Abd al R ahman w a s de c l ar ed a s chis

,
- -

matic an d an in fidel A pr ic e w a s set up on his hea d

.
,

an d the r eve r ed n ame an d au th or ity o f the S u c c ess or

o f the P r o phet w as i n v oked to e ff e c t his as s as s i n a tion ,

which w as to be r ewar ded with the distin guished favo r

o f the s o ve r eign a tr e as u r e o f g o ld a n d j ewel s an d
, , ,

by wh at w a s o f far mor e v alue to the devoted fan atic ,

etern al ha ppin e s s in the life to come .

I t s oon be c ame e v iden t th at this o utbr e ak w as n o

or din ar y i n surr e c ti on The Y emen ite s who se loyalty
.
,

to the c au s e o f Abd al R ahman had always been sus

- -

p e c te d ; the F i hr ite s w ho had r e c en t g r udges to

,

s atisfy ; the Ber ber s ever r eady fo r blo o dshed an d

,

r a pi n e ; the ze alots o f every faction w ho r egar ded ,

the title o f the Ommey ad es as a flagran t usur p ation o f

400 HIST ORY OF TH E

di vin e a uth or ity, e n r ol led the mselves in the ran ks o f

the Abba s id es The con stan t defe c tion o f l ar ge bo di e s
.

o f t ro o ps ma de it n e c ess ar y to dra w o n the ar my

in vestin g T o ledo , an d , in co n sequen c e , the r ebel g ar

ri s on o f th at c ity w as s o on u n ited with the al r e a dy

imme n se ho st o f the w ali o f K airo an M an y o f the .

t ow n s o f An d alusia wer e o ccupied The fer tile eu .

vir on s o f the c a pit al wer e swept by the B er ber c av alry .

Abd al R ahman w as besieged i n C armon a wh ose g ar

- -
,

r is on w a s s o on r edu c ed to ext r e mi ty thr o ugh l ac k o f

pr ovision s The siege had lasted tw o mon ths when

.

the Abbas id es , con fi d in g i n their ov erwhehn in g n u m

ber s , beg an to gro w car eless The offic er s n eglected.

their duties The sen tin els r ela xed their vigilan c e
. .

With the pro ver bi al in con stan cy o f the O r ien t al dis ,

c on te n ted with del a y an d imp atien t o f h ar dship hun ,

dr eds dese rted their st an d ar ds Aw ar e o f these cir .

c ums tan ce s Abd al R ahma n at the he a d o f a pi cked

,
- -
,

b an d o f warrior s ma de a sudden att ack by ni ght

, .

The en emy w as sur pr ised ; a p an i c seized the c amp ;

al l th ought o f r esist an c e w a s a b an d on ed an d at dawn ,

the c hieft ain s o f the h ostile army an d seven th ous an d

o f thei r men l ay de a d o n the fi eld o f b attle The .

c omman de r an d his p r in c ip a l offi c er s we r e de capi

tate d ; an d their he a ds a fte r h avin g been th oroughly

,

c le an sed wer e p acked in c amphor an d s alt with a

, ,

label fasten ed to an ear o f e ach to design ate the n ame

an d r ank o f the ow n e r These gh a stly tro phi es were
.

then plac ed in se aled b a gs t o gether with the commis

,

sion o f the wali an d the st an d ar d o f the Abb asid es ,

a n d con veyed by a me r ch an t to K airoan wher e they

wer e se cr etly depo sited at n ight in the market —
,

place .

When Abu G i a far Al M an sur r e c eived in tell igen c e

- - -

o f the c at astro phe th at ha d befall en his en te r prise ,

an d o f the fe ar ful mann e r in whi c h th a t in telligen c e

had been commu n i c ated he ex c l aimed , I t is the act ,

o f a demon ; G o d be p ra ised w ho has pl ac ed the s ea

between me an d suc h an enemy ”

.
402 HIS T ORY OF TH E

supp o sed to be p o ssessed o f supern a tur a l en dowmen ts ,

a sen timent whi c h i n this i n st an c e per fe c tly c o in c ided

, ,

with their in cli n ation s for w ar an d ra pin e caused them ,

to h a sten from all di r e c ti on s to supp o r t the c l a ims o f

the imp o stor The l atter displayed n o little p o litic al
.

t act an d gen era lship His active emiss ar ies tempted the
.

feal ty o f ever y chieft ain acc essible to their in sin u atin g

ar ts . His armi es in spir ed with the ar dor o f fan ati
,

c i sm an d di r e c ted with an a bility n ot to be expe c ted

,

from a le a der hitherto with o ut exper ien c e in the con

duct o f milit ary Oper ation s r epe atedly defe ated the ,

forc es o f Abd al Rahman ; r av a ged his domin ion s to

- -

the ve ry en vir on s o f the capit al ; an d se cur e i n the ,

moun t ain s o f the West defied the en tir e po wer o f the

,

go ve rnmen t f or n e arly ten ye ar s The po litic al situa .

ti on w as fur ther compli c ated by the defe ction o f the

Y emen ites w ho on the eve o f a dec isive b attle as
, , ,

s ailed the E mir i n the r ear The r emark able pr o .

n e n ce a tt a i n ed by C haky a w a s eve n tu a lly f at al to the

co n tin u an c e o f his p o we r A B e rber chieft ain o f

.

gr eat in fluen c e w as a pp ro ached by the agen ts o f Abd

a l R ah man an d pe r su a ded to bet ra y his p ar ty
-
In .

the midst o f a fie r c ely c on tested en g a gemen t the B er

ber s g ave w ay ; thei r lin es wer e broken ; an d a fr ight
ful but cher y e n sued in which the imp ost or lo st thirty
,

th ous an d o f his follo wer s His con trol o ver the min ds
.

o f his dupes w a s h o weve r n o t sh ake n by this dis a ster

, , ,

an d he main t ai n ed the st r uggle f or fo u r ye ar s lon ger ,

when he w a s mur der ed by his comr ades in a p r iv ate

quarr el The gr e at moun d en c lo sin g the r emain s o f
.

these vi ctims o f tr eas on an d carn age w as mor e th an ,

tw o hun dr ed ye ar s a fte rw ar ds a p romi n e n t fe atur e ,

o f the l an ds c a pe a n d a sig n ifi c an t me mor i al o f the

,

sui cidal war s whi ch con sumed the r es ourc es an d re

tard e d the p ro g r ess o f the M o slems o f S p ain .

N o twithstan din g the bloody r etr ibution prov oked

by ever y attempt to over turn the thro n e o f Abd al -
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O PE 403

Rahman spir ac y c on tin ued to follow con spirac y

, c on

without in terruption Abu al Aswad the survivin g .

- -
,

s on o f Yu s uf i mp r is on ed at C or d o v a had u n der pr e
, , ,

ten c e o f blin dn es s de c eived his keeper s an d es c aped

,

by sw immin g the Guad alquivi r In cr edulous at fir st .

,

the guar ds sub j e cted him to ever y test they c ould de

vise all o f whi c h he en dur ed with r emark able p atien c e
,

an d with out a mu rmur The imp os tu r e w as c arr ied o n

.

for mon ths an d in con s equen c e o f his s upp os ed affli c

,

tion he w as less c ar efully w atc hed an d w as in dulged ,

with man y un u s u al p r ivilege s On e morn in g while .

,

bathin g with o ther pr i s on er s i n the r i v er he took ad ,

van ta ge o f a f avor able Oppor tun ity an d swam to the ,

o pp os ite s h or e with out h avi n g bee n o bser ved His .

fr ien ds met him p r ovided him with c lo thes an d a

,

hor se an d a few d ays fo un d him s a fe in T oledo I n

,
.

this city the seat o f Ber ber an d Y emen ite in tr igue an

, ,

en ter prise o f gr e at momen t w a s then matur in g The .

chief p ar ties to it we r e I b n H abib the s on in l aw o f -

,
- -

Yusuf an d Al Ar abi the wali o f B arc elon a The s e

,
-
,
.

malcon ten t s had for s ome time main t ain ed a cor r e

s pon d en ce with Ch ar le ma g n e The es cape o f Abu .

al A s w a d w a s p ar t o f the p r e con c e r ted design

-
hi s ,

n oble des c en t an d hi s su ff e r i n gs a s a c a ptive fro m

childh oo d ex c iti n g the symp athies o f the p o pul ac e

an d r en de ri n g him an i mp or t an t a lly A tr e aty had .

alr eady been exe c uted an d p r esen t s an d c o mplimen ts

,

had bee n ex ch an ged between the Kh ali f o f B a gd a d

an d the E mper o r I t w as s aid that a se cr et un der
.

stan din g existed between these tw o p oten tates an d ,

that the st an d ard o f the Abbas id es w as to be displ ayed

by the in sur gen t s in dir ectly in aid o f the Chr i s tian s
,

an d with the t ac it assen t o f the M o slem s o ver eign o f

the E ast The p rin cip al con spir ators s ought the Kin g
.

o f the F ran ks at P a der b orn whe r e he w a s c eleb r atin g

,

his triumph over the S axon s by the compuls or y b ap

tism o f th o us an ds o f these P a g an b ar b ari an s The .
404 HIST ORY OF TH E

a mbition the ze al an d the adven tu ro us spir it o f the

, ,

F ran kish mo n ar ch we r e aroused by con sider a tio n o f

the pr o j e ct an d he agr eed to i n v a de the P en in sula
,

with a lar ge fo r c e whi ch w as to be supp or ted b y an

,

uprisin g in the N or th The plan h avin g b een mi .

nu tel y arr an ged an d the role o f e ach c on spir ator

,

a ssign ed to him the i n su r ge n t c hieft a in s t o ok thei r

,

dep ar tur e .

I mpl a cable i n deed must h ave been the r esen tmen t

, ,

o f the C omman de r o f the F aithful whi c h could thus ,

liber ally c on tr ibute to sur r en der a ter r it or y ac quir ed ,

by such an expen ditur e o f M o slem bloo d to the most ,

r elen tless f oe o f I sl a m The ch an c es o f succ ess wer e

.

lar gely in favor o f the coaliti on The mar tial supe .

r i or ity o f the F r an ks ha d been sig n al ly displ ayed on

the field o f P o itier s o ver tr oo ps mor e warlike an d

'

formid able th an th o se which Abd al Rahman coul d - -

n ow b r i n g i n t o ac ti on The c oun tr y w as exh austed

.

by h alf a c en tur y o f in ter n e cin e con fli ct F r equen t .

in sur r e ction s had e ffac ed alike the sen timen t o f

lo yalty an d the r epr o ach o f tr e as on An un der cur r en t .

o f dis a ff e c ti on pe rv a ded eve n the s o c iety o f the co ur t ;

a n d the in co n st an c y o f the Be r be r s d an ger ous in it ,

self w as even les s to be fe ar ed th an the de a dly malice

,

o f tr ib a l h a t r ed the con fir med h abit o f r esist an c e an d

, ,

the r uthless ven ge an c e o f dis appo in ted ambition .

The mo tives whic h in duc ed Ch ar lemagn e to un der

take this expedition wer e o f a r eligi ous as well as o f a
p oliti cal n atu r e ; but he w as impelled less by an ambi
tion to r id the coun tr y o f i n fid el s an d to exe r t the
p ower s o f c ompuls or y pro selytis m th an by an in
s ati able cravin g f or terr itor i al aggran dizemen t an d
milit ar y glor y The pr o j ect w as n ot an origin al on e
. .

I t had been formed ten ye ar s p r evi ously by his father ,

an d its p r o se c uti on had on ly bee n p r eve n ted b y his

de ath The gr e at s over eign s o lauded as the ch ampion

.

o f C a th o li c is m w as an ythin g but a ze a lo t His or .

406 HIS T ORY OF TH E

tten din g the p r eli min ary steps o f the con spiracy
s u l ts a

h ad p roved dis astrous The leader s suspicious o f

.
,

e ach o ther wer e con st an tly a ppr ehen sive o f tr e acher y

, ,

while t ribal p r ej udi c e an d the irr econcil able spirit o f

dis c or d pr even ted sin c er e co o per ation in an y mea sur e -
.

I bn H abib the or igin a t or o f the en te r p r ise co n vi n c ed

-
, ,

o f the
p er fi d y o f Al Arabi an d hOp in g to an ti cip ate
-
,

its r esul ts r ashly att acked his ally w as defe ated an d

, , ,

s oon a fter per ished by the h an d o f an ass a ssin L on g .

impr is onmen t had u n fi tted Abu al Asw ad for de cisive - -

ac ti on an d he f ailed to meet the r equi r emen ts o f his

,

p o sitio n C on s ci ous o f the mis carr i age o f their plan s

.
,

dis couraged an d a pp r ehen sive o f the futur e the

, ,

garris on o f S arag oss a r efused to o pen the g ates o f

the c ity Ch ar lemagn e en raged by this br e ac h o f
.
,

faith made vig orous pr ep aratio n s for a siege But

, .

the walls had h ar dly been in vested when a desp atch

ar r ived ann ou n c i n g th at the S ax o n s we r e a g ai n i n

r ebelli on an d ha d al r e a dy a dv an c ed a s f ar a s the
,

Rhi n e The siege w as r aised an d the F r an ks r etir ed

.
, ,

a fte r an a b o r tive an d i n gl or i ous c amp aig n to on c e ,

mor e defen d their homes again st the b ar b ar ian s o f

Ge rman y The fo r tification s o f P ampelun a—which
.

c ity ha d su r r e n de r ed a t thei r a pp r oa ch—we r e dis

man tled an d the mighty h o st then d efil e d with slow

, ,

an d p a i n ful step s th ro ugh the v all ey o f Ro n c esvalles

, .

The p ass gr ew more an d mor e difficul t an d o bs cur e ,

en comp a s s ed as it w as by den se for ests an d pr e cipitous

mo un tain s The adv an c e gu ar d pur sued its w ay with
.

ou t mo lest ati on a n d had a lr e a dy r e ached the n or thern

,

slo pe o f the Pyr en ees when the r e ar in wh ose custody

, ,

w a s the b agg a ge o f the army be came e n gulfed in ,

gloomy ravin es wh ose sh ado ws c on c e aled th ous an ds

,

o f B asques lyi n g in ambush S udden ly the lon g an d .

tor tu ous lin e w as attacked by swarms o f mo un tain

eer s . Hemmed in on all sides the r etr eat o f the ,

F ran ks w as cu t o ff E very advan t age o f sur prise

.
,
 MOORIS H E M P I RE IN E URO PE 407

of p o sitio n o f famili ar ity with the groun d o f ex peri

, ,

en c e in ambu s c ade an d p ar tis an war far e w as with the ,

a ss a il an ts . R esistan c e w as vain B r avery pro fited .

n o thi n g wher e n eithe r mi ssile n or h an d to h an d - -

wea pon s wer e available again s t an active an d in

visible en emy The r ear guar d w as abs olutely an ni
.

hil ated . The ba ggage tr ain fell in to the h an ds o f the

-

vi ct or s w ho a fter plun der in g the de ad qui etly di s

, , ,

pe r s e d an d s ought their h omes in the in acc essible

r e c esses of the mo un t ain s By this cat astr o phe
.

Ch arlemagn e lost n e arly h alf o f his army an d

man y distin guished offi c er s amon g them the f amo us ,

R ol an d P r efe ct o f the M ar ch o f B rittan y wh ose

, ,

car ee r the p o eti c gen ius o f b ar d an d t ro ub a do ur has

a dorn ed with man y a r oman ti c t ale an d f abul ous

legen d .

N o on e r eaped an y advan tage from the F r an kish

in vasio n exc ept Abd al Rahman wh o se destruc tion
- -
,

w as its av o wed obj e ct While the en emy w as in

.

r etr e a t
, he a dvan ced up on S ar ago ss a ; the city s u r
r en de r ed a fte r a sh o r t r e s i s t an c e an d Al Ar abi the ,
-
,

in sur gen t c hieftain w as ass assin ated while at p rayer

,

in the mos qu e Befor e r eturn in g the E mir mar ched

.
,

in to the coun tr y o f the B asques wher e he con quer ed ,

the domain o f the C oun t o f Cer d agn e w ho bec ame a ,

tribut ar y o f the co ur t o f C or do va S oon a fter war ds

Abu al —
.
,

-
Aswa d on c e mor e tempted the evil fortun e o f
his family by pr omotin g an other in surr e c tio n which ,

r esul ted in the defe at o f G u ad alirn ar whe r e he w ith , ,

four thous an d o f his f ollower s lo st their lives , .

The l ast ye ar s o f Abd al Rah man wer e embitter ed

- -

by dis aff e ction amon g his ki n dr ed wh ose politi c al for ,

tun es he had r ep air ed an d w ho had been r aised to

,

we alth an d in fluen c e by hi s b oun dless gen e ro sity His .

n e a r est r el a tives con spi r ed a g ai n st him P rin c es o f .

the bloo d an d n obles o f the highest r an k for got the

s acr ed ties o f f amily an d tr ibe in r epe ated attempts
4 08 HIS T ORY OF TH E

to over tur n his p o wer But the war y mon arch equ ally
.
,

pr oo f ag ain st the s chemes o f both o pen an d c on c e aled

h o stili ty e asily tr iumphed over all his a dver s ar ies His
,
.

a rm i es r eturn ed vi ctor i ous from eve r y camp aign The .

c on spi r at or s w ho plo tted in the ima gi n a r y se c u r ity o f

the p alac e wer e s oon er o r later betrayed by their

, ,

accompli c es an d pu n ished with exempl ar y sever ity

, .

His r ebelli ous an d un gr ateful n ephew I bn Ab an w as ,

-
,

str an gled His br other W alid w as exiled K or ei

.
, , .

shite c hieft ain s con vi cted o f tr e as on a fter h avin g

, ,

had thei r h an ds an d feet c u t o f we r e be ate n to de ath ,

with c lubs The r emon st r an ces an d thr e ats o f tr usty

.

cou n c illo r s we r e r ep r essed by b an ish men t an d studied

n egle c t . E ven the ser vi c es o f the faithful B e d r wer e

n o t suffi c ien t to a t o n e f or subsequen t i n s o len c e ; his
p r o per ty w as co n fis c ated an d he w as con fin ed in a ,

dun geon wher e he en ded his d a ys in pen ury an d dis

grac e .

W arn ed by the vi cissitudes o f a life o f per il o f the

n e c essity o f p r o vidi n g f or the su cc essi o n a n d feelin g ,

the weight o f physi c al in fi rmities in du c ed by an xiety

an d exp o su r e the E mi r a sh o r t ti me befor e his de ath
, , ,

summon ed the Offic er s o f st ate an d the n obles o f the

kin gdom to s we ar allegi an c e to his thir d son H i schem , ,

whom he had ch o sen to suc c eed him This c er emon y .

per formed an d the elder b r other s o f H i s chem S ul ey

, ,

man an d Abdallah h avin g formall y r en oun c ed their

,

c l aims to the th r on e Abd al Rahman withdr ew to ,

- -

Mer id a wher e he died a few mon ths a fterwar ds at

, ,

the ag e o f fi fty eight an d in the thir ty thir d year of

-
,
-

his r eign .

The c h ar acter o f this gr e at pr inc e gifted as he w as ,

by n atur e with the n oblest qu alities o f min d an d heart ,

w as still mate r i ally a ff e cted by the c i rcu mst an c es o f

an a dve n tu r ous c ar ee r an d the se n ti men ts an d h abits

o f a tu rbulen t a e His t a stes in cli ned to literatur e

g .

a n d ar t but n e c essity develo ped in him the t alen ts o f

,
41 0 HIS T ORY OF TH E

dr en o f the De s er t wer e in comp atible with the sub

mission r equisite to the exe rc ise o f r o yal auth o r ity an d ,

he did n ot hesit ate to cr ush with a r elen tless h an d the , ,

in s olen c e or the p r esumptuous fr eedom o f a t ribesman

o r a fr ie n d P o pul ar at first this unusu al severity in
.
,

time alien ated the warmest supp or ter s o f his thron e .

I n exorable n e c essity the pr in c iples o f self pro tec tion

,
-

an d self p r ese r va ti on depen de n t up on co n diti on s n o t

-
,

un usu al a fter a prot ra cted per io d o f r evo lution an d

an ar c hy , r en de r ed the est ablish me n t o f a desp o tism

imperative O n c e foun ded it w as main t ain ed by an

.
,

ar my o f fo r ty th ous an d me rc en ar ies c hiefly r e c r uited ,

fr om the b ar b arian s o f Afr ic a en listed with multi ,

tudes o f en fr an chised slaves w ho wer e boun d to the ,

in ter ests o f the mon ar chy by the d ouble tie o f depen d

en c e an d g ra titude The r oman ti c spir it o f a dven ture
.

Often impelled Abd al Rahman i n the e arly ye ar s o f

- -
,

his r eign to wan der in disguise through the str eets

,

o f his c a pit al ; but the a n imo sity en ge n de r ed by fre

quen t r evo luti on s s oon r en der ed this diver sion too

h az ar do u s an d he w as compelled to ado pt the sec lusion
,

an d the milit ar y p r e cauti on s whi c h p r o vide fo r the

se cur ity o f ro yalty in the kin gdoms o f the O rien t .

The g r a d ation s o f o ffici al r an k the terr it or i al division s ,

o f the empi r e the duties o f the ma gistr a c y the r egu

, ,

l ati on s o f p o li c e we r e a ls o with slight mo dific ati on s

, , ,

fr amed a fter the p a tte rn o f simi lar in stitution s i n the

E ast I n these det ails o f p oliti c al or g an iz ation the
.

n umbe r twelve an d its f a c t or s s o p o pul ar amon g ,

n ati on s o f S emitic or igi n we r e espe c i ally p r omin en t

, .

The Pen in sula w as divided in t o six provin c es e ach o f ,

which w as subj e ct to the j urisdic tion o f a military

govern or Un der the c on tro l o f this dign it ar y we re
.

tw o wal is an d six vizie r s w ho ad mi n iste r ed a ff a ir s of

,

min or imp ort an c e in their r espec tive distr icts These .

o ffic i als we r e assisted in thei r l ab or s by a h o st o f k adis

an d se cr et ar ies w ho se n t at stated per i o ds reg ul ar

, , ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 41 1

r ep ort s o f thei r pr o ceedin gs to the Coun c il or Divan , ,

at C o r do v a The available momen ts o f leisur e d ur

.
,

in g a life o f ahn o st in c ess an t con fli c t wer e employed ,

by Abd al Rahman in works in ten ded for the im

- -

pr ovemen t o f the ma s se s ; in the per fe c tio n o f r egu

l ati on s whi ch en co u r aged the accumulati on an d per
mitted the un r estr i cted en j o ymen t o f p ro pe rty ; an d
in the p ro mo tio n o f edu catio n al an d literar y fac ilities ,

a s well a s in the in s tituti o n o f me a s u r e s up o n wh os e

en fo r c emen t ab s olutely depen ded the con ti n uan ce o f

his p o wer He r ep air ed the Roman highways th at
.

traver s ed the Pen in s ula He e s t ablished a system o f

.

cou r ie r s with r elays o f p ost ho r ses for the rapid

,
-
,

tran smi s s ion o f impor tan t desp atc hes He r uled the .

fier c e o utlaws o f the Pen in s ula who s e tr ade w as ,

ra pin e an d w ho c on side r ed mer c y a n i n di c ati on o f

,

cow ar di c e by the on ly mean s they r espe c ted the

, ,

govern men t o f the s wor d They h ated an d c ur sed

.

him they plotted ag ain s t his life they r ej e c ted his

, ,

gifts an d spur n ed his h on or s but they o beyed his com

,

man ds f or they s too d in who les ome dr e ad o f his re

,

s en tme n t an d ha d been t a ught

, by man y a bloo dy ,

less on the con sequen c es o f di s putin g his authority

,
.

Dur in g his r eign for the fir s t time s in c e the C on quest

, ,

the n omadic p ro pen s ity o f the Ber ber s the s ourc e o f ,

in c es s an t di s tur b an c e an d u n ive r s al in secur ity w as ,

r est ra i n ed a n d the s e b ar b ar i an s we r e compelled to

,

con fo r m to the l aws an d to c h oo se a settled h a bit a

tion A co de o f j udi c atur e ad apted to the ci rcum

.
,

stan c es O f a p o pul atio n comp o sed o f so man y diver se

an d Often h o s tile c on s titue n ts w as fra med i n wh o se
, ,

st atutes the us eful in stitutio n s o f the Visigoths wer e

r e co gn ized u n de r the gen era l p r edomi n an c e o f M o s

l em l aw .

Abd al R ahman made fr equen t ex cur sion s through

- -

his domin io n s the better to familiar ize himself with

,

the con duct o f his offic er s an d the n ecessities o f his

412 HIS T ORY OF TH E

subj e c ts His cour se w as marked by ch arity to the

.

n eedy ; by mu n ifi cen t d on ati on s for publi c i mpro ve

men ts ; by in stitution s fo r the encouragement o f the

ar ts ; by the er e ction o f magnific en t p alac es an d
temples But his gen ero sity ample elsewher e w as
.
, ,

displayed with un pr ec eden ted lavishn ess in his capital ,

the o bj e ct o f his p r ide an d o f his pe culiar aff e ction .

I ts plan its buildin gs its for tification s its subur bs

, , , ,

wer e mo delled a fter th o se o f be autiful D amas cus A .

p al m tr ee the fi rst ever seen in S p ain w as brought

.

-
, ,

fr om S yr i a an d plan ted in the cou r t yar d o f the ro yal

,
-

p alace as a memo r i al o f the s c en es o f his c hildh o od .

I n the en vi r on s o f the c ity he l aid o u t a g ar de n c alled ,

R u s a f ah a fte r on e fo r me r ly p o ssessed by his gran d

,

f ather H is chem an d o f whi ch it w a s the coun ter p ar t

, ,
.

A min t w as foun ded in Cor do va whose c oin s were ,

iden ti c al in design weight an d in s cr iption with the

, ,

pie c es issued by the Ommey ad e prin c es o f S yr ia The .

fame o f the cour t an d the r eput ation o f the s over eign

attr ac ted to the M o slem c a pit al o f the West the

learn ed an d the po lite o f ever y clime The spirit o f .

literar y emula tion an d philo s o phic al in qui r y which ,

att ai n ed su c h a r emar k able develo pmen t un der s u c

ceed i n g kh alifs began to be aw aken ed The sov

, .

er e i n hi mself comp o sed with f ac i l ity an d cor r e ctness

g
ve r ses o f con sider able mer it His s o n s we r e pr ovided
.

with the best in struc tion th at the ag e a ffor ded ; wer e

c ompelled to be p r esen t du r in g the t r an s a cti on s o f the

Div an an d the busin ess o f the courts ; an d were fre

quen tly en trusted with the n ego ti ation o f tr e aties an d
the ad mi n istr ation o f go vernment The public t aste .

w as c ultiv a ted by pe r i o di c al li te r ar y con tests in whi ch ,

the mo st ac complished s ch ol ar s an d p o ets o f the d ay

p artic ip ated ; wher e splen did r ewar ds fo r p ro ficiency
wer e distributed ; an d who se p ro c eedin gs wer e in
vested with addition al pr estige by the pr esen c e an d
super vision o f ro yalty .
414 HIST ORY OF TH E

deman d a kh alif my s on s will as sume th at title ; an d

the dispute between the E a st an d West will be termi
n ated for eve r Ou r con stitutio n is b ased en ti r ely up on
.

a r eligi o us p r i n c iple an d my sub j e c ts will s o on a c c us

,

tom thems elves to see n o thi n g beyon d my c hild r en but

”
the eye o f Allah an d the swor d o f the P r o phet .

I n the tu r bule n t times o f the C o n quest ever y pl ac e

o f w or ship p o ssessed by the Ch r isti an s i n C o r d o v a ,

s ave on e w as destr oyed I n the c athedral alon e

, .
,

who se o wn e r ship w as in sur ed by t r e aty wer e the in ,

fid el s pe rmitted to pe r for m the r ites e n j oi n ed by their

c r eed .I n ac c or d an c e with a cust om p r ev alen t i n the
E ast whe r e ho wever it must be ackn o wledged it w as
, , , ,

un usu al un de r or din ar y c ir cumst an c e s to vio late en

, ,

g ag eme n ts e n te r ed i n t o with Chr isti an s h alf o f the ,

cathed r al had been fo rc ibly a pp ro p r i a ted an d c o n s e

c ra ted to the s er vi c e o f I sl am I t w as n ot man y ye ar s

.
,

h o wever before its limited ar e a w as fo un d in adequate

,

to the r equir emen ts o f the c r owd s o f immig r an ts an d

pro selytes th at wer e d aily a dded to the p o pulation
o f the g ro wi n g c a pit al The l ocatio n bein g the most
.

desirable in the c ity a p r o p o sition w a s made by Abd

,

al R ah man fo r the pu rc h a se o f the r ema i n i n g h alf o f

-

the edific e The bi s h o p r efused on the r e as on able

.
,

gr oun d th at n o o ther buildin g would then be av ailable

fo r the c eleb r ati o n o f the r ites o f the Chr isti an faith .

But the imp or tun ity o f the E mir p r ev ailed in the en d ;

an d the Ch r isti a n s o bt ai n ed f or thei r con c es s ion s the

s u m o f a hu n d r ed th o us an d di n ar s an d in a dditi on , , ,

the extrao r din ar y p r ivilege o f e r e ctin g a c er t ain n u m

ber o f c hur c hes to r epl a c e th o se o f whi ch they had
been dep r ived by the rage o f f an ati c ism an d the
c al amities o f w ar .

The plan o f the mo sque w a s trac ed by Abd al R ah - -

man himself an d the first ston e o f the f oun d ation

,

w a s l aid by his o w n h an ds O pp r essed with ag e an d

.

physi cal in fi rmiti es an d h aun ted by a p r esen timen t

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 41 5

th at he would n ot li ve to see his work completed he ,

exh austed ever y e ff or t to a cc eler ate its pro gr ess A .

vast n umber o f labor er s wer e emplo yed The assist .

an c e o f the g o ve rn or s o f di s t an t p ro vi n c es w as in v oked

for the co lle c ti on an d t r an sp o r t ati on o f mater i als .

The emulatio n o f the arti s an s w a s ex c ited by the ex

ample o f the e n feebled s o v e r eig n w ho , f o r on e h o u r
,

e v er y d ay per s on ally Sh ar ed the toil o f his humble

,

c o mp an io n s The vaults o f the publi c tr easur y wer e

.

Open ed with out r estr i c ti on f or the ben efit o f an un der

takin g whic h a ppealed alike to the p atr i otic impuls es
an d the r eligi o us se n ti men t o f the n ati on The work .

pro gr e s s ed with aston ishin g r a pidity but n ot fast ,

en ough to s ati s fy the fever is h imp atien c e o f the

illu s tr i ous ar chitect I t w as hi s des ir e while he yet
.

had str en gth to pe r for m in tho s e s acr ed p r e c in c t s ,

as the r ep r esen t ative o f the P r o phet the si mple ce r

,

emo n i al o f the f aith s o de ar to the he ar t o f eve r y

Mussulman A Sp ac e w as cle ar ed within the en clo s

.

ur e. An awn i n g w as r ai s ed an d the un fin ished walls

,

wer e hun g with t apes tr y fr om the p alac e Ther e .

,

surroun ded with he aps o f mater ials with half ,

chiselled c a pit als a n d n aked c olumn s the E mir in

, ,

his s n o wy r o bes o f offic e a s c en ded the temp or ar y

,

pulpit led the pr ayer s an d dir e c ted the de v o tion s o f

, ,

a v ast c o n cou r se assembled fr om eve r y qu ar ter o f the

M o slem c apit al I t w as the last impor tan t ac t o f his

.

life A few weeks l ater the multitude s w ho had

.

listen ed with silen t r ever en c e to his di s cour se in the

D j a hn a fo llo wed hi s r emain s to the to mb .

Thus hi s destin y ac complished an d his t ask per

,

formed died the foun der o f on e o f the gr e atest

,

dyn asties th at E ur o pe has ever kn o wn He pos .

sessed in ample me as ur e the attr ibutes o f a wise a

, , ,

politic an en lighten ed s over eign His spir it ha d been

,
.

ch asten ed an d his co u r a ge tr ied by man y ye ar s o f

per se cuti on an d misfor tun e The cruelty with which

.
416 HIST ORY OF TH E

he has been r ep ro ac hed w as a n ec ess ar y c on sequen c e

o f the tur bule n t co n diti o n o f the s oc iety he w as called

up on to gover n The s o lution o f the p oli tic al p r oblem

.

whic h con fron ted him w as n ot a mer e question o f su

p r ema cy ; it i n vo lved the in tegr ity o f the S arac en
domin ation in the Pen in sula an d his own e xisten c e
as a rul er an d a s an i n dividu al F orc e w as the on ly
.

ar g u men t used by his a dve r s ar ies an d the on ly on e

,

they r espe cted The in fluen c e o f the K oran w as

.

s c arc ely felt The gr e at maj o r ity o f the inh abit an ts

.

o f S p ai n we r e P ag an s an d i n fi d el s The Berber s w ho
.
,

lar gely p r epon de ra ted wer e fetich wor shipper s an d

,

beli ever s in wit ch cra ft an d s orc er y Y e ar s o f i m .

p u n i ty a n d un r est r i cted li c en se had r en de r ed these

wild barb ar i an s mor e fe ro c ious in disp osition mor e ,

imp atien t o f c on tr ol Public h ostility an d p r iv ate

.

feuds the acrimon ious disputes between con ten din g

,

sects the alter n ate pro s cripti on s o f succ essful fac

,

tion s the hOp e o f futur e r even ge made per man en t

, ,

r e co n c ili ati on i mp o ssible I n eve r y commun ity ex

.

i s ted a l ar ge an d comp ac t b o dy o f en emies di ff er en t ,

in n ation ali ty a n t a g on isti c in fa ith fir ml y un ited by

, ,

the evils o f co mmon misfor tun e w ho en ter t ain ed , ,

un de r a delusive a spe c t o f submi ssi on dan gerous ,

a spi r ati on s f or p o liti c a l a n d r eli gi o us libe r ty Those .

n e ar est i n bloo d to the mo n a r c h s o ught with unn atu ,

r al vi n di c tiven ess the li fe o f thei r ki n s man an d ben e

,

fac t or I n the Astur i an moun t ain s the p ower o f a

.

r isin g kin gd om est ablished by a b an d o f in t r epid

,

exiles had begun ser io us ly to en cro ach upon the

,

M o slem p o ssession s o f the N or th The arms o f the .

mo st p o wer ful s o ver eign s o f E ur o pe an d Asi a were

dir e cted from the Mediter r an e an an d fr om the P y r
,

en e e s a g ain st a p r i n c e wh o se d omi n io n s we r e a git ated

,

an d wh o se r es o ur c es imp a ir ed by a n ar c hy an d sedi

tion E x asperated by the in ter fer en c e o f the Abba

.

sides he lon g con templated an expedition to the co ast

,
41 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

as such r equirin g the impli cit o bedien c e o f their

,

subj e cts an d the r e co gni tion o f for eign n ation s did ,

n ot un til the r eig n o f Abd al R ah man I II

,
- -
publi cly .
,

a ssume the title o f S u cc ess or s o f the P r o phet bu t ,

exer c ised their despo tism un der the less con spi cuous
a ppell ati on o f E mi r s or G o ve r n or s
, M any in duc e
.

men ts led to the a do ption o f this p oli c y M oslems still .

gen er ally r eg ar ded the r egion s o f the E ast as the

s our c e o f o r th o do x belief an d the se at o f legitimate
empir e The survivors o f the H o use o f Ommey ah
.

wer e un der the ban o f the dyn as ty o f D amas cus an d

B agd ad The con dition s o f s oc iety in the Pen in sul a
.

wer e un settled E ve r ywher e the slightest pr etext for

.

r ebellion w as wel comed with r e j o i c in g by multitudes

o f despe rate outl a ws an d fan a ti c s Ambitious enthu

.

s i as ts lo st n o o pp o r tu nity o f i n fla min g the publi c

min d on ly to o sus c eptible to agit ation whenever a

, ,

r evolt co uld i n c r e a se thei r g ai n s or c on t r ibute to thei r

n o t o r iety The un i o n o f Chur ch an d S t ate un der the

.

con stituti on o f I sl am ma de in ter fer en c e with the es

tabl is he d or de r o f a ff ai r s d oubly per ilous The pre .

matur e a pp ro pr iation Of the ve n e rated title o f Kh alif

by the exiled Ommey ad e pr in c es would h ave en t ailed
the r epro ach o f s acr ilege an d might h ave over turn ed
,

their empir e n either fo un ded on p r es criptive r ight

, ,

supp or ted by p o pular aff ection n or main t ain ed by

,

a dequ ate milit ar y fo r c e The asser tion o f p r eten

.

sion s far less o bn o xi ous to r eligious prej udic e had

fr equen tly pr o du c ed ser ious dis or ders By such a .

c l aim the dign ity o f the g r e atest o f M o h ammed an

dyn asties could r e c eive n o acc ession commen surate

w ith the r isk it in v o lved I ts p rin c es might well for
.
,

a time ,f or ego the titles while in ful l po ssession of

the subst an c e o f p o wer S u ch wer e s ome o f the
.

po liti c con sideration s which lon g r etain ed in a n omi ,

n ally sub or di n ate cap acity the most desp oti c an d

,

irre s ponsible mon archs o f E uro pe .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 419

The awaken in g o f the n ation al spirit con sequen t

up on the c ivil w ar s o f S p ain n ot o n ly permitted the
or g an iz ati on o f the ki n gd om o f the A s tu r i as but it ,

w as als o p ro du c tive o f a di s a ste r s c arc ely les s s er io us

—the lo ss o f the M os lem p o ssession s in F r an c e F rom
,

the d ay o f his ac c essi o n the en er gies o f Pepin wer e

,

dev oted to the c on ques t an d expulsion o f the M o ori s h

c o l o n ists o f P ro ve n c e an d L an guedo c The t r e aso n .

o f a G o thi c c hieft a in deliver ed i n t o hi s h an ds the

prin cip al c ities o f S e ptiman i a exc ept N ar bon n e , .

That c a pit al sust ain ed a siege o f mor e th an six

ye ar s duration an in ten se pr ej udic e ag ain s t the
’

F ran ks i n ducin g the Roman an d Go thi c i n h abit an t s

to supp or t the e ff or ts o f the Ar ab g arr i so n ; but i n
the en d the p o pular dis co n ten t an d the ho pele s s p ro s
,

p ec t o f a s s ist an c e fr o m C or d ov a i mpelled the p r omi

n e n t c itizen s to p r o p o se te rms o f a ccommo d ati o n with

the en emy A ca pitulation w as arran ged by whi ch the

.

besieged wer e to be con c eded the pr i v ilege o f go vern

men t by their o wn l aws but at the last momen t the ,

S ar ac en s r efused thei r as s en t ; h o stilities wer e re

sumed an d the garr ison gr e atly outn umbe r ed by the
, ,

Christi an mob w a s ann ihilated F or forty on e ye ar s

,
.
-

the laws the customs an d the r eligio n o f the M o slems

, ,

had p r eva iled in S o uthe r n F ran c e The tr ac es o f .

their domin ation a s dis closed by the physical an d

,

men t al ch ar ac ter istic s o f the pe as an tr y h ave n ot been ,

e ff ac ed by the vic issitude s o f mor e th an a thou s an d

year s This temporary o c cup ation as will be seen
.
,

her e a fter w as al s o p ro duc tive o f a marked e ff e c t upon

,

the man n er s an d the polite literatur e o f E uro pe ,

through the di ff us ion o f Hisp an o Arab cultur e the -

,

in fluen c e o f the lays o f the tr oubad ours an d the ado p ,

tion o f the l aws o f chiv alry The in ter co urse with the
.

Kh alifate o f S p ain suspen ded for a perio d w as re

, ,

n ewed ; r el ati on s o f even c lo se r i n ti mac y we r e est ab

lished ; a commun ity o f ide a s t astes an d symp athies , ,

4 20 HIS T ORY OF TH E

develo ped sen timen ts o f mutu al esteem; an d the c h ar

a c ter i s ti cs o f the b r illi an t an d i n telle c tu a l s oc rety o f

C o r dov a wer e r eflec ted in the r e fi n ed vo luptuous n ess ,

the exten sive le arn in g an d the p olished skepticism

,

th at subsequen tly distin guished the courts o f the Albi

g en s ian p r in c es
.
4 22 HIS T ORY OF TH E

t ages of m
the l aw o f p ri o gen itur e Th at l aw while .
,

n o t r e c og n ized by the M o slem con stituti on had been ,

a do pted f o r the s ake o f expedien c y an d in time w as ,

c on firmed by c ust om an d p r e c eden t The ch oi c e o f .

his heir w as t ac itly left to the s over eign to be ratified ,

by the h omage o f the g r e at offi c er s o f the ki n gdom; a

mer e f ormality wher eby a c on c essi on w as made to the
p r ej udi c es o f the tr ibesmen but whic h w as in fact
, , ,

devo id o f p oliti c al Sign ific an c e The omission o f this .

c e r e mon y w o uld n o t h ave a ff e c ted the i n vestitu r e o f

the heir n or h ave imp air ed the v alidity o f his title ;

,

it would o n ly h ave a ff o r ded a pl ausible p r etext for

s ome ambiti ous c hieft ai n to f o me n t an i n surr e c ti on .

S e v e ral r e as on s combi n ed to i n du c e Abd al R ahman - -

to p r efe r H i s che m to his elde r b r eth r e n His mo ther .

,

the be autiful H ol al w as his f av or ite co n c ubin e S he

, .

had bee n p r e s e n ted to him i n an i n te rval o f pe ac e

, ,

by his Old a dver s ar y Yu s uf an d had fr om th at hour

,

a c qui r ed a g r e a t i n fluen c e o ve r him H is chem w as .

bor n in S p ai n while his brother s S uleyman an d Ab

,

d allah we r e n atives o f S yr i a a f a ct whi ch it might,

be pr esumed would the mor e r e a dily se cur e to the

former the att achmen t o f his subj e c ts But the .

p rin cip al r e as on th at determin ed the c ho i c e o f Abd

al R ah ma n w a s his k n o wledge o f the men t al a n d
-

mo r al super i o r ity evin c ed by the c h ar ac ter o f His

c h em . His life w a s in st ron g an d favo r able con
tr ast with tho se o f his br othe r s They wer e idle .
,

dissip ated an d frivo lo us While thei r h ouses wer e

, .

con st an tly filled with a mob o f bu ff o on s an d d an c er s ,

his h ou rs we r e p assed in the s ociety o f the le arn ed

an d the wise He had e n j o yed the bes t edu cation al
.

a dv a n t a ges to be o bt a i n ed an d ha d dilige n tly p r o fited

,

by them He had r epe atedly displayed his ca p acity

.

for g ove rn me n t un de r t r yi n g ci r cumst an c es an d his ,

p r esen c e o f min d an d cou rage in mor e th an on e

bloo dy field His pr ecoc io us s ag acity an d wisdom
.
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 423

the aff ability o f his mann ers the piety of his life the
, ,

gen tlen ess o f his dispo sition wer e the delight o f the
,

co ur t an d the en vy o f his comp an i on s The arbitrary .

selec tio n o f Abd al Rahman dict ated by aff e ction

- -
,

an d p o li cy an d s an c ti on ed by M o ha mmed an c ustom ,

w a s j ustified by the pr o sper o us r eign o f H ischem;

yet by establishin g a d an gerous pr e c eden t in the
,

polity o f the Western Khalifate it w as in n o triflin g , ,

degr ee r e s p on sible for its ultimate o ver thr o w

, In .

this r espect h owever its history is but the coun ter

, ,

p ar t O f th at o f ever y other M o slem p o wer The ide as .

domin atin g the v ar ious con stituen ts o f the s oc iety o f

I sl am wer e i n comp atible with either the j ust subor d i
n ati on O f c l as s e s or the per man en c e o f e mpir e .

The exigen c ies o f the time deman ded the talen ts

o f an a c tive an d r e s o lute s o ve r eign The fier y p as .

sion s o f the pe o ple hither to r estr ain ed by fe ar

, ,

awa ited on ly a f a v ora ble occ asi on to b r e ak ou t i n t o

r ebelli o n On ever y side wer e in di cation s o f futu r e

.

tr ouble —the a git ati on o f the po pulac e the ambition

, ,

o f p r eten de r s the r ivalr y o f se cts wer e plain ly

, ,

visible to the dis c ern in g eye un der a de c eptive appe ar

an c e o f o r der an d t ran quillity The allegian c e o f the
.

walis o f the e as tern fron tier always pr ec ar ious w a s

, ,

be comin g daily mo r e un r eliable Their distan c e fr om .

the se at o f governmen t their pr oximity to the lan d

,

o f the F r an ks thei r a , spir ation s for in depen den c e an d ,

their con tro l o f the passes o f the Pyr en ees all con ,

siderati on s o f vi t al p o litic al imp or tan ce while they ,

in cr eased their ar rog an c e at the s ame time we aken ed

their fideli ty The dis aster s whi ch had her eto for e
.

atten ded the a c tive i n ter fe r e n c e o f the Abb as i d es in

the a ff air s o f the Pen in sula had in cul c ated a s alut ar y

lesson ; but the court o f B agda d w a s n ot in timid ated
by the che cks it had sust ain ed an d the r es o urc es o f ,

intrigue an d the influen c e o f go ld wer e con stantly

employed to e n l ist the ser vic es o f the C hr isti an s an d
42 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

to c o rrupt the in tegrity o f the offi c er s en tr usted with

the defen c e o f stron gh olds wh o se p ossession wo uld
,

f acilit ate the destru ction o f the r iv al dyn asty whic h

had wr ested fr om the C o mman de r o f the F a ithful
on e o f the r i c hest p o r ti on s o f his i n her it an c e To ad d .

to the diffic ulties o f the situ a ti on the kin gd om o f the ,

Astur i a s who se existen c e w as due to the in ter n e cin e

,

s tr ife o f its en emies rathe r th a n to the t alen ts o f its

r ule r s o r the v a l o r o f its pe o ple n o w beg an to dis cl o se

,

n a s c en t eviden c es o f th a t p o we r whi ch subsequen tly

a tt ai n ed su c h a p ro digi o us devel o pmen t .

H i sche m w ho w a s g overn or o f Mer ida w as pro

, ,

c l a imed E mi r o f S p ain at th a t c ity a s s oon as the

o bsequies o f his f athe r ha d been pe r fo rmed Alr e ady .

well kn ow n to an d belo ved by his subj e cts the public ,

pr a yer r epe ated from the mimb ar o f ever y mo sque

, ,

seemed the an n oun c emen t o f an e ra o f n ation al p ro s

per ity an d h appin ess But these an ti cip ation s wer e
.

s adly delusive As s oon as i n formation o f Abd al

.
-

Rahman s de ath r e ached C or do va S uleyman w ho

’

, ,

h a ppen ed to be in th at c ity left his lo dgin gs took , ,

p o ssessio n o f the p alac e an d en deav or ed to o bt ain the

,

supp ort o f the mob o f the ca pit al F ai lin g i n this he .

,

quietly r etir ed an d j oin ed his br o ther Abd all ah at

T oledo wher e they c o n c erted me a sur es fo r the dep o
,

s itio n o f H i sche m an d the p ar titio n o f his d o min i on s

between them The vizie r o f T oled o Gh alib I bn

.
,
-

Zeman al Ta feki h avin g been app r oached by the

- -
,

con spi ra t o r s n ot o n ly p r oved f aithful to his tr ust

,

but men ac ed the p rin c es with the ve n ge an c e o f the

E mi r an act which co st him his offic e an d his li berty
, .

A messen ge r h avin g been s en t by H i schem to ask

the c ause o f this h ar sh t r e atmen t o f an ol d an d faith
ful se rv an t S uleyman by w ay o f r espo n se c aused
, , ,

the vizie r to be bro ught from his dun ge on an d im

p aled in the pr esen c e o f the e n vo y Justly in ter .

pr etin g this o ut r age as a mo r t al defi an c e H i s chem ,

42 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

of H i sche m w as p ro o f ag ain s t the appeal o f his

n ot

pen iten t br o ther ; he r e c ei v ed him with Open arms ;

a n d b oth r etur n i n g to T o led o the g ates we r e o pen ed ,

by the or der o f Abd all ah wh o se fo llo wers wer e ,

g ran ted a gen e r al amn esty while he himself r e c eived

,

a p r in c ely est ate i n the vi c in ity o f the c ity as a pledge

o f co mplete r e co n c ili a ti on an d Oblivi on o f the p a st .

The fier c e an d in tr a ct able spir it o f S uleyman how ,

ever prompted him to on c e mor e tr y the do ubtful

,

c h an c e s o f w ar Amon g the d en se po pulation o f

.

Mur ci a wer e thous an ds o f adven tur er s wh ose pr eda ,

tor y in stin cts had n ever been mitig ated by the i n flu

en c e s o f c iviliz a ti on These allur ed by the p romises
.
,

o f S uleyma n en listed with alacr ity u n der hi s st an d

,

ar d . A con siderable for c e w as alr e ady assembled

up on the fields o f L or ca when in the absen c e o f their ,

gen er al the a dv an c e gu ar d o f the E mir s army un der

,
’

Al H akem his s on a b oy in ye ar s but a s it s oon b e

-
, , ,

c ame eviden t a man in cou ra ge an d m

, i lit ar y ability ,

a ppe ar ed befor e the r ebel c a mp Alth ough his c om .

man d w as gr eatly in fer i or in n umber s the youn g ,

pr in c e c h ar ged the in sur gen ts with such impetuo sity

th at they g ave w ay a fter a shor t an d bloo dy str uggle ;
an d whe n H i sc hem ar r ived with the mai n b o dy the ,

field w as c le ar o f all ex c ept the de a d an d dyin g .

S uleyman n ow thoroughly dis cou raged made over

, ,

tur es fo r p ar don which w as gr an ted con dition al up on

, ,

his per petu al exile His est ates wer e purch ased by
.

H i schem for the s u m o f seven ty th ous an d mi thc al s o f

gold ; an d the r ebellious p r in c e r etir ed to T an gier ,

wher e s a fe from molest ation he r egular ly main tain ed

, ,

a tr e a s o n a ble corr esp on den c e with his ol d comp an i on s

i n ar ms wat chin g an xi o usly f or a f av or able o ppor

,

tu n ity to asser t his c l aim to the thron e o f the emi rate .

While these even ts wer e tran spir in g in the West

an d the a tten ti o n o f H i s chem w as e n g ro ssed with the

con spi rac y o f his b r o the r s ser ious distur b an c es had

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 27

ar isen elsewher e S aid I bn Husein the wali o f Tor

.
- -
,

to s a r efused to r eco gni ze o r even to admi t withi n

, ,

the c ity an Offic er whom the E mir had appo in ted to

,

s u cc eed him The wali o f Valen cia w as o r der ed to

.

seize an d pun ish the r ebellious govern or but the cu n ,

n in g o f the l a tte r led his a dve r s ar y in t o an ambus

c a de whe r e he w a s killed a n d his follo wer s wer e put

,

to flight E n cour aged by the s ucc ess o f I bn Husein

.
-
,

the wali s o f B arc elon a S ar ago ss a Hues c a an d Tar

, , ,

r ag on a p r oc l a i med thei r i n depe n den c e an d en te r ed ,

in to an O ff en sive an d defen sive allian c e again st the

E mi r The n ew w ali o f Valen ci a Abu O thman mo r e
.
,
-
,

skilfu l or mo r e for tun ate th an his p r ede c ess o r ex

, , ,

per i e n ced but little difficulty in suppr e s s in g an in s u r

r ec ti on whi c h a t firs t p ro mised to be fo r mid able The .

armie s o f the r ebels we r e defe ated ; the he a d s o f a ll

w ho we r e ca ptur ed by Abu O thman we r e sen t to -

Co r do va an d the succ essful gen eral a fter r e ceivin g

, ,

the th an ks an d con gr atul ation s o f his s o ver eign w as ,

o r der ed to the Pyr en ees the r e to a wa it r ei n for c emen ts

,

an d make p r ep ar a ti on s for a n i n vas i on o f F r an c e .

The for tun ate r esults whic h had hitherto atten ded
his measu r es an d the kn owledge th at the un ruly tem
,

perame n t o f his su bj e c t s con st an tly deman ded the

ex citemen t o f arms determin ed H i s chem to diver t
,

to the an n o y an c e o f his en emies th at ac tive an d men

ac in g spir it whi c h ha d r e c en tly been exe r ted to his

o w n p r e j udi c e a n d to the immi n en t per il o f his crown .

An d i n additi on to thes e con sideration s in duc emen ts

, ,

wer e n ot w an tin g whic h mi ght affo r d a po wer ful

stimu lus to his p o litical ambitio n The pe cun i ar y .

r es o u r c es o f his ki n gdo m wer e f ar gr e a ter th an th o se

whi ch his father had con trolled I n cr easin g c om .

mer c e an d the sen se o f public secur ity de rived fro m

a c en tr alized g o ve r nmen t ha d r en der ed the bur den o f

tax ation mo r e e n dur able L o n g an d un in termittin g

.

servi c e in the field had cr e ated a body o f s oldier s pa ,

428 H IS T ORY OF TH E

tien t o f dis c iplin e devo ted to the in ter ests o f their

,

s over eign an d a ccust omed to con quer To e ach su c

,
.

ce e d in
g r ule r o f the Pe n in sul a fro m the time o f ,

Mus a had been beque athed as impera tive r eligi ous

,

Oblig ation s the exten sion o f terr it or y subj e ct to trib

,

ute an d per petu al w ar with the in fidel A thir st for

,
.

r even ge w as n ow a dded to the or igi n al i n c e n tives o f

ambiti on an d p r o selytis m —a desi r e to wipe ou t by a , ,

ser ie s o f fr esh tr iumphs the memo r y o f p ast r ever ses , ,

an d to i n fli c t a l on g defe rr ed r et ali ati on fo r fr ight

ful misfor tun es en dur ed by the ro uted armies o f

I sl am The Dj ih ad o r H o ly W ar w as pr o cl aimed
.
, ,

simultan e ously fr om the pulpit o f ever y mo sque in

the E mir s domin ion s To the pr o motion o f the cru
’
.

s ade eve r y M o slem w as b oun d by the l aw o f the

,

K oran to con tr ibute in pr o po r tion to his me an s by ,

don ati on s o f mon e y milit ar y supplies pr ovision s or

, , ,

per s on al s er vi c e The martial tribes o f the Pen in

.

sula to who m w ar w a s a diver sion flocked e ager ly to

, ,

the stan d ar d o f the empir e On e army forty thou .

,

s an d stro n g de s olated the settlemen ts o f G alic i a de

, ,

fe ated Ber mudo Kin g o f the Astur i as an d r eturn ed

, ,

laden with booty an d accomp an ied by th ous an ds o f

c a ptives An other pen et rated the depths o f the P y r
.

e n e e s seized the p a sses an d

, either by for c e or n ego , ,

ti ati on se c ur ed the temp or ar y n eutr ality o f the

,

B asques Dur in g the en suin g ye ar diligen t pr ep a

.
,

rati o n s we r e ma de fo r the r e con quest o f S e ptiman i a ,

wh ose c apit al N ar b on n e lon g the se at o f M o slem

, ,

p o wer in the s o uth o f F ran c e had n ow for almo st , ,

thir ty year s been held by the in fidel, The c ity o f .

Geron a r e c en tly t aken by the F r an ks w as sto rmed

, , ,

pill a ged an d its in h abit an ts r emo r selessly butcher ed

, .

This stro n gh old—a plac e o f gr e at str ategic impor

t an c e wh o se p o ssession by the en emy might seriousl y
,

in te r fe r e with the mo ve men ts o f eithe r a succ essful

or a defe ated army—h avin g bee n r e c o ve r ed the w a
y ,
43 0 HIST ORY OF TH E

Ab out this time an o ther army co mman ded by Ab d ,

a l Ke r im i n v a ded G ali c i a a n d the Astur i a s

-
, Little .

r esist an c e bein g o ff er ed the M o sle ms pe n et r a ted the

,

cou n t r y in eve r y di r e c ti on The h arvests wer e de

.

str o yed an d the peas an t r y ma ss acr ed or d r iven in t o

,

ca ptivity The chur ches wer e burn ed to the ground

. .

E n cu mber ed with b oo ty the i n v a der s on their r eturn

,

fell in t o an ambush an d sust ain ed a crushin g defe at .

The plun der w as r et aken an d their pr in cip al o ffic er s

,

wer e left o n the field o f b attle This r ever se mor e .

th an coun ter b alan c ed the a dv an t ages der ived fr om

the expedition in to F r an c e an d it e ff e cted much ,

to war ds the con s olid ation o f the p o wer o f the Chr is

,

tian ki n gdom .

An i n cr edible amoun t o f b ooty i n g old silver and , ,

p r e cious me rch an dise w as o bt ain ed in S eptiman ia n ot ,

a li ttle o f whi c h w a s fo un d in the chur ches an d

o ther e cclesi asti cal est ablishmen ts whic h aboun ded
ever ywher e The ro yal fifth a lon e a c quir ed by this
.
,

foray amoun ted to f orty fi v e th ous an d piec es o f

,
-

go ld all o f whi ch w as set a p art to be expen ded in

,

the completion o f the Gr e at M o sque The pr ide o f .

the M o or ish comman der Abd al Mel ik ex ac ted o f

,
- -
,

the in n umer able c aptives w ho follo wed in the train

o f his ar my a n ar du o us a n d extr a o r din ar y ser vi c e .

They wer e forc ed to c arr y up on their shoulder s or ,

dr ag in wagon s the st on es which had formed the

,

walls en circlin g the s ubur bs o f N arbon ne F rom .

these blo cks thus p ain fully tr an sp or ted from a coun

,

tr y dist an t man y hun d r ed miles th r o ugh the steep ,

p asses o f the moun t ain s w as con struc ted the f oun da

,

tion o f the e astern p ar t o f the G r eat M o sque o f Cor

dov a I n the exer tion o f this seemin gly useless an d
.

tyran n ical act o f auth or ity Abd al Melik w a s n ot ,

- -

impelled by a feeling o f mer e brav ado n or by a de ,

sir e to in fli ct su ff erin g upo n the un for tun ate I t .

w as a p ro c eedin g i n per fe c t ac co r d with the ge n ius o f

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 43 1

the M o slem c h arac ter Those ston es squ ar ed per

.
,

h aps by Ro man mas on s in the days o f Augustus ,

wer e t an gible an d en dur in g t ro phies o f con quest .

The b oun d ar ies o f c on tiguous kin gdo ms h ave ex

p an d ed or shr un k ; lan gu age r eligion an d mann e r s
, ,

h ave ch an ged ; p o pulo us cities o f the Pen in sula h ave

dis appear ed ; impor tan t settlemen ts have ar isen in the
midst o f mar sh an d deser t ; the memen to s o f an cien t
war far e are r epr esen ted o n ly by a few b atter ed an d
br oken we ap on s ; but the massive ston es o f N arb onn e ,

r e n de r ed d o ubly s a cr ed fr om the t o u ch in g legen d o f

their con v eyan c e by the un willin g h an ds o f Chr isti an

c a ptives still a fte r the expi ra tion o f mor e th an eleven
, ,

c en tur ies s upp or t the w a lls o f the p r oudest temple

,

ever dedicated to the G o d o f I s lam

T o the c o m
.

pletion o f this magn ific en t edific e the

en ergies o f H i schem wer e n ow dir ected F oll owin g .

the pio u s example o f his father he labor ed daily up on ,

i ts w alls He lived to see it fin i shed a fter the ex

.
,

en d i tu re o f on e hun dr ed a n d s ixty th ou s an d din ar s

p ,

an d , a lth o ugh sumptu ous in itself the buildin g o f ,

Abd al Rahman an d his s on w as gr e atly in fer ior in

- -

splen dor an d be auty to the addition s an d impr o ve

men t s subsequen tly made to it by their succe s s or s The .

public spirit o f H i s chem did n ot ho wever cb n fin e hi s , ,

e ff or ts to the completi on o f the D j alma He r ebuilt .

the br idge acro s s the Guadalquivir which had again ,

fallen in to dec ay He er e cted man y s tr uc tur es to

.

embelli sh his gr o win g capit al an d to p romote the c on

v en ie n c e o f its i n h abit a n ts
—luxur i ou s p alac es b aths
, , ,

mo sques an d foun t ain s He en cour a ged the plan t

,
.

in g o f or ch ar ds an d the c ultiv ati on o f g ar de n s in the

subur bs an d thi s r ation al an d he althful employ men t
,

fo rmed o n e o f his favor ite r e cre ation s I n his char .

ac ter the r eli gi ous sen ti men t p r ep on de rated n ot a ,

l ittle tin c tur ed in c ommon with the most ign oran t o f

,

his subj ects w ith the fo lly an d we akn ess o f super

,
432 HIS T ORY OF TH E

s tition . E arly in his eign he c on sulted a f amous

r

a st r o lo ger w ho a n n o un c ed a s the r esult o f his hor o

, ,

s co pe a life o f but few ye ar s dur ation but p ro sper

,
’

o u s an d full o f gl or y The commu n ic ation o f this

.

p r ediction had un question a bly mu ch to d o with its

ful fil men t The mann e r s o f H i sc he m a lr e ady gr ave
.
,

an d dig n ified bec ame for a M oh ammed an p rin c e

, , ,

str an gely as c etic He dis c ar ded the splen did vest

.

men ts o f ro yalty a n d in v ar i ably a ppear ed clad in

,

simple white the distin c tive color o f his f amily His

,
.

leisu r e w as devo ted to the in vestig ati on o f griev an c es ,

to the a id o f the Opp r essed to the co n s ol ati on o f the,

affli c ted to the supp or t o f the i n dige n t

, N either the .

in clemen cy o f the seas on n o r the in con ven ien c e o f

darkn ess w as su ff e r ed to in ter fer e with his erran ds o f
me rc y He visited h oly men at midni ght in the midst
.

o f t orr en ts o f r a i n I n pe r s on he dist r ibuted alms to

.

the h omeless wh om wan t had impelled to seek Shelter

,

un der the arcades o f the mo sque He walked un at .

ten ded th rough the str eets an d did n ot disd ain to en ter
,

the h ovels o f the p oor an d best o w wor ds o f comfort

upon suc h a s seemed ab an don ed by the wor ld He .

w as the fir st o f his lin e to est ablish a system o f mu

n ic ip al p o li c e to i n su r e the s a fety o f the c a pit al The .

'
fin es co llected for br e aches o f the pe ac e he disbur sed
i n c h ar ity I n the imp o siti o n o f t a xes he e arn ed the
.

gratitude o f his subj e cts by o n ly ex actin g the tithe

pr es c r ibed by M oh ammed an l aw Un der his p atern al .

admin ist r ati o n the wid o ws an d c hild r e n o f s o ldie r s

killed in b attle wer e pen si on ed He ran s omed from .

his p riv ate purse all M u s su hn an s held i n captivity an d ,

so th or o ugh w as his se arc h an d s o su c c essful his e ff or ts

in this di r e c ti on th at du r in g his r eig n a we althy c itizen

,

h avin g left by will a lar ge su m for the liberatio n o f

slaves held by the Ch risti an s the bequest r everted to ,

the heir s a s n o su ch sl aves c ould be fo un d The in

, .

flexible j usti c e o f H ischem w as a promin en t tr ait o f

43 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

tion s would n ot h ave suffic ed to accomplish N o is o la .

tion is s o th orough as th at whic h is caused by the

pr eser v ation an d use o f an un f amili ar idiom E ven .

the s oc ial ali en ation in duc ed an d main t ain ed b y the

o bser v an c e o f r eligi o us p rac ti c es r eg ar ded as her eti c al

is n o t so deep or per sisten t By the compul s or y

.

a do pti on o f the l an gu a ge o f the con que r or s the tr ibu ,

t ar y se cts bec ame d aily better ac quain ted with the

cr eed the ch arac teristi c s an d the Opin i on s o f their
, ,

ma ster s Their p r ej udic es con tr ac ted th ro ugh i g n o

.

ran c e wer e g ra du ally dispelled amidst the r equi r e

men ts o f busin ess an d the c ourtesies an d r e cr e ati on s

o f f amili ar in te r cou r se The Ch r isti an le arn ed to
.

esteem the M o slem; the M o slem by degr ees en ter , ,

tain e d less c o n tempt f o r the Ch r isti an An ap preci a

.

tion o f each other s vi rtues mutu al con c ession s an d

’

, ,

h o pes Of p r o spec tive a dv an t a ge s oon p ro duc ed c lo ser

r el ati on s in tr a de i n termarr i a ges an d the fo rma ti on
, ,

o f i n ti ma te a n d dur a ble fr ien dships P r oselytism to

the f ai th o f I slam—on c e an o ccurr en c e a s r ar e as it
.

w as abho r r e n t— at l a st be came s o common as s carc ely

to ex c ite r emar k The G othic co stume w a s super
.

s ed e d by the tur b an s an d fl o wi n g r o bes o f the O r ien t .

The h ar ems o f the r ich an d p o wer ful wer e ruled by

favo r ites born in Teut on i c an d Roman h ouseh olds .

The cust oms o f the latte r wer e tho se o f the Desert .

Thei r sur roun din gs had n o thin g in c ommon with the

tra ditio n s o f their anc estr y or the memo r ies o f their
yo uth Their childr en kn ew n o othe r ton gue but
.

Ar abi c The lastin g co n sequen c es o f this l aw o f

.

H is chem in the p ar ti al amalg amati on o f th r ee rac es

,

an d the se al it i mp r essed up on thei r p r o du c t are to ,

d ay man ifested in the swar thy complexio n s the gut ,

tur al acc en ts the grac e an d dignity o f be arin g which

,

distin guish the pe as an tr y o f N orthern An d alusi a ,

w ho li vi n g ne ar the c a pit al o f the kh alif ate the

, ,

mor e r e adily o beyed the man dates o f its court an d ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 43 5

wer e the mor e s us c eptible to the in fluen c e o f its

mann er s .

Un for tun ately fo r the futur e tran quillity o f the

Pen in sula H i s chem w as a fast fr ien d o f the theo
,

l o g i an s H i s mo s t i n ti mate as s o c i ate s wer e c hos en

.

fr om the faqui s —h alf pr ie s t s h alf l awyers —wh ose

,
-
,
-
,

stu die s wer e di v ided between the elu cid ati on o f s acr ed
tr adition s an d the in ter pr etation o f the p rin c iple s o f
j ur ispruden c e Di s c oura ged by the fi rm p o lic y o f
Abd al —
.

-
R ahman thi s or der ha d as s umed a s udde n
,

an d o mi n o u s i mp o r t an c e u n de r the f av o r able au spi c e s

o f hi s s u cc es s or I t w as an era o f u n pr e ceden ted r e

.

lig iou s ex c itemen t in the d omain o f I sl am N ew se c t s .

,

with who se or g an izatio n an d main ten an c e p o litic s had

o ften quite as mu c h to d o a s the olo gy we r e f o rmi n g ,

ever yw her e On e whi ch had Obt ain ed gr e at po pu

.

l ar ity an d w as de s tin ed even tu ally to be i n cluded i n

the four r eco gn ized by t rue believe r s as or th o do x had
been r e c en tly foun ded at Medin a by the fa mous d o c
tor M alik I bn An as
,
-
A bon d o f un io n b as ed o n
-
.
,

an tip athy to a c ommo n e n emy w as s o on est abli s hed ,

between the O racle o f Medin a an d the mon ar ch o f

S p ain N otwithstan din g his cl aims to pi ous c on s id
.

cra ti o n as the fo un de r o f a n e w the o l o gi cal s c h o o l ,

I bn An a s had been s u s pe cted o f e n cour a gi n g the

-

preten sio n s o f a des c en d an t o f Ali—o f the dete s ted

s e ct o f the S chiite s
—to the thr on e o f the Abb as id es .

E ither fro m i n suffic ien cy o f eviden c e o r through fe ar ,

o f i n sur r e c ti o n the Kh alif o f B agd ad had n ot im

,

p osed sen ten c e o f de ath up on the o ff en der b u t he had ,

o r de r ed him to be s c o u r ged which pun is hmen t had

,

been in fli cted with ever y acco mp an imen t o f bru talitv

an d i n sult by the ze alo us o f fi c i als o f the Hedj az .

Con s c ious o f his in fluen c e an d con sumed with rage ,

an d h at r ed the ven e rable fan ati c b or e his in j uries

,

li ke a martyr con c e alin g un der an appe ar an c e o f

,

r esig n ati on the fu r y o f his i mpl acable r esen tmen t .

436 HIST ORY OF TH E

Abh orren c e o f his o pp r ess o r s led him to turn for

symp athy to the Ommey ad e s whose pr inc es like , ,

himself had exper ien c ed the r elen tless per sec ution
an d in s a ti able ven ge an c e o f the tyran ts o f D ama s c us

a n d B agd a d The n o ble ch aracter o f H i schem w as

.

n o t u nkn ow n to the in habit an ts o f the H o ly Cities .

The admi ration o f the M e d in es e d octor for the E mir ,

perh aps in cr ea sed s omewh at by a desir e to pr o fit by

p ast humili ation an d to in dir e ctly disp ara ge his
,

en emies be came extrav ag an t He lost n o occasio n

, .

o f p raisi n g him a s a p atte r n o f the ki n gly vi r tues ,

a n d we n t s o far as to de cl ar e publi c ly th at he o f all ,

the prin c es o f I slam w as the on ly on e worthy o f the

,

un divided h on or s o f the kh ali fate On the other h an d .

,

H i s chem en tert ain ed the g r e atest r espe c t for the theo

l o g i an wh o se d o ctr in es he a d o pted an d sedul o usly en
,

d eav o r e d to p ro p ag ate th ro ugh out his d omin ion s by

ever y in duc emen t to whi ch the human mi n d is sus
c eptibl e . The M alikites wer e amon g th ose highest in
his con fiden c e They a dmin ister ed the mo st r es pon
.

sible employmen ts o f Chur ch an d S t ate They wer e .

en tr usted with impor tan t comman ds in the army .

The E mir affor ded ever y f ac ility to such as desir ed

to pu r sue their studies un de r the eye o f the g re at
in ter pr eter o f the l aw an d these at their r eturn were
, , ,

r e c eived with ever y mar k o f r espe c t an d con side ra

tion I n con sequen c e o f this imp olitic fav or itism the

.
,

M alikites s oon obt ain ed a pr epon dera tin g an d d an

ger on s in fluen c e in public aff air s The se ct w as domi.

n ate d by a li mited n u mber o f sh r ewd an d ambitious

f aqu is wh o se o pin ion s r e c eived by the ignor an t as

, ,

in falli ble wer e supp o sed to be prompted by divin e

,

in spiration an d wh o se wild fan aticism w as j ustly

,

r eg ar ded by the mselves as the mo st effic ien t me an s

for the att ainment to sup r eme p o w er N either the .

Ber ber s n or the Ar abs o f pur e blood seem to h ave

, ,

embr ac ed the n ew doc trin e with an y g reat degr ee o f

43 8 HIST ORY OF TH E

of the M alikite se c t the in cr easin g p ower an d in

,

s ol en ce o f wh o se s pi r itu a l guides we r e p r ep ar i n g for

their wr et ched dupes a d ay o f un speakable c alamity .

E ight ye ar s fr om the date o f the h oros co pe had

been de cl ar ed by the astrolo ger to be the limit o f the
life o f H i s chem The str en gth o f his in telle c t w as
.

n ot su ffic ie n t to r e j e c t a p r edi cti o n whi c h w a s unive r

s ally acc epted by a cr edulous an d super stitious race

with the s ame r eve r en c e th at in an cien t times at , ,

tache d to the mys te r i ous r esp on se o f an orac le A .

p attern o f r eligious virtue he had lon g dis ciplin ed

,

his min d to o bey with out r epin in g the in evit able de

, ,

c r ees o f f ate an d the p ro spe c t o f an e ar ly de ath while

, ,

it se r i ou s ly dis con c er ted his pl an s could n ot disturb his

,

equ an imity As the time set fo r the accomplishmen t

.

o f the p r o phe c y a pp ro ac hed the E mi r a ssembled the

,

G r e at C oun cil o f the r e alm to swe ar fe alty to his son ,

Al H akem w ho w as to suc c eed him This c er emon y

-
, .

con cluded he a dd r essed the y ou n g p r i n c e in the f ol

,

lo win g wor ds which ar e f ar better c alc ulated th an an y

,

eulo gy to des cr ibe his ow n c h ar acter " Dispen se jus

tic e witho ut distin ctio n to the p oor an d to the r ich be ,

kin d an d gen tle to th ose depen den t up on thee for ,

a ll ar e a like the c r e atu r e s o f G o d E n trust the keep

.

in g o f thy c ities an d p r o vi n c es to lo yal an d ex peri

e n c ed c hieft ai n s ; ch a stise with out pity min iste r s w ho

o pp r es s thy s ubj e c ts ; g ove rn thy s o ldie r s with mo d

e r atio n a n d fi rmn e s s ; r eme mbe r th a t arms are given

them to defen d n ot to dev ast ate their c oun tr y ; an d

, ,

be c ar eful alw ays th at they ar e r egularly p aid an d ,

th at they may ever r ely up on thy p r omises S trive to .

make thyself beloved by thy pe o ple for in their ,

aff e c ti on is the se c u r ity o f the st ate in thei r fe ar ,

its d an ger in their h atr ed its c e rtain ruin P rotect

, .

tho se w ho cultiva te the fields an d fu rn ish the br ead

th at sust ain s us ; d o n o t permit their h ar vests to be
in j ur ed or their for ests to be destro yed Act in all
, .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O PE 43 9

r espects s o th at thy subj e cts may bless thee an d live

in h a ppin ess un der thy p r o te c ti on an d thus an d in , ,

n o o the r w ay wilt thou Obt ai n the r en o wn o f the mo st

,

glor ious o f p r in c es .

E ar ly in the follo win g s p ri n g H i s chem expir ed ,

a fte r a sh or t ill n e s s i n the fo r tieth ye ar o f his a g e

,
.

His r eign had n ot been di s tin guished by gr e at milit ar y

en ter pr i s es n or by me asur es th at in dic ated the p osses
,

sion o f mor e th an or din ar y t alen ts for the r equi r e

men ts o f politic s o r the art o f g overn men t But .

alth o ugh his admi n ist r ati on w as n ot b r illi an t it w as

emin en tly succ essful He had che cked the impetu

.

ou s ar dor o f the Astur i an s He had in v aded an d

.

rav aged with impun ity the p rov i n c es o f the mo st

illustr ious an d power ful mon ar ch in E ur o pe He .

had thwar ted the r epe ated attempts o f despe rate ad

ven tur er s to over tur n his thron e He had gain ed the .

appl ause o f his e n emies by his c lemen c y an d w o n the ,

a dmi r a ti on o f his fr ien ds by his gen e r ou s tr e a tmen t

o f his r ebelli o us ki n smen N o un fo r tun ate w as s o

.

degraded as to be un wor thy Of his n otic e n o su ff er er ,

too o bs c ur e to be the r e c ipien t o f his b ou n ty By the .

en forc emen t o f j udic ious r egulation s he had aecom

li s he d m u c h t o war ds the r emo v al o f tho se s oc i al an d
p
poli tic al b arr ier s whi ch sep arated the rac es an d men
ac ed the p r o spe r ity o f his ki n gdom By his in fluen c e .

an d ex ample he g ave fr esh i mpulse to the c ultiv a ti on

o f lette r s
. The un iver s al s orr o w man ifested by all
c l a sses at the n ews o f his de ath ann o un c ed the depth

o f the esteem an d a ff e c ti o n eve r ywhe r e e n te rt a in ed

for his ch ar acter .

I t w as with ill con c ealed an xiety th at the sub j ects

-

o f the emi r ate expe c ted the fir st act o f the ad min i s

tr ati on o f Al H akem -
I t is true n o on e d oubted his
.

ability . His military pr owess had alr ea dy been d em

on s tra ted, fo r while yet a boy he had at the he ad
, ,

o f an in fe r i or fo r c e an n ihil ated the ar my o f his un c le

44 0 HIST ORY OF TH E

on the pla in s o f L orca The p ro phetic s a g ac ity o f his

.

father in accor d an c e with the cust om o f his p r in c ely

,

lin e had e arly famili arized him with the fun cti on s o f
,

a r uler by his empl o ymen t in offi c es o f g rave res pon

s ibility His edu cation had been en tr usted to the b est

.

s ch olar s o f the time an d he had p ro ved an apt an d

,

in telligen t pupil The for tuit ous but imp ortan t ad

.

v an t ages o f per s on al be auty an d a distin guished pr es

en c e wer e n ot w an tin g to this heir to the glor y an d
the misfo r tun es o f the Ommey ad es Y et th ough .
,

r e ar ed i n the publi c ity o f a co u r t a n d h ab itu ated to

the t ran s action o f offic i al busin ess little w as kn o wn o f ,

the disp o sition an d the pr iv ate Opin i on s o f Al H akem -

.

A stolid ap athy an d an impen etr able r eserve e ffe ctu

a lly con c e aled his e mo ti on s His feelin gs n ever re .

l ax e d eve n i n the p r esen c e o f his mo st i n timate a ss o

c i ates up on wh om mor eo ver his con fiden c e w as
, , ,

grudgin gly besto wed But the veil whi ch en velo ped .

his ch ar a cter could n ot hide the fac t th at he w as

ir as c ible arro gan t v ain glor ious an d cruel
, , The , .

even t p ro ved th at the a pp r ehen sion s o f the sh rewd

o bse r ve r s w ho r eg ar ded his acc essi on wi th man ifest

un ea sin ess an d distrust we r e n ot en tir ely without

foun d ation .

I t w as the p racti c e o f the Ommey ad e s with the ad

ven t o f a n ew s over eign to c h an ge the h aj ib or high ,

Ch amber l ain wh ose duties an d auth or ity co in cided

,

wi th tho se o f a prime min ister o r c hief dign it ar y o f ,

st ate F o r this r espon sible emplo yment Al H akem

.
,
-

sele cted Abd al Ker im s on o f Abd al W alid who

- -
,
- -
,

had filled the p o sition un de r his f athe r E min ent .

for brave r y an d le arn in g an d ve r sed in all the ao ,

compl is hmen ts o f the a g e Abd al Kerim had from ,

- -
,

c hildhoo d en j oyed the fr ien dship an d sh ar ed the

,

amusemen ts o f his ma ster This choi c e w as acc epted .

a s a h a ppy augur y o f the futu r e condu ct o f the n ew

rule r , an d co n tr i b uted gr e atly to all ay the fe ar s o f

44 2 HIST ORY OF TH E

T oledo to Abdall ah through the tr e as o n able con

,

ni v an c e o f i ts g o ve r n or S uleyman l an ded at V a le n c i a
,

with a p owe r ful army an d foun din g his p r eten sion s

, ,

o n the r ight o f p r i mo gen itur e p r oc laimed himself ,

E mi r o f S p ain Al H akem he ar i n g o f the r evolt

.
-
,

o f Abd all ah had h a sten ed to T o led o with the flo we r

,

o f the An d alusi an c av al r y an d in vested its w alls The .

lin es had h ar dly been f ormed h o wever when in telli , ,

gen c e w as r ec eived th at L oui s Kin g o f Aqui tain e the , ,

s on o f the g r e a t e mpe r or had r et aken Ge r on a the , ,

key o f the Pyr en ees an d aided by the defe ction o f

, ,

the walis o f Lerid a an d Hues ca had alr e ady over ,

a l ar ge p ar t o f the p r o vi n c es o f the N o r thwest .

Ch ar lemagn e e ager to aven ge the slaughter o f R on

,

c es v al l es as well as to exten d the li mits o f his empi r e

, ,

had pl ac ed u n der the co mman d o f his s on the pi cked

tr oo ps o f his army veter an s o f a s cor e o f camp aign s
,

o n the D a n ube an d the R hi n e R e co gn izin g the per il .

o f the situ ati o n an d a w ar e o f the i mp or t an c e o f pr e

,

ven tin g the un ion o f this n ew en emy with those .

w ho we r e th r o win g his kin gd om in t o c on fusion ,

Al H akem p romptly ab an don ed the siege an d

-

a dv an c ed by f or c ed marc he s to the v alley o f the

E b r o But the F r an ks had alr e ady r eti r ed The

. .

det ails o f their o per ation s s c ar c ely men tion ed in the ,

an n als o f the ti me thro w n o light up on thei r mo tives ;

,

but it is cle ar th at the r esults o f the ex pedition did

n ot cor r esp on d with the ma g n ific e n c e an d complete

n ess o f its p r ep arati o n s o r with the h o pes e n te r t ai n ed

o f its su cc ess An extr eme c autio n akin to timidity

.
, ,

seemed to t ake po s s ession o f the con queror s o f the

S ax on s the des c en d an ts o f the her oes o f P o itiers an d
,

N ar b on n e as s oon a s the fr o wn in g b arr ier o f the

,

Pyr en ees w as left in their r e ar .

The p r esen c e o f Al H akem r evived the dorman t -

en thusi asm o f his subj e cts Ger on a Hues ca Lerida .

, , ,

wer e r ecover ed B arc elon a wh o se perfi d iou s g ov

.
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 443

er n or , Z aid fter s o licitin g the p ro te ction o f Ch arle

, a

mag n e an d p ayin g homage to his son had r efused ,

to ad mit the F r an ks in t o the c ity n ow with ever y , ,

demo n stratio n o f loyalty thr ew o pen its gate s at the ,

appe ar an c e o f hi s l a wfu l s o v e r eig n .

The en er gy o f Al H akem se c on ded by the a c -

tiv i ty o f his squ a d r on s i n a sh or t time r edu c ed to,

o bedie n c e the en ti r e te r r it o r y whi c h ha d been o ve rr un

by the F r an ks C arr ied irr es i s tibly on by his mar ti al

.

ar do r he c r o ssed the Pyr e n ees an d by an u n expe c ted , ,

stroke o f goo d fo rtun e s eized N arb on n e who se g ar , ,

r i so n he ma s s ac r ed an d wh o se i n h abit an ts he led i n t o

c a ptivity E l ated by vi c tor y an d l aden with s poil he

.
,

left his tru s ty lieuten an ts Abd al Ker im an d I bn ,

- -

S u leyman in ch ar ge o f the fron tier an d with a for c e

, , ,

lar gely in cr ea sed by the fame o f his s uc c esses an d the

ho pe o f r apin e o n c e mor e dir e cted his marc h t owar ds
,

T oledo I n the me an time S uleyman had e ff ected a

.
,

jun cti on with Abd allah on the ban ks o f the T agus .

I n de cision an d a s pi r it o f i n dolen c e seem to h ave pre

vailed in their c oun c ils f or i n ste ad o f makin g a di
, ,

ver sio n which might h ave still fur ther emb arr assed the
movemen ts o f Al H akem an d h ave perha ps ch an ged
-

the r e s ult o f the c o n fli ct they r emain ed in active , ,

expe c tin g the con clu s io n o f the c ampaign with the

F ran k s un til the a ppr o ach o f the E mir ro used them
,

fr om their leth ar gy F e ar fu l le s t their h astily assem

.

bled an d un dis ciplin ed levie s o f b arbar i an s an d mal

con ten ts might n ot be able to withst an d the att ac k o f

the veteran s o f the r egu lar army fightin g un der the

eye o f their s over eign the in sur gen t s left in T o ledo
—
,

as comman de r O b eid ah I bn H amz a o n e o f the mo st -

,

able o ffic e r s i n thei r ser vi c e w ho had su rr en der ed the ,

c ity an d w a s c on tin ued i n p o wer a s the r ew ar d o f

his in famy an d withdr ew a fter s ome desultory an d
, ,

in decisive en g a gemen ts in to the provin c e o f Murci a , .

Her e the ven eration attachin g to the n ame o f Abd al -

44 4 HIST ORY OF TH E
Rahman the per s o n al p o pul ar ity o f Abd allah
, an d ,

se cur ed f or the r ebell io us br other s a gr e at acc ession

o f st r e n gth a n d a co r r esp on din g in c r e a se o f con fi

den c e . E n tr usti n g Amr u on e o f his offic er s to, ,

p r o se cute the siege o f T oledo Al H akem pr essed ,

-

for war d in quest o f the r ebels an d r es o lved if pos , ,

s ible , to br i n g the con test to a speedy te rmin ation .

But a gain the c ourage o f the in sur gen ts failed them ,

a n d they s o ught the p r o te cti on o f the moun t ai n fast

n esses ,whe r e the An dalusi an h or semen could n ot

follow F o r mon ths the str uggle w as pro trac ted and
.
,

the forc e o f the E mi r imp atient un der in ac tion began

, ,

to be dimi n i s hed by dese r ti on s At length the r ebels .

,

wh o se supplies o f p r ovi sion s had been in ter c epted ,

ven tur ed fo r th from their stron gh old I n the plains .

o f Mu rc i a n ot f ar fr om the field wher e Al H akem

,
-

had w on his fir st l au r els i n a vi ct or y ove r o n e o f his

p r esent an t a go n ists a bloo dy b attle w as fought The
, .

issue at fir st w as doubtful as the in sur gen ts con tested

,

the g rou n d with all the e n e r gy o f desperati on ; but ,

at a de c isive mo men t the thr oat o f S uleyman was

,

pierc ed with an arr o w an d by his death the spirit

, , ,

o f his f o ll o we r s w a s b r o ken The slaughter that .

follo wed w as lon g r emember ed as r emark able even

amidst the but c he r y th at disg ra c ed the c ivil w ar s o f

S p ai n The surviv or s wer e disper sed beyon d all pos

.

s ibil ity o f r e or g an iz ati on ; an d Abd al l ah by an e arly ,

withdrawal fr o m the field succ eeded in r eaching ,

Valen c ia wher e dishe ar ten ed an d thoroughly pen i

, ,

ten t he impl or ed the f or given ess O f his in j ur ed s ov

,

er eig n With a magn an imity th at did c re di t ali ke to

.

his s ag ac ity an d his sen timen ts o f aff ection Ai ,

H akem acc epted the submi ssion o f his un cle but ,

in sisted up on his perman en t r etir emen t to T angier

an d the su r r en de r o f his tw o s on s E s b ah an d K ase m , ,

a s h o st a ges The l atter wer e tr eated wi th kindn ess

.

an d wi th the distin c tion due to thei r r ank ; a regul ar

4 46 HIS T ORY OF TH E

as the an tip athies o f r ac e be c ame temp orarily but

,

e ff e ctually r e con c iled in the pr esen c e o f a for eign

en emy But while his armies had n ot been able to
.

o bt a i n a fo o th o ld s o uth o f the Pyr en ees or even to ,

traverse the d efil es o f th at mo un t ain ch a in in s a fety ,

n o su c h di ffic ulties seemed to a tte n d the mo vemen ts o f

the M o slems who se flyin g squa dr on s plun de r ed an d

,

r av a ged with o ut r e s i s t an c e the dist a n t p r o vi n c es o f

his empire These imp or t an t con side ration s an d the

.
,

a pp r ehen s i on th a t s ome skilful A ra b c a pt ai n might

r e co ver an d r et a in the fe r tile v alleys o f the S o uth the ,

traditi o n s o f who s e pe o ple r e c alled with ple asur e the

domin i on o f their an c ien t M ohanrrn ed an ma ster s im ,

pell e d the E mpe r o r to fo un d an d main t ain a bulw ark

which would be av ail able to h ar ass the e n emy as well
as to b r e ak the fo r c e a n d r et a r d the a dv an c e o f an

in va din g army With this Obj e ct i n view a pr in ci

.

p al ity w as fo un ded on the S p an ish side o f the P y r

en ee s whi c h w a s given the n ame o f the G o thi c M ar c h
, ,

an d its fir st l or d a F r an kish n o ble n amed B or el r e

, ,

ceiv e d his i n vestitur e fr om an d did h omage to the , ,

Kin g o f Aquitain e .

I n sign ific an t at fir st this embr y o st ate speedily in

,

cr e ased in p owe r an d c on seque n c e The d omain in .

c luded w ithin its b ou n d ar ies had f or ye ar s bee n the

s c en e o f bloo dy in surr e ction s o f in c ess an t an archy

, ,

o f p ar tis an w ar f a r e I ts lan ds wer e un tilled I ts

. .

inh abit an ts fe ar ed to ven tur e beyo n d the walls o f their

c ities .I ts commun i c ati on s with the c en tral g overn
men t always pr e c ar ious we r e o ften c ompletely in
, ,

terr u pted f or mon ths at a time But as s oon as c om .

p arativ e p ro te c ti on an d s a fety we r e a ssu r ed by the

occ up an c y o f the F r an ks a st r iki n g c h an ge be c ame

a pp ar e n t i n the con diti o n o f the cou n tr y The rui n ed .

fortific ation s wer e r ep air ed The h abitual per fi d y of

.

the walis tempted by the pro spe ct o f gr eater fr ee

,

d om i n duc ed the m on c e mor e to t r an sfe r their alle

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 447

g i an ce to the en emi es o f their faith By the don ati on .

o f exten sive gran ts o f ter ritor y an d the promise o f

,

un usu al fran chi s es an d pr ivileges a h o st o f colon ists

,

w as att rac ted to the settlemen t s o f the n ew p r in c i

pality . The fields r ec laimed fro m de so lation a gain
a s s u med the attrac tive p r o s pe c t o f c ultiv ati o n an d

pro sper ity The G othic M ar ch bec ame the r efuge

.

n ot o n ly o f s u c h Ch r isti an s a s we r e di s c o n ten ted un der

M oslem r ule but o f all tho s e wh os e griev an c es led

,

them to r en oun c e allegian c e to the Kin g o f the As

tu ri as or to the c hieft ain s o f Bis c ay N o t a few wer e
.

allur ed by the h o pe th at he r e might ar i s e a mon ar chy

whi ch foun ded by the de s c en d an ts o f its an cien t

,

master s wo uld r estor e the laws the p r estige an d

, , ,

the glor y o f the Visig othic empir e S uch w as the .

or igin o f the s t ate s o on to be kn ow n as the C o un ty

o f B ar c el on a a n ame o f p ro f ou n d i mp or t in the s u b
,

sequen t hist or y o f the Pen in sula I ts foun dation .

w as the se c on d step t o war ds the we ake n in g o f the

M o slem p owe r an d on e s c arc ely in fer ior in p olitic al
,

r e s ults to the e s t abli s h me n t o f the ki n gd om o f the

Astur ias .

The chief to wn s o f the n ew pr in cipality wer e Au

so n a C ar don a M an r es a an d Ger on a N o n e o f the s e
, , ,
.

wer e sea por ts an d the s agac ity o f Ch arlemagn e p er

,

cei v e d an d a pp r e c i ated the n e c essity o f sec u r i n g

mar itime co mmun ic ati on with his do min i on s to o b

v i ate the po ssible is o lation o f the G othi c M arch ,

either thr ough the in clemen c y o f the se aso n s or the

vigilan c e o f his en emie s He ther efor e pro j ec ted an
.

expedition again st B arc elon a whic h po sses s ed an in

,

diff er en t but av ailable harb or an d who se commer cial

,

ran k alr e a dy a ffor ded man y i n di c ati on s o f the i mpo r

tan c e to whi ch it a fter war ds att ain ed I ts situation .

an d the i n tr igues o f its w a lis had p r evi ously a c qui r ed

for it a n omin al in depen den c e The pr esen t g ov

.

ern o r ,
Zaid had con stan tly altern ated between pro
,
44 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

test ation s o f lo yalty to Al H akem an d s olic it ations o f

-

p rotec tion from Ch arlemagn e The Kin g o f Aqui .

t ain e h avin g appear ed befor e the wa lls with a nu mer

ou s army Z aid with pl ausible ex cuses p r o t rac ted the
, , ,

n eg oti ati on s l ooki n g to the delive r y o f the c ity un til

the appro ach o f win ter r en der ed a siege impracticable .

H ass an the wali o f Hues ca als o de clin ed to a dmit

, ,

the F r an ks alth ough he w as the swo rn vass al o f

,

L ouis ; an d th at dis app o in ted pr in c e w ho had pic ,

tu r e d to himself an e a sy an d pro fit able te rmin ation

o f the c amp aig n w as fo r c ed to r eti r e with ig n omin y
, ,

amid s t the mu rmu r s o f his diss atisfied s o ldie r s to the ,

secur ity o f his ow n domin io n s .

The Gran d C oun c il o f the empir e held accor din g ,

to the cust om o f the F r an ks eve r y sp r in g met in the ,

beginn in g o f the year 8 01 at T o ulo use The obj e ct .

o f these n ati on a l a ssembli es w as the dis cussio n an d

settlemen t o f futur e mili t ar y o per ation s as deter ,

min ed by the ar gumen ts an d the exper ien c e o f the

veteran warr ior s wh o se in fluen c e de cided their d el ib
e r ati on s The ab ortive r esults o f pr e c edin g en ter
.

p rises had prov oked the i mp atien c e rather th an

damped the ar dor o f the F r an kish c hieft ain s an d ,

the un an imous vo i c e o f the C oun cil tumultuously

deman ded the captur e o f B ar c elon a Befor e the .

c l o se o f the ye ar an i m men se army which is d esig ,

n ate d by v ain glor i ous chron ic ler s as c omp osed of

man y distin c t n ati o n s emer ged from the d efil es o f
,

the Pyr en ees The v an ity o f L oui s whi ch had suf

.
,

fer e d thr ough the un p r o fit able issues o f fo rme r cam

p gai n s
, or p o ssibly the e n t r e aties o f his lieuten an ts

w ho kn ew his i n c a p ac ity i n du c ed him to r emain at

,

R ou s il l on u n til the eve n t o f the expedition coul d n o

lon ger be do ubtful The in v adin g forc e w as mar
s hall e d in tw o divisi on s —
.

on e un der the C ount o f

, ,

Geron a pr essed the siege o f the c ity an d the other

, , ,

comman ded by Willi am C o un t o f T o ul ouse w as sta

, ,
45 0 HIS T ORY OF TH E

garr is on w as in cr e as in g d aily an d his r eso urc es ex , ,

h an sted Zaid determin ed to en de avor to r e ac h C o r

,

dov a an d by a per s o n al appe al to Al H akem Obt ain -

me an s to r elieve the c ity The in tr epid gove rn or .

,

issuin g un atten ded from a se cr et p o stern by n ight ,

had ahn o s t su cc eeded in pe n etr a tin g the e n emy s lin es

’

when the n eig lrin g o f his h or se g ave the a larm an d he

w a s c a ptur ed These dep r essin g even ts exerted their
.

in fluen c e on the besieged but their con stan c y an d ,

co ur a ge still sust ain ed them At len gth a fter several

.
,

b r e aches had been made in the walls an d the M os ,

lems de cimated i n n umber s had been r educ ed to de

, ,

sp air n ego ti ation s wer e o pen ed with the F r an ks The

, .

mo st f avor able terms o bt ai n able in v olved the loss o f

p r o perty an d the h ar dships o f exile The g ates were .

fin ally th ro wn o pen an d a lon g an d melan ch oly pr o

,

c essi on o f u n for tun ates t o tte r i n g with we akn ess a n d

,

emaci ated by f amin e up on wh o se fa c es wer e st amped

,

the sign s o f pro tr acted su ff er in g filed p ain fully ,

thr o ugh the c amp o f the en emy ; an d the F r an kish

c hieft a i n s p r e c eded by the min i s te r s o f the Ch r isti an
,

fa ith ar rayed in all the p omp an d sple n do r o f their

o r de r en ter ed the c ity to c elebrate befor e the alt ar
, ,

o f its p r i n c ip al temple the t r iumph by whi c h the mo st

imp ortan t pr ovin c e o f E a stern S p ain had p assed for

ever fr om ben e ath the M o slem s c eptr e .

The Ch risti an p o pulatio n welcomed its ch an ge o f

master s with n o man ifest ati on s o f j oy or en thusi asm .

A gloomy silen c e per va ded the cr owds lin in g the

str eets as the p r elates in go r geous vestmen ts an d the
,

men at arms in glitter in g steel swept by in maj estic

- -

proc e s sion to s o lemn ize with every c ircumstan c e o f

, ,

eccle s i asti cal c er emony an d milit ar y o sten t ation the ,

fo r tun ate te rmin ati on o f their en ter pr ise I n the .

e ar ly ages o f I sl am the b en efi cen t an d to le ran t rule

o f the M oor seems to h ave u n ive r s a lly w o n the r espe ct

an d i n spir ed the co n fide n c e o f c on que r ed n ati o n s and

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 45 1

h o stile se c tar ies alike F o r the h appy con dition s pr o

.

mo ted by the exer c is e o f the gen ero u s pr in c iples o f

equity an d r eligio u s fr eedom the ign oran c e tyr ann y , , ,

an d in to le ran c e o f a fo r eig n hie rarc hy o ff e r ed n o ad e

quate c ompen s ati on F ro m the h amlets o f P r oven c e

.

to the pla in s o f An d a lusi a the t r ibu t ar y Ch r isti an s , ,

s ave on ly s u ch as wer e in v e s ted w ith the dign ity o f

the s ac er dotal o r de r a ppe ar to h a v e always beheld
, ,

with un co n c e aled r egr et the d i s co mfi tu re an d dis ,

plac emen t o f their in fidel lor d s .

Well appr ized o f the un c e r t ain ty an d diffic ulty o f

r et ai n i n g his c on que s t L oui s r ep ai r ed—a s w ell a s c ir
,

c u ms tan ces w o uld permit— the w a lls o f B a r c el on a ,

whi ch had sustain ed c on s iderable d ama ge fro m the

min es an d milit ar y en gin e s o f his s oldier y A g ov .

ern or o f G o thi c rac e w a s left i n c o mman d o f a well

a ppo i n ted g a r r is on an d his o bj e c t fin ally att ain ed

, , ,

the Ki n g o f Aqu it ain e r etir ed from the s cen e o f s u ch

devotion self s ac rifi ce an d v alor The he ro ic Z aid
,
-
, .
,

a fter r e c eivi n g the r ep r o ac hes an d vitupe rati o n o f hi s

con que r o r w ho ac tua ted by s ome un kn own mo tive

, , ,

c o n des c e n ded to sp ar e his life w as co n demn ed to ,

per petual ban ishmen t an d hen c efo r th di s a ppe ar s ,

from histor y .

The in tro du ction o f the F eud al S ystem in to S p ain

pr acti cally d ates fr om the c aptu r e o f B ar c elon a by
the army o f L oui s Th at sys tem had lo n g befor e
.

been in stituted in F ran c e I ts germs as yet un de .

,

v e10 pe d ha d a ppe ar ed in man y o f the r egul ati o n s o f

,

the Visigothic c on stituti on But the min utely de fin ed .

an d mutu al o blig a ti o n s o f v as s al an d l or d an d the ,

ex act n atur e o f the allegi an c e due fro m the n o ble to

his prin c e as suzer ain had been n either established by
,

pr es cription n or formulated by l aw N or did its rules .

ever ac quir e amon g the in depen den t r ac es o f the

Pen in sula the forc e an d exten t accor ded to them else
wher e The humili atin g seign iori al r ights claimed an d
.
45 2 HIS T ORY OF TH E

exer c ised by the diss olute b ar on s o f E n glan d F ran c e , ,

an d Ge r man y we r e n eve r i mp o sed up on the b r ave an d

self r espe ctin g pea s an try o f S p ain I t w as lon g b e

-
.

for e the her edit ary t ran s mission o f fi e f s w as ful ly

r e co g n ized i n th at c o u n t r y .

N orth o f the Pyr en ees the duties o f feud alism on c e ,

a ssu med c o uld n eve r be r eli n qui s hed

, I n C astile an d
.

Ar a g o n the v a ss al could r en o un c e the servi c e o f on e

p r ote ctor f or th at o f an o ther if he had pr eviously
,

su rr en de r ed al l p ro perty r ec eived fr om the former

or its pe c un i ar y equiv ale n t This est ablishmen t o f
.

feud al in stitution s in the G o thi c M ar c h n ot on ly

a ssur ed the per man e n c e o f its co n quest but g ave the ,

F r an ks an i n fluen c e in the a ff a ir s o f the Pen in sul a as

a dv an t age o us to the p r omo ti on o f Ch r isti an su cc ess

a s it w a s p r ej udi c i al to the con ti n u an c e o f M o sle m

po we r .

The loss o f B ar c elon a w as as s oon be came eviden t

, ,

a cat a str o phe o f sig n a l i mp o r t a n c e wh ose c on s e ,

qu en ces se ri ously a ff e c ted the p r estige an d dimi n

i shed the str e n gth o f the M oorish e mpi r e in S p ain .

'
N o expl an ati on has ever been a ddu c ed to accoun t
for the s ur p r isin g i n di ff er e n c e o r c ulp able n egle ct o f
Al H akem in allo wi n g the en emies o f his faith an d
-

his dyn asty to wr est fr om its b rav e defen der s on e

o f the mo st c o n side ra ble an d p r o spe rous c ities in
his d omin io n s A mysteri ous silen c e pe rv a des the
.

a n c ie n t ch r on i c les in r eg ar d to the r e a s o n s f or his

con du c t — ,s o ext r aor di n ar y ; s o at v ar i an c e with the

en er gy o f his ch ar ac ter ; s o detr ime n t al to the in terests

o f his ki n gd om; s o destr u c tive to his h o pes o f futu r e

gr e atn ess E xper ien c e had pro ved him to b e en

.

dowed with man y o f the qu alities o f a d ar in g an d

ac tive le ade r F r om his ver y yo uth the ex c itemen t
.
,

o f w ar had bee n to his fie r y spi r it a f avo r ite an d ex

hil ar atin g p a sti me His r es o urc es we r e un li mited his

.
,

army well equipped an d n u me ro us S o far as we

.
45 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

to the theo lo gical factio n I ts member s h o wever

.
, ,

wer e n ot his favo r ites He w as devo ted to amuse

.

men ts an d p r actic es abh orr en t to the p r in ciples Open ly

p r ea ched an d se cr etly n egle cted by these r igid pr e
c i s i an s
. H i s fr equen t i n t oxi c ati on a vi c e whi c h ou t,

r a ged publi c Opi n i o n an d p r o v o ked the co n te mpt o f

the con s cien tio us M o slem ma de the p al ac e the s c en e

,

o f o r gies th at we r e the r ep roac h an d the s c an d al o f

the c a pit al F rom childh oo d he had been i mmo d er

.

ately dev o ted to sen su a l i n dulge n c e The p astime o f .

the ch ase whi ch in vo lved the emplo yme n t o f an imals

,

decl ar ed un cle an by the K o r an occupied n o small p art

,

o f his leisu r e . A fer o c io us temper an ex aggerated ,

ide a o f his autho r ity an i mpl acable spi rit an d a mer

, ,

c il e s s seve r ity i n the i n fli c ti on o f pun ish me n t f o r even

tr iflin g o ff en c es in cr e ased the terr or with which he

w a s r eg ar ded by n o ble pe as an t an d theo l o gi an
, , But .

thes e sin s wer e ve n i al when comp ar ed with the in d i f

fer en c e with whi ch he t r e ated the s ain ts an d the
doc t or s up on who m H is chem had besto wed distin
g u i s hed h on o r s an d un b ou n ded co n fide n c e Those .

w ho had fo rme r ly been en tr u s ted with imp or t an t

s e c r et s o f st ate whi c h they we r e a ble to use fo r thei r
,

per s on al adv an t age we r e n o w ex cluded fr om the

,

Div an . I n ste ad o f en ter i n g the r oya l p r esen ce

without c e r emon y they we r e c ompelled to wait
,

the ple asur e o f their maste r in the an te ch amber s .

The d on atio n s fro m the publi c tr e asur y which had ,

been besto wed with un stin ted h an d up on every

spe ci o us p r etext wer e n ow withheld
, Degraded .

i n the p o pul a r estimati o n hu mbled in p r ide dimin

, ,

i s hed in we a lth de r ided by the cou r t but still r et ain

, ,

i n g the symp athy o f the ma sses the fan ati c s o f r ival ,

se cts began to o ver look thei r mutu al an imo sity in the

ho pe o f r estorin g the v an ished impo r tan c e o f their
or de r an d to en ter t ain de s ig n s a g a in st the life as well
,

as the g ove r n me n t o f Al H a kem -

.
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 45 5

The s chemin g an d di s a pp oin ted M alikite f aqu i s ,

who se e cclesi astic al c h arac ter as sisted by a t alen t for ,

imp o stur e had c aused the multitude to attribute to

,

them supern atural p owe r s wer e the chief pr omoter s o f ,

the co n spir acy The pr e s tige o f a ro yal n ame bein g

.

con s ide r ed esse n ti a l to thei r s u c c ess they a pp ro ached ,

I bn S h ammas s o n o f Abd allah an d a c o usin o f the

-
, ,

E mi r an d fin din g him app ar en tly fav or able to thei r

, ,

design s o pe n ly ten der ed him the cro wn The ambi

, .

tio n o f th at c hieftain h ow ever w as n ot su ffic ien tly

, ,

s t ro n g to i n du c e hi m to comp ro mi s e his l o y alty Dis .

semblin g his in dign atio n at the pr e s umption o f th os e

w ho co uld thin k him c a p able o f su c h fl agr an t i n gr ati
tu de an d tr e as on he deman ded a lis t o f the pr in cip al
,

con s pi rat o r s a s a n i n di s pen s able c o n diti o n o f his co m

plia n ce . The deput ation he aded by a f aqu i n amed ,

Yahya r e adily ag r eed to this an d a n ight w a s d es ig

, ,

n ate d when the i n f or mati on would be given Me an .

while I bn S h ammas in formed the E mir o f wh at had

,
-

h appen ed an d w hen Yahya an d his c omp an ion s wer e

,

in tro du c ed in t o his a p ar tmen ts I bn al K h a da the pr i ,

- -
,

v ate sec r et ar y o f Al H akem w as alr ea dy ther e co n

-
,

ceal e d behi n d a c u r t ai n an d r e ady to w r ite do wn the

,

n ames as f a st a s they wer e commun i c ated The list .

in c luded man y o f the mos t con s iderable n o bles an d

c itize n s o f C o r d o v a a n d the se cr et ar y fe ar i n g le s t the
, ,

co n spi ra t or s to ma gn ify thei r imp or t an c e

, might ,

in clude hi s ow n n ame amo n g the n umber an act whi ch ,

wou ld in sur e his de s truc ti on design edly allowed the ,

r eed with whi c h he w as wr iti n g to s c rat c h up on the

p aper The t raitor s in stan tly t oo k the al arm; the

.

h ouse o f I bn S h ammas w as deserted in a mo men t ;

-

al l i mpli c ated w ho ha d ti me to es c a pe fled prec i p i

tatel y fr om the c ity an d the o the r s to the n u mbe r o f

, ,

s eve n ty tw o we r e cru c ified

-
,
.

The year 805 witn essed the in s titution o f an alli

an c e between the E mi rate o f the West an d the n ewly
45 6 HIST ORY OF TH E

fo u n ded kin gdom o f the E d ri s ite s in Afr ica destin ed ,

to exe r c ise a mar ked i n flue n c e up on the for tun es o f

the former p o wer an d wh o se clo se r elation s in pe ac e
,

an d w ar we r e n o t fin a lly s un de r ed un til the k in gdo m

o f G ran a d a w as i n cor p or ated i n t o the S p an ish mon

ar c hy. S everal ye ar s p r evi ously a n o ble S yr ian

n amed E d r is a fugitive like Abd al R ahma n fr om
,
- -

the persecuti on o f the Abb as id es had s ought a r efuge ,

in the moun t ain d e fil es an d dese r t w astes o f Weste rn

Afri ca With out fr ien ds mon ey or in fluenc e he
.
, , ,

n ever theless r e c eived a he ar ty wel come from the

tr ibes o f the Atl a s His man ly tr aits an d chiv alrous
.

be ar in g s o on se cur ed for him the esteem o f his pro

te cto r s an d fr om a pen n iless r efugee he ro se by
, , ,

degr ees to be the chieft ain o f a clan the fo un der o f ,

a n ati on a n d the he a d o f a dyn a sty

, I t w as to his s on .

an d su cc ess or E d r is th at Al H akem n ow sen t an em-

ba ssy to feli cit ate him up on his ac c ession an d to pro ,

p ose an alli an ce which might be emplo yed to c on tract

the domin i on s an d we aken the p ower o f the detested
ty ran t s o f the E ast The imp or t an c e o f the o ccasion
.

w as dis c lo sed by an es cor t o f five hun d r ed An d alusi an

n obles an d the i n te r c h an ge o f ma g n ific e n t p r esen ts
,
.

The emb assy w as splen didly en tert ain ed by the Afri

c an mo n ar c h a n d a t r e aty con c luded whi ch
, by its ,

provision s fo r mutu al supp or t an d con st an t h o stility

a g a in st the commo n e n emy accomplished mu c h to ,

war ds the con s o lidation an d per petuity o f the M o slem

p ower in the West Tw o year s a fter war ds the c ity
.

I ts po pulati on composed
—
of F ez w as foun ded .
,

l ar gely o f C h risti an s Jews fi r e wor shippers an d

, , ,

idolater s exc ited the won der an d con tempt o f the

,

pi ous Mussulman s w ho visited it ; an d the in c ess ant

str ife promoted by the p o liti cal adven tur er s and
ze alots o f the v ar i ous forms o f f aith w ho had est ab ,

li she d their ab o de withi n its w alls augu r ed ill for the ,

futur e pe ac e or pr o sper ity o f the E d ris ite ca pit al .

45 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

c ity had lon g been the fo cus o f in surr ec ti on the ,

r allyi n g p o i n t o f the dis c o n ten ted

-
the he ad qu ar ter s
,
-

o f eve r y tu r bulen t a n d ambiti o us c hieft a i n N o t even

.

the metro p o lis itself sur p assed it in its in fluen c e on

the p olitic s o f the ki n gdom The aud ac ity o f its citi
.

zen s an d the pr ide o f its cler gy con cu rr ed in support

in g its extr av a g an t p r eten si o n s to sup r e mac y The .

limited ar e a en clo s ed by i ts walls had always been

o cc upied by a de n se p o pul ati on , amo n g wh o se mem~

ber s the Chr isti an s l ar gely p r ep on der ated an d over ,

wh o se min ds the t r aditi on s o f the Vi s igo thi c mon

ar chy exer ted a p ower co n stan tly distr usted an d
fear ed by ever y l flos l em r uler w ho exer cised j u ri s d ic
tio n ove r its terr it or y The Ar ab histo r i an s h ave r e
.

p eate d ly a s s e r ted with eve r y a ppe ar an c e o f tr uth

, ,

th at n o o ther bo dy o f subj e c ts within the domin ion s

o f I sl am we r e s o i n fe c ted with the spi r it o f muti n y

an d di s o r de r a s the p o pul a c e o f T o led o E ven the

.

des c en d an ts o f r en eg ades w ho had r en o un c ed their

c r eed an d thei r n ati on ali ty— a c l a ss wh o se r eligi ous

ze al an d un comp romisin g fidelity are p r o ve rbial

we r e n o t in sen sible to the time h on or ed legen ds an d
-

histo r i c al s ouven irs th at r e called o n ever y side the

, ,

glo r ious ev en ts an d v an ished gr an deur o f the an cien t

c a pit a l o f the Vi s ig o th s
. The M o slems w ho had ,

settled p rin c ip ally in the en viro n s wer e overawed by

,

the in s olen c e o f their n eighb or s w ho although their

, ,

tr ibut ar ies main t ain ed all the h aughtin ess th at ordi

,

n ari l y att ac hes to supe r i or bi r th a n d ex a lted st ati on .

O n c e mor e in stalled as g ove rn o r Amr u exer ted all

,

his t act to all ay the a pp r ehen sion s o f the pe o ple w ho ,

fe ar ed th at his p atern al p r ide might i mp o se up on

them a he avy pen alty for thei r former dis obedi enc e .

By ever y exp r ession o f s olicitude by ever y sh ow o f

,

p arti ality an d co n sider ati on he s ought to r eg ain their

,

con fide n c e . He pr iv ately a ssur ed their le ader s o f his

a pp ro v al o f an d s ymp athy with thei r e ffor ts to ob
, ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 45 9

t ain their in depen den c e an d r e s i s t the impo sition o f

tyran n o u s ex ac ti o n s an d un j ust laws He even wen t .

so f ar a s to de n ou n c e the E mi r an d to p r omise hi s ,

ow n co o pe r ati o n i n c as e o f futu r e un w arran t able

-

en cro achme n t up o n the lives an d liber ty o f the

T oledan s by the de s po tic c ou rt o f C o r do v a Th or .

oughly i mp o sed up on by his dupli c ity the ma sses as , ,

well as the n obles an d the pr iesth oo d r egar ded him ,

as thei r be n ef a ct or an d best owed up on thei r cra fty

,

govern o r ever y mark o f h o n or an d e s teem Then .

,

in stru cted by Al H akem Amru r ep r e s en ted th at as

-
, ,

the or din ar y prac tic e o f billetin g s oldier s up on the

families o f the c itizen s w as a s er ious gr iev an c e an d
produc tive o f much di s or der this in con ven ien c e could
,

be ob v i ated by the er e ctio n o f a str on gly fortified

c it adel ,which he suggested would als o be o f in c al
cu l abl e v alue i n the a s s er ti o n o f p o pul ar r ights i n

fu tur e i n sur r e c ti on s Public a ppr ov al w as r e adily

.

obt ai n ed ; the fo r t r ess ro se o n the mo st comma n di n g

p oin t o f the city ; the we althy c on tr ibuted o f their

mean s the p oor don ated their lab or to aid in its con
, ,

s t ru c ti o n ; the a dv an t ages o f lo cati on an d the r e

s ou rc e s o f en gi n eer i n g skill co n spi r ed to make its

defen ce s almo st impr eg n able A p o wer ful garr is o n .

w as i n tr o du c ed an d Al H akem w a s n o tified th at the

,
-

time had fin ally arr ived f or the gratific atio n o f his

lon g medit ated ven ge an c e
-
.

A desp atch w a s n o w sen t to the fr on tier dir e ctin g

o n e o f the offi c e rs w ho c o mman ded i n th at qu a rte r

to petitio n for r ein fo r c emen ts i n view o f a pr eten ded ,

demo n s trati on o f the F ran ks This w as acco r din gly .

don e ; an d a for c e o f sever al th ous an d troo ps com ,

man d ed by the youn g pr in c e Abd al R ahman hei r ,

- -
,

to the th ron e w ho w a s assisted by the cou n s els o f

,

thr ee vizier s o f ag e an d exper ien c e mar ched ou t o f ,

C or dov a app aren tly destin ed for s er vic e in the P y r

,

en ees . When the army r e ached T oledo it w as i n ,

46 0 HIS T ORY OF TH E

formed th at the an ti c ip ated d an ger had been ex ag

ger ated ; th at the en emy had withdraw n fr om the
vi cin ity o f the fr on tie r an d con sequen tly th at al l
,

p r o s pe c t o f h ostilities had dis a ppe ar ed While en .

c amped i n the vi c in ity the o ffi c er s r ec eived a visit

,

fro m the gove rn or w ho w as accomp an ied by a n u m

,

ber o f the mo s t p r omi n e n t c itizen s The deput ation .

w as r e c eived an d en te r t ain ed with distin cti on an d

h o spit ality an d the guests wer e delighted with the
,

p o liten ess the con des c en sion an d the pr eco ci ous

, ,

t alen ts o f their pr o spe ctive s over eign w ho had n ot ,

yet att ain ed the ag e o f fifteen ye ar s Th en at the .

,

suggestion o f Amr u an in vit ati on w as exten ded to

,

the p r in c e to make the c ity his h ome un til his dep ar t

u r e a p r o p o s al whi c h w as ac c epted with well feign ed
,
-

r elu c t an c e P r ep aration s wer e made for a su mptu ous

.

ban quet I n the lon g list o f guest s appe ar ed the

.

n ames o f the mo st distin guished n o bles the most ,

o pulen t c itize n s the mo st emin en t le a der s w ho wer e

, ,

either suspe cted o f dis aff e c ti on or had Open ly sig

n ali ze d thei r ze a l f or the p o pul ar c ause eith er by ,

o pen r esi s t an c e o r by in stig a ti o n to r ebelli on When .

the h o ur design ated for the festivi ties a ppr o a ched the ,

guests wer e in tro du c ed on e by on e thro ugh a po stern

, , ,

wher e they succ es s ively fell by the h an ds o f the

s o ldie r s As e ach p ar ty arr ived the equip ages an d
.
,

atte n d an ts we r e sen t to the o pp o site g ate o f the for

tr ess the re to await the r e a ppear an c e o f their master s

,
.

An i mmen se cr owd attr ac ted by the n ovelty o f the

,

o ccasi on an d the p r ese n c e o f ro y alty su rr ounded the ,

c it a del . Amon g the spe ct ators a physic i an shr ewder

, ,

o r mor e suspi c i ous th an his co mp ani on s had r emarked ,

the omin ous stilln ess th at r eign ed within the walls an d ,

the f ac t th at o f al l the guests w ho had been known

to en te r n on e ha d bee n seen to le ave alth ough the sun ,

w as n ow far p ast the me r idi an A bystan der dir ected

.

his atten tio n to a c loud o f v ap or fain tly dis c ernible

46 2 HIS T ORY OF TH E

defied the ro yal edic t ; the peo ple by wh om he w as ,

gr ea tly beloved esp o used his c ause ; an d a fo rmid

,

a ble r ebelli on seemed i mmi n e n t when the be autiful ,

Kin z a the sister o f Al H akem succ eeded by her

,
-
,

en tr e aties in aver tin g the impen din g c al amity E x .

planati on s wer e ten der ed the in c en sed an d alien ated

,

kin smen we r e r e con ciled an d E s b ah w a s r ein st ated

,

in his autho r ity amidst the con gratul ati o n s o f hi s wife

a n d the ac c l a ma ti on s o f the pe o ple .

The h abitu al distrust o f Al H akem his lo ve o f -

,

military p omp an d the kn o wledge o f the turbulen c e

,

a n d dupli c ity o f a l ar ge p r o p or ti on o f his subj e c ts ,

had led him to i n c r e a se his b o dy gu ar d to the n u m -

b er o f six tho us an d The imp atien c e o f the Ar ab

.

un de r r estr ain t as well a s his suspi ci ous fidelity ex

, ,

c luded him from the sele c t c or ps en t r u s ted with the

p ro te ction o f the life o f the s over eign The less on s .

o f exper ie n c e , a n d the well r e co g n ized p r i n ciple o f

-

desp otis m whi c h di s cou rages all symp athy between

the peo ple an d the army suggested the en listmen t o f
,

fo r eign er s an d in fi d el s Th r ee th ous an d o f the gu ar d

.

we r e S p an ish Chr isti an s the r est wer e slaves ,

E thio pi an an d Asi ati c c a ptives pur ch a sed in the marts

o f the e a ste rn Medite rr an e an w ho we r e p o pul ar ly
,

design ated mutes o n a ccou n t o f thei r ign or an c e o f the

Arabi c lan guage Thei r arms an d equipmen t wer e o f
.

the fi n e s t an d mo st expen sive des cripti on Thei r dis .

c i p li n e w a s as th o r o ugh a s the t ac ti c s o f the ag e co uld

in c ul c ate Tw o th ou s an d wer e qu ar ter ed i n exten sive

.

b ar racks er e cted on the s outher n side o f the Gu adal

i v i r wh o se b an ks we r e con st an tly p at r o lled by thei r
q u ,

sen tin els The o ther s wh o se n umber s wer e swelled

.
,

by hun dr eds o f eun u chs an d r et ain e r s o f the E mir s ’

ho useh o ld wer e st ation ed in the p alac e wh o se de

, ,

fen c es wer e mor e ch ar acte r isti c o f an imp r egn able

fortr ess th an o f the ordin ar y ab o de o f a s over eign .

The gr e at mass o f the peo ple an d espe c ially the ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 46 3

sever ely or th o dox viewed the establishmen t o f this

,

lar ge milit ar y forc e—who se existen c e w as a silen t r e

p ro ac h to their loyalty an d who se o pin ion s wer e con
s id e re d id o l a tro us —with mi n gled feeli n gs o f h atr ed ,

j e alousy an d c on tempt The fierc e ze alo ts an d eccle

, .

s i as ti c al dema g og u es wh os e arts had ac quir ed for

,

them a d an gerous pr e emin en c e an d wh o se in fluen c e

-

had been o f l ate ye ar s a per pet u al men a c e to the

governmen t r egar ded the r o yal guar ds with s en ti
,

men ts o f peculiar aver sio n The main ten an c e o f this

.

splen did b o dy o f s o ldier s who s e expen ses f ar ex,

c ee d ed th o se o f an or di n ar y divisi on equ al to it i n

n u mbe r s w a s a he a vy c h ar ge upo n the tr e a sur y

, To .

meet the in cr e asin g expen ditur e a n ew duty w a s ,

le v ied up on all me r chan dis e impor ted in to the c apital .

The bur den s ar i s in g from the imp osition o f thi s tax ,

an d the i n con ven ie n c e a tte n di n g its colle c ti on wer e ,

the mo st kee n ly felt by the s outhern subur b O f this .

den s ely p o pulated qu ar te r fu lly o n e fi fth o f the i n

,
-

habitan ts we r e te ache rs an d s tuden ts o f theo lo gy .

N o t o n ly ove r these but o ve r the var ious guilds o f

,

me r ch an ts tra des men an d l ab or e rs the auth or ity o f

, , ,

a few f a qu i s w ho u n ited the qu a lifi ca ti o n s o f r eligio us

,

in struc tors with the pr i v ileged attr ibutes o f s ain ts ,

w a s desp o ti c A s oldier w ho ven tur ed alo n e in to the

.

stron gho ld o f these desper ate fan atic s did so at the

r isk o f his life N o o ppor tun ity w as s u ff er ed to p ass
.

wher eby in dign ity c o uld be he a ped upon the gu ar ds

o f the E mi r The mon ar ch himself w as n ot le s s u n
.

po pular The the olo gi c al faction co n st an tly made

.

un fav or able c omp ar is on s between hi s skeptici s m an d

luxur y an d the auster e vi r tues o f his father H is chem , ,

wh ose p ar tiality fo r their se c t had formerly obt ain ed

for its d o g mas the highe s t r espe ct an d con side r ation .

The f ailin gs an d vic es o f r oyalty r e c eived s can t i n

d u l g en c e at the h an ds o f the M alikites When from .
,

the s u mmit o f the min ar et the mue zzin pr o cl aimed ,

46 4 HIST ORY OF TH E

the h ou r publ ic devo tion a hun dr ed vo ic es r e

of ,

s p on d ed in de r ision fr om str eet b az a ar an d g a r den , ,

C ome to prayer O D run k ar d come to p r a yer "

”
, ,

Ai ded by the en cou ragemen t an d symp athy o f their

comp an i on s the cu lprits fo iled with out diffi cul ty
,

every attempt at detec tion N either the s acr ed ass o .

ci ati on s o f the mo sque n or the momen ts co n se cr ated

,

to divin e commun i on when the a sse mbly o f the f aith

,

ful b owed r ever e n tly befor e the Kibl ah n or the p r o s ,

pe et o f con dign pun ishmen t wer e s u fli cien t to deter ,

fan ati cal agit at or s w ho pr ided themselves on their

,

piety an d or tho do xy fr om the per petratio n o f ou t

,

r age an d i n sult They vilified the mon arch while in

.

the exer c ise o f his s acr ed duties as the ofli ciatin g

mi n ister o f I slam They r idicul ed his action s an d
.

mocked his r esen tmen t in the str eets E x asperated .

beyo n d all en dur an c e Al H akem or der ed th at ten o f

,
-

the le a der s sh ould be arr ested an d deliver ed to the

exe cution er to be crucified This summar y p roc eed .

in g far fr om all ayin g the ex c iteme n t on ly in ten si

, ,

fi ed it The desir e to wr e ak their ven ge an c e on the

.

perse cut or o f their mar tyr ed br eth r en w a s n o w the

p aramo un t con sider ation comp ar ed with which the ,

pr ev alen c e o f vic e the evils o f tax ation an d the

, ,

toler an c e o f her eti cs wer e matter s of tr ifli n g imp or

t an c e I t s oon be c ame eviden t th at a ser ious disturb
.

a n c e w as i mpen di n g .

The most in fluen ti al an d d an ge rous in stig ator o f

the p o pula c e w as an other Yahy a p ar t kn ave an d p art ,

ze alot wh o se learn in g an d e ff ron ter y had pr ocured

,

for him gr e at r e n o wn b oth a s a s ain t an d a p o liti c i an .

He had been a pupil an d dis ciple o f the f amous

M alik I bn An as at Medin a an d had been distin
- -
,

g u is hed by the favo r o f th at o r ac le o f I sl am The .

f ame o f his s an c tity an d an extr av a g an t ide a o f his

,

a tt ai nmen ts an d his vi r tues en te r t a in ed by the mem

ber s o f his se c t had in cr e ased his r eput ation and

,
46 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

s p on d e dthe E mir how c an he w ho will cu t o ff my

,

hea d distin guish my ran k un less by the sweet o dor

th at exh ales fr om my be ar d " ”

His to ilet completed Al H akem di r e cted the cap

,
-

t ain o f the guar d to exp o se at on c e up on the b attle

men ts the he a ds o f c ert ain f aqu is w ho had been
impris on ed sin c e the fo rmer in surr e c tion Then .
,

cl o thin g himself in complete a r mor he summon ed ,

his cousin Ob ey d all ah an d o r der ed him at the he ad

, , ,

o f a pi cked b o dy o f c a v al r y to c u t his w ay th rough

,

the str eets an d set fi re to the s outhern subur b sh r ewdly ,

j udgin g th at the a tten tion o f the in sur gen ts would

be distra cted when they per c eived th at their h omes
wer e in fl ames The even t j ustified his expe ct ation s
. .

The sudden s ally o f Obey d all ah dis co n c er ted the

r a bble ; the r ive r w a s r e a c hed a n d for ded ; an d in a

f ew mome n ts the s mo ke r isin g in twen ty di ff e r en t

,

plac es beyon d the Gu ad alquivir an n oun c ed the su c

c ess o f the st r at a gem The in sur gen ts f or gettin g
.
,

the an imo sity to their s over eign in their s ol ic itude for

their f amilies an d their p r o per ty rushed in con fusion
Then Al —
,

over the b r idge . H akem fell upon their r e ar

with his guar ds an d Obey d all ah r ein fo r c ed by de
, ,

tachme n ts fr om the n eighbo r h oo d whi ch had been

a ttrac ted by n ews o f the r evo lt a ss a iled them i n fr on t
,
.

O ver come with te rror an d i n c ap able o f r esistan c e ,

the un h appy f an atic s wer e ma s s acr ed by thous an ds .

Thr ee hun dr ed o f th o se c on spicuous for thei r ran k ,

or for the p ar t they had t ake n i n f omen ti n g dis

o r der, wer e n ailed he ad down war d to p o sts on the

, ,

ban k o f the r iver A co un cil w as then held to deter

.

min e the f ate o f the surviv ors S ome o f the viziers .

a dvo cated exte r mi n ati on but milde r o pin ion s pre

,

v ailed an d it w as de cr eed th at the suburb sho uld be

,

r azed an d the i n h a bit a n t s b an ished within th r ee d ays , ,

un der pen alty o f cru cifixion This se n ten c e w as ruth

.

lessly executed ; the co n demn ed qu ar ter w as deliver ed

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 46 7

to pillage an d the houses destro yed The exiles . ,

dr iven fr om their c oun tr y var iously experien ced the

,

e ff ects o f bo th go o d an d a dver se for tun e M an y .

p ar ties wer e plun der ed by br ig an ds befor e they

r e a c hed the b or de r E ight thous an d families wer e
.

in vited by E dri s to fo rm a par t o f the po pulation

o f the n e w c ity o f F ez wher e n eithe r the ho spit ality
,

o f thei r r e c epti o n n or thei r subsequen t p ro sper ity

w as able to p r even t them fro m in dulge n c e in p er

petu al str ife with their n eighb or s the Ar abs , A .

gr e at bo dy which in c luded fifteen tho u s an d fi g ht

,

in g men w a s tr an sp or ted by s ea to E gypt at a time

-
,

when the c oun tr y w as in arms ag ain st the Kh alif o f

B agd ad F ormin g an alli an c e with the malcon ten ts
.
,

they stormed Alex an dr i a ; an d then de c lar in g their ,

in depen den c e r et ain ed p o s s e s s ion o f th at gr e at en

,

tr ep Ot o f the Medite r ran e an a g ain st all the p o we r

o f the Abb a s i d e s f or mor e th an twelve ye ar s F i n ally .
,

r edu c ed by the f orc e s o f Al lV I an s u r they wer e re

-
,

moved to C r ete a p ar t o f whi ch still a ckn owledged

,

the auth or ity o f the E mper or o f C on stan tin o ple .

This islan d they co n quer ed an d they then foun ded

,

a st a te wh o se pi r ati c al expediti on s fo r mor e th an a

c en tu r y we r e the s cou r ge o f the Mediterran e an un til

Cr ete on c e mor e in the ye ar 9 6 1 w as added to the

, ,
'

domin i on s o f the Byz an tin e E mpir e A r emin is c en c e .

o f the M o slem occ up ati on o f the isl an d is suggested

by its pr esen t n ame whi ch a co rr upti on o f the Ar abi c

, ,
” ”
khan dik a tr en ch or for tific ation survives in the
, ,

n ame o f C an di a .

But while the O ff en c es o f the p o pul ac e wer e thus

pun ished wi th in exor able rig or the pr in cip al o ff en d
,

ers the p r omo te r s o f sediti on wer e the r e cipien ts o f

, ,

extraor din ar y clemen c y The expl an ation o f this

.

p ar ti ality is to be foun d in the fact th at the mass o f

the in sur gen ts w as o f a fo r eign an d despite thei r ,

bigo ted adher en ce to the orth o dox faith o f a detest ed ,

46 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

ca ste The r eligio us te acher s o f the M alikites on the

.
,

o the r h an d we r e l ar gely des c e n ded fr om the K or eish

, ,

a n d the ties o f bl oo d an d the an tip a thies o f ra c e we r e

con side r ati on s o f g r e ate r mome n t i n the mi n d o f Al

H akem th an the in sult to his pe r s on or the d an ger

to his c r o wn S ome o f the le a der s w ho had been
.

p r omin en t in the l ate t ro ubles we r e permitted to

es c a pe ; o ther s un de r wen t Sh or t terms o f impr is on
men t ; man y r e c eived the ben efit o f a gen er al am
n esty . The arch con spirat or Y ahya w as o f this
-
, ,

n u mber an d his t a len ts o r his a ud ac ity s oon r est or ed

,

him o n c e mo r e to a c e r t ain deg r ee o f r oy al f avor .

The militar y o per ation s main t ain ed for ye ar s in

E as te rn S p ain by the ambitio n o f the F r an ks the
t r e acher y o f the walis an d the we ak an d f alter in g
,

p oli c y o f Al H akem wer e n ot pr o du ctive o f decisive

-
,

a c ti on or en du r i n g r esults The c ity o f T or tos a w as

.

twic e in vested an d twi c e aban d on ed in disgr ac e by

, ,

the armies o f Ch arlemagn e The fir st siege w as .

raised a fte r a dis ast ro us defe at sust ain ed by the

F r an ks o f whi ch the Ar abs n eglec ted to t ake ad v an
,

t age ; the sec on d w a s un der t aken witho ut adequ ate

p r ep ar ation an d r elin quished un der c ir cumst an c es
,

suggestive o f i rr es oluti on an d c owar di c e The hos .

tiliti e s g r a du ally a ssumed the c h ar ac te r o f p r ed at ory

expedition s rathe r th an the systemati c e ff or ts o f or
g an ize d w ar far e The crus adin g ar d or o f the n ew
.

co l on ists o f the G o thi c M ar c h s oon a b a ted u n de r the

tyran n y o f their feudal master s w ho a ppr o pr i ated ,

thei r l an ds Opp r essed them with t axes an d vio lated

, ,

the rights whi ch had been s olemn ly gu aran teed to

them con ditio n al up on thei r allegi an c e The j ustic e .

o f Ch ar lemagn e w a s i n v o ked to supp r ess these i n

cr e a si n g dis or de r s but the dist an c e fr om his court

,

an d the a rr o g an c e o f the n o bles en abled the l atte r

to p ra cti c al ly n ullify his edi c ts The pree cepta or .

,

fuer o s addr essed to the C o un ts o f the Gothi c M arch

,
.
470 HIST ORY OF TH E

the most p art emi n en tly fitted fo r the ar duo us duties

,

imp o sed up on them by the acc iden ts o f birth an d for

tun e O f thes e p rin c es n on e att ain ed to such emi
.

n en c e in the pu r suits o f pe ac e o r the ar t o f w ar as

Alfon s o I L surn amed The Ch aste wh ose sin gul ar

, ,

title has been var iously attr ibuted by historian s to

mist aken piety an d con stitution al imp o ten c e His .

li fe w as on e lon g cr us ade ag ain st the in fidel By .

ever y r es ourc e o f diploma c y by ever y exer tion o f

, ,

cou r a ge by ever y s acrific e o f comfo r t an d even o f

,

in depen den c e he en de av or e d to pr omote the in ter est

,

o f th at cause whi c h w as ide n tified wi th the ho n o r o f

the Chr isti an n ame He sen t gifts an d did h omage

.

to Ch ar lema g n e to se c u r e his aid ; an d thus within ,

less th an a c en tur y o f its foun dati on the Asturian ,

mon archy twic e be came the fi e f o f a for eign p ower ;

un der Al fon s o I I wh ose allegian c e w as r en der ed to
.
,

a Ch r isti an kin g in con tra disti n c ti on to the con du ct

o f his p r ede c ess or M au re g ato the n atur al s on o f ,

Alfon s o I an d a Berber c aptive w ho had ackn ow l

.
,

edged the E mir o f C or do v a as his suze r ain an d wh ose ,

depen den c e w a s in addition to the c ustomar y acts o f

,

fealty man ifested by the humili atin g an n u al tr ibute

,

o f a hun dr ed vi r gi n s The ar ms o f Alfon s o wer e

.

carr ied r epe atedly beyo n d the D our o an d the T agus .

He took an d plun der ed Lisbon alr e ady a flourishin g ,

c ity but its dist an c e fr om his d omi n ion s an d the s mall

,

f orc e at his comman d compelled him s oon a fterwar ds

to r elin quish his p r ize His desper ate v alor an d his
.

s uper i or ity i n p ar tis an w ar f ar e fr ustra ted ever y at

tempt o f the M o slems to e ff e c t a per man en t lo dge

men t in his d om i n i on s Amidst the ex c itemen t o f his
.

c amp a ig n s he f o un d ti me to e r e c t c hu r ches to en dow

, ,

con ven ts to en l ar ge an d e mbellish O viedo the ca pit al

, ,

o f his little mon arch T h e c ler gy de r ived liber al

y .

supp or t an d p at ron age from his dev otion I t w as .

dur in g this per io d th at the in ven tion o f an ab sur d

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 47 1

legen d pro duc ed e ff e cts up on the po litical an d r eli g

ious destin ies o f S p ain little an tic ip ated by the un
s crupulous ec cle s iasti cs w ho p romulg ated it I n an .

un fr equen ted p or tion o f the wildern ess o f G ali ci a a

myster ious light o f c elesti al ra dian c e watched by an
,

an gel , r eve aled the bu r i a l sp o t a n d the b o dy o f S t .

J ames the Apo s tle The Bish o p o f I r i a to whom

.
,

p oster ity is in debted for the dis cover y o f this pr i c eless

tr e asur e commun icated with out delay the in telligen c e
,

o f the mi r ac le to his s over eig n ; an d a c h a pel w as

e r e cted up on the h allowed sp ot which in time bec ame

, , ,

a magn ific en t temple an d a pl a c e o f pilg r i ma ge for

thous an ds o f the faithful an d the cur ious fr om ever y

coun t r y o f E u ro pe A city spran g up ar oun d the
.

c hu r c h whi c h by the tran s l ati on o f the Bish o p r i c o f

, ,

I r i a at on c e r o s e to the g r e atest i mp ort an c e an d its

, ,

i nh abit an ts we r e ben efited by the trade o f the pil

grims as the Shrin e w as en ri ched with the con tr ibu
,

tion s pr ompted by their piety an d their gr atitude .

The Simple Astur i an s n ever questi on ed the truth or

even the pr o bability o f the legen d ; the pr iesthoo d ,

w ho s u st a in ed the cr edit o f the fic tion by ever y ex

e d i en t o f i n ti mid ati on an d i m p o stu r e adv an c ed
p ,

ste adily in con sider ation an d wealth while the mi r

,

a c le s da ily w r o ught by the p r e c i ou s r eli c c o n firmed

its holy ch ar ac ter — a r eli c whi c h su r p assed in the

,

effic ac y o f its mir aculou s vir tues the won der ful me
men to s o f the mar tyrs whi ch had been r es cued from
o bs c u r ity an d de ca y i n the cat acombs o f R ome S u ch
.

w as the o r igin o f the c ity an d c athedr al o f S an ti ago

de C omp ostell a wh ose foun d ation con tr ibuted s o
,

mater ially to the exten sion o f the C astilian empir e

an d the t r iumph o f the Ch r isti an r eligi on . Her e
first appe ar ed the germ o f th at en thusi astic spir it
p artly milit ary p ar tly mon astic—whi ch prompted
,

the fo und ation o f the n umer ous or ders o f kn ight

hoo d an d culmin ated in the dis astrous expedition s
472 HIS T ORY OF TH E

f or the r e cover y o f the H o ly S epul chr e The re .

tir ed situation an d p r imitive sur r oun din gs o f the

Sh r in e co r r esp on din g with the hu mble origin o f the
,

S ai n t an d his missi on in cr eased the po pul ar f aith in

,

its gen uin en ess an d s an c tity The fac t th at the r elic s

.

wer e Spuri ous an d their dis cover y a f able w as wh olly

in di ff e r en t s o lon g a s the r eve r en t cr edulity o f the
masses r emain ed un sh aken The h o pe o f s alv ation
.
,

the r eligious aspirati on s o f the dev o ut the in cr ease ,

in p r estige o f the hie rar chy we r e all c e n t r ed in the

,

pr eten ded t omb o f the Apo stle The a pp ar ition o f.

the S ain t up on his white ch ar ge r i n the criti cal mo

men ts o f battle r oused the f alter in g co ur age o f the
c h ampi on s o f the C r o ss o n ma n y a do ubtful field an d ,

it may s a fely be asser ted th at n either the po lic y o f

the wisest st ates men n or the vi c to r ies o f the most
a c complished gen e r als o f a n y r eig n e ff e c ted mor e fo r

the glor y o f the S p an ish arms th an did the f abri cation

o f a p r ep o sterous legen d by an o bs c u r e p r el a te in the

s ava ge an d almo st un kn own r egion o f G ali ci a .

The un ifo rm su cc ess o f the pir atic al ex cursion s o f

the S ar ac en s o r igin ated un der the rule o f the emirs
,

an d con ti n ued by the Ommey ad e s p r omised the ad

,

ven tur ous a s piran t fo r glo r y an d wealth a mor e cer

t ain an d less h az ar dous car eer th an the milit ar y pro
fes s ion The M o or ish cor s air s Spr e a d terror th rough
.

the h ar b or s an d alo n g the co asts o f the Mediterr an e an .

They r educ ed to fin al subj ecti on the B ale ari c I sles .

They plun der ed C or si c a est ablished a temp or ary

,

s ettle men t in S ar di n i a ,an d th r e a te n ed the e n vi r on s

o f the mo st Opule n t se a p or ts o f I t aly But the f as c i

.

n a ti o n s att achi n g to the r e ckless p r o fessi on o f the

pirate wer e mor e con gen i al with the spir it o f the
Ar ab th an the slo wer an d less brillian t r esults which
must h ave p r o c eeded fr om the main ten an c e o f an or
g an ized mar itime p owe r an d the M o sle m p r in c es seem
,

n eve r to h ave se r i ously con side r ed the co n st ru cti o n o f

47 4 HIST ORY OF TH E

r edu c ed the E mir to a con dition b or derin g up on in

s ani ty . O ppr essed with the memory o f hi s c rimes ,

h aun ted by the gr o an s an d impr e cation s o f his ex

pir in g victims he became the pr ey o f fr ightful hal
,

lu ci n ation s the o ff sp r in g o f a dis or der ed brain

, In .

the mi ddle o f the n ight he st ar tled the p alac e with his

shrieks o f an guish The slightest delay or o ppo sition
.

p ro vo ked him to fur y He summon ed his drowsy .

coun c ill o r s in h aste fr om their beds a s if for the dis

cu ss i on o f a ff a i r s o f the g r e atest momen t an d as , ,

s oon as they wer e assembled dismissed them without ,

c er emon y He r eviewed his gu ar ds at midn ight

. .

The ho ur s o f darkn ess wer e usually whiled away by

the women o f the h ar em w ho strove to amuse their ,

c a p r i c i o us ma ster with musi c s on gs an d las civious , ,

d an c es F or fo ur ye ar s Al H akem con tin ued i n this

.
-

deplor able con diti on un til r elieved by a p ain ful an d

,

lin gerin g de ath His ch ar ac ter w as n ot defic ien t in

.

man y o f the attr ibutes o f gr eatn ess He w as brave .

,

gen e rous s ag acious con st an t in fr ien dship the im

, , ,

plac able fo e o f hypocrisy the welcome comp an ion o f ,

philo s o pher s an d p o ets P r ompt in action an d r es o

.

lute i n b attle his in decision at times o f emer gen cy

,

n eve r thele s s co st him an imp o r t an t p ar t o f his d omin

ion s His r eign o f twen ty six ye ar s w as filled with

.
-

stir rin g even ts — even ts whi ch too pl ain ly in di cate the

,

declin in g ten den c y o f the S ara c en empir e whi ch , ,

defic ien t in al l th at con stitutes the u ni ty an d perma

n en ce o f a st ate an d a p r ey to c o n st an t dis o r de r w as ,

o n ly s aved from p r e c ipit ate destr u cti o n by the st ates

man ship an d mil it ary t alen ts o f its s over eign s .

 MOORISH E M P IRE IN E URO P E

CHAPT ER X

REI GN OF AB D AL - -
RAH M AN IL ; REIG N OF M O H AM M ED

8 2 2—8 86

A i
c c es s o n of Ab d -
a l -
R a hma n II —D e fecti on o f Ab da lla h—I n
.

v as i on o f the Gothi c M ar c h— E mb a s s y fro m the Greek

Em pe —R v lt f M i d —S diti
r or e o t T l d —I o er a e on a o e o n c ur

i
s on o f th N m —P
e tior f th Ch i ti —D th
an s er s ec u on o r s an s ea

f Ab d l —
e

R hm —H i L v f P mp—H i Vi t
g f A t d L tt —Zi y b —
o -
a a an s o e o o s r u es

H rsP t
ti l i ty —C
a r on a e

p i y f T b S t t g m f M h mm d
on s r ac
Hi V
o

o
r

ar u
an
— e

ra a
ers

e
r

o
a

o a
s er s a

H i Bi g t y—T l d g i R v lt —R i f th B i K i
—
s o r o e a n s se o en as
—W w ith th A t i —R b lli
o a e o e

f Ib —
-

ar e M w Ths u r as e e on o n er an e

S i d R d —Ib —
e r ra n a H f
e hi O igi
on d E pl it
a n n an x o s
—D th d C h t
a sun , s r

ea f M h mm d—I
an ipi t Dar a c er o o a e nc en ec a

de nce of the M os l e m P ow er .

AT the matu r e a g e o f thir ty o n e en do wed with -

,

ever y t alen t which co n t ribute s to p o liti c al succ ess an d

in telle c tu al emin en c e ac customed fo r man y years to ,

the ar duo us det ails o f c ivil a ff air s as well as to the

dir e c ti o n o f impor t an t milit ar y o per atio n s an d the
comman d o f armies Abd al R ah man I I a s c en ded the ,
- -
.

thron e o f the emir ate A h an ds ome per s on an d an .

en g agin g add r ess a ided n ot a little to in cr e ase the

gen eral esteem whi ch had been ev oked by his c a p acity
for busin ess an d his g r e at s er vi c es to the st ate An .

in dex to his p o pular ity may be dis co ver ed in the

hon orable titles be s towed up on him by the admir ation
an d lo ve o f his sub j e c ts While a youth he w as kn own .

a s Ai M o d ha ff er The Vi c to r i ous a n d hi s ben evo len c e

-
, ,

an d gen e r o sity ha d l on g befo r e his ac c essi on ac qui r ed

, ,

for him the suggestive appellation o f the F ather o f

the P oo r ”
The physic al an d men t al in fi rmitie s o f
.

Al H akem had for year s befor e his de ath in duc ed

-
, ,
47 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

him to eli n quish the car es o f govern men t an d to pr ac

r ,

tically ab an don to his s on an d su cc ess or all the p o wer ,

the duties an d the r esp on sibilities o f s over eign ty

,
.

D omestic dis co r d which seemed to be a n e c ess ary

,

in ciden t o f the i n auguration o f ever y p rin c e o f the

Ommey ad es w as n ot wan tin g to th at o f Abd al R ah
,
- -

man His gr e at un cle Abd allah in who se br e ast the

.
-
, ,

fir es o f ambition still burn ed fie rc ely in spite o f his

a dv a n c ed a g e le avin g his h ome at T an gier aecom
,

pan i ed by a con sidera ble b an d o f fr ie n ds an d r etain e r s ,

l an ded in An d alusi a an d p ro claimed himself E mir b y

vi r tue o f his r el ati on ship to the f oun der o f the d y
n asty . His pr o spec t Of succ ess he r eg ar ded a s the
mo r e c e rt ain on accoun t o f the p o sition s occupied by
his th r ee s on s w ho had en j o yed the con fiden c e an d
,

sh ar ed the f avor o f Al H akem an d w ho n ow ex er -

,

c i sed the mo st i mp or t an t comman ds i n the gift o f the

mon ar ch .

The s an guin e h o pes o f the ven e rable Abd all ah wer e

s oon shown to be fallac ious N o s oon e r had he lan ded .

when att acked by the c av alr y o f Abd al Rahman his

,
- -
,

for c es wer e put to flight an d d riven fr om p oin t to , ,

p o in t he w as fin ally compelled to t ake r efuge in

,

Valen ci a His s on s so far fr om symp athizin g with

.
,

his aspir atio n s did al l in their po wer to thwar t them

, ,

an d by pe r s on al a ppe al s to his i n ter est an d a ff e c ti on

u rged him to ab an don his t r e as o n able e n te r pr ise .

Per sua ded by their en tr e aties whi ch wer e materi ally ,

p romo ted by the timely occurr en c e o f an un favo r able

o me n — a p or ten t n eve r u n heeded by the supe r stiti ous
,

O r ien t al — he r elu c t an tly con sen ted to for eg o his pre

,
~

ten sion s to the cr o wn an d to swe ar f ealty to his

n ephew An in terview w as arr an ged ; Abd allah w as
.

es cor ted by his s o n s in t o the p r esen c e o f the E mir an d ,

the latter embr acin g him n ot o n ly p ar don ed his

, ,

o ff en c e but con fe rr ed up on him the g o ve rn ment o f

,

Mur ci a wher e he r emain ed in pe ace un til his death

, .
47 8 HIS T ORY OF THE

Abd al Rahman n ot bei n g suffic ien t to main t ain a

- -

th orough block ade the in tr en ch men ts wer e fin ally

,

a b an d on ed ; an d the M o sle m army p ou r i n g o ver the ,

coun tr y in a f e w mon ths su cc eeded i n occ upyi n g the

,

en tir e terr ito r y subj e ct to the C oun t o f B ar c elon a .

The Chr istian s r epulsed in eve r y en coun ter s ought

, , ,

in dismay an d c o n fusion the mo st i n a cc essible heights ,

an d d e fil es o f the mo un t ain s The c astles wer e .

st ormed an d their g arr is on s ma ss a cr ed A feelin g .

o f te rr or seized the p o pul ati on whi c h i n c luded man y ,

o f the mo st expe r ie n c ed w ar r i or s o f the F ran kish em

pir e w ho allu r ed by the pr in c ely gr an ts held ou t to

, ,

c o l o n ists an d the p ro spe c t o f a life o f ex c itemen t an d

a dven tu r e had est ablished themselves in the G o thi c

,

M arc h But the expediti on o f the M o slems alth ough

.
,

a tten ded with su ch su cc essful r esul ts did n ot r i s e ,

ab o ve the dig n ity o f a fo ra y N o attempt at a per ma .

n en t occ up ati on w as made The c a pit al whic h alon e

.
,

main t ain ed its in depen den c e an d whi ch depr ived o f ,

all p ro spe c t o f r elief co uld n ot h ave r esisted a se con d

,

att ack , w as n ot compelled to a g ain e n du r e the hor

r or s o f siege S atisfi ed with the a dv an t a ges he had
.

g ain ed an d with the ven ge an c e he had in flic ted Abd ,

al R ahman r etu r n ed in tr iumph to C o r d o v a whi c h he

-
,

en ter ed amidst the plaudits an d con gr atul ati on s o f

the peo ple .

The de clin in g for tun es o f the Byz an ti n e E mpir e ,

wh o se s o ver eign Mi ch ael the S t amme r er foun d him

, ,

self un equal to the t ask o f co pin g with his r edo ubt able
a dve r s ar y Al M amun Kh alif o f B agdad i n duc ed
,
-
, ,

him du r ing the se co n d ye ar o f the r eign o f Abd al

,
-

R ahman to desp at ch an emb assy to C or dov a to con

,

elude an alli an c e with the S ult an o f the Ommey ad es ,

the fame o f who se dy n asty had alr e ady r e ached the

extr eme limits o f the O r ien t The en v oys o f the .

E mpero r o f C on stan tin o ple wer e r ec eived with

ever y eviden c e o f distin c tio n A v as t multitude at .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 4 79

ten ded their en tran c e in to the capital They wer e .

lodged in the r oyal p al ac e an d all the p omp o f the

,

mo st splen did an d luxur iou s c our t in E ur o pe w as

ex hibited up on the o c ca sio n o f their r e c eptio n by the
E mir .
The magn ific en c e o f the gifts which they
br ought—amon g which ar e men ti on ed a n umber o f
be autiful h or se s c ap ar i s on ed with c loth o f— gold an d
-

silver— ex cited the wo n der o f the multitude for n o ,

s u c h t r e asu r es had eve r bef o r e been see n i n S p a in .

An allur in g p ro spec t o f con quest w as held o u t by the

subtle Gr eek s accomp an ied by the ten der o f tr oo p s
,

an d m un iti on s Of w ar for the r ecover y o f the lost in

her itan c e o f the Ommey ad e s in S yri a ; but the pr e
car i ous con diti o n O f the E mi r b ar ely a ble to ma i n t a in
,

his au thor ity a g ain s t the plo ts o f hi s dis a ffe c ted sub
j ects fo rb ade for the p r esen t the fo r mati on o f an
, , ,

o ffen sive le ague with the mo n arc h o f the E as t an d ,

the amb ass ado r s wer e dismis s ed with a p ro fusion o f

compli me n t s an d i n defin ite an d con diti on a l as s ur an c e s

o f supp or t i n the futur e . A s pec i al en vo y o f the

E mir Yahya al Gh azz ali so n amed f or his ex traor
,
- -
,

d in ary c h arms o f pe rs on an d man n er an d equ al ly

,

famou s as a p o et an d a diplomatist acco mp an ied ,

them ch ar ged with the th an ks o f Abd al Rahman

,
- -
,

an d co mmi s s i o n ed to p r esen t to the E mpe r or s ome

scimetars an d trin kets o f the fin es t wo rkman ship

whi ch the skill o f the ar tis an s o f the Pen in sula had
been able to pro duc e .

Dur in g the s ame year an amb as s ad or o f a far dif

feren t c h arac te r an d r ep r esen tin g a p o we r n umer i
,

c all y i n fer i o r to the s mallest c ity a c kn o wledgin g the

s over eign ty o f the E mperor o f the E ast but wh os e ,

geogra phi cal p osition imp arted to its adv an c es a pe en

li ar an d weighty sign ifican c e visited C or dov a up on a
,

similar err an d The r e c en tly or gan ized du chy o f N a

.

varr e an a pp an age o f the F ran ki sh empir e had

, ,

gr own r estive un der the extortion s o f its suzer ain .

4 80 HIS T ORY OF TH E

Accustomed to the l ar gest in dividu a l liber ty the ,

moun t ain eer s could ill en dur e the ex action s o f irr e

sp on sible tyran n y whi ch the ex ample o f their n eigh
bor s an d a delusive p r eten c e o f public adv an t age
had i n se n sibly i mp osed up on them The bon d o f a
.

common r eligi ous belief whi c h u n ited them with the

F r an ks w as but we ak when comp ar ed with the deeply

roo ted n a ti o n al p r ej udi c e whi c h the a ss u mpti on o f

superi or ity by the va ss als o f Ch arlemagn e an d L ouis

did much to pr omo te an d which c aused the latter to
,

be r egar ded with a far gr e ate r degr ee o f exe cration

th an w as en ter tain ed ag ain st the M oh ammed an s the ,

n a tu ral e n emies o f thei r cou n tr y an d thei r f a ith .

The N avarr ese en v o y wh o se un co uth man n er s ex

,

hibite d a str ikin g c o n t r ast to the co ur tly g rac es o f

the Byz an tin e n o bles w as r e c eived by the M oor ish
,

s over eign if n ot with distin gu ished c er emon y yet

, ,

with cou rtesy an d r o yal h o spit ality A t r eaty w as.

n eg o ti ated whi c h a ssu r ed the mou n t ai n ee r s o f the aid

,

o f the g o ve rn men t o f C o r d o v a a n d a fr ee p a ss age w a s

,

gr an ted to the M o slems fo r an y expedition whose

de s tin atio n l ay beyo n d the Pyr e n ees The e ff e cts o f
.

the j udi c ious p oli cy whi ch di c t ated this alli an c e s oon

became man ife s t A few mon ths a fter war ds a gr eat
”

army , un de r the C oun ts E blu s an d A sen ariu s de ,

pen den ts o f the Kin g o f Aquit ain e tr aver sed the ,

s ier ra an d i n v aded S p ai n The c ity o f P ampelun a

.

w a s t ake n an d a fte r s o me desult or y o pe rati o n s yield

, ,

in g little p r o fit o r gl o r y the F r an ks r etir ed i n im

,

a in a ry se c u r ity The defile o f Ro n c esv alles on c e

g .

more bec ame the s c en e o f a fe ar ful dis a ste r ; the in

v ader s surroun ded by a h o st o f mo un t ain eer s and
,

Ar abs wer e cu t to pie c es an d the pr is on er s divided

, ,

amon g the allies the tw o co u n ts bei n g amon g th o se

,

w ho su r vived the disgr ac e o f in c ompete n c y an d defe at .

This milit ary su cc ess w as con temporan eo us with the

a sse r ti on o f the i n depe n den c e an d p oliti c al o r g an iz a
48 2 HIS T ORY OF TH E

F ran kish mon arc h deter mi n ed v ail h imself o f the

to a

in formation in fur theran c e o f his ow n design s an d

fo r the con fusion o f his in fidel n eighb or s He ther e
.

for e a ddr essed a letter to the pe o ple o f Me r ida pro ,

fessin g gr e at symp athy with them on a ccoun t o f the

imp osition s o f the g o vern men t exh ortin g them to
,

exer t their r ights an d r egain their liber ties an d ,

pr omisin g th at in c ase they made an o pen demon stra

,

tion to r edr ess their gr iev an c es he would mar ch to

,

their suppo r t a cr o ss the Pyr en ees The sin c er ity o f

.

L oui s in makin g this o ff er may well be question ed .

Wh ether or n ot his ten der w as made in g oo d f aith

is o f little con sequen c e as his atten ti on w as immed i
,

a tely distr a c ted fr om fo r eign i n t r igue by se r i ous d i s

tu rban ce s in his o w n d omi n io n s A Go thic offi c er o f

.

r a n k n amed Ai zon h avin g in curr ed the disple asur e

,

o f his s o ve r eig n fled fr om the cour t o f Ai x la

,
-

Ch apelle an d betakin g himself to the G o thic M ar ch

, , ,

de cl ar ed his en mity to the F r an ks an d espe ci all y to

,

the C o un t o f B arc elon a Th r ough the in fluen c e o f

.

his n ame an d n a tion ality aided by the h abitu al in con

,

s t am ey o f the r estless a dve n tu r e r s w ho comp osed the

fr on tier p o pulation an d the gen eral p r ej udi c e exist

i n g ag ai n st the d omin a tion o f the F ran ks he s oon ,

fo un d himself at the he a d o f a p ower ful f action .

H avin g seized the fortr ess o f Au son a by tr e achery ,

an d destr o yed the t o wn o f R o s as whi c h a ttempted

to r esist him he sen t his b ro the r to C o r d o v a with a

,

r equest for ai d a c c omp an ied with a n a ssu r an c e th at

,

the dis aff e c tion w as suc h as to warr an t the h o pe o f

an e a sy r e co ve r y o f the co un tr y by the M o slems The .

a ppe a l o f Ai zo n w a s n ot su ff er ed to p ass u n heeded .

A con siderable b o dy o f troo ps w as a ssembled un der

the comman d o f the veter an Ob ey d all ah ; the p arty
o f the mal con te n ts i n cr e a sed d aily in n u mbe r s an d

in fluen c e an d it w as n o t lon g befor e the C oun t o f

,

B ar c elon a foun d himself depr ived o f a uthority over

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 483

al l his domain ex c ept Ger on a an d the city fr om which

he der ived his title .

L oui s w ho w as then in German y en g aged in the

,

s ettlemen t o f a qu arr el between tw o c hieft ai n s wh o se

un tamed Spirits men ac ed the pe ac e o f the empir e had ,

n either ti me n or av a il able r e s ou r c e s to supp r ess by

arms an i n sur r e c ti on h oweve r d an ge r o us i n the o ther

, ,

extr emity o f hi s d omin ion s But wh at he co uld n ot

.

accomplish by milit ar y for c e he determi n ed to at

tempt by n egoti ation an d thr ee c ommissio n e r s we r e

,

a cc o r din gly a pp o in ted to pe rs u a de the col on ists o f the

Go thic M arch to r eturn to their allegian c e .

The embassy c omp osed o f a pr iest an d tw o n obles

, ,

r e c eived a s might h av e been

, expe c ted small con ,

sideration i n an ag e wher e the ar ts o f pe ac e wer e held

in dis r epute an d the p ahn o f p o pul ar esteem w as
a cc or ded to deeds o f ma r ti a l hero ism an d the en vo ys
,

ac complished n o thi n g They man aged h owever to

.
, ,

widely dissemin ate the r epo rt that an army o f F r an ks

w as abo ut to in v ade the coun tr y a r umo r whi c h s o
,

al armed Ai zo n an d his fo llo we r s th a t a se con d a ppe a l

w as sen t to C o r do v a an d a p or ti on o f the E mir s

’

body guar d w as or der ed to r ein for c e the al lies o f the

-

M o slems with out delay The army o f the F r an ks

.

arr ived ; but the en emy had r etir ed to S ar ago s s a ,

either dr e adin g the r esult o f an en c oun ter with the

h ar dy warr ior s o f the N orth or un willi n g to in cur the
,

h az ar d o f bein g compelled to r eli n qu ish the v aluable

booty which he had so e asily secur ed The s u s pi .

c iou s c on du c t o f the gen e r als o f the F ra n kish army

in permittin g the M o slems to r etr e at with out mo lest a

tion bro ught up on them the r epr oach o f t r e acher y an ,

accus ati on whi c h w a s s o far sust a in ed the foll owi n g

year in the N ation al C oun c il as to subj ect the culpr its

to the dep r iv ati on o f their comman ds .

Abd al Rahman had pr o j e cted an in vasion o f

- -

F ran c e an d the preparati on s wer e completed ; the

,
48 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a dv an c e guar d un der Abd al Ruf—w ho ha d filled - -

the po sition o f vizier un der Al H akem—w a s alr e ady -

on the w ay to the P y r en ees an d the E mi r himself w as

,

a b o ut to dep ar t with the ma in b o dy o f the ar my when ,

the un welcome n ews r e ached hi m th at Mer id a w as in

r ebelli on .

The un p opular system o f t ax ation alr e ady r efe rr e d ,

to agg r av ated by the br ut al con du c t o f the o ffic i als

,

c h ar ged with its en f or c emen t had ahn o s t assumed ,

the ch ara cter o f a per se cuti on while the publi c mi n d ,

w a s agit ated by the plausible r ep r ese n t atives o f dema

g o g u es an d deluded with the h o pe o f p r ote c tio n an d

e n c o ur agemen t fr om the p o wer ful v ass als o f the
E mper or A c e r tain M oh ammed I bn Abd al J ebir
.
- - -
,

fo rmerly a c o lle ctor o f the r even ue w as the origin ator ,

o f the con spi r ac y The g overn or I bn M as feth s aved

.
,
-
,

himself by a h a sty flight The h ouses o f the viziers

.

wer e s acked an d their o wn er s put to de ath or dr iven

,

fr om the city M oh ammed a pp o in ted himself wali

.
,

seized the magazin es an d ar sen als an d h avin g divided , ,

their c on ten ts amon g the inh abit an ts with out d i stin c

ti on o f c r eed as a r eturn for this a ct o f gen er o sity
,

a ppe aled to the p o pul a c e to c on fi rm him in his usur ped

auth o r ity The r es oluti on o f the in sur gen ts sust ain ed

.
,

by the kn owledge o f their r es our c es an d the impr eg

n able ch ar ac te r o f thei r defen c es w as en co u r a ged by ,

the arr ival o f fier c e a dven tur er s w ho wer e attr acted ,

i n multitudes by the p ro spe c t o f r ebellio n an d pillage .

The g arr is o n in cre ased un til it r e ached the n umber o f

fo r ty th ous an d N o in s urr e c ti on o f a lo c al ch ar acter
.

had eve r p r esen ted s o me n ac in g a fr on t to the p ower

o f the e mi rate The o cc a sion deman ded the exertion
.

o f the mo st p r ompt an d e n e r geti c me a su r es The .

c omman d o f Abd al R uf w as h a stily r e c alled

- -
an d ,

that offi c er w as en trusted with the c on duc t o f the

siege The h ar den ed veter an carried o n his o pera
.

tion s as he would h ave d on e in an enemy s c oun try ’

.
486 HIS T ORY OF TH E

vo lte d atthe pr o spe ct o f exempl ar y pun ishmen t f or

a r ebelli on which subsequen t even ts demon strated
would have j ustified the mo st s an guin ar y r etribution .

O r der had s carc ely been r estor ed at Mer id a when

it became kn o wn th at the con t agio n o f in surr ection
had a g ain sp r e ad to T oled o A r en eg a de n amed .

H as him w ho had lon g in se cr et medit ated ven gean c e

,

for pe r se c uti on su ff e r ed by his f amily under Ai

H akem t akin g adv an t age o f s ome tri fli n g cause o f
,

po pul ar dis c on ten t raised the stan dar d o f r ev o lt The

, .

wali bein g absen t the mob w ho welcomed with e ager

, ,

n ess eve r y occ asi o n o f Opp o si n g the a uth or ities foun d ,

little trouble in expellin g the g arr is on an d the a dhe

r e n ts o f the E mi r H ashim wh o se succ ess had su r
.
,

p assed all expe ct ation s a s s oon as his p ar tis an s wer e

,

or g an ized exten ded his Operation s to the surr oun d

,

in g co un t r y H i s follo wi n g r e c eived acc essi on s d aily

.

fr om the b rigan ds w ho in fested the moun t ain dis .

tr i cts an d the fl o atin g p o pul ati o n

, a lw a ys on the ,

a le r t f or plun de r th at swarmed in the pur lieus o f

the gr e at c ities M oh ammed I bn —
,

. W asim the wali -

,

of the fr on tier h avin g att acked the r ebels w as

, ,

be aten in several en g agemen ts ; exultin g in the

promises o f its c itizen s T o ledo main t ain ed a su c ,

cess fu l r esist an c e ag ai n st the e n ti r e r es ou r c es o f the

emir ate an d Ommey ah the son o f Abd al R ahman

, ,
- -
,

w as fo r c ed to r eti r e i n disg r ac e fr om befor e its walls .

At len gth the army o f H a s him fell in to an ambus

ca de pl ann ed by an offi c e r w ho comman ded a for c e

st atio n ed at C al atrav a the T oled an s wer e defe ated

,

with gr e at lo ss an d s oon a fte r war ds the c ity w as

, , ,

t aken by storm Accoun ts v ar y as to the f ate o f

.

H ashim but it a ppe ar s fr om the mo st r eliable s ources

,

th a t he fell in to the h an ds o f the tr oo ps o f the E mir

an d w as behe aded with o ut c e r emon y The in cap acity .

o f the g ove r n men t o f C or d o v a to de al with its d o

mestic fo es may be in fer r ed fr om the dur ation o f this

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 87

o utbr e ak wh ose impor t an c e must h ave c alled for th

,

the mo st vigoro u s attempts to s uppr es s it for durin g ,

a per i o d o f eight ye ar s T o ledo en j o yed abs o lute i n

depen den c e I n the hear t o f a h ostile mon ar chy This .

immun ity w as in s ome degr ee due to a se c on d ms u r

, ,

r e cti on whi c h b ro ke ou t i n Mer ida while the pr estige

o f the vi c t or i ous T oled an s w a s at its height M oh am .

med w ho had fled to Lis bo n when the c ity had been

,

t aken r etur n ed un expe c tedly ; h avin g again s um

,

mon ed the po pul ac e to arms he divided the co n ten ts ,

o f the ma g azi n e s a s bef or e an d c all in g to gether his

, ,

outl aw s r en ewed the s c en e s o f li c en se an d dis or de r

,

w hi ch had former ly led to his expulsi on Abd al .

-

R ahman appr ized o f this n ew dis aster raised an

, ,

army o f fo r ty th ous an d me n o f whi ch he as sumed ,

comman d i n pe r s on an d arr iv in g at the c ity ma de

, , ,

several in e ff e ctu al attempts to c arr y it by storm The .

walls h owever wer e to o stron g an d too well defen ded

, ,

to be s c aled an d the besieger s we r e r edu c ed to emplo y

,

the mor e difficult oper ation o f min in g to o pen a

br e ac h When all w as r e ady the E mir h ar an gued
.
,

the tro o p s r emin ded them th at their a dver s ar ies we r e

,

Mo s lems like themselves an d exh or ted them to avoid ,

al l vi olen c e ex c ept a g a i n st su c h as o ff er ed r esist an c e .

As a l ast r e s o rt to pr even t bloo dshed an d the l amen t

,

able co n sequen c es of an a ss ault Abd al Rahman ,

- -

or der ed ar r o ws to whi c h s c ro lls we r e a tt ac hed to be

s h ot ov e r the w all s These s cr olls con veyed the in

.

formati on th at the wal ls wer e un dermin ed th at an ,

att ac k w a s i mpen di n g an d th a t an a mn esty w oul d

,

be gran ted the inh abit an ts up on the surr en der o f their

leader s S ome o f these pro clamation s fell in t o the
.

h an ds o f the chiefs o f the r ebellion ; thei r fe ars wer e

ar o used an d they l os t n o time i n makin g g o o d their
,

es c ape which they r e adily e ff e c ted either through the

,

n egligen c e or the c o n n iv an c e o f the besieger s The .

d amages r esultin g fr om the siege wer e r ep air ed ; the

48 8 HIST ORY OF TH E

f or tific ati on s str en gthen ed ; the wan ts o f the p o or ,

w ho wer e su ff er in g fr o m hun ger supplied ; an d

,

Mer ida h avin g for a secon d time exper ien c ed the

,

extr aor din ar y c lemen c y o f her s over eign r etur n ed to

,

her d oubtful allegi an c e .

F ortun ately for the S arac en s the c ommo ti on ex

,

c ited th r o ugh out the F r an kish e mpi r e by the re

bellion o f the s o n s o f L ouis p r even ted the C hr istian s

fr om p ro fitin g by the misfor tun es o f thei r en emies ,

h arassed a s they themselves wer e by the r evo lt o f

gr e at capit als an d the g rowin g dis aff e ctio n o f the
peo ple .

The distu rban c es on c e quelled an d the coun tr y ap

p ar en tl y at pe ac e the pio us an d ambitio us Spir it o f
,

Abd al Rahman a ctuated by mo tives enter tain ed

- -
,

sin c e the d ay o f his acc ession in duc ed him to pur sue

,

the t raditi o n al p olic y o f I sl am an d in augu rate a cam

paig n a g ain st the i n fidel E xpediti on s wer e de
.

S p atche d i n t o G a li c i a an d the G o thi c M ar ch whi ch ,

we r e gen e rally suc c essful but whi ch exhibited on ly

,

the gr iev ous an d tran sitor y e ff e cts o f pr ed ato r y w ar

f ar e despite the a ccoun ts o f mon kish chr on i cler s
, ,

w h o se l ove o f the mar vell ous has embellished thei r

p ages with accoun ts o f gr e at vi cto r ies an d mir aculous
even ts r e cor ded with al l the cir cumstanti al min uten ess
whi ch n ot in fr equen tly c h arac terizes these n ar ratives .

The fleet o f the emirate which had n o r iv al on the

,

Mediter r an e an co Oper ated with its armies an d lan d

,
-
, ,

in g a det achmen t o n the co ast o f F ran c e o ve rran the ,

cou n tr y an d plun de r ed the subu r bs o f M ar seilles .

The marti al e n ter pr ise an d in cr easin g arro gan ce o f

the Kh ali fate o f B agd ad which had str ipped the
,

Byzan tin e E mpir e o f its p ossession s in Asia Min or

an d ha d fr equen tly th r e ate n ed C on st an ti n o ple itself ,

led the E mpero r The o philus to imit ate the ex ample o f

his pr ede c ess or an d s oli cit the aid o f the E mi rate o f
S p ain wh o se po wer had att ain ed a g r e ater r eput a
,
49 0 HIST ORY OF TH E

of s mall di men s ion s con str uc ted o f o sier an d hides

, ,

p ro pelled by oar s an d s ails o f skin s yet su ch w as the ,

dar in g o f these s ailo r s th at they did n ot hesit ate to

en coun ter in their frail vessels du rin g the mo st in ,

clemen t se a s on s the st or ms o f the E n glish Ch ann el

,

an d the B a y o f Bis c ay They had alr e a dy c arr ied

.

their te rrible in ro a ds far in t o the most acc essible p rov

in ce s o f E n gl an d an d F ran c e The swiftn ess o f their
.

movemen ts their fr ightful aspe ct an d the ferocity

, ,

o f thei r mann e r s i mp ar ted to thei r i n c u r si on s the

ch ar ac te r o f a visit ati on o f in c ar n a te demon s The .

vo t aries o f the s avage W o den the Teut on ic G o d o f

,

W a r they seemed t o t ally defic ien t in the attributes

,

o f human ity an d me r c y M or e ruthless th an other

.

b ar b ar i an s the in fi rmities o f ag e the helplessn ess o f

, ,

sex r e c eived n o in dulgen c e at their h an ds W omen

, .
,

c hildr en , an d ol d men we r e but c her ed with the s ame

r ele n tless a n i mo sity a s the w a r ri o r dis a bled i n the field

o f b attle They t o ok n o p r is on er s Al l an imals that

. .

they en coun ter ed we r e killed Their b rut al n atur es

.

wer e displayed even in their amusemen ts ; an d amidst ,

the drun ken or gies o f their festiv als their go ds wer e ,

pledged in draughts o f me ad qu aff ed fr om the skulls

o f sl aughter ed en emies Their lo fty statur e an d
.

gigan tic str en gth ; thei r a dven tu ro us spir it which ,

c ar r ied them a cr o ss se a s whe r e exper ie n c ed mar in er s

s c ar c ely d ar ed to ven tur e ; their co ur age which in ,

spi r ed them to c on ten d with ten fo ld o dds combin ed ,

to in cr e a se the te rr or de r ived f r om their sudde n ap

pearan ce an d myste r i o us or igin They had in fested

.

the sh or es o f E n glan d dur in g the l ast ye ar s o f the

pr ec edin g c en tur y E n co ur a ged by su cc ess an d
.

tempted by the p r o spe c t o f boo ty their expedition s ,

had al armed the p r o vin c es o f Weste rn F ran ce during

the r eign o f Ch arlemagn e an d had des olated a r egion
,

wher e their des c en dan ts wer e destin ed to found a

prin cipality to whi ch they g ave their n ame an d with ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 49 1

who se for ti mes in a fter times wer e ass oc iated in n o

, , ,

small degr ee the s o c ial or gan ization the laws the

, , ,

glor ies an d the misfor tun es o f the pe o ple o f G r e at

,

B r it ain They had at fir st e ff ec ted a l an din g o n the

.

coas t o f the A s tur i a s when c e they so on r etir ed

, ,

prompted to this s tep r ather by the p overty o f the

c ou n t r y which held ou t n o in duc emen ts to their
,

av ar i c e th an th rough an y a ppr ehen sion fr om the

,

well kn own pr o wess o f its defen der s N o t lo n g a fter

-
.

this a fleet o f fi fty fou r N orman vessels swept d o wn

,
-

u p o n the s h or es o f Lusit an i a The en vir on s o f the

.

c ity o f Li s b on expe r ien c ed the full e ff e c t s o f the

destr ucti v e in stin cts o f the s e en emies o f man kin d .

E xpelled by the upr isi n g o f the p o pulation o f the

n eighb or h o o d they s a iled aro u n d the Pen in s ul a ; ex
,

ten ded their dep r ed ati on s to the co ast o f Afr ic a ;

plun der ed C adiz an d fin ally en te r ed the Gu ad al
,

qu iv i r As c en din g th at s tr e am they occupied an d

.
,

s acked the s ubu r bs o f S eville wh o se in h abit an ts had

,

fled at the fir st in tel ligen c e o f their a ppro ach In .

their en coun ters with the t ro o ps o f Abd al Rahman - -

,

the pirates had in almo s t ever y in stan c e a decided

a dv an t a ge ; but n ews h avi n g r e a c hed them th at a fleet

o f fifteen ve s s els supp or ted by a p o we r ful army w a s

, ,

pr ep ar in g to i n ter c ept their r etr eat they h astily set ,

s ail an d e ff e c ted thei r es c a pe with i n sig n ifican t lo ss .

The f ac ility with whic h these fero c ious a dven tur er s

had pen etr ated i n t o his d omin i on s an d the d amage ,

in fli c ted by their pitile s s ho stility c on vin c ed the E mir

,

o f the n e c es s ity o f in c r e a si n g his n av a l p o wer the on ly ,

e ff ectu al me an s o f prote ctin g the vul n erable po in ts

o f his ki n gdom an d o f pr even tin g the r ec ur r e n c e o f

such a c alamity Vessels wer e ac cor din gly con

.

structed i n the dockyar ds o f the Mediterran ean ;

watch to wer s were er e cted at fr equen t in ter vals ; a
-

sys tem o f sign als an d p o sts w as established ; an d the

c o ast defen c es i n e ac h milit ar y distr i c t we r e pl ac ed
49 2 HIST ORY OF TH E

in c h ar ge o f an experien c ed o ffic er with wh o se com,

man d the n av al for c es wer e dir ected to co o perate -

.

The wisdom o f these p re cauti on s w as s o on demon

s tr ated an d the N orman s w ar n ed by the for mid able
, ,

pr ep ar ation s eve r ywher e in r e adin ess to o pp ose their

lan din g c e ased to ser i ously mo lest the sh or es o f the
,

P en in sul a .

I n the division o f the v ast an d un wieldy empir e o f

Ch arlema gn e which s c ar c ely p r eserved its origin al
,

bo un d ar ies un til the se con d gen er ation F r an c e an d ,

the G o thi c M ar ch fell to the sh ar e o f Ch arles the

B ald the eldest s o n o f the we ak an d amiable L ouis
, .

The dis cor d whi ch had ar isen between F ran kish an d

G othic aspir an ts to p o wer i n the fi e f th at the fore
s ight o f the E mpe r o r had fo un ded beyon d the P
yr
e n ee s g r ew mor e bitte r with the p ro g r ess o f ti me an d
,

the in flic ti on o f mutual in j ur y The in tr igues o f.

C oun t Ber n h ar t forme r ly Ch amberlain at the court

,

of Aix l a Ch a pelle w ho r ep r esen ted the n ation al

- -
,

p ar ty a gain st the F r an kish usur p ation wer e prin ,

c i p all y r esp o n sible for the man ifest a ti o n o f the i n

depen den t spirit whi ch n o t in fr equen tly ign or ed the

r ights o f the fo r eign suze r ai n an d eve n main t ai n ed
,

ami c a ble r el a ti on s with the in fi d el s o f C or dova .

Ch ar les awar e o f the in tr epid ch arac ter o f his se cr et

,

e n emy wh o s e p o pularity made him still mor e d an

g er ou s in veigled him in to his p o we r by fl atter in g
,

p r omises o f fav or an d pr omotion ; an d as the u m ,

suspe ctin g vic tim ben t the kn ee befor e his master ,

the latter st abbed him with his o wn h an d The en or .

mity o f the deed w as agg rav ated by the h orr ible

s u s pi c i on o f p arr i c ide a s p o pul ar Opin i on b ased up on
, ,

his former in timac y with the E mp r ess Judith had ,

lon g as cribed to C oun t B er nhar t the p ate rn ity o f the

F r an kish s over eign .

This act o f per fi d y so far fr om a ppe asin g the dis

,

con te n t th a t per v a ded the tu r bulen t s o c iety O f the

49 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

clemen c y f ailed ali ke to suppr ess this n e w an d in

c r e asi n g dis o r de r The n atur e o f the E mir always
.
,

aver se to c r uelty hesit ated to in fli c t the pen alties

,

imper atively deman ded by the o utr aged feelin gs o f

all t rue believe r s Deeply aff e c ted by the t roubles
.

whi ch Oppr essed his kin gdom and c ast a sh ado w over
his domestic li fe his he alth be came imp air ed an d he
, ,

died sudden ly o f apo plexy in the ye ar 822 at the ag e ,

o f sixty y e ar s .

The luxur ious t astes an d the lo ve o f p omp which ,

wer e p romi n en t tr aits in the c h ar acter o f Abd al -

R ahman pro du ced g r e ater ch an ges in the s oc i a l an d

,

p o liti cal aspec t o f the court o f C or do v a th an had been

kn o wn un der his pr edec e s s or s He w as the fir st o f
.

the M o slem rul er s o f S p ain in wh o se r o bes wer e in

ter w ov en the r o y al c iphe r an d the devi c e sele c ted by
the mon arc h at his a cc ession He a ssumed a dign ity
.

an d a myste r y in his deme an or th a t ha d he r et o for e

been the pe culi ar attributes o f the desp otisms o f the

O r ien t H abitually se cluded from the eyes o f his
.

subj e cts he n ever wen t abr o a d with out a veil whi ch

, ,

e ff e c tu ally con c e aled his fe atur es from the public

gaze He in cr e ased the bo dy gu ar d f ormed by his
.
-
,

fa ther an d sp ar ed n o expen se in se cur in g its devo

,

tion an d per fe c tin g its equipmen t He es tabli shed a

.

min t in C o r d ov a an d g r e atly i mp r oved the co in age

, .

b oth in the pur ity o f the met al an d the eleg an c e o f

the in s cr ipti on s . Un der his super visio n tw o sides o f
the cour tyar d o f the M o sque we r e en clo sed with be au
tiful peristyles corr espon din g with the fin ish an d
,

de co r atio n s o f the in te rior He added to the mag n i fi

.

c en c e o f the c a pit al by the c o n st ru c ti o n o f publi c

b aths an d f oun tain s fed by le aden pipes thr ough

, ,

whi ch wer e con du cted in to ever y qu arter o f the c ity

the crystal wate rs o f the S ierr a M or en a The de
.

man ds o f r eligion an d piety wer e gr atified by the

foun dation an d en do wmen t o f i nn umer able mosques ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 49 5

who se mater ials wer e comp o sed o f co stly woods v ar ie ,

g ated j asper, an d exqui site mar bles an d to e ach o f ,

these h ouses o f wor ship w as att ac hed either a s chool

or a h o spit a l U pon the b an k s o f the Guadalquivi r
.

str etched an en dles s s er ies o f gar den s devo ted to the

r e c r e ati on o f the peo ple an d within wh os e delightful
,

p r e cin c ts wer e displayed al l the r es ourc es o f the pic

tu re s qu e h or ti cultur e o f the O r ien t Abd al Rahman
.
- -

r iv alled the mo st en lighten ed kh alif s o f the E a st i n

his ze al for the en co ur agemen t o f learn in g ; in his

p atron age o f s cien c e an d the art s ; in his admiration
for the wo rks o f the Gr eek philos o phe r s whi ch dur in g , ,

his r eign wer e in t ro du ced in to the Pen in sula On e o f

, .

his gr e atest ple as ur es w a s to listen to the r e adin g o f

the pr o du c tion s o f the gr e at s cho lar s o f an tiqui ty .

I n eve r y t o wn s c ho o ls suffi c ien t to meet the r equir e

men ts o f the p o pul ati on an d pr ovided with the bes t
,

av ail able f a c ilities f or the i mp ar ti n g o f i n s trirc ti on ,

aro se . All c hildr en who m mis for tu n e had left desti

tute wer e c ar ed for in ch ar it able in stitution s main
tain ed by the g overnmen t .

The system o f highways a pr e ci ous her itage o f the

,

C a s ars w as diligen tly in s pected ; the ro ad s whic h had

,

fallen in t o de c ay wer e r ep ai r ed ; n ew on es wer e pro

j ected an d completed ; an d the me an s o f in ter com
mun icati on with the most r emote pr o vin c es o f the
emi rate br ought to a degr ee o f per fec tion i mkn ow n
even in the mo st flo ur ishin g days o f the Roman E m
pir e M an y o f these gr e at works wer e un dertaken to
.

r eli eve the un ivers al distr e s s in duc ed by n ation al

c al amities A witherin g dr ought had destr oyed the
.

cr o ps a n d swept aw a y the flock s an d her ds i n An d a

lusi a S warms o f locu s ts the n s ettled over the lan d

. ,

an d tur n ed the o n c e s milin g l an d s ca pe in to a dese r t .

Un able to sus tain life multitudes o f the starvin g

,

peas an try emigrated to Afr ic a wher e they foun d an

,

hospit able welcome an d abun dan c e o f foo d to supply

49 6 HIST ORY OF TH E

their n e c essities To the p oor w ho r emain ed the cu s

.
,

tomary t a xes we r e r emitted an d r egul ar e mplo ymen t

given the expen se bein g met by disbur semen ts from
,

the priv ate pur se o f the E mir The publi c gran ar ies
.

an d mag azi n es we r e Open ed an d supplies distr ibuted

,

to the helpless an d un fo r tu n ate Thus by the en

.
,

cou rag emen t o f i n dust r y the pr omo tion o f imp or

,

tan t public imp r ovemen ts th r oughout the coun tr y an d ,

the embellishmen t o f the c ity o f C or dova an d its

en viron s the mourn ful con sequen c es in ciden t to in
,

evit able public dis aster s wer e lar gely aver ted an d the ,

ver y even ts whi ch at first sight seemed to th r e aten

, ,

the life o f the n ation wer e th ro ugh the ben efi cen ce

,

an d wisd om o f a g r e a t mo n ar c h ma de to c on tr ibute
,

to its p r o fit an d pe rman en t adv an t age .

The kin dn ess an d gen er o sity o f Abd al Rahman at - -

times degen er ated in to we akn ess whi ch ma de him the

,

fac ile vi ctim o f the occup an ts o f his ho useh old an d

his h ar em C on stitution ally aver s e to an y display o f
.

severity acts o f in sub or din ation an d dish on esty were

,

su ff er ed in his ver y pr esen c e to p ass with o ut a r epri

, ,

man d A p assion for musi c whic h domin ated his

.
,

v e r y bei n g ma de hi m the mu n ifi cen t p at r on o f eve ry

,

min str el wh ose in fluen c e at court w as usu ally pro p or

,

ti on ate to his t alen ts as a sin ger or as a per former on

the lute A famous musi ci an n amed Z iry ab wh om
.
,

Al H akem had in vited from B agd ad bu t w ho arr ived

-

too l ate to en j o y the f av or o f his ro y al h o st w as ,

r e c eived by his su c c ess o r with h on o r s wo r thy o f the

amb a ss a d or s o f the g r e atest p r i n c es The walis o f the

.

c ities through whi c h he w a s to p ass on his w ay to

C or d ova we r e dir e cted to exten d to him ever y cour

tesy ; he w as furn ished with an es cort an d his r etin ue ,

w as in cr e ased by a n umbe r o f eunu chs with wh om the

E nri r had p r esen ted him A magn ific e n t r esidenc e
.

w as a ssig n ed to him in the c a pi tal His p ension

.

amoun ted to the an n u al s u m of for ty tho us an d pi ec es

49 8 HIST ORY OF THE

h armless an d r efr eshin g pe r fumes an d co smetic s I t .

supplied the ban quets o f the r i ch with s avor y dishes ,

wo r thy o f the most fastidious epicur e s ome o f whic h

,

be ar to this d ay the n ame o f their in ven t or I t de .

vised me an s for in cr e asin g the comfor t an d cl ean l i

n ess o f the p oor . I t suggested s an it ar y arran gemen ts
which might p romo te the healthfuln ess o f gr eat cities
by an impro ved system o f dr ain age . The wit o f
Zi ry ab whi c h delighted the c ou rt w as n o t i n fe r i or to
his le arn in g n or to the won der ful in gen uity whi ch
,

a ppli ed to the v ar i ous co n c e r n s o f life the v alu able

p r in c iples o f p r acti c al philo s o phy His epigr ams are

.

still r epe ated as pro ver bs by the M o h ammed an s o f

Afr ic a His skill in the ar t o f imp r ovis ation w as
.

phen omen al A couplet appr o pr i ate to ever y o cc a

.

sion a witti cis m in rhyme whi ch en li ven ed the most

,

or di n ar y dis c o u r se wer e n ever wan tin g to his r e ady

,

an d ac tive i n telle c t His men t al p owe r s wer e u n con

.

s c i ou s l y e mplo yed while th o se o f o the r s slu mber ed ,

an d he n o t i n f r equen tly aro used his female sl aves i n

the middle o f the n ight in or der to seize an d memorize

the h armon ious c r e ation s o f his tir eless br ain The .

cr eed o f the M o slem pe r empt or ily fo r bids the adora

tion o f its her o es but the j usti c e o f human ity has

,

immor talized the n ame o f Z iry ab by tr an smittin g it

to a fte r a ges in the s ame c a teg or y with th o se o f its
-

mo s t illustri ous philo s o phers an d has thus in demn ified

,

itself for the pr iv ation o f a useful c ust om which would

elsewher e h ave h on or ed the obj ect o f its admiration
an d g r atitude with splen did st a tues o f b r on ze an d

mar ble an d with an etern al abidin g plac e in both the

,
-

visible an d in visible he aven s .

The in terc ession o f Z ir y ab with his r o y al master ,

wh o se min d w as abs o lutely domin ated by the br illian t

talen ts an d cour tly grac es o f his f avorite w as o ften ,

in voked by a pplican ts for pe cun i ary emo lumen ts an d

offi c i al disti n c ti on but gen e r a lly i n v ain
, The h az ard
.
 MOORIS H E M P IR E IN E URO P E 49 9

ou s g ame o f politi cs o ff er ed n o allur emen ts to the

polished an d d ain ty epi cur e an S e cur e in the p osses
.

sio n o f we alth an d fame he cheer fully ab an don ed the

,

in trigues the vex ation s an d the d an ger s o f p olitic al

, ,

life to an other per s on age who se abilities in their ,

pe culi ar Spher e n ot in fer i o r to his o w n b or e the st amp

, ,

o f a d a r k a n d s i n i s te r c h a r ac te r .

The ambition o f the faqui Yahya I bn Yahya the - -

,

leader o f the r evo lt o f the s outhern s ubu r b o f Cor

dov a which c aused the dep o pul atio n o f on e fi fth o f
,
-

the ar e a o f the c apit al an d the exp atr i atio n o f twen ty

thous an d in dus tr io us subj e cts o f the emir ate has ,

alr e a dy been me n ti o n ed i n these p ages The n ation .

ality o f this f an ati c an d the a dd r ess whi c h he d is

,

played in ex cusin g his cr ime s had stran gely en ough

, , ,

exempted him fr o m the pun ish men t he mer ited .

H avin g r egain ed to a c er t ain exte n t the fa v o r o f

, ,

the pr oud an d arbitrar y Al H akem who s e in c lin a

-
,

tion s wer e n eve r to the side o f merc y he had Obt ain ed ,

a sin gul ar as c en d an t o ve r the mi n d o f the mor e pli able

Abd al —
-
R ah man I n s tru cted by exper ien c e th at o pen
.

o pp ositi on to the con stituted auth or ity w a s n ot the

s u r est meth o d o f att ai n i n g to distin c ti on he ch an ged ,

his t ac ti c s ; co urted the a pp r o b ati o n o f the mon ar c h

by subs er vien c e an d flatter y v ar ied at time s by fi ts
,

o f i n s olen c e
,
which wer e ove r looked as e c c en tr i cities
or ma n ifest a ti on s o f r ighteo us i n dign a ti on p r ov o ked

by the depr avity o f man kin d ; an d while he a ppe ar ed ,

to figur e on ly as an o c c as i on al a dvi s e r o f the E mi r ,

he in r e ality en gro s s ed the en tir e politic al an d j udi ci al

power o f the S t ate His o s ten t atious humility pro
.

cu red fo r him the r ever en t esteem o f the p o pul ac e .

The super i ority o f his in tellec t an d his v ast att ain

men ts wer e t acitly ac kn owledged by the learn ed The .

prestige he had a cquir ed a s the foun der Of the M ali

kites in S p ain made him the o racle o f every studen t
an d do c t o r o f the ol o gy I t w as by me an s o f this
.
5 00 HIS T ORY OF TH E

latter distin ction th at he w as en abled to imme asurably

exten d an d con fi rm his in fluen c e Ambitious men .

s o on per c eived th a t the g r e at c ivil dig n it ar ies o f the

r e alm—the c hief k a dis an d the sub o r di n ate Ofli c i al s o f

the c ourts o f j udi ca tu r e—wer e in v ari ably sele cted

fr om the f ashi on able sec t an d wer e in dividu als w ho
,

sto od highest in Yahy a s f av or As a n atur al con se

’
.

qu en ce the p o pular ity o f the d oc t r in es o f M alik

,

I bn An a s in c r e as ed d aily an d the a dhe r e n ts o f the

-
,

M ed in es e s age in a few ye ar s outnumber ed all other

, ,

se ctaries c ombin ed The polic y o f Yahya led him

.

to de c lin e the exe r c ise o f all Offi c i al e mplo ymen ts an ,

ex ample o f self den i al which while it ser ved to dis

-
,

guise his ambitio n gr e atly str en gthen ed his authority

, .

I n the ex alted spher e in whi ch he mo ved his p o we r w as

aut ocr a ti c He impo sed degr adin g pen an c es upon hi s
.

s over eign w ho per formed them with p atien ce an d

,

humility He ex acted fr om the peo ple th ose outward

.

sign s o f r ever en c e which super stition is accustomed to

ac co r d to the fav or ites o f he ave n an d whi c h are but

o n e deg r ee bel o w ido l a t r y The ecc lesi astic al aff airs

.

o f the Pen in sul a we r e abs o lutely sub j e c t to his con

t r ol He dic t ated the mo st imp ort an t de cision s ema

.

n ati n g fr om the co u r ts o f j usti c e ; an d when a ,

magistrate ven tur ed to asser t his in depen den c e by

the pr omulgation o f an o pin ion whi ch had n ot been
a pp r o ved by the arro g an t f a qui he a t on c e r e c eived ,

a slip o f p a pe r o n whi c h w a s w r itten the si n gle w or d ,

R esign " ”

The pl astic n atur e o f Abd al Rahman utilized for

- -
,

the p ro fit o f a music i an an d a r eligious imp o st or also ,

exp o sed him to the ar tifi ces o f a petul an t an d s elfish

woman An ar den t temperamen t r en der ed him pecu
.

li arly sus c eptible to the attr a cti on s o f the sex Among .

the n umerous be auties o f his h ar em w as o n e n amed

T arub w ho w as equ ally d omin ated by the abs orbing
,

p assion s o f ambition an d av ari c e I n f atu ated with .

5 02 HIST ORY OF TH E

The n atural acuten ess o f the physic ian incr e ased ,

by lon g exper ien c e in the Sin ister tr an s actio n s o f

co u r ts w as at n o lo ss to dete c t the Obj e c t for whi ch
,

these p r ep ar ati on s we r e in ten ded The ch aracter o f .

the p erfi d iou s T arub an d her in o r din ate ambition

wer e mor e over n o se cr et in C or dov a ; but while the
, , ,

p oliti c H arr an i had n o desir e to even by impli c ation , ,

con n ive at the de a th o f the E mi r he w as equ ally ,

ave r se to comp ro mise his p r o spe c ts a n d i mpe r il his

o w n s a fety by Open ly den o u n c i n g the eun u c h wh ose ,

fr ien ds would n ot f ail to aven ge the betr ayal o f his

t r e as on He the refor e caused a w arn in g to be se cr etly
.

co n veyed to Abd al R a h man n ot to t aste a n ythi n g

- -

O ff er ed him by the Ch amber lain The de clin in g health .

o f the mon a r c h fa vor ed the desig n s o f the con spir a

tor s an d the eun u ch seized the fir st Oppor tun ity to

,

r e c o mme n d with ever y expr ession o f s olicitude the

, ,

po is on to his maste r as a p o ten t r emedy which he had

pr ocur ed fr om a f amous p ractition e r The E mi r .
,

up on who m the war n in g o f H arr an i had n ot been

lo st an d w ho seemed to the atten dan ts to be merely
,

a d o pti n g a s alut ar y a n d n ot un usu a l p r e c a uti on di ,

re cte d the eun u c h to d r i n k s ome o f the p oti on him

“

self Un able to r efuse N assir swallo wed a p art o f

.
,

the con ten ts o f the phi al Then withdr awin g fr om .

,

the ro yal pr esen c e he s ought in terror the aid o f the

,

physici an An an tido te w as promptly admini ster ed

.
,

but the p ois on had d on e its work an d the vic tim o f , ,

his own per fid iou s n es s N assir expir ed in h o rrible

,

ag o n y

The en feebled con stitution o f Abd al —

.

R ahman w as -

un able to sust ai n the r evel ati o n o f the mali c e an d

dish on or o f th o se wh om he loved an d trusted ; an d the

ami able mon arc h w ho had n ot by man y ye ar s r e ached, ,

the allo tted term o f hu man life a f ew weeks after ,

the exp o sur e o f the con spiracy f ollowed his ch amb er

lain to the g rave .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 5 03

The j e alousy o f the Ommey a des foll owin g the ex ,

ample O f the Kh alifs o f D amas cus e ar ly i n tro du c ed

,

i n to their domin ion s the emplo ymen t o f eun uchs an d ,

these cr e atur es almo st immedi ately as sumed an d ex er

c i s ed a se cr et but n on e the less d an ge rous p o we r in
, ,

the a dmin istr ati on o f the go vern men t as well as in the

in tr igues an d plo ts o f the h ar em Their mutilation .
,

which acc o r din g to common belief w as pr esumed to

, ,

in sur e ab s olute fideli ty to their master s in ter ests made ’

them the en emi es o f the h uman rac e An in s ati able .

thi rst for go ld a vin dictiven ess on ly to b e a ppe ased

,

by the destr uction o f the obj e cts o f thei r disple asur e ,

had suppl an ted in their b r e ast s tho se sen timen ts o f

n atur al a ff e c ti on whi c h had been for ever e ra di cated

by the bar bar ity o f man The c on fid an ts an d con st an t

.

a ss o c i ates o f the s ult a n a s they bec ame the t ools o f

,

eve r y c on spir ac y an d n ot in fr equen tly the o r igin ators

,

o f me a s u r es in v o lvi n g the mo st i mp or t an t p o liti c a l

con s equen c es .

The su pp o r t o f these vile in s trumen ts in d is pen ,

s able to the design s o f cr imin al ambitio n had been ,

a lr e a dy se c u r ed by the P r i n c es s T ar ub who se r a p ac ity ,

had for o n c e yielded to her gr eed for p o wer

, ,
Un .

dismayed by the fate o f N assir an d ign o r in g the sus ,

i c i on s ar o used by his sudde n de ath she by eve ry

p , ,

ar tific e at her comman d by p romises o f futu r e favo r s

,

an d con c e s si o n s an d by a p ro dig al liberality had e n ,

r o lled amo n g her p ar tis an s the p o ten t an d un s c r u pu

lous gu ar di an s o f the h ar em .

The c ar eless Abd al Rahman who s e con dition had

- -
,

n ot w arra n ted an y expe c t ati on o f his un ti mely en d ,

had n egle cted to offi c i a lly design ate his s uc c ess or to

the th ron e His c ho ic e ho wever w as well kn o wn to
. , ,

have been fixed upon his eldes t s on M oh ammed a , ,

cold s or di d n arr o w mi n ded but able p r in c e ; p en u ri

-

, , ,

ou s to a deg r ee unp r e c eden ted amon g youths o f ro yal

lin e age but o f large exper ien c e in the arts o f w ar
,
5 04 HIST ORY OF TH E

an d governmen t an d o f unquestio n ed or tho do xy

,
.

Abdallah on the o ther h an d w as a devo tee o f ple as

, ,

u re . His p alac e w as n ightly the s c en e o f b oisterous

r evels th at we r e p ro trac ted I mti l l on g a fte r su n r ise
,
.

He shurmed all ser ious occup ation s His in timate .

fr ien ds wer e deb auchees an d p ar asites who se con ver ,

s atio n w as se as on ed with licen tious j ests which did n ot

Spar e eithe r the offic ials o f state or the min iste rs o f
r eligi on R ar ely w as he seen to en te r the door o f the
.

mo sque or to assist at the c er emon ies o f public w or

,

ship Despised by the p o pulac e an d abhorr ed by the

.

devo ut his pr e emin en t u n fi tn es s for the r esp on si

,
-

bili tie s o f e mpir e w a s als o r e co gn ized by the eu n u chs ,

whom n o thin g but the pr o dig ality o f his mother

could eve r h ave i n du c ed to esp o us e his c ause Abu .

al M o fr ih
-
on e o f the fo r me r
,
w ho p o ssessed g r e at ,

in fluen c e amon g his fello ws determin ed with the , ,

pr o ver bial in con st an c y o f his kin d to gratify his ,

mali c e an d pr ovide for the futur e by the commission

o f a d oubl e t r e as o n The h etero d o x Opin ion s o f Ab
.

dall ah aff or ded a plausible excu s e for the per fe ctin g

o f his s cheme By con st an t i n sin uati on s Of the
.

dan ger s to which the emirate would be exp o sed if he

wer e r ai s ed to p ower an d by des can tin g with pious ,

horr or up on the s acr ilegious life o f th at proflig ate

p rin c e he ex c ited a ppr ehen sion s in the min ds o f
,

the eun u chs th at their ow n in ter ests might be seri

ou s l y e n d an ger ed by a r ule r wh o se p r evi o us car ee r

had been di r e c ted by un believe r s an d by pe r s on s w ho

had fr equen tly evin c ed marked con te mpt for their
o r de r The h ar shn ess an d n o t or ious p ar simon y o f
.

M oh ammed wer e at fir st de cl ar ed by the eunuchs to

r en der him i n eli gible ; se r i ous i mpedi me n ts to su c c ess ,

in deed in a cour t govern ed to a gr e at exten t by the

,

s o ft i n flue n c es o f the se r a gli o an d by the un sp ar ing

use o f go ld The Obj e ction s wer e s oon an swer ed by

the wily Abu al —
.

M o frih wh o se expe r ien c e an d r epu

-
,
5 06 HIST ORY OF TH E

pen s able p r elimin ar y to succ ess His suggestio n to .

a pply to the g o ve rn or o f the c ity w as a d o pted but ,

th a t c autious fun ction ary de clin ed to compromise him

self by coun ten an c in g an en ter prise wh o se issue w as
s o h az ar d o us The n ight w as f ast p assin g away an d
.
,

it w as eviden t th at s omethin g must be don e quickly ,

a s d a wn w o uld b r ing dis c o ve r y an d pe r h a ps de ath to , ,

a ll con c e r n ed Ag ain the fer tile in ven tion o f the

.

stewar d I bn Mus a came to the ai d o f his master in

,
-
,

his deep per plexity Th ou kn o west O my L or d

.
”
, ,

s aid he th a t I h ave Often c on du cted thy d aughter

,

to the ro yal p al ac e Disguise thyself at on c e in her

.

garmen ts an d G o d willin g we sh all p ass the guar ds

,
.

The advi c e bein g approved M oh ammed w as speedily ,

en velo ped in the veil an d flo win g ro bes o f the i nmates

o f the h ar em an d mo un ted up on an a ss The an imal .

w as led by the stewar d S adun mar c hin g i n fr o n t ; the ,

s e n ti n els we r e p assed with o ut di ffi c ulty ; but the w ary

eun uch fe ar ful o f bein g fo llo wed dir ec ted I bn Mus a

, ,
-

to r ema in n e ar Abd al l ah s man sion while he con duc ted

’

the pr in c e alon e Ar r ivin g at the p alac e the kn ock o f

.
,

S adun w as an swer ed by the p orter an old man w ho ,

had lon g se rved the e mir s i n that r esp on sible ca p acity .

Peeri n g cauti o usly through the p o ste rn an d r ecog

n izin g the eun u c h he ex c l a i med , Wh om h ave y ou ,
”
ther e O S adun
,
? The latter r esp on ded The ,

d aughter o f ou r p rin c e M oh ammed ; make h aste an d

a dmit us " S mili n g a s he s uspi c i o usly ex amin ed the
”
,

lo fty st atu r e an d ample pro p or tion s o f the suppo sed

d amsel the p orter r ej o in ed
, Ver ily O S adun the , , ,

la dy has g ro wn to al most twic e her s ize sin c e she w as

her e a few d ays sin c e ; let her raise her veil th at I
may see her fac e ”
The eun u ch demurr ed ; but the
.

p or te r thr e aten in g to withdr aw M ohanrrn ed h imself ,

lifted the veil an d dis clo sed to the ast on ished gaze
,

o f the p or ter the well k n ow n fe a tur es o f the eldest -

s on o f Abd al R ahman
” “
- -
My father is d ead s aid .
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 5 07

the p rin c e an d I h av e come to t ake p o ssession o f

,
”
the p alac e I d o n o t doubt thy word r eplied
.
,

the p or te r but min e ow n eyes must c on vin ce me o f

,

the truth o f thy st atemen t befor e I c an admit thee .

Then c ome at on ce exc laimed S adun an d le avin g

, , ,

M oh ammed in the s t r eet the eun uch led the w ay to

,

the de ath ch amber o f the E mir

-
I am s atisfied .
,
”

s aid the faithful s er vit or bur stin g in to tear s an d

, ,

r etu rn i n g he o pen ed the g ate an d kis s ed the h an d

,

o f the p r in c e with eve r y p r o test ati o n o f lo y alty an d

o bedie n c e .The h ouseh old w a s ar ous ed ; the offici als

o f s t ate we r e s ummon ed i n h aste to the p al ac e an d ,

r equi r ed to swe ar a llegi an c e to the n e w s ove r eig n ; an d

thus thr ough the a ddr ess o f a h an dful o f eun uchs

, ,

w ho di s pe n s ed with equ al alacr ity the pen altie s o f

h atr ed an d the Offic es o f fr ien dship a serious r evo ,

l u ti on w a s ave r ted an d a tu rn given to n a tio n al a ff a ir s

,

th at per man en tly in fluen c ed the futur e o f the S arac en

empir e .

The fir s t act s o f M oh ammed a fte r his acc ession

gave un do ubted pro o f o f hi s zeal an d elicited ,

the en thus i as tic a pplause o f the theologian s w ho ,

hen c efo rth be c ame hi s mo s t devoted subj ects E very .

offi c i al an d eve r y publi c se r v an t w ho w as eve n sus

pe cte d o f a le an i n g t o war ds Ch ristian ity w as d i s

c h ar ged with out c e r e mon y an d their pl ac es wer e
,

filled with M u s s u hn an s o f the most pr on oun c ed

o r tho d o xy The l aw which for b ade the er ection or
the en lar gemen t o f chur ches—a fun d amen tal ar ticle
.

of the co n ve n ti o n o f Mu s a—had been to a g r e at ex

ten t ig n or ed by the emi rs even un der the aggr ava ,

tion o f tr e as o n a n d con spir acy ; an d a s a con sequen c e ,

o f this i n dulgen c e n ew pl ac es o f w or ship had ar isen

,

in tho se localities whe r e an in cr e asin g Chr istian p Opu

lation r equir ed gr eate r facilities for the servi c es o f its
r eligio n . By a sweepin g edic t M oh ammed di r ected ,

every church an d ch a pel built sin c e the in vasion o f

5 08 HIS T ORY OF TH E

T arik to be r azed to the gr o un d The offi c er s w ho .

wer e ch ar ged with the exe cution o f this or der mor e ,

ze alous for their f aith th an s o li c it ous for the hon or

o f their s o ve r eign waged in dis cri mi n ate destruc ti on
,

a g ai n st all edific es set a p ar t by the Ch r isti an s fo r

s ac r ed uses r eg ar dless o f the s an c tity of their tr adi

,

tion s or the d at e o f their fo un dation A per secution .

,

en cour aged by the f a quis w as als o in augur ated

,

ag ain st the o bstin ate se ct ar ies w ho con tin ued to

,

s o li c it with so mu c h ar d o r the c r o wn o f mar tyr dom ,

in comp ar is on with whi c h the seve r ity o f Abd al -

R ahman as s umed the appe ar an c e o f mo der ati on The .

eviden c e o f the F ather s o f the Chur c h s o suspic ious ,

i n r eg ar d to al l th at r efle c ts up on the cr edit o f their

p ro fessi on or de cr ies the tr iumphs o f their en emies ,

may per h aps be r e c eived to con fi rm the statemen t o f

the Ar abs th at an immen se n u mbe r o f Ch r istian s ,

a l armed by the to r tur es in fli c ted up on thei r fell ow

com mun i can ts yielded to tempt ation an d ap o statized

, .

But it w as n ot amon g the in fi d el s alon e th at it w as

foun d n e c ess ary to in v oke the in terven tion o f the
s over eign auth or ity I n the b o s om o f I slam a serious
.
,

dispute had ar isen c on c e rn in g the in ter p r etation o f

the K or an an d the settlemen t o f c er t ain con trover ted
po in ts o f do c tr in e th at in their the o lo gi cal imp or t an c e
,

an d gen e r al r el ati on to the F aith b or e n o p r o p or ti on

,

wh atever to the virulen t an imo sity exhibited by their

seve ral adv o c ate s As the Ommey ad es o f S p ain had
.

e ar ly arr o g ated to themselves with out ex c eptio n the

, ,

fun c tion s an d pr ivileges o f the ex alted o ffic e o f kh alif ,

in whi ch wer e un ited the mo st desp oti c p owe r s o f

Chur c h an d S t ate M ohan rrn ed wh o se dis cr imin ation
, ,

sh o wed him the n ec essity o f de cidin g this r eligious

c on t rove r sy bef or e its c h ampi on s a ppe aled to ar ms ,

a sser ted his p r er o g ative by or de r i n g the r iv al d oc tor s

to r espe ctively ple a d their c ause in his p r esen c e The .

ar gu men ts we r e he ar d an d the M a likites wh o se p ro s

, ,
5 10 HIST ORY OF TH E

exten ded to their o w n c ity org an ized a r ev o lt seized

, ,

the Ar ab govern or an d deman ded o f the E mir in

,

ex ch an ge for th at o ffic i al the h o st ages whom they

had given to Abd al R ahman I I a s se cur ity f o r their
- -
.

lo yalty an d g oo d beh avior With a we akn ess th at

.

for med n o p ar t o f his c h ar ac ter an d fo r which n o ,

histor ical acco un t a ff o r ds an explan ation M oh am ,

med ac quies c ed The fierc e T oledan s then beg an to

.

carr y on w ar i n e ar n est A ccustomed from child

.

h oo d to the use o f arms an d the exp o sur e o f a mili

tar y life they r epe atedly pro ved mo r e th an a match
,

for the dis c iplin ed vete ran s o f the emi r ate They .

drove ou t the g arris o n o f C al atrav a an d demolished

its walls Then sudden ly t rave r sin g the p asses o f
.
,

the S ierra M o r en a they sur pr ised at An duj ar a

,

det achmen t o f the ro yal forc es sen t to att ack them ,

c a ptu r ed i ts b a gg a ge an d plu n de r ed its c amp

, N ever .

befor e in the histo r y o f T oledan r ebelli on s had the

in sur gen ts ve n tu r ed s o n e ar the c apit al The E mir .

keen ly felt the in sult to his dign ity an d at the he ad , ,

o f all the tro o ps he co uld co lle c t i n su c h a n eme r gen c y ,

a dv a n c ed to pun ish the r ebels The latter r eti red an d

.
,

their lea der S in d ol a wh o se n ame in dic ates his G othi c

, ,

des c en t sen t an en vo y to the Kin g o f the Astu ri as fo r

,

a id. The Chr isti an p r in c e per c eivin g at a glan c e the

,

extraor din ar y ben efits which would r esult from an

alli an c e with a p o we r ful f a c ti on i n the he ar t o f the

M o slem do min io n s r espo n ded at o n c e to the a ppe al

,

with a stron g bo dy o f veter an s w ho su cc eeded in ,

en terin g the c ity befo r e the arr ival o f M oh ammed .

The str en gth o f the walls an d the p r o wess o f the

garr is o n forbade the ho pe o f a su cc essful ass ault an d ,

in du c ed M oh ammed to h ave r ecour se to a stratagem

wor thy o f the cun ning an d astuten ess o f an Arab .

C on c eali n g his t ro o ps in the ravin e t rave rsed by the

G u ad ac el ete he a ppe ar ed befor e T o ledo with a squ ad
,

r on o f c av al r y an d ma de p r ep arati o n s to e n c amp .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 5 11

The r ebels seein g wh at w as app ar en tly an excellen t

,

Oppor tun ity to c u t Off this v an guard befor e the ar

r iv al O f the ma i n b o dy ma de a s ally a n d befor e they
, , ,

wer e awar e o f their dan ger wer e dr awn in to the trap ,

laid for them an d surroun ded D r eadful c arn age

'
.

fo llowed ; but few e s c aped an d a gh astly he a p o f ,

eight tho us an d he ads c o lle c ted in the field o f b attle

, ,

attested the an imo sity o f the vi c t ors an d the mi s

for tun e o f the v an quished These sin ister tr o phie s .

,

r an ged a l on g the b attleme n ts o f C or d ov a an d o ther

An d alusian c ities wer e lon g an admo n itio n to tr aitor s

,

o f the te rr ible less o n th a t the T o led an s an d thei r in

fid el allies had r e c eived o n the b an ks o f the Gu a d a

c el ete . The gr e at lo s s s ust ain ed by the in sur gen t s ,

amo un ti n g to twe n ty tho us an d fo r o n ly the Ch r isti an s ,

an d su c h Mu s sulman le a de rs as we r e killed or t ake n

pr is on ers wer e de capitated — s o f ar fr om c rushi n g the

,

ob s ti n ate spi r it o f the i n h abit an ts o f the i mpe r i a l c ity

o f the Visig o ths on ly se r ved to i n cr e a se thei r fur y an d

,

con fir m thei r r es o luti o n Their o ff en s i v e o per ation s

.

wer e ho wever e ff e ctu ally che cked The garr i s on re

, ,
.
,

d u c ed to less th an on e thi r d o f its n umbe r w as for c ed

-
,

to r emain i n active behin d the fortific atio n s I t w as .

w ith min gled feelin g s o f ra ge an d desp a i r th at the

in dustrious as well as the we althy p ar t o f the pOpu
lation who se p o sses s i on s had hither to bee n r espec ted
,

in the ho pe o f timely s ubmissio n beheld the des ol a ,

ti on o f their gar den s the upr oo tin g o f their vin eyards ,

the bur n in g o f their villas —those eviden c es o f pro s

,

eri ty an d luxur y th a t embellished f or man y a mile

p
the b an ks o f the famous T agus Their th oughts wer e .

further embitter ed by the con s cio u sn ess th at these

rava ges we r e n o t in fli c ted th ro ugh an y f ault o f thei r s ,

but thr ough the turbulen c e an d ill dir ec ted ambitio n -

o f Jews an d r e n eg a des wh o se n umbe r s wer e swelled

,

by a c r o wd o f v agab on ds an d c rimin al s attracted by

the evil r eput ation o f the c ity the w or st elemen ts o f ,
5 12 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a lawless p o pul atio n the r efuse o f a s cor e o f gr e at

,

commu n ities . An additi on al a dv an t a ge g a i n ed by the

tr oo ps o f M oh ammed ser ved to still fur ther dep r ess
the spir its o f the T oled an s alth ough n o dis aster ,

seemed sufficien t to impel them to a volun t ar y r eturn

to thei r allegi an c e . The p r in c ip al br idge th at gave
ac c ess to the c ity w as se c r etly mi n ed An att ack w as.

then made on on e o f the g ates ; the ass ailan ts r eti r ed

in a pp ar en t dis o r de r ; the besieged pu r sued ; an d at ,

the pr o per in st an t the woo den supp or ts wer e r emoved

,

fr om the pier s an d the wh ole struc tur e cro wded with

, ,

the s oldier s o f the en emy w a s p r e c ipitated in to the

,

water s o f the T agus N o t an in dividu al es caped for

.
,

such as wer e able to s ave themselves fr om the rapid

c ur r en t o f the r ive r we r e sh o t by the ar che r s o f the

E mi r st ati on ed on the b an ks for th at pur p o se These

, .

r epe a ted misfo r tun es i mp r essed the T o led an s with the

n e c essity o f pe ac e .Their v al or an d their con stan cy

un der the mo st dis couragin g c ircu mstan c es alth ough ,

exhibited in an evil c ause c ann ot but ex cite the ad

,

mir ation o f ever y r e ader F or the lon g per io d o f

.

twen ty ye ar s M oh ammed made in c ess an t but v ain

a ttempts to subdue them They defied the utmo st
.

e ff orts o f his p owe r They men ac ed him in his very

.

c a pit al . They r outed his armies o ften comman ded ,

by prin c es o f the bloo d They disman tled his stron g

.

ho lds The mo st over whelmin g r ever ses on ly n er ved

.

them to gr e ater exer tion s G r e at losses in the field

.
,

the tor tur es o f f amin e the mur mur s o f their dis

,

a ff e c ted t o wn s men co uld n ot sh ake thei r dete r min a

,

tion or ex c ite their fe ar s The attempts to storm .

their fo r tific ation s we r e r epulsed with hero i c cour age .

Their de cimated r an ks wer e r e cruited from the stur dy

moun t ai n eers o f Leon an d the A s tur i a s I t is in v ain .

th at the modern hist ori an se arches for the mo tives th at

in s pir ed an d sust ain ed this sen timen t o f in depen den c e ,

this h abitual defian c e o f author ity The an c ient .

5 14 HISTORY OF TH E

an d bili ties o f M oh ammed The evil co n seque n c es

a .

o f th at pe rn i c i o us syste m pe c u l i ar to the Ar a bs
, of ,

en tr ustin g imp or t an t comman ds to r en ega des with

ou t p r evi o us s a tisfa ct or y tests o f thei r fidelity we r e ,

on c e mor e demo n str ated Mus a I bn Zeyad w ho

.
- -
,

tra c ed his des c en t from the bran ch o f the Visi

g othic n o bility kn o wn to the Ar abs as the Ben i
K asi an d whom w e h ave seen defe ated at Albey d a
, ,

w a s s oon a fte r war ds th r o ugh the in tr igues o f fan ati

,

c al co u r tie r s w ho acc used him o f tr e as on r e mo ved

“
,

fr om his p o st o f w ali o f S ara g o ss a an d disgr ac ed .

This offi c e r wh o se milit ar y talen ts an d political c a

,

p ac ity wer e f ar ab o ve the ave r age seein g all av e ,

n ue s for p r omo ti on un de r the emi rate c l osed an d ,

keen ly feelin g the l n Justi c e o f the t r e atmen t he had

r e c eived proc eeded at on c e to or g an ize an in su rr ec
,

tio n an e asy matter amon g the a dven tur e rs o f the

,

fr on tie r n atur ally p ro n e to in con st an c y an d i n s u b

o r din ati o n P o pular amon g his subj e cts ahn o st the
.
,

en tir e pr o vin c e o f whi c h S arago ss a w as the capital

declar ed fo r his c ause Tudela Hues ca T o ledo s o
.
, , ,

l icite d his alli an c e H avin g b affled the e fforts o f the

.

E mi r to c rush hi m he tr an smitted his authority to

,

his s on Mus a The latte r se cur in g the fr ien dship an d

.
,

supp ort o f the N avarr ese cro ssed the Pyr en ees an d
, ,

c ar r ied fi re an d sw o r d i n t o S o uthe r n F r an c e His .

succ ess w as s o r emar kable an d the r es o ur c es o f the

,

F r en c h mon ar chy wer e s o in a dequ ate to r esist the

p ro gr ess o f this en te r prisin g p ar tis an th at Ch arles ,

the B ald n o t o n ly con des c en ded to tr eat with him on

equ al terms but pur ch ased immun ity fr om future in
,

r o a ds by the p aymen t o f a l a r ge s u m o f mo n ey an d

the besto wal o f magn ific en t gifts The distin c tion .

a c qui r ed by Mus a from the r esult s o f this expediti on

in dir e ctly pro du c ed gr eat acc essi on s to his p ower His .

s on L o pe be came o n e o f the magistrates o f T o led o .

The r estless p o pulatio n o f the bo r de r flo cked to his

 MOORIS H E M P I RE IN E U RO PE 5 15

st an dar d by th o us an ds His army w as fur ther au g

.

men ted by n u mber s o f Chr is ti an a— M oz arabes as well ‘

as G as con s an d N av arr e s e —wh o se f orme r h abits an d

,

experien c e made them valuable s o ldier s The mar ti al .

s pi r it Of Mus a w a s di s pl ayed i n dis c r imi n a tely ag ai n s t

Chr istian an d M o s lem; hi s p r ow es s w a s r e s pe cted an d

his in depen den c e r eluc tan tly ackn owledged alike by
the courts o f C o r do v a Aix l a Ch apelle an d O vied o
,
- -
, .

With a p ar d on able v an ity ju s tified by actu al p ower

,

an d the p o ssessi on o f ter r it o r y he as sumed the title Of

,

Thir d Kin g o f S pain H i s de ath in 8 6 2 w as fo llo wed

.

by a p ar tial dis membermen t Of hi s domin ion s which ,

en abled M oh ammed to r e cover S arago ss a Tudela an d , ,

a few o ther pl a c e s o f mi n o r i mp or t an c e ; but o n ly a

f ew ye ar s ela psed befo r e the family o f Mu s a e n ,

dear ed to the peo ple by the explo its Of its foun der s ,

r eg a i n ed its fo rme r a s c en den c y an d on c e mor e ex

,

pelled the fo r c es Of the emi rate Altho ugh n othin g

.

is s aid o f the r eligi ous belief o f the Ben i K asi it may -

,

be in ferr ed th at they had r eturn ed to the Chr istian

commun i on a s Alfon s o I II
, their clo s e ally en
.
, ,

trusted to these distin guished pr in c es the educ ation

Of his son O r dono heir to the cr own Of the Astur i as
,

an d Le on .

The N orman pirates familiar to the r e ader o f Ar ab

,

chr on i c les a s M ag io g es —a n ame de r ived fro m the

,

fabulous G og an d M ago g who se des c en d an ts they

,

wer e acco r din g to the doubtful auth or ity o f mediae v al

,

tr adition —
,
seven ye ars a fter M oh ammed as c en ded the
thron e made a s e con d des c en t u p o n the sh or es o f the
Pen in sula The spo il whi ch they had collected in their
.

fir st ex c u r si on a n d the facility with whi c h they had

pen etra ted in t o the hear t o f F ran c e an d S p ain ex c ited
their in s ati able cupidity an d in spir ed them with the
,

ho pe o f even mor e p ro fitable adven tur e s But these .

expect ation s wer e defe ated by the v alo r Of the G ali

cian s an d by the p ruden c e Of Abd al R ahman II
- -
.
,
5 16 HISTORY OF TH E

w ho , l e dy r elated had est ablished a coast gu ar d

‘

as a r a ,
-
,

a n d disp o sed the n av a l fo r c es Of the emi r a te to i n ter

c ept the l an din g an d c h a stise the aud ac ity Of these

in tr epid an d mysterious rover s Of the se as The f ame .

o f thei r fo rmer su cc ess ha d in c r e a sed thei r n umbe r s ,

an d ,a fte r an i n e ff e c tu al a n d dis astro us attempt to

plun der the sea port to w n s o f G ali ci a seven ty well ,

man n ed vessels o f their fl e et appe ar ed o ff the c oast

o f An d alusi a Disemb arkin g at v ar i ous p oin ts the
.
,

N orman s e ff e c ted con sider able d amage but n ot , ,

ven turin g in l an d their b o o ty b or e n o comp arison in

,

quan tity or value to th at Obtain ed by their former

visit ation an d meetin g with a r esist an c e en tir ely un
,

expe cted they r etir ed to tr y their fo r tun es on the co ast

,

o f Afr i c a I n th at coun t r y man y settleme n ts su ff er ed

.

the dr e a dful evils con sequen t up on su c h att acks an d , ,

a fter destr o yin g wh a teve r they co uld n ot c ar r y aw ay ,

they r ava ged the B ale ar ic I sles an d steer in g e ast , ,

war d swept alon g the sh or es o f the Medite rran ean as

,

f ar a s S i c ily an d M alt a The un p r ote cted r egion s Of

.

I t aly an d Gr ee c e a g ain exper ien c ed the dir e e ff ects

Of b ar bar i an malev o len c e this time un mitigated by ,

the symp athy o f a common r eligious belief ; the in

s tin ctiv e an tip athy Of the s av a ges o f the N or th to all

th at bor e the stamp o f c ivilization w as gra tified with

o u t r estr a i n t ; a n d l a de n with plu n de r Of i n cal c ul able
,

v alue an d for o n c e s ati ated with bloo d an d h avo c the ,

pirates dir ected their cou r se homewar d thr ough the

S tr ait o f Gibralt ar .

The in c ess an t h ostilities main t ain ed by O r do no with

the kin gdom Of C or dov a wer e in gen eral favor able , ,

to the Ch r isti an arms E n coura ged by the vi c t ory he

.

had Obt a in ed at Al b ey d a the Astur i an mo n ar ch ex

,

ten ded his Oper atio n s f ar to the s outh o f the D our o .

The kn o wledge Of the g r owin g we akn ess o f their

en emi es an d the con s ci ous n ess o f their o w n v alor an d
,

r es o urc es impelled the moun t aineer s to still gr e ater

,
5 18 HISTORY OF TH E

their att ac k The fields an d vin eyar ds o f Lisbo n

.

wer e tr ampled down by the Ch risti an squ a dron s ; the

to wn Of Cin tr a w as burn ed an d ever y h amlet acc es ,

s ible to the fu r y o f a pitiless en emy w as dep o pul ated

a n d dest r o yed But the s alut ar y less on the Astur ian s

.

had bee n r e c en tly t aught w as n o t lo st up on them an d , ,

witho ut wa itin g for the ar my th at M o h ammed de

s p atched i n al l h a ste to in te r c ept thei r r et r e at they ,

r eti r ed with the s ame c ele r ity whi ch had mar ked thei r

a ppe ar an c e .

Un able to arr est these i n ro a ds by or din ar y me an s ,

M oh ammed determin ed to h ave r e cour se to his n avy ,

an d disemb ar k a forc e i n the c en t r e Of the e n emy s

’

coun t r y The fleet r e ached the western c oast in s a fety

.
,

but befor e a l an din g could be e ff ected w as destroyed

by a hurr i c an e The mor e rigid M o slems wh ose
.
,

str i c t ideas had been sh o c ked by the bravin g o f an

elemen t Of whi ch the P ro phet had sto o d in wh oles ome
dr ead r eg ar ded this c at astro phe as a well mer ited
,
-

c h a stisemen t fro m he aven f o r dis o bedie n c e to the

K or an .

The r evo lt Of T oled o had from time to time been , ,

follo wed by the defe ction Of o the r c ities wh o se dis ,

o r de r s while i mp o r t a n t i n the aggr eg ate we r e si n gly

, ,

o f little momen t i n thei r e ff e c ts up on the a ff ai r s o f

the Pen in sula On e ho wever in s ome r espects gr e atly

.
, ,

r esembli n g th a t by whi c h the ol d ca pit a l Of the Visi

go ths had se cur ed its in depen den c e deser ves to be ,

r el ated as it de mon st ra tes mor e th o ro ughly th an an

, ,

en ti r e ch ro n icle c ould d o the deplorable helplessn ess

,

in to whi ch the empir e foun ded by Abd al Rahman - -

had f allen I bn Bl er w an a r e n eg ade p r o min e n t in

.
-
,

fo rmer r ebellion s an d whom the foolish policy of

,

the M o slems has ag ain en t rusted with a p o sitio n of

r esp on sibility a gg r ieved by s ome petty i n sult
, de ,

s er te d
, an d accomp a n ied by a f e w o f his r et a in e r s
, ,

s eized the c a stle o f Al an j e n e ar Me r id a Besieged

, .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E U RO PE 5 19

befor e he had time to collect supplies he n ever theless ,

held ou t fo r thr ee mon th s when he surr en der ed on ,

con diti on o f his r eti r emen t to B a gd a d N O s oon er w as .

he fr ee h owever than he pro c laimed himself the

, ,

a po stle o f a n ew r eligio n whose do c tr in es wer e bor

,

r owed from th o se o f b o th Ch r isti an ity an d I s l amis m;

in cr e as ed his fo llo win g by the en li s tmen t Of b an dits

an d o utl a w s ; an d i mit a ti n g the ex ample o f the T o le
,

d an s str en gthen ed his c au s e by an allian c e W ith the

,

Kin g o f the As tur i as H is depred ation s be came s o

.

an n oyi n g th a t an army u n de r H aschim M oh ammed s

’

fav or ite vizier w as desp at c hed again st him The

, .

wily p ar ti s an fou n d little tro uble i n de coyin g the

vizier in to an ambus c ade ; hi s comman d w as ann i
hil ate d ; an d he hi mself w as s en t as a t r o phy to the
cour t Of Alfon s o When the E mir made pr o p os als
.

for the r an s o m o f H as chim the Chr isti an kin g de ,

man d ed the immen se s u m o f a hun dr ed thous an d

pie c es o f g o ld Much as he des ir ed the r ele ase Of his
.

min ister the pars imon y Of M o h ammed which had in

, ,

cr e ased with ye ar s dete rr ed hi m fr om s o p r o fuse an

,

expen ditur e F or man y mon ths H as chim r emain ed

.

in c a ptivity but at len gth the en tr e aties o f his family

,

ove r c ame the r elu c t an c e o f the E mi r an d he c on ,

sen ted to s en d a p or tion Of the ran s om The balan c e .

w as se cu r ed by the delive r y o f h o st ages an d the vizie r ,

w as fin ally libe r ated .

On hi s r etur n to C o r do v a H as chim fou n d th at his ,

an c ien t en emy with Who m even M o h am

,
med himself
w as un able to co pe had dur in g his a bsen c e att ain ed
, , ,

to the dign ity o f an in depen den t p rin c e The E mir .

,

in timidated by the men ac es o f I bn M erw an had been -

,

compelled to c o n c lude a pe a c e with th a t c hieft a in ; to

c ede to him the s tr on g c ity o f B ada j oz ; to r ele a se him

from the p aymen t o f tr ibute ; an d to acc ede to such

con diti on s as vi r tu ally dispen sed with the duties o f the

subj e ct a s well a s abrogated the authority Of the

,

s over eign .
5 20 HISTORY OF T HE

The e ff ec t Of thi s pusill an imous con duc t up on the

malcon ten ts an d f an ati cs w ho in fested ever y commu
n ity Of the emi rate— a s oc iety the amalg ama tion o f

wh ose elemen ts seemed utterly impr actic a ble ; desti

tute Of r eli gious un ity ; witho ut the slightest ide a O f
p oliti cal v irtue or p atriotis m; an d a ckn o wledgin g n o
in c en tive to subor din ation but th at suggested by the
employmen t Of milit ar y for c e—may r e adily be imag
i n ed . F ew c ities pr eser ved even the a ppe ar an c e Of
'
or der E ver y la wless p assi on raged witho ut con trol
. .

F euds wer e p ro se cuted with out i n ter fer en c e The .

fun ction s o f the magistr ate the Oblig ation s o f the

,

peo ple wer e suspen ded The empir e sh atte r ed i n

,
.
,

ever y p ar t seemed on the ve r ge o f diss oluti on

,
.

N either pr oxi mity to the se at o f g over n me n t the ,

p r o spec t o f r oyal fav or n or fear Of the con sequen ces

,

Of t re as on suffic ed to r et ain the st ates in their alle

g i an ce An d alusi a alon e sust ain ed with a pp ar ent
.

fidelity the cause o f I slam an d the dign ity an d

fortun es Of the mon ar ch ; but even this pro vin ce w as
n ow desti n ed to be the se a t Of an i n s u r r e c ti on wh ose

c on sequen c es th r e ate n ed to i n v o lve the c iviliz a ti on o f

the West an d the dyn asty Of the Ommey ad es in sud

d en an d i rr et riev a ble r uin .

F r om the time o f the C aes ar s th at pi c tur esque ch ain

,

o f mou n t ai n s n ow kn o w n as the S e r r a n i a de Ron da ,

which traver ses the s outhern p ar t o f the Pen in sula ,

has bee n the s c en e Of in su rr e c tio n an d o f l awless deeds

which n o govern men t has eve r been able to th o r oughly
suppr ess The prover bial r elu ct an c e o f the moun
.

tain e er to co n f or m to est ablished laws w as i n this ,

r egi on espe c i ally en co ur aged by the s a v a ge c h ar a cter

,

o f the coun tr y whi ch to all un ac qu ain ted with its

, ,

in tri cate p aths an d gloomy fas tn es s es O ff er ed an ,

aspe c t as fo r biddin g as it w as p r eg n an t with d an ge r .

The p o pul ation Of these mo unt ain s in love o f fr ee ,

d om in str en gth o f b o dy in milit ar y p ro wess w as the

, , ,
5 22 HISTORY OF T HE

l aw , he s ought the p r esen c e o f his father w ho dis ,

o wn ed him a n d dro ve him fr om his h ome K n o win g .

th at he could n ot for a gr e at While lon ger elude the

sear ch o f the Offi c ers w ho we r e s co ur in g the coun tr y
in al l di r e cti on s he emb ar ked f or T aho rt in Afr i ca
, ,

whe r e he foun d r efuge in the h o use Of a t ailor w ho

kn ew o f his family but w as ign o r an t o f his r e c en t
histor y an d w ho willin gly acc epted him as an appren
,

tic e He r e he w as s oon a fter r eco gn ized by an ac

.

quai n tan c e an d appr ehe n sive o f bein g den oun c ed as

, ,

a fugitive f ro m j usti c e a n d surr en de r ed f or e x ecu

ti on he left hi s ben efa cto r an d se cr etly r eturn ed to

,

An d alusi a I mpelled per for c e to the p r o fession o f

.
, ,

an o utl aw he a ssembled a n umber Of adve n tur ous

,

spir its r ep air ed an Old Roman for t o n the summit o f

,

M oun t B obas tro an d en te r ed up on a life o f rapin e

, .

The gr e at pl ain st r et chin g fr om the foo t o f the sier ra

to the c a pit al w as s oon at his me r c y His b an d in .

cr e ased with the f ame o f his expl o its ; the c ities o f

An dalusi a tr embled at his n ame ; the go vern or o f the
p r ovin c e w ho had ven tur ed to att a ck him with a str on g
,

b o dy o f r egular tr oo ps w as r educ ed to the humili ation

,

o f seei n g his s o ldie r s r o uted an d his c amp pill aged by

a h an dful o f d ar i n g mar aude r s This Offic i al who se

.
,

in competen cy w as pr esumed to be the c ause o f his

mi s for tun e w as r emoved but his suc c ess o r an e x pe
, , ,

r ie n c ed vete r an f ar ed n o bette r After a time the

, .
,

r ebel w as su rr o un ded by a str on g fo r c e un de r the

vizie r H aschim an d compelled to sur r en der His

, .

br aver y an d t alen ts had so ex cited a d mir ation Of the

l atte r th at he in duc ed the E mir to O ff er him an im
p or tan t c omman d in the army Between the acc ept .

a n c e Of this u n expe c ted f av or an d c on fin ement i n a

dun geon the r e could be n o hesit ati on in makin g a

c h o i c e a n d the fo r me r b r ig an d w as duly c ommissi on ed
,

an offi c er Of the emi r a te I n man y e n g a ge men ts with

.

the in sur gen ts an d moun t ain eer s Of the N orth he bor e ,

 M OORIS H E MP IRE IN E U RO PE 5 23

himself with a self r espe ctin g dign ity little to be ex

-

pec te d fro m his for mer lawle s s beh avi or Admired .

by his gen er al r es pe c ted by his comr ades an d fe ar ed

, ,

by his en emie s ther e s eemed to un fold befor e him the

,

fl atter in g p ro spe c t o f s peedy pro motio n an d all the

hon or s an d we alth in c iden t to a distin gui s hed milit ar y
c ar eer But the petty j e alousies o f r iv al co urtier s
.

could n o t b r o ok the s u dde n elev a tio n an d r i s i n g p r o s

per ity Of thi s n ew favor ite o f H as chim The p arty .

Opp os ed to the v izier employed ever y me an s to an n o y

an d humili ate the h aughty r e n eg a de The go vern or .

o f the c ity un de r v a ri ou s p r etexts compelled him to

, ,

con s t an tly mo ve his qu a r te rs The purveyor s Of the .

army i n stig a ted by the en emie s o f hi s p at ro n

, r egu ,

l arl y fu rn i s hed hi m with r atio n s u n fit fo r con su mp

ti on His c omplain ts wer e i n e ff e ctu al ; even his p a
.

tro n told him tha t he must a v en ge hi s own wron gs .

E x aspe r ated by s uch tr e atmen t abo v e all as it w as in ,

n o wi s e de s e r ved a n d u n willin g to l on ger submit to

,

the in s ults th at ever y d ay be c ame less en dur able I bn ,

H a fs u n de s er ted an d a g ai n s ought the p ro te ctin g

,

solitudes o f the S er r an i a de Ron da His b an d w as .

s o on r e a ssembled ; the fo rtr e s s o f B ob as tr o whic h ,

the pr uden c e Of M oh ammed had gr e atly s tr en gth

en ed w as sur p r i s ed ; an d the d ar in g p ar tis an i n the
, ,

s p ac e o f a f e w weeks be came on c e mor e the id o l Of

,

the moun tain eer s an d the terr or o f the pe as an tr y o f

An d alusi a But his s ervi c e in the army Of the E mir
.

had wrou ght a r e mark able c h an ge in the s en timen ts

an d c o n du c t Of the Outl aw He pr o cl aimed hims elf .

the ch ampi on o f fr eedom the aven ger o f al l w ho had ,

suff er ed from the ext or tion s an d in justic e Of the

r eign i n g f a mily I n this ca p acity he w as r e c o gn ized
.

as the r ep r ese n t ative o f the r en eg a de s the Chr isti an s , ,

an d the Be r ber s w ho thus f or med an i n con g ru ous

, ,

but for a time an e ff ec tive alli an c e again st the domi

, ,

n an t Ar a b a rist ocrac y By assumin g the ch ar acter

.
5 24 HISTORY OF T HE

of a defen der Of the Oppr essed he in vested his c ause ,

with a n ati on al impor t an c e an d r elieved it to a gr eat , ,

exten t fr om the disg ra c eful imput ation o f br ig and

,

a e
g . The member s o f his b an d wer e subj e c ted to the
mo st sever e r estr ain t Robber y an d i n sub or din a
.

tion we r e pun ished with in st an t de ath The en tir e .

moun t ain distr i ct w as gr a du ally in c luded within his

j urisdi c ti on an d se curity o f pro per ty an d life su ch as
, ,

th at r egion n ever kn ew befo r e existed I t be came a ,

.

c ommon s a yi n g a mon g the An d alusi an s th at a woman

lo aded with silver might cro ss an y portion Of the

S erran i a de Ron da witho ut the le ast d an ger Of mo
l e s tati on S uch a demon strati on o f se curity would
.

h ave been elsewhe r e imp racti c able even in the po pu ,

lo us distr i c ts o f the emi r ate p atrolled by a vigilan t

p olic e an d its attempt would h ave in vited c ert ain
,

de ath in the dist an t an d un p ro te cted provin ces o f the

empir e .

I n the co n t r o l o f his s o ldier s I bn H a fs u n a d o pted ,

-

all th o se p o liti c expedie n ts whi c h raise com man der s

to p o pular ity an d r en o wn —i n ex orable j usti c e u n , ,

stin ted liber ality prompt r ec o gn iti on o f effi c ien t ser

,

vi c e me r ciless pun ishmen t o f ser ious in frac tion s o f

,

dis c iplin e His in cr e asin g po wer in vited the adhe

.

r en c e o f mal con ten ts w ho held r esp on sible p o sts un der

the gove rn men t amon g them n ot a f ew r en eg ades

, ,

tho se pests Of ever y a dmin istr ation who se cr edulous

we akn ess heeded their p r o test ati on s or trusted their
l oya lty I n the year 8 8 6 I bn H a f sun w as assistin g
.
,
-

on e Of these t r a ito r s i n the defen c e o f Al h ama a g ai n st

the p r in c e Al M o n dhir The b an dit chieft ain had

-
.

been woun ded i n a s ally an d the g arr is on w as about ,

to su rr en der when n ews r e ached the p r in c e o f the

,

death Of his father an d n ec essit ated his immediate

,

r etu r n This unho ped for ch an ge i n his for tun es

.
-

O ff er ed an Oppor tun ity whi ch the wily I bn H a fsun -

w as n ot slow to a pp r e c i ate By plausible r epr esen ta .

5 26 HISTORY OF T HE

an in sign ifican t p r in c ip ality S ep timan i a Le on Ar

.
, ,

agon ,C at alo n i a an d a large p o r tio n Of C a stile wer e

,

i n the h an ds o f the en emy I n the N or th the w a lis

.
,

Of the s c atter ed fo r tr esses whi c h still pr eserved a

n omi n al allegi an c e to the E mi r we r e se c r etly le a gued

with the in fidel I n the West the aud ac ious I bn

.
,

M er w an plun der ed at will the r i ch settlemen ts Of

E str ema dur a an d Lusit an i a V alen c ia an d Mu r ci a
.
,

the n ur series Of man y a ser ious r evo lt exhibited u n ,

c o n c e aled sig n s o f dis a ff e c ti on c a used by the i mp o si

,

tion o f ex c essive t axes an d the un c on tr o lled r a p acity

Of their g over n or s I n the S outh the d arin g I bn
.
,

H a fs u n the r ep r esen t ative Of the p r ej udi c es an d the

,

a spi r ati o n s o f a n ume r ous an d g r o wi n g f ac ti on ex er ,

c i s ed desp oti c r ule over the g r e a ter p ar t o f An d alusi a .

B rigan ds swarmed on the highways T r avel w as im .

p ossible ex c ept un de r the p r ote ction o f a s tr on g es

,

co r t . C ommun i c ati on between the gr e at c ities Of the

Pen in sul a w as as difficult as if they had been sep a
r a ted by v ast c on ti n e n ts o r se a s At o n e time for .
,

eight ye ars in ter cou r se w as en tir ely suspen ded be

,

tween S ar ago ss a an d C o r do va I n ever y co mmun ity .

an ill d e fin ed but un ive r s al p r ese n timen t o f i mpen d

-

in g evil p r ev a il ed S oc iety w as di s t rac ted by the

.

quarr els Of theo logi an s fr ivo lo us in their n atur e but

, ,

Often ser ious in their con sequen c es I n the history .

o f I sl am a dispute co n c e r n in g a r eligi o us f or mul a or

,

the authen tic ity Of a tr aditi on had mor e th an on ce led , ,

to a blo o dy p r o s cr ipti on o r i n v o lved en tir e n ati on s in

,

w ar . While the ma j or ity Of the Ch r isti an tribut ar ies

ac quies c ed i n the con diti on s imp o sed by the M o slem

laws n umber s o f deluded fan atics res or tin g to ever y

, ,

spe cies o f outra ge an d blasphemy cour ted the to rtures ,

an d the f ame o f mar tyr d om Much o f the coun try

.

w as dep o pul ated Whe r e the in h abitan ts r emain ed

.
,

a g r i c ultu r al an d comme r c i al Ope r ati on s g r e atly de

c lin ed an d , in s ome dist r i c ts we r e a bs olutely sus

 M OORIS H E MP IRE IN E U RO PE 5 27

pen ded The publi c r even ues wer e dimin ished to

.

such an exten t th at even the pen uri ous n ess Of the

E mi r aided by the extor ti o n s Of his mer ciless Offi
,

c i al s
, c o u ld with di ff i c ulty p r ovide f or the n e c ess ar y
expen s e s Of the r oyal h ous eho ld At the de ath Of .

M ohammed s c ar c ely o n e fo urth o f the terr itor i al

,
-

ar e a o v e r whi c h he cl ai med s ove r eign j uri s di c tion

a ck n o wledged the legiti mac y o f his title o r co n t r ibuted

to the mai n ten an c e o f hi s po we r .

The e v iden c es o f n ati on al de c aden c e are o n ly too

per c eptible i n the dis a ppe ar an c e o f public spir it an d
mi lit ar y vir tue ; in the in c e s s an t p r o s e cu ti on o f in te s
tin e war far e ; in the almo st un r esisted en cro achmen ts
o f the Ch r isti an arms ; i n the h a bitu al t r e ac he r y Of

offic e r s e n t rusted with high comman d s ; in the j e al

ou s i e s o f co u r tie r s an d the i n t r igues Of f an ati c s ; i n

the feign ed en thus ias m o f crus ades in augurated in

Obedien c e to the p r in c iples o f I s lam so metime s ,

cr own ed with p ar ti al s ucc ess but o ften termi ,

n ati n g i n disg r a c e an d dis a ste r .

The ch ar acter o f M oh ammed w a s p rin c ip ally r e

markable for irr es o lution an d p ars imo n y He su r .

r en de r ed wh o le p r ovi n c es an d deg ra ded his dign ity

by humili atin g con c e s s ion s extorted by the thr eats

o f i n s olen t c hiefs o f b an ditti S uc h w as his me an
.

n ess th a t i n a tr an s a c tio n i n v o lvi n g the p aymen t o f

,

mor e than a hun dr ed thous an d din ar s he defrauded ,

the tr e as ur y Offic i als Of a few piec es o f co pper He .

r edu c ed the p ay o f his s o ldie r s He c on de s c en ded to

.

s h ar e the s al ar ie s o f g o ver n men t empl oyees whom ,

he a ppo in ted c on dition ally up on the division Of their

earn in gs Y et with the s e seri ou s faults he w as the
.
, ,

p atr on Of s cien c e the fr ien d o f the le arn ed a gr ac e

, ,

ful p o et an d or ator an d on e o f the mo st acco mplished

,

c allig r a phists Of his ti me The lack o f e ff ec tive or

.

a n i zati on ; the se cr et an d i mpl ac able h o stility th a t

g
pervaded every bran ch o f the bo dy p oli tic ; the bo ld
528 HISTORY OF T HE

n ess an d te n ac ity O f the Astur ian s aided by the

,

symp athy o f an inn umerable bo dy Of Christian e ccle

s i as ti cs d omi c iled i n eve r y c ity an d vill a ge o f the em

pir e ; an d the un avo idable cat astro phes Of n atur e ,

r en de r it extr emely p ro blemati cal whether un der,

Similar c ircumst an c es a p r in c e p ossessed o f gr e ater

,

a bility th an M o h ammed c oul d h ave bette r sust ai n ed

the de clin in g f or tun es o f the emir ate .

5 30 HISTORY OF T HE

Of his son as heir a pp ar en t w ho had n o t in fr equen tly

, , ,

been ass oc iated with him in the con du c t o f the ad min

i s tr ation A co un c il comp o sed Of the p r in c ip a l O ffi c e r s
.
,

p r elates an d n o bles o f the reahn w as co n v oked an d

, ,

r equi r ed to sh o w its dev o ti on to ki n g or e mi r by swe ar

in g allegi an c e to the p r in c e whom p ate rn al a ff e cti on ,

an d s ometi mes disti n gui shed me r it had design a ted as ,

the futur e s over eign This assen t p rompted by in

.
,

tere st an d the c e r t ai n ty o f ro y al f av or w as seld om ,

r efused a n d st r en gthe n ed by cust om un til it be came

, ,

a p ar t Of the c on stituti on w as a fte r a few gen e ra

, ,

tion s r eg arded as a mer e c e r emon i al — the formal

, ,

a sse rti on Of a r ight who se leg a lity had bee n t ac itly

est ablished by con side r atio n s Of public p olic y if n ot by ,

an c ien t p r es cr ipti o n But such w as the e ff e ct Of a

.

r egul ati on in g o ve rn me n ts whi c h p r ese r ved the forms

Of election but r epudi ated its un trammelled exercise ,

th at the ch o ic e Of the mon arch as s o on as he as cen ded ,

the th ron e gen erally foun d himself embro iled with

,

his less fortun ate b r ethr en e ach Of wh om believed th at

,

he had been defrauded Of his bir th right Th at the .

mer e c on sen t o f the coun c il w as n o t deemed con clu

siv e is proven by the f ac t that p o ssessi on Of the p alac e
w as dee med p ri ma faci e eviden c e O f title a p r in c iple ,

r e co g n ized equ ally at O vied o an d C or d o v a With in .

subor din ation c ame c ivil w ar an d the l amen t able con

sequen c es O f in tern ecin e con fli ct The s av age in stin cts .

Of the G othi c p r i n c es c aused them to bli n d thei r un

,

fortun ate r iv als an d immur e them for life in the f oul

a n d r eeki n g c ells o f subte r ran e an du n ge on s The .

ven gean ce Of the M oor h o weve r w a s usually s atisfied

, ,

with shor t impr is on men t an d if the culp r it exp r essed

, ,

co n t r iti on he w as o ften r est or ed to f av or an d his cr i me

,

con don ed The studen t o f an c ien t S p an ish histor y

.

cann o t f ail to be deeply imp r essed with the di ff e r ent

metho ds Of de alin g with tr e as on in the n orth an d south

Of the Pen in sul a r egion s arrayed ag ain st e ach o ther
,
 M OORIS H E MP IRE IN E U RO PE 531

in con ti n ual h ostility — exhibiting marke d r esem

,

blan c es when they wer e le ast to b e expe cted an d in , ,

dispo sin g Of O ff ences aimed at the throne an d life

O f the mon ar ch displ a ying on the on e h an d an i n
, , ,

d u l g en ce di ctated by a ma gn ani mity th at seemed

almo st sui c id al ; on the o ther a s ever ity ch arac te rized
,

by atro c ities th at could on ly pr o c eed from the gro sse s t

b ar b ar ism .

The long an d illustrio us r eign o f Alfons o III .

,

worthily named The Gr e at whi ch occupies so mu c h,

sp ac e i n the e arly ann als Of the R e con quest affor ds ,

a con spi cu ous ex ample o f the vi c issitudes an d t r i als

that atten ded the adven tur o us li ves o f the prin c es Of

the As turi an monarchy Assoc iated with his father
.

O r dono for four year s pr ec edin g his adven t to the

thron e he w as far from bein g a novic e when su m
,

mon ed to assume the grave r esp on sibilities o f sov

ere i n t
g y . The four bro ther s Of the King j e alous o f ,

the p atern al pr efer en c e an d disputin g the leg ality Of

,

a c ustom th at arb it rar ily ex c luded from the su c c e s s i on

even those most eligible un der the p rovision s Of the

an c ien t Visig o thic c on s tituti o n united thei r forc e s in
,

a formid able attempt to subver t the aut hor ity Of Al

fon s o The en ter pr ise r esul ted dis astrously ; the b ar

.

bar ous severity o f the la ws w as demon strated witho ut

the mi tig ation th at might h ave been expected fr om
the in fluen ce o f fratern al symp athy an d the unh appy ,

prin c es wer e dep rived o f their eyesight an d imp ri s

o n e d for life in the c a stle o f O viedo Thr ee o f them .

speedily s ank under the h ar dships o f confin emen t ; but

the fourth V eremun d o succ eeded by s ome for tun ate
, , ,

c ir c umst an c e in es c a pin g an d w a s even tu ally raised

, ,
.

by his adher en ts to the go vernmen t Of Astorga I n .

this stro ng c ity occ a sion ally a ssisted b y the arms o f

,

the M oor s he su cc essful ly defied the att acks o f the

,

Kin g o f the Asturi as for mor e th an seven year s The .

addr ess an d cou r age n e c e s s a r ily i mplied by this deter

532 HISTORY OF T HE

mi n ed r esistan c e themselves sufficien tly r emark

a re in
a ble ; but the f a c t th at the he r o w ho di r e c ted Ope ra

ti on s whi ch thwar ted the design s an d r epulsed the

for c es Of an en tir e kin gdom fo r this exten ded per i od
w a s t o t ally blin d may well aw ake n su r p rise an d ad
miration .

The emin en t abilities o f Alfon s o I II wer e dis .

pl ayed on man y a h o tly c o n tested field an d i n man y

a c r iti c al eme r ge n c y du r in g his l on g car ee r His arms .

we r e c arr ied far the r in to the cou n tr y Of the en emy

th an the br avest Of his p r ede c ess or s had ven tur ed to
pen etrate C o imbr a O po rto Zamo ra T o r o S iman
.
, , , ,

c a s an d n ume r ous o the r c ities Of less i mp or t a n c e we r e

,

a dded to the d o mi n i o n s o f the Ch r isti a n mo n ar chy by

the e ffo r ts Of his v alor or the te rr or Of his n ame The .

s oun d Of his trumpets had aw ake n ed the affr ighted

pe as an tr y wh o se fields occupied the fer tile slo pes o f
the S ie rr a M or en a His b an n er s had been r epe atedly
.

s ee n f r om the b attle men ts Of Me r ida His squ ad .

r on s ha d me n ac ed the subu r b s o f the M o sle m c a pit al .

He en fo rc ed with un ab ated r ig or the r uthless policy

Of exte rmin ation in augura ted by the fir st mo n arch o f
his n ame The c a ptives t aken in his n ume r ous e x pe
.

d ition s we r e f or the mo st p ar t dist r ibuted amon g

, ,

the est ates o f the e cclesi as ti c al o r de r an d the r oyal

demes n es to be emplo yed in the con stru ction Of
,

c hu rc hes, mo n aste r ies c astles an d p ala c es

, , With .

e ach a dvan c e Of the lin e markin g the b o un d ary o f

the tw o kin gd o ms to the s o uthw ar d n ew f or tresses ,

w e r e e r e c ted the mo st f amo us Of whic h w as th at

,

whi ch stoo d up on the site Of mo dern Bu r gos a city ,

wh o se fo rtun es h ave ever bee n s o c lo sely iden tified

with th o se o f the C astili an mon archy The provin c e .

Of N av arr e he reto fore co n sider ed as an in sign ifican t

,

pr in c ip ality wh o se allegi an c e to the Astur i an C rown

,

w as c on c eded r athe r by the in di ff e r en c e o f its inh abi

t an ts th an b ased up on the ackn o wledgmen t of an y
534 HISTORY OF T HE

medi ately a fter ession s en t him the cust omary

hi s a cc ,

tr ibute whi ch he at on c e r eturn ed with the foll owin g

,

mess a ge Keep your mo n ey for the expen ses o f w ar

, ,
”
fo r if G o d s o wills I sh all s oon att a ck y ou
, , .

The absen c e Of Al M on d hir as has been alr e ady -

,

r el ated , g ave the r edoubta ble r ebel I bn H a fs u n an -

Opp or tun ity to gr e atly in cr e ase his f o llowin g an d to ,

se cur e by thr e ats an d delusive p romises man y imp or

, ,

t an t fo r tr esses in And alusia The r es o lute pr ince .

,

th oroughly cogn iz an t Of the d an ger ous ch ar ac ter Of

his adver s ar y did n ot su ff er him to lon g en j o y the
,

adv an t ages whi ch the d omesti c misfo r tu n e O f othe r s

rathe r th an his o w n a bilities ha d e n a bled him to Obt ain .

Le avin g C or dov a quietly at the head Of a bo dy Of

veter an t ro o ps he sudde n ly laid siege to the stron g
,

p ost Of Ar chidon a comman ded by an ally o f I bn ,

H a fs un an d like him a r en eg a de The b oldn ess Of

, , , .

this chieftain w ho while def amin g the r eligi on he had

, ,

r e n o un c ed de c l ar ed his willi n g n ess to be exe c uted in

,

c a se Of c a ptu r e led Al M o n d hir to tempt the cupidity

,
-

Of the citizen s by an en ormous bribe ; the ap ost ate w as

sur r en der ed an d i n acco r d an c e with the te rms o f his
, ,

defian c e un der wen t a de ath ign omin ious in the eyes

,

o f all Mus s ulman s — c r u c ifi x i on betwee n the b o dies O f

,

tw o Of the mo st u n cle an o f an imals Terr ified by this .

ex ample o f severity Ar chid on a Open ed its gates The

, .

cav alr y Of the E mi r then swept the co u n t r y o f p rovi

s i on s ; s ome t o wn s we r e plu n de r ed ; a S co r e o f in s u r

gen ts sele c ted for p romin en c e in thei r p arty wer e exe

c u ted ; an d the en ti r e a r my Of Al M o n d hi r flushed -
,

with su cc ess an d an imated by the ho pe Of booty an d

ven gean c e in vested the f ormidable stro n gho ld of
,
‘

B ob as tro .

While he en terta ined little fe ar th at his cas tle could

be t aken the cun n in g I bn H af sun deter min ed to pro
,
-

vide if po ssible again st suc h a con tin gen cy an d re ,

lieve his fo llower s fr om the dis astrous con sequen c es Of

 M OORIS H E MP IRE IN E UR O PE 535

a blocka de With ever y a ppe ar ance of sincerity he

.
,

pr o fessed a desir e to c on clude a permanent peac e .

Al M on d hir with all his experienc e w as n ot pro o f

-
, ,

a g ai n st the humble p ro testati on s Of r egr et an d a ssur

an ces o f futu r e lo ya lty pro ff er ed by the r ebel c hief

t ain A tr e aty w as dr awn up vi rtually at the di cta

.

tion Of the latter At his r equest a hundr ed mules .

, ,

guar ded by an es cort o f a hun dr ed an d sixty ho r se

men wer e furn ished to con vey his f amily an d p ro p
,

erty to C o r d ov a His app ar en t submission h avin g

.

r emoved al l suspi c i on s o f his g oo d faith he es caped ,

witho ut difficulty in the de ad o f night ; an d h avi n g

r etur n ed to B ob as tro whic h the army Of the E mir
,

had qui tted he co lle cted a few so ldi er s mass acr ed the
, ,

esc or t an d by daybr e ak w as on c e mor e un der shelter

,

o f the to we r s o f the for tr ess The rage o f Al M on d .

-

hi r aro used to the highest pit ch by this e x hibition o f

,

dupli city impelled him to t ake a s olemn oath th at he

,

would never c e ase his e ff orts un til the per fid iou s r ebel
should h ave p aid the extr eme penalty o f his tr e as on .

The blockade w as r en ewed but with diminished vigor , ,

as the di s c ipli n e o f the tr oo ps w as n ot on ly l ax but ,

they wer e dishear tened at the prospect o f a pro tr acted

siege the Opini on pr evailin g among them th at B O
,

bastr o w as impr egn able Awar e o f the in cr easin g

.

d is co n ten t a co nspirac y w as formed a g ain st Al

,

M on d hir by his b ro ther Abdallah an d the eun uchs

Of the p alac e ; the court physi cian w as pr evailed up on
to use a p ois oned lan c et to bleed his r oy al p atien t
‘

fo r s ome tr ifli ng indisp o sitio n ; an d the g all an t p r in c e ,

whose c ar eer b ade f air to be on e o f the most illustr ious

o f his dyn ast y died i n ex cr uci ating t ortur e a fter a
,

r eign O f a little less than tw o ye ar s He left n o son s .

,

an d the cr imin al design o f Abdall ah w hi ch had been ,

pushed rapidly to its exec ution for this very r eas on ,

h avin g been accomplished th at princ e in formed of , ,

the death o f Al Mon dhir befor e it w as known to his

-
536 HISTORY OF T HE

frien ds a ppe ar ed sudden ly in c amp a sser ted his c laim

, ,

to the th ro n e an d r e c eived the r elu ct an t h omage O f

,

the Offi c er s o f the army .

The s oldie r s w ho r espe cted the abilities an d stoo d

,

i n aw e Of the fe r oc i o us spi r it Of I bn H a fs u n dis -

,

played n o gr ief at the de ath Of their s o v e reign With .

eve r y man ifestation Of j oy they tu r n ed thei r b acks ,

up on the r ebel str o n gh o ld an d with out p r eservin g the

, ,

semblan c e Of milit ar y o r de r beg an a st ra gglin g march,

t owar ds thei r homes E ach villa ge whic h this armed

.

r abble t rave r sed w a s the s c en e Of hu n d r eds Of d es er

tion s an d Of the plun de r Of the alr e ady gr ievously

,

Opp r essed in h abit an ts The diso r der ly r et r e at had n ot

.

es caped the n oti c e o f I bn H a fsu n an d he w a s alr eady

-
,

c l o se i n the r e ar o f the r eti r in g co lu mn whe n a mes

sen ger ar rived fr om the usur per implor i n g his for

bear an c e an d de c l arin g th at he en te rt ain ed n o h o stile
,

i n ten tion s t owar ds him The r ebel le ader had the

.

co u r tesy to r espe c t this petiti on ; a n d Abd all ah gu ar d ,

in g his b r o the r s co r pse l a shed c ar eles s ly up on a c amel

’

w as per mitted to r e ach C o r d o v a with o ut mo lest ation .

S o complete w as the dis o r g an iz ati o n Of the army that ,

o f a fo r c e n u mbe r i n g s eve ra l th ous an d men s c a rc ely

twos co r e t r oo per s r emain ed to es co r t the n ew mon arch

to the g ate s Of the capit a l .

The cr own th at had been p olluted by tr e as on an d

fr at ric ide seemed destin ed n ow to be come the in stru
men t o f un iver s al misfor tun e The p oliti c al c on diti on .

o f the Pe n i n sul a w as al r e ady ext r e mely c ompli c ated .

S oc iety w as ever ywhe r e th r e aten ed with di s s oluti on .

The Ar abs pro ud Of thei r lin e age an d app ro pr i atin g

, ,

to their r a c e the cr edit Of con quests l ar gely achi eved

by thei r allie s an d pr o selytes c o n stituted an ar istoc ,

r a c y wh o se p r ete n si on s we r e b o th u n w ar r an t able an d

O ff en s ive F ar from r e co gn izin g the n ew con verts to

.

I slam as b rothers —as r e commen ded by the K oran

, ,

they tr e ated them as i n feriors an d fr equen tly loaded ,

538 HISTORY OF T HE

h ope o f we alth an d distin c tio n r et ain ed the lar ge ma ,

j or ity in their homes wher e man y co n tin ued to en j oy

,

the con siderati on derived fr om ex alted ran k an d gr e at

p o ssession s S ome p aid gl adly the r ea s on able tribute
.

that promi sed a gr e ater degr ee o f se cur ity th an they

had ever kn o wn u n der the kin gs an d c hieft ains o f
Gothic li n ea ge These wer e called Ahl al D himmah
.
- -
,

The T r ibut ar ies The member s Of an other cl ass the

.
,

Aj em boldly r efused to r eco gn ize the auth ority Of

,

the con que ror an d main t ain ed a n omin a l i n d epen

,

den c e in the moun t ain s wher e they had thei r h aun ts ,

but destitute Of e ff ec tive o r g an iz ation they s carc ely

, ,

r o se to the dig n ity o f b an ditti The allur in g in duc e .

men ts Of pe cun iar y in te r est an d p o litical a dvan tage

had for med an o the r caste or fac ti on mo r e n ume r ous ,

an d mor e i mp or t an t i n its i n flue n c e on the fortun es

Of the Pen in sula th an all the o ther s combin ed —the ,

M u w all ad s a c omp r ehen sive term den o tin g per son s

,

wh o se de r iv ati on while n omin ally Ar ab w as yet

, ,

t ain ted with s ome f or eign impur ity an d which cor , ,

r u pted i n t o mul atto ha s bee n in cor p or a ted in to man y

,

Of the lan gu ages Of E uro pe This design ation w as .

po pular ly a pplied to the des c en d an ts Of r en egades or

a p o st ates
, cal led M os ali mah an a ppell ati on c orr e
,

s p on d in g to the M or is c o es or N ew Ch r isti an s
, c on ,

ver ted a fter the c a ptu r e Of Gr an ad a by the ze alous

X i men es an d his c o adj ut o r s thro ugh the p o te n t ar gu
men ts Of the r ack an d fagot S till an o the r caste w as .

the M u r ad d in former con verts w ho h avin g re

, , ,

n oun ced the f a ith o f I sl a m ha d r e n de r ed the mselves

,

amen able to de ath the pe n a lty p r es cr ibed by M oh am

,

med for the un p ar don able crime Of a po st asy These .

wer e o utlaws an d highwa ymen w ho in defianc e Of the , ,

feeble p oli c e main t ain ed by the go ve rnment o pen ly ,

levied con tr ibution s upon tr aveller s within sight Of the

min ar ets o f C or dov a Add to these dis or ganizin g
elemen ts o f s o ciety the h alf S av age Berber s —for the
.

-
,
 M OORIS H E MP IRE IN E URO PE 53 9

mo st p ar t idolater s in r eligi on an d ass assins in w ar ,

an d the diffi culties th at con fr on ted the ablest pr i n c es

O f the Omme ad es ma
y y well be con c eived The Jews . ,

wh o se mer can tile pur suits made them on all occ a sion s
a dvoc a tes for pe ac e an d fr equen tly useful medi ato r s ,

were r o bbed an d Oppr essed in tur n by eve r y fac tion

in to wh ose h an ds they were u n fortun ate en ough to
fall N O r egion in the wor ld Of equ al ar ea con tain ed
.

such a mixed an d turbulen t p o pulation as the S p an ish

Pen in sul a befor e the Recon quest The emir s ac tu .
,

ated by a p r in c iple f amili ar to al l desp oti c s ove r eign s

thr eaten ed with a cur t ailmen t Of their power bes towed ,

their favor in turn upon the Ar abs an d the M u w all ad s ,

a ccor din g as on e or the o ther seemed ab out to Obt a in

a pre emi n en ce d angerous to the s a fety o f the st ate

-
.

But this policy r eacted in an un expected manner an d ,

a gg rav ated the evils it w as in ten ded to obvi ate The .

vi ctori o us p arty never failed to abuse its advan t age

with brut al sever ity The faction for the time bein g
.

un der the fr own o f the C our t lost all r espe ct for an d

, ,

r en oun c ed its a llegi an c e to a g ove rn men t th at r efused

,

it the pr o tection Of the laws The r esult w as a bitter

.

c onfli c t in whi ch Ar a b an d M u w all ad we r e arra yed

ag ain st the E mi r an d a g a in s t e ac h other at the s ame

time The death o f Al M on d hir w as the sign al for

.
-

in cr eased dis or der which the feeble an d hypocr itical

,

Abdallah w as in competen t to suppr ess The Ar ab .

n o bles had lon g h oped to r evive in an othe r l an d th at

, ,

per io d Of un r estricted li cen se whose tradition s su r

v iv e d in the ex c iti n g p o ems Of the robber s an d shep

her ds O f the Desert The famous I bn H afsu n wh os e

.
-
,

n ame w a s the terr or Of eve r y h amlet an d w ho a s the , ,

hea d o f the r ebels of B ob as tr o an d the natur al ally Of

every p arty Of malcon ten ts w as mor e power ful th an
,

the E mir himself n ow began to entertain h opes o f

,

bein g actually invested with the royal digni ty which

he in sub stan ce alre ady en j o yed .
5 40 HISTORY OF T HE

The situ ati on o f Abdall ah w a s pe rilous in the ex

tr eme The lo yalty fo r the H ouse o f Ommey ah whi ch
.
,

had been fo r ge n e r atio n s the mar ked c h ar ac te r isti c o f

the Arab Of S yri an des c en t an d the K or eishite alike ,

w a s g r e atly i mp ai r ed The t r e asur y w as empty The

. .

t axes due from the w alis wer e for the mo st p art with , ,

held The tr ibute O f the Ch r isti an s i n stig ated by the

.
,

M u w all ad s wh om they con sider ed their ch ampion s ,

w as ex c ept in C o r d o v a an d its i mmedi ate en vir on s

, ,

suspen ded The ro yal con v o ys wer e in te r c epted an d

.

plu n de r ed o n the highw ays The fidelity Of the po pu .

lac e O f the c apit al suspe cted Of se c r etly h oldin g com

,

mu n i c ati on w ith the e n emy w as distr usted A spirit ,

.

Of br av a d o had e v e n p rompted I bn H a fs u n to p ass -

several d ays within its g ates which he had en ter ed ,

un ch allen ged i n the disguise Of a begg ar The prej u .

dic es O f Abd allah in c lin ed him to an alli an c e with ~

the r en eg a de s H is e arly ye ar s had been p assed in

.

in timate fr ien dship with the Offic e r s o f the gu ar d ,

w ho had si n c e be come disti n guished le a de rs o f th at

p ar ty The achievemen ts Of I bn H a fs u n had r ather
.
-

a w ake n ed hi s a d mi r a ti o n th a n p r o v oked his r esen t

men t C on s c i o us Of his helple s s n ess an d desir ous o f

.
,

c o n c ili atin g the mo st p o we r ful chief Of the Opp osi

tio n he wen t so f ar as to ten de r him the govern men t

,

Of R egio con dition al up on his r eturn to his all eg i

,

an c e . The cr a fty r ebel to wh om an o ath w as an

,

un me an in g c er emo n y an d w ho desi r ed a r espite to

en able him to r eo r g an ize his army a c quies c ed without ,

hesit ation an d even co n sen ted to sen d his son an d

,

several Of his Offic er s as h o st ages to the cou rt Of the

E mi r The latte r t r e ated these pledges Of the u n cer
. .

t ain fidelity Of a per fi d iou s v ass al with all the d is tin c

ti on usually r ese r ved for the emiss aries Of royalty .

They we r e magn ific en tly en te rtain ed lo dged in ,

p alac es an d pr esen ted with co stly gifts

, U n re .

str ain ed o f thei r liber ty they had n o trouble in ,

5 42 HISTORY OF T HE

j ustly suspec ted Ther e as elsewher e the in ter ests O f

.
, ,

the court had been r epe atedly s acr ific ed to g ratify the
mal i c e Of fac tion — f or the in appe as able feud between
,

Y emen ite an d M aad ite w as n o wher e main tain ed with

gr e ater vir ulen c e th an in the p ro vin c e Of E lvira I n .

his in tercou rse with his equ als the Ar a b Of the Vega
—like al l his br eth r en exp o sed f o r a time to the r e
fin emen ts Of c iviliz a tio n —w as a mo del Of c hiv alr ous
p oliten ess an d gr ac eful cour tesy But his deme an or.

w as far di ff e r en t when his aff ai r s deman ded an y a ss o

c i ati o n W ith the in h a bit an ts Of the c ity w ho in his , ,

eyes labor ed un der the do uble r epr o ach Of bein g

,

tra de rs an d r en eg ades N O o pp or tun ity w as lo st to

.

humili ate thes e pe a c eful c itizen s ; alth ough in pr ae

ti c e devout M o slems they wer e con st an tly t aun ted
,

with their a po st asy ; an d for their den un ci ation the

in exh austible vo cabul ar y o f the Ar ab w as r an s acked
fo r Opp r ob r i ous epithets on e o f whi c h , fi l n c an u m , ,

ha s des c en ded to ou r time a s the ve r y epit ome Of

in sult .

The high spir it Of the inh abit an ts o f E lvira ch a fed

un de r the gr o ss an d un pro v oked abuse which they
wer e con st an tly compelled to un der go They als o .

wer e v ain Of thei r an c estr y an d p roud Of their S ouv e

n ir s . I n the e ar ly d ays Of the Visig o thi c empi r e the ,

an c ie n t I ll ib er i s ha d been an oa sis in the dis ma l w a ste

Of P ag an ism th at in c luded the en tir e Pen in sul a I t .

had bee n the se at Of the fir st S p an ish bish o p r i c Ther e .

had bee n held i n the fir st qu ar te r Of the fo ur th cen

,

tur y a famous C oun c il man y Of wh o se c an on s are

, ,

still r e co gn ized as v alid by the Roman C ath olic

Church Amon g them w as on e r equir in g the c elibacy
.

o f the p r iesth oo d a r egul ati on subseque n tly a do pted

,

an d e n for c ed by G r eg o r y V II The r e too w a s c on

.
, ,

triv ed a s cheme o f dis c iplin e whi c h origin ally aimed ,

at the r i c h an d pr o sper o us Heb r ews be came the mo del

,

Of th at awful en gin e Of per secution the I n quisition , ,

 M OORIS H E MP IRE IN E U RO PE 5 43

who se to rtur es i mp roved by ec clesi astic al deviltry

, ,

fil led the world with terr or a fter the lapse Of mor e

th an a th ous an d year s The c ity alth ough i n fer ior in
.
,

n atu r a l adv a n t ages to its g ro wi n g n eighb or G ran a da , ,

w as n eve r theless Of co n s ider able p o liti c al an d commer

c ial imp or t an c e .The gen erous piety o f the Go thi c
n o bles had e n r i c hed its see with l ar ge en do wme n t s an d ,

its chur ches in elegan c e an d splen dor c ould comp ar e

with an y Of the kin gdom .

But the c o n tagious ex ample Of the pr ev alen t ap o s

tasy a con dition whi ch dis pen s ed with t r ibute an d at
,

the s ame time a ppealed stro n gly to the ambition o f

the un s crupulous an d the s elfis h pas sion s o f the multi
tude made itself felt befor e lo n g even in thi s c ita del
,

Of Chr i s ti an ity . The co rr uption o f the pr elates ,

headed by the bis h op S amuel whose pr o fli g acy at

, ,

tain ed fo r him a n o t or iety p ro p or tion ate to the dign ity

Of the Offi c e he disgrac ed dr ove the in dign an t Chr is
,

tian s by hun dr eds in to the fo ld Of I slam Th o se w ho .

r emain ed fa ithful to the tr a diti on s o f the Chu r ch we r e

s o pe r se c uted th a t n o r es o ur c e w as left to them but

to j o in their br ethr en man y Of wh o m had s acr ific ed

,

their con vic tio n s fr om mor e ign o ble motive s th an th at

Of self pr eserv ation This wholes ale desertion w as
-
.

greatly facilit ated by the co n n iv an c e Of the in feri or

c ler gy a s well as by the Ope n vi o len c e Of the bi s h o p
,

an d his co a dj ut or s w ho co r r upted by the M o slems

, , ,

exerted themselves with far gr e ater en ergy an d succ ess

in Obt ai n in g p ro selytes to the r eligion Of M o h ammed
th an they had eve r don e in p romotin g the c ause Of
Christ . I n the en d the ex c esses Of thi s u n wor thy
,

pr elate became s o in su ffer able th at he w as r emoved

fr om his see an d dive s ted o f his s acr ed author ity ;
wher eup on he at on c e r ep air ed to C or d ov a an d hav , ,

in g public ly r e n oun c ed hi s faith w as r ewar ded with,

the lucrative emplo ymen t Of per se cutor an in famous ,

Offi c e wh o se duties he dis ch ar ged with al l the malig

n an t assiduity Of the r e n eg ade .
5 44 HISTORY OF T HE

L on g befor e the a c c essi on Of Abd allah the r esen t ,

men t o f the M u w all ad s o f E lvir a in fl amed to the ,

highest pit ch had br oken ou t ag ain st their chur lish

,

n eighb o r s the Ar ab n obles in ac ts Of Open h o stility

, , .

The sympathies Of the J ews o f G ran ad a seem to h ave

been with the l atter w ho on var io us occasion s wer e
, , ,

s aved from destr ucti on by the frien dly walls o f that

c ity . S uperi or in n umber s an d equal in br ave ry to
their a dve r s ar ies the r esult o f ever y en g agemen t w as
,

favorable to the r en ega des As n eithe r p arty w as .

a cc ust omed to give qu ar te r the str uggle s oon as ,

sumed the ch arac te r o f a w ar Of extermin ation I n .

the ye ar 8 89 a n umber Of S yr i an chieft ain s w ho wer e ,

visitin g the c apital Of the p r ovi n c e un der the pro

tec ti on Of a t r u c e we r e t r e ache r o usly mass acr ed in
,

the str eets a c at astro phe th at g ave the M u w all ad s

, ,

al r e ady su ffi c ie n tly p o we r ful a mo me n t ar y but u n ,

con tested a s c e n de n c y The Ara bs wh o se n umbers

.
,

had bee n depleted by man y con se c utive ye ar s o f w ar

far e for go t for the momen t thei r he r edit ar y en mities
, , , ,

whic h n o dis aste r ho wever se r ious could en tir ely

, ,

r e co n c ile
, in the e n g ro ssin g p assi on Of ven ge an ce .

They cho se f or their le ade r S au w ar a ven er able ,

warrior wh o se de clin in g ag e had been embittered

by the bloo dy s ac rific e o f his on ly s on to the fury
o f the r e n eg a de s His misfortun es had erased from
.

his bo s om ever y feelin g o f co mp assion eve r y su g g es ,

tion Of human ity A brut al fero city th at r egar ded

.

the slightest c o n c ession to the we akn ess o f an en emy

as a c r i me w a s the p ro min e n t c h arac te r isti c o f the

sheik wh om the Arabs n ow sele cted to r estor e their

f allen fo r tun es The first exploit Of this s avage
.

warrior w a s the captur e o f M o n te S acr o a stron g ,

ho ld n or th Of G ran ad a which had been the s c en e of

the gr e atest vic t ory Of the M u w all ad s an d the oc casion
o f the de ath Of his bel o ved s o n N otwithst an di n g its
“

st ren gth the castle w a s c arr ied at the fir st att ack and
, ,
5 46 HISTOR Y OF T HE

tr oo ps r equir ed for the defen c e O f the ca pit al The .

per s on al qu alities Of Abda lla h wer e n o t su ch as to

en list the symp athy or ar o use the en thusi asm Of the
pe o ple an d ther eby c ompen s ate in s ome deg r ee for
, , ,

the deficien c ies o f the tr e asur y The go vern or s o f the

.

p ro vi n c es wer e fo r all pr ac tic al pur po ses in depen den t

, ,

prin c es C or do va w as the r esiden c e Of the flower Of

.

the Ar ab n o bility wh o se pr ej udic es wer e al l on the

,

side Of S au w ar an d his follower s in their e ff orts to

exte rmin ate the detested r en ega des an enter p rise ,

whic h they r eg ar ded a s little less mer itorious th an a

cr us a de a g ai n st an i n fidel f o e Willi n g but un able
.

to exe r t his auth or ity i n beh alf o f his u n fo r tun ate

subj ects the E mir de c ided to assu me the less d an
,

g er ou s offi c e Of medi a to r . He ther efor e O ff er ed

S an war the g o vern men t Of several c ities on con diti on
th at he wo uld ackn owledge himself a v ass al o f the
c r o wn a n d c e a se his per se c uti o n o f the r en eg ades .

This advan t age ous p ro p os al w as r e a dily agr eed to ;

the o ath o f allegi an c e w as t aken by b o th faction s ;
ho stilities wer e suspen ded an d f or the fir st time in
, ,

man y ye ar s the provin c e Of E lvi ra w as permitted to

,

e n j o y the blessin gs o f public an d p r iva te tr anquillity .

H abitu ated to war far e an d s c en es o f carn age the ,

a c tive Spi r it Of S au w ar c h a fed u n der the mon ot on y

an d duln ess e n t ailed by c ivil d r udge r y an d magiste r i al

duties The territo r y th a t I bn H a fsun had seized

.
-
,

an d o ve r whi c h he r uled with desp o ti c swa y exten ded ,

to the b or der s o f the p ro vin ce Of E lvir a Un able to .

r esist the tempt a ti on S au w ar tur n ed his atte n tio n to

,

the adh e r en ts Of th at r en own ed c h ampion Of the M u

w al l ad s an d s oon the v alleys an d h amlets O f e astern
,

An d alusi a we r e visited wi th a s cour ge wh o se b arb ar ity

had n o p arallel sin c e the in va sion Of the V an d als The .

symp athy o f their fello w se c t ar ies the subj e cts Of

-
,

S au w ar w as e n listed i n beh alf Of th o se w ho wer e

,

su ff ere rs in a common c ause ; the M u w all ad s Of E l

 M OORIS H E MP IRE IN E U RO PE 5 47

vir a almo st without ex c eption rose in arms ; an d the

Ar abs expelled fr om the c ity an d c h as ed in every di
,

r e c ti on s ought by a c ommon impulse a temp or ar y

,

r efuge in G r an ad a .

The fo r tr ess Of the Alh ambra a str uc ture o f r e ,

mo te an d un c ert ai n an tiquity is men tio n ed defin itely ,

for the firs t time dur in g the c ivil war s o f E lvi ra It .

w as kn o wn to the Ar abs at le a st a c en tu ry a fter the

C on quest as K a lat al H amr a The R ed C astle an d
,
’
- -
, ,

its comman din g p o siti on an d n atural str en gth r e n der

it pro b able th at it may h ave been the site Of a cit adel
as e ar ly a s the C ar th agin i an occ up ati o n The who le .

o f the Alh amb ra Hill w a s n o t e n c l os ed as at p r esen t , ,

an d at the ti me u n de r con s ide ra ti on the fo r tific ati on s

, ,

wer e con fin ed to the j uttin g p oin t o verlookin g the “

pr esen t c ity an d famili ar to modern traveller s as the

Al c az ab a Ab an don ed by the gover n men t an d u n
.
,

c ar ed fo r by the i n h abit a n ts wh o s e Jewish a n te c ede n ts

,

in duc ed them to trust for their s a fety r ather to their

acuten e s s th an to thei r co u r age the ven e r able castle ,

had fallen i n t o de cay The r epe ated Sieges whi ch it

.

had sust ai n ed in the in c ess an t con te s ts between r iv al

faction s had i n addition to the r uin pr o duc ed by the
,

eff e cts Of time an d the action Of the elemen ts gr e atly ,

dimin ished its c a p ac ity for r esistan c e I n their c riti .

cal situ ati o n wher e all depen ded On their in di v idu al

,

exertion s —for n o hOpe Of r ein for c emen ts c ould be

en ter t ain ed —the s uper stitious fe ar s Of the peo ple
,

, ,

aided by the suggesti on s Of a vivid imagin ation foun d ,

in e ac h t r ivi al in c ide n t a t oken Of p r o pitiou s or fat al

augur y F ortun ately for thei r c aus e the favorable
. ,

omen s p r ep on de r a ted o n the d ay when the besiegin g

forc e wh o se n umber s amoun ted to twen ty th ous an d

, ,

pr ep ar ed to st orm their in tr en chmen ts With ch ar .

ac teri stic c u nn i n g the p r uden t S au w ar dete rmi n ed to

c oun te rac t by str a t a gem the ov er w he hn in g supe ri or ity

O f his a dve r s ar ies Le avin g the cit adel an d un ob

. ,
5 48 HISTORY OF T HE

se r ved the con fusion O f b attle he sudden ly ap

in ,

p eared at the he a d Of a pi c ked det ac hme n t in the r e ar

o f the e n emy C ompletely sur pr i s ed the latter w as
.
,

a t on c e th r o w n in t o con fusi on ; the en ti r e ar my took

to flight an d the ter r ified r e n eg ades we r e pur sued to

,
the ver y g ates Of E lvir a The M u w all ad army w as
.

completely dest r o yed The en tir e pr o vin c e w a s in

.

mourn in g Ther e w as n o h ouseh old th at did n ot

.

lamen t the absen c e o f o n e or mor e Of its n umber n o ,

s oldier th at did n ot deplo r e the lo ss o f a c omr ade or

a fr ie n d I n deep hu mili ati o n the r e mn an t o f the
.

r en eg a de h o st p r ep ar ed to defe n d the ca pit al to whi ch

but a few h our s befor e they had expec ted to r eturn

in t r iu mph The el ation Of the Ar abs exhibited itself
.

in al l the ext r ava g an t exult ati on pe c uli ar to th at im

p assion ed r ac e The fame Of S au w ar spr ea d to the
.

fur thest limits Of the Pen in sul a His explo its wer e .

c eleb r ated with v ar yi n g p ar ti ality by the p o ets o f b oth

fa ction s who se in ter estin g p ro du cti on s o ften com

,

pen s a te fo r the un s atisfactor y a cco un ts Of the chr on

i cl er an d in their an ima ted an d gra phi c des cr ipti on
,

Of imp or tan t even ts an d distin guished per s o n ages

co n t r ibute c o pi o us a n d i n v alu a ble i n fo r mati on to the

histori an .

The dishe ar ten ed member s Of the M u w all ad f action

n ow r es o lved to pl a c e the mselves u n der the p r o te c ti on

Of I bn H af su n As yet they ha d n eve r asked his

-
.
,

a ssist an c e n or wh at is even mor e r emark able had

, , ,

tempted his ambiti on or in curr ed his h o stility The .

as pi r in g c hieft a i n e mb rac ed with ar d or a c a use s o con

gen i al to his adven turous spir it With a con fiden ce .

b or n Of man y vi c tor ies he en coun te r ed the Arabs in

the field The M u w al l ad s we r e a g ain defe ated how
.
,

ever an d it w as with difficulty th at I bn H afs u n b al

,
-
,

woun ded an d seein g de cimated the ran ks Of the veter

,

an s w ho had been his r eli an c e in a s c or e Of c amp aign s ,

e ff e cted his r etr e at an d es c aped to the moun tain s Of

R on d a .
5 50 HISTORY OF T HE

The Guad alqui vir b rought the tr e asur es o f the E ast

to its g ates . L on g the seat o f the p rimate Of the
kin gdom its s o uven irs g ave it a pecul iar s an c tity in
,

the eyes Of the Chr isti an I ts busin ess f ac ilities at

.

tr acted a n umer ous an d en ter pr isin g Hebr ew colon y .

The blen din g Of man y rac es the do min ion o f a s co r e

,

Of dy n asties had imp ar ted to the disp osition o f its

,

inh abit an ts a pe culi ar c h ar acter an un common f er ,

tili ty Of gen ius a phen ome n al a c tivity O f in telle ct To

, .

their liter ar y t alen ts an d stin gin g wit w as added an

in con st an cy in p olitic al affili ation s an d r el igi ous b elief
th at w as O ften a subj e c t o f r epr oac h an d s can dal .

With a st r an ge u n an imity they had at the fir st sug

gestion Of the s ubst an tial ben efits Of ap o st asy r e
n o u n ced the t r uths o f the g o spel A magn ific en t.

mo sque had been built to r ewar d their subservie n cy ,

but n either the d aily p ra ctic e Of the r ites o f I slam ,

the ado ption o f the Ar abi c lan guage n or the ch an ge ,

Of co stume could e r adic ate th ose p romin en t men t al

c h ar ac ter isti c s whi c h had been fo r med by the d omesti c

li fe an d time h on o r ed tra dition s Of twelve even tful

-

c en tu r ies
.

The s ame p r ej udi c es an d n atio n al an t ago n ism ex

i ste d between the M u w all ad an d the A rab p ar ties at
S eville a s at E lvi r a with the n o t able ex c epti on th at
their mutu al dislike had n ot yet been embitter ed by
deeds o f bloo d But the d an gerous proximity Of l aw
.

les s Arab n obles o ccupyin g the fer tile dist r ic t O f the

Ax araf e th at ski r ted the Gu ad alquivi r had e arly sug
gested to the r en eg ades the p r o pr iety Of makin g thor
o ugh p r ep ar ati on s for defen c e An or g an iz ation had
.

accor din gly been f ormed wh o se member s we r e li a ble

,

to a summon s f o r ac tive se rvi c e an d whi ch in its r egu

, ,

l ation s an d milit ar y duties b o r e a con side rable r ese m

,

bl an c e to the militia Of mo dern times .

The a ckn o wledged chiefs o f the S evilli an aristo c

r ac y we r e the sheiks O f the tw o p o we r ful t r ibes Of
 M OORIS H E MP IRE IN E U RO P E 551

the Be i Kh aldun an d the Ben i H ad j ad j

n - -
Their
est ates comprised the mo st v aluable an d pr o ductive
l an ds in the vi cin ity o f the An dalu s i an c apit al I n .

s ome r espe cts the Ar ab pr ej udic e ag ain st the pr omo

tion Of t ra de an d the emplo ymen t Of the mech ani cal
ar ts ha d been r el a xed an d the pr oud des c en d an ts Of
,

the Bedoui n s Of Yemen did n ot con s ider it in c on

sisten t with thei r dign ity to ad d to their r eso ur c es
by the frei g htin g Of s hip s the buyin g an d sellin g o f
,

mer chan dise an d the fabr ic ation Of we ap on s an d

,

armor . The wealth der ived fr om these pr o fitable

occ up atio n s a dded to the i n come o f thei r v a st pl an t a
,

tion s en abled them to main t ain a st ate that e clipsed

,

even the r eg al s plen d or Of the cour t Of C ordova .

F aithful to the p ast o ral traditi o n s Of thei r r ac e these ,

pr in c ely n obles p a ssed the gr e ater p or tion Of their

time at their coun tr y se ats ; but they als o main t ain ed
-

p alatial est ablishmen ts in the c ity whither they r e

,

s orted ou F r id ays to a tten d the ser vices o f the mosque

an d to d azzle the eyes an d p ro voke the e n vy an d in d i g

n ati on O f the p o pul ac e by the mag n ific en c e Of thei r

atti r e an d the i n s o len c e o f thei r ma n n er s .

I t i s p ro verbi al th at the or din ary ten den cy Of Opu

len c e an d pr o sper ity is r ather to allay th an to s timu
late the p a ssion s o f ambition an d in depen den c e A .

n ot able ex c epti o n to this p r in c iple existed i n the case

o f the Ar a b ar i s t oc ra c y Of S eville The wealthiest

.

an d mo st epi c u r e an i n its t a stes Of an y in the kin gdom ,

it w as at the s ame time the mo st n arr ow belliger en t , ,

an d ex clu s ive The per sisten t evils Of the Deser t

.

the love o f w ar far e the Bedouin r epugn an c e to royal

,

power which seemed to imply un due super ior ity on

,

the on e h an d an d an a ppearan c e o f servitude o n the

othe r—o utweighed all c on sider ati on s Of se c ur ity all ,

the advan t ages Of pe ac e This pr o pen sity to distur b

.

an c e w a s l ar gely con fin ed to th o se w ho r esided in the

co un tr y whe r e a marked con trac ti on Of in telle ct an d

,
552 HISTORY OF T HE

a ten ac ity o f p r ej udic e h ave always bee n the well

kn own c h ar ac te r isti c s Of tho se w ho p ass their live s
amidst s c enes u n a ff e c ted by the co llisi o n Of in te r ests ,

the hu s tl e the en ter p r ise the eve r ch an gin g p an o

, ,
-

ra ma ,o f met ro p o lit an life The Arabs Of S evill e

.

r eg ar ded the i mp atie n c e Of their br eth r en Of the

Ax ara fe with a dis a pp ro v al whi c h n ot even tr ib al
a tt ac h me n t an d an c est ra l p r ide could o ve rcome But .

their n umber s wer e small an d their i n fluen c e in ap

pr ec iabl e whe n comp ar ed with the gr e at p o we r o f the
r u r a l n o ble wh o se multitudes Of sl aves an d v ass als

imp ar ted to his se a t the a ppe ar an c e O f the c apital o f a

p r in cip ality .

Despite al l thei r pr eten sio n s the bloo d o f man y o f

,

the s e lor ds had been c on t amin ated by an impur e c om

merc e with the in fidel The famil y tr ee Of the Ben i
.
-

Kh aldun sho wed n umer ous c ro sses whi ch had gr e atly

deterior ated the pur e stock Of the n o bility Of H adra
maut The Ben i H a d j ad j trac ed their pedigr ee in the
.
-

mate rn al li n e fr om the r o yal family o f the Visig oths .

The a dmixtur e o f Chr isti an bloo d had h o wever no , ,

visible e ff e ct in s o ften in g their man n er s an d they ,

we r e at he ar t a s l awless a s the mo st s ava ge B ed ou in

w ho still a d o r ed the id ols Of the Age Of I gn oran c e ,

a n d r egul a r ly plu n de r ed the c ar a v an s betwee n Me

din a an d Me c c a .

The he ad Of the Ar ab fa ctio n at S eville w as K O

r a ib sheik o f the Be n i —
, Kh aldun I n t alen t for po liti
.

cal i n t r igue i n u n blushi n g e ff ro n tery in big o ted devo

, ,

tion to wh at he con sider ed the h on or o f the tr ibe he ,

stoo d with out a r iv al F or man y ye ar s he had n ur sed

.

in se cr et a dr e am Of i n depen de n c e to be r e alized by
,

vio len c e an d r a pin e P er s o n al ambition do es n ot seem

.

to h ave had an y p ar t i n his pl an o f u n iver s al dis or de r .

An un r e as on i n g h atr ed Of r oy alty an d a mad a spi

r ati o n to r est or e the f r eed om Of pre I sl ami c ti mes -

a ppe ar to h ave been the on ly motives th at a c tu ated

5 54 HISTORY OF T HE

an d their dep r edatio n s had been con fin ed to is olated

h amlets an d the highways co n n ec tin g the provin ci al
c a pit als with the se ab o ar d N ow h o wever a wider
.
, ,

field w a s Open ed to their in dulgen c e o f their p r ed a

tor y in stin cts F ro m eve r y qu ar ter o f the comp ass
.

ar med despe r a d o es an d cr i mi n als ac custo med from ,

c hildh oo d to deeds o f c r uelty an d r a pin e ma de thei r ,

w ay sin gly an d i n comp an ies to the p ro vi n c e Of

, ,

S eville The en ti r e coun t r y w as laid un der c on tr ibu

.

tion The pe as an tr y a ban do n ed their p o ssession s an d

.

fled with their f amilies to the metr o p olis The power .

fu l chieft ain s o f Lusit an i a an d E s tr amad u ra w ho had ,

th ro wn o ff the yoke o f the emi rate but had for ye ar s

been con ten t to go vern their prin c ip alities in pe ac eful
in depen den c e n ow h asten ed to se cur e a sh ar e o f the
,

plun der The r en eg ade I bn M e rw an who se explo its

.
,
-
,

un der a p r e c edin g r eign h ave alr e a dy been r e coun ted ,

des c en ded up on the pl ain s o f An d alusia at the he ad o f

the fierc e warr ior s o f B a da j o z .

The pr ovin c i al g over n or s as in competen t as their

,

master wer e un able or un wi llin g to r epr ess the prev a

,

len t an ar chy Th a t a pp ar en tly h o peless task w as

.

fin ally pe r formed by I bn Gh ali b a M u w all ad o f

-
,

E cij a wh o se abilities an d cour age in a f ew mon ths

,

r est o r ed comp ara tive o r de r th r ougho ut An d alusi a .

The p r estige thus att ain ed by on e o f the despised

ra c e th at the ma lev olen t p r ej udi c e o f p ar ty had de

v o ted to extermin ation w a s espec i ally o dious to the

Ar ab aristo cra cy The con test which w as r agin g b e
.

tween the r iv al c astes fo r self p r eser v ation on the on e -

h an d an d abs olute sup r emac y on the o the r n ow be

, ,

came mor e s an gui n ar y an d ir r e con c il able The cities .

wer e filled with tumult The E mir w as Openl y in

.

s ul ted The in fluen c e o f the Ar ab f ac tion in the

.

Div an p r evailed i n the en d an d I bn Gh alib w as ,

-

s acr ific ed by an act o f t r e achery to the h atr ed o f his

en emies through his ze al for his master s in ter ests ’
.
 M OORIS H E MP IRE IN E UR O PE 55 5

The n ews o f his death pro voked an in surr ection at

S eville The symp athies o f the pe o ple had been with
.

him in his qu arr el with the Ar ab n oble s M an y causes .

con t r ibuted to hi s p o pul ar ity He w as a r en egade

.
,

an d hi s p oliti c a l i n te r ests we r e iden tified with tho se

o f a ma j o r ity Of the c itize n s L ar ge n umber s o f the

.

n atives o f the p r o vi n c e ha d se r ved u n de r his b ann e r .

He had swept br igan d age from the highways In .

c on sequ en c e o f hi s vig o ro us me asu r es trade ha d r e

v iv e d ,a n d publi c c o n fide n c e ha d to a c er t a i n degr ee

, ,

been r e s tor ed N o t o n ly his p artis an s but even th ose

.
,

w ho fr om p oli c y had hither t o r emain ed n eut ral n ow ,

c l amor ed f o r the he a ds o f hi s mu r de r e r s The c ity w as .

in the h an ds o f an i n fur i ated mob The g ove rn or w as .

besieged in his p alac e I t r equir ed all the r es ourc es

.

o f the g o ver nme n t to supp r ess the outb r e ak whi ch , ,

for a time thr e ate n ed the mos t se r ious r esults

, A .

terr ible r etr ibution w as ex ac ted Of al l taken in arms ,

or suspe c ted o f h avin g a ccor ded to the in surr e c ti on

ai d or s ymp a thy The le a der s o f the M u w all ad fac

.

tion the mo st pr omin en t mer ch an ts o f the city wer e

, ,

decapit ated o r cr ucified M an y o f the un for tun ates

.

w ho ha d e s c a ped the blin d fu r y Of the pur s uit we r e

deliberately mas s acr ed Their houses wer e aban don ed
.

to the av ar i c e thei r h ar ems to the lu s t o f the b r ut al

, ,

soldier y I t r equir ed all the i n fluen c e o f le adin g

.

member s o f the successful p ar ty little given to the ,

exe rc ise o f c lemen c y to c heck the i n dis cr imin ate

,

sl aughter o f their un h appy n eighbors The c ess ation .

Of h o stilities w a s h oweve r on ly temp orar y Mutu al

, ,
.

ac ts o f vi olen c e r en ewed the de adly str uggle between

c on ten din g f a c ti o n s The pr ovin c e w as at len gth

.

ab an d on ed to the Ara bs by the we akn ess o f the cou r t .

Hist or y Shrin ks fr om the t ask o f r e c or din g the ou t

r a ges an d the t o r tu r es o f b ar b ar i an s in a cc essible to

pity an d un r estrain ed by an y l aw o f G od or man .

S uffic e it to s ay the M u w all ad s Of S eville wer e ann i

556 HISTORY OF T HE

hil ated .The memor ies o f a c ata stro phe which pro
d u ce d a p r o fo un d imp r ession o n the p olitic s o f the
Pen in sula ar e still dis c ern ible in the tradition s an d
min str elsy o f the S o uth o f S p ain .

The Ar ab facti on w as n ow tr iumph an t The .

b alan c e o f p o wer had been destr o yed The Chris .

ti an s o f C or dov a per su aded th at the end Of the

,

M o slem d omin ation w as at h an d made over tur es to ,

I bn H a fs u n wh o se fo r me r affil i atio n s an d p r esen t

-

in fluen c e seemed to p o in t to him as their deliver er ,

an a dvan t age whi c h he w as n o t slo w to r e cog n ize .

The con s ci ous n e s s Of gr eat t alen ts ; the un iform

su cc ess whi ch had atten ded his Operati on s ; the virtual
c o n t ro l o f the mo st Opule n t p r o vi n c es o f the Pen i n

sula ; an d the boun dless ahn os t servile devo tion o f

, ,

his f oll o we r s n o w pr ompted I bn H a fs u n to aspir e to

,
-

the r ights as well as the actu al p o ssession o f abs olute

p o wer With this en d in view he sen t an emb assy
.
, ,

la den with co stly p r esen ts to the Abb a side Vic ero y o f

,

Afr ic a o ff e r in g to be come the v ass al o f the E astern

,

Kh alif ate in r etu rn for the commission o f E mir o f

S p ain The appli c ati on w as for war ded to B agdad
.
,

an d I b n H a f s un w as e n c o ura ged to expe c t the speedy

-

fulfil men t o f his h o pes .

Thi s omin ous design had n ot been con duc ted s o

se cr etly as to es cape the kn owledge Of the court .

Abd allah pe rc eived at a glan c e the immin en t peril th at

men ac ed his th r on e Ther e w as little do ubt th at the
.

con sider a ti on a c qui r ed by the v a ss a l Of the Abb a s id es

woul d at on c e in vest w ith dign ity an d auth or ity the

r e n eg a de c hieft ai n wh o se p r eten si on s g r o un ded up on
,

forc e we r e still defic ien t in the in dispen s able r equi

site o f leg ality The j urisdi ction o f the emirate w as
.

n ot r e co g n ized bey on d the a c tu a l con fin es o f the capi

tal. The p al ac e w a s in fested with t r aitor s An active .

an d f an ati c al se c t w as distr ibuted th ro ugh out the c ity

con veyi n g se c r et i n fo r mati on to the enemy an d i m ,

55 8 HISTORY OF T HE

the exh o r t atio n s o f the imams an d the pr elates w ho ,

fe ar les sly expo sed their un p ro tec ted per s on s in the

thickest o f the fight The r ebel lin es wer e broken
.

by the fur io us ch ar ge o f Abd all ah s tr oo ps O n ce in ’

.

c on fusi on they c ould n ot be r allied an d dispersed

, , ,

in eve r y di r e c tio n they fell by th o us an ds un der the

,

we a p on s o f their pursuer s Their le ader h avin g

.
,

n a rro wly es ca ped ca ptu r e with di ffi culty su cc eeded in

,

r e ac hi n g his mo un t a i n str on gho ld .

An abun dan t an d ac c ept able supply o f arms ,

tr e asur e an d mun itio n s o f w ar came i n to the

,

p ossession o f Abd allah by the captur e o f Aguilar .

A tho us an d r en eg ade Ch r istian s w ho pr eferr ed death

to a se con d ap o st asy we r e behe a ded The mor al e ff ect .

Of the vi c to r y w as imp ort an t an d widespr e ad E cl j a .

w as t aken a fte r a sh o r t r esist an c e Archidon a an d .

J aen v olun t ar ily implor ed the clemen c y o f the con

q u e r or . The Vi c er o y o f Afr ic a n otified the d i scom
fi ted r en eg ade at B ob a str o th at his p r ete n si on s to the
S p an ish E mir ate un de r the auspi c es o f the Kh ali fate
,

o f B a gd a d could n o l o n ger be e n te r t a in ed
, The .

fr ien ds o f o r der o f ever y f ac tion —the n o bles the ,

merch an ts the p ro priet or s o f large est ates the arti

, ,

s an s an d the pe as an tr y— for a momen t r eg ain ed con

,

fid en c e in a cause whi c h they had r e c e n tly c on side r ed

as h o pelessly l o st .

This fl atter in g p r o spec t w as h owever s oon c louded , ,

by fr esh dis aster s The r ever se sust ain ed by I bn

.

H a fs un w as tempo r ar y an d had n ot ser i ously a ff e cted

,

either his p o pularity o r p o wer With little e ff ort

he su cc eeded in a me asur e in re —
.

, est ablishin g his ,

auth o r ity The lo st cities wer e r et aken th rough

.

tre acher y or by fo r c e The r o y al gove rn o r s wer e

.

de capit ated as an in tima ti on to the mo n ar ch th at

,

his app o in tees wer e to be cl assed a s r ebels the ser ,

v an ts Of a usur per The Arab p ar ty o f G r an ad a w as

.

be aten in a gr e at b attle an d its in fluen c e f or ever,

 M OORIS H E MP IRE IN E U RO PE 5 59

destro yed The r evivin g for tun es o f I bn H a fsun

.
-

ha d p r o du c ed a st r o n g r e ac tion in his f avor when his

r e n un c i a ti on Of I s l amis m— an a c t Of m i st ake n p oli cy
whi ch witho ut gain in g the r espect o f the Chr istian s
, ,

made him an obj ec t o f aver sion to ever y M u s s u hn an

—e ff e cted gr e ate r in ju ry to his c ause th an a s cor e o f
'

defe ats could h ave a cco mplished The las t n in e ye ar s

.

o f Abd all ah s life we r e the le as t tu r bule n t o f his r eign

’
.

The subst an ti al aid a ffor ded by the Arab n obles at ,

last con vin c ed Of their depen den c e on the cr own had ,

r est or ed the l an gui s hi n g auth or ity o f the emi r ate .

Radi cal ch an ges had been p ro duc ed in the politi cal

complexi o n an d s oc i al con diti on o f the Pe n i n sul a by

a gen er a ti o n o f c ivil w ar F ac tion s had been pr acti

.

c ally exter min ated All the gr eat le a der s s ave on e

.
, ,

had been r emoved by ag e dise ase or ass a ssin ati on

, ,
.

The motive o f the or igin al seditio n had lon g been

forgo tten . R eligi on had be come the n omi n al in
cen tiv e to h o stility The en thusias m o f the c lan s man
.

a spi r i n g to i n depen den c e ha d bee n s uppl an ted by the

av ar i c e Of the b r ig an d e ager for r a pi n e The gen er al .

ch ar ac te r Of the sub j e c ts o f the emi r ate ha d u n der g on e

a complete met amor ph o s i s They had lo st the fero

.

c i on s a n d u n comp r omisi n g spi r it Of thei r a n c esto r s .

They wer e n o lon ger Oppr es s ed by the tyrann y o f the

monar ch wh ose helple s s n ess an d imbec ility every
,

where pro voked publi c con tempt The en mity with .

which the member s o f Opp o sin g par ties r egar ded each
o ther w as r a ther a pp ar e n t th an r e a l Their milit ar y
.

o p e rati o n s wer e l an guidly p ro s e cuted Their en .

coun ter s wer e o ften bl oo dless F amili ar ity with dis

.

or der in du c ed man y to con sider it the n atu ra l con di

,

tio n Of s o c iety The vitality o f the ro yal power

.

seemed pr oo f again st all the r es ourc es o f tr e as on an d

Vi olen c e Thous an ds o f lives had been s acr ific ed in
.

futile attempts to over turn a governmen t whose sup

p or t r e s ted n either up on the v alor o f its s oldier y ,
560 HISTORY OF T HE

the gen ius o f its st ates men n o r the a ff e c ti on s o f its

,

peo ple .

The s o ber sen se o f the masses ch asten ed by mis ,

for tun e even tu ally caused them to r efle c t up on the

,

a dv an t a ges o f sub missi on to auth o r ity a n d the res tora

tion o f or der I n subor din ation had br o ught n o thin g

.

but distr ess The g r e at wor ks o f the f oun der s o f the

.

dyn asty— s o uven ir s o f forme r p r o sper ity an d r en own

-
wer e eve rywher e aroun d them P r in c iples o f V it al
.

imp or t an c e to their for ef ather s we r e but me an in gless

n ames to the p r ese n t gen e ra tio n These con sidera
.

tion s fi r st a ff e c ted c ommun ities wh o se commerc ial

in ter e s t s wer e ser i ously in v olved A n umber Of .

the provin ci al c apitals v olun t ar ily r etu rn ed to their

a llegi an c e G r a du ally o the r t o wn s fo llo wed their
.

ex ample .E ven in the moun t ain fa stn esses the

spirit Of r eturn in g lo yalty began to assert itself .

An ar chy an d exh austi on e ff ec ted wh at for c e w as

po werless to accomplish an d the c lose o f the admin
,

i s tration o f on e o f the w or st o f M o slem p r in c es w as

c h arac te r ized by a deg r ee o f t r an quillity u n k n o wn to

tho se o f man y o f his r ac e emin en tly distin guished for

their gen ius an d their virtues .

Dur in g all these in tern al commotion s the pe ac e ,

existin g between the c ou rts o f O viedo an d C o r dova

w a s n eve r br o ke n by h o stilities o f a se r i o us c h arac te r ,

a c i rc umst an c e th at con t r ibuted l ar gely to the p r eser

v ation o f the M o slem empir e E verythin g seemed to

.

in di c ate at le ast a r espite fr om the evils th at had s o

lon g affli c ted the peo ple an d h ar assed the g ov ermn ent ,

when Abd allah sudden ly expir ed in the sixty n in th ,

-

ye ar o f his ag e .

The r elatio n Of the mon o t on ous an d s anguin ary

even ts o f this perio d is v alu able in a philo s o phical ,

p oin t o f View in determinin g the r e al causes o f the

,

de caden c e o f the M oh ammed an p o wer in Western

E ur o pe The chr on i cle o f the r eig n o f Abdall ah the
.
,
562 HISTORY OF T HE

o mi tted to men tion his n ame in the khotba or public ,

prayer Little won der w as it th at un der such a rul er

.
, ,

the E mirate o f C or dov a sh ould h ave r e ached the

lo west p oin t in its for tun es to whic h it w as r educ ed
befo r e its fin al over thro w The auth ority o f the .

c r o wn w as eve r ywh er e disputed The g r e at c ities

.
,

— S eville C adiz T o ledo J aen Gran ad a Valen ci a

, , , , , ,

S ar a goss a —wh ose po wer an d glor y had been the

,

p r ide o f for mer ages n o lon ger sen t their r ich t r ibutes
,

to the ca pit al o n the Gu ad alquivi r The slumber s .

o f the c itizen s Of C o r d o v a we r e n ightly distu r bed by

the sh r ieks o f pe as an ts dyin g un der the wea p on s o f

ban ditti an d by the lurid glar e o f burn in g villages
,

th at lighted up the lan ds c a pe with the br illi an cy o f

n oon d ay T r affic dis appe ar ed fr om the highw ays
. .

The markets wer e empty an d deserted The p r ev a .

len t in se c ur ity had suspen ded the Oper ation s O f agr i

cultu r e an d the n e c ess ar ies o f life be c ame luxu r ies
,

att ain able o n ly by the r i c h I n man y loc alities famin e

.

stri cken wr etches fed with gh astly s atisfaction up on

, ,

the bo die s o f their fr ien ds an d n eighbo r s These de .

pl orabl e con diti on s we r e agg r av ated by the den u n c i a

tion s an d pro phe cies o f the min ister s o f r eligion w ho , ,

with ch ar acter istic audacity shifted the blame for ,

publi c misfor tun e upon tho se w ho we r e in r e ality its

vi ctims an d c alled down up on the he ads o f a sin ful
,

an d ple asur e l ovi n g pe o ple the lon g defe r r ed but in

- -

exor able wrath o f an aven gin g G o d .

 M OORIS H E MP IRE IN E U RO PE

CHAPT ER XII

REI GN OF ABD AL - -
RAH M AN III .

9 1 2—961

E min en t Q u a litie s o f the New R u le r—H i s F i r mn es s —R apid

S u bj ection o f the R eb el T e rr itor y—Di s s en s ion s of the
Ch i sti n —D e f t f I bn Abi—
r a s Ab d —D e th o f I bn —
ea oH f a a a

s un —I mp i e d P ow e A b N bl es—W w ith the

-

o f th
a r r e ra o ar

F ti mi tes o f A f ic —R out of J u n qu a—Ab d l — R hm n

the Titl e o f Kh l i f—I t S i g n i fi c n e—
a r a er -
a a a

a s s um es I v s i on o f
C sti le—R ev e o f Alh n d eg —C iv i l W s of the Ch i s
a s a c n a

a ers a a ar r

ti s —The P in es f L n n d N v e v i it th Mos l em
an

C ou t—Ab d l R hm n dies at th Ag e of S ev enty Ye

r c o eo a a ar r s e

r a a a e ar s

H i s R em k bl A hi v m n t —Th G
- -

ar a e k d G er m n
c e e e s e ree an a

E mb s i e s —The S n d It l y—Th e S l v

a n d th ei
as

I n flu r
e
ce n s i n F nce

P lot f Ab d ll h— C d iti of the

en c
ara
— o
ra

a
a

a
a

on on
a es

C u n tr y u n de Ab d l —
o R h m n III —C o dov —I ts We lth
r a a a r a a
—
-
.

a nd M
g i fi c n
a e nTh R y el V i l l sc— Th C ity d P l c e o a a e an a a e

o f M d in — e l Z h a—M el n c h l y R e fl cti n o f the G e t

a a -
a r a o e o s r a

es t f the K h l i f s
o a .

TH E s c eptr e o f the emirate had by the choi c e ,

o f Abd all ah been beque athed to Abd a l R ahma n his

gran ds o n to the p r ej udi c e o f his s e con d s on Al —

- -

, ,

, M od ,

h aff er w ho stood n ext in the order o f succ ession

,
.

M oh ammed the hei r to the th ro n e ac cused o f tr e as on

, , ,

had per ished in a du n ge on the vi c ti m Of the j e alousy ,

or the j usti c e o f his u n feelin g f ather The cir cum .

stan c es atten din g this tragedy as well as the even ts ,

which pr ovoked it are alike in vo lved in un c ert ain ty ,

.

Th at the heir app ar en t should h ave allied himself with

the Ch ri s ti an s have served un der the b ann er o f I bn
,

H afs u n the i mpl ac able en emy o f his rac e an d h ave

, ,

attempted to o ve r tu r n the ve r y g o ver n men t whi c h it

w a s his duty as well as his i n te r est to supp or t seems ,

highly impro bable Y et thi s is wh at we are led to in fer.

564 HISTORY OF T HE

from the Obs cur e st atemen ts o f such c h r on icles as c on

des c en d to men tion even with me a gr e det ails this epi
, ,

s o de o f the r eign o f Abd allah Th at the deed w as n ot

.

en tir ely witho ut j ustification may be p r esumed from

the fact th at the la tter has n ot r e c eived on this ac ,

cou n t the den un c i a ti o n O f p o ste r ity

, R ever en c e fo r
.

the g r e atest s over eign o f the Western E mpir e has

sile n c ed the v oi c e o f critic ism whic h might o ther wi s e
,

h ave arr aign ed the tr e a cher y an d in gr atitude o f a

fathe r These mo tives h ave combin ed to in vest with
.

a n a ir o f myste r y an occ u rr en c e wh o se con sequen c es

wer e so momen t ous in their subsequen t in fluen c e on

the histo r y o f the Pen in sula .

The ch ar acte r o f the yo un g p ri n c e w as con spi cuous

for ever y ex c elle n c e whi ch c o uld eithe r be in her ited
o r c o n fe r r ed by edu c a ti on
. His pers on w as attr active ,

his mann er s a ff able an d urb an e his t alen ts co n s pi cu

,

ou s i n a co u r t r en o wn ed f or its wit its le ar n i n g an d

, ,

its elo quen c e His skill in chiv alrous exer cises evoked
.

the acclamati on s Of the s o ldier y His kn o wledge o f

.

a ff ai r s an d his ca p ac ity to car r y to a su cc essful issue

,

the mo st delic ate tr an s actio n s o f diplomacy had lon g ,

been the admirati on Of ven er able an d distin guished

st atesmen The f on d p ar tiality o f his gran dfather
.
,

w ho w as c o n st an tly h aun ted by the me mo r y o f a cr ime

in du c ed by p olitic al n e c es s ity had c aused the youthful
,

heir to the th ron e to be i n stru cted in all the kn o wledge

to be ac qui r ed i n the mo st a cc omplished an d e n light
en ed s oc iety o f E ur o pe The for tun ate Ob j ect o f this
.

s oli citude e ar ly demo n str ated his emin en t fitn ess for
the r esp on sibilities o f his ex alted destin y A thirst for .

kn o wledge combin ed with a pr e co cious sed aten ess o f

,

deme an o r temper ed by a sprightlin ess which while it , ,

had n o thin g in c ommon with fr ivo lity yet en livened ,

the dis cussion o f the most serio us an d pro s aic question s

o f phil o s o phi c al r ese ar c h
, p r ocur ed f or him the love
o f the s c h ol ar s o f C or d o v a wh o se Opin i on s we r e re
,
566 HISTORY OF T HE

thei r in fluen c e .Wear y o f strife their families ,

de c imated their p o ssession s dimin ished the t r ib es

, ,

men o f the K or eish beg an to ser i o usly questi on the

expedien c y o f i n c ess an t r evo lution wh o se r isks an d ,

pr iv ation s o ff er ed su ch a mar ked an d un f av or able

con tr a st to the un distur bed an d luxu r io us en j o yme n t

o f An d alusi an c iviliz ati on The un iver s al di ff usion

.

o f k n o wledge the f r ee dis c ussi on o f s c ien tifi c p r ob

,

lems the n umerous s ch ools the ackn owledged s u

, ,

r emac y o f i n telle c tu al ac qui r emen ts o ve r blin d an d

p
un r e as on in g cr edulity had perc eptibly weaken ed the
,

po wer o f I slam The imams s aw with dis may the

.

p or ten t ous in cr e ase o f skeptic ism whi c h th r eaten ed

,

alike the emo lumen ts o f thei r offi c e an d the fou n d a

ti on s o f their faith The con gr egatio n s we r e as n u

.

mer ou s the d on ati on s as liber al the pr ayer s to all

, ,

a ppe ar an c es a s fe r ven t a s former ly but the destru o ,

tive p ois on o f in fidelity perme ated an d w as fast cor

ru p ti n g the e n ti r e ma ss o f s oc iety The Christi an s o f
.

the N or th w ho had ma in t a in ed their in depen den c e

,

thr ough the dissen sion s o f their n eighbor s wer e ,

n ow themselves h arassed by dis astrous r ev olution s

fo men ted by a spir in g pr in c es W ho r egar dless o f ,

the d an ger whic h con st an tly men ac ed their terr itory ,

n eve r hesit ated to s a c r ific e the welf ar e o f the n ati on

fo r the un c e r t ain dign ity o f ro yal p o we r The an .

c ien t r e alm o f the Astu r i a s ha d sp r e a d f ar bey on d

the limits Of the Sierr as wh o se cr a ggy s olitudes had

pr o tec ted its in fan cy an d had exp an ded in t o the
,

kin gdoms o f Leon an d N av arr e wh o se petty mon ,

arc hs w a sted i n a tt ac ks up o n e a ch o the r the ener gy

an d the t r e a su r e whi ch w ould h ave been mo r e

pr o fi t
ably empl o yed i n thw ar ting the ambiti ous design s o f

the in fidel .

The cra fty an d v acillatin g p olicy o f Abdall ah w ho ,

wa s ign or an t o f the ar t o f either con c ili atin g or

pun ishin g his en emies an d who se crimes exc ited the
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 567

a bho rr en c e o f his r ebell ious sub j e cts while they f ailed

to ar ouse thei r appr ehen sion s w as r epugn ant to the ,

o pen an d fe arless n atur e o f Abd al R ahman The - -

.

former had con ten ted himself with the doubtful evi
den c e o f vass alage implied by the p aymen t o f tribute .

But the lo fty spirit o f his gran ds on w as n ot to be

s atisfied with this ambiguous con c ession to s over eign ty .

N O s o on er had he as cen ded the thron e th an he issued

a pro c l amatio n r equi r i n g the un c on diti on al submissi on

o f his subj e cts r eg ar dles s o f p r evious affili ati on s o f

,

r a c e or r eligion To su ch as p ro pe rly acknowledged

.

his title he exten ded his c lemen cy ; but th ose w ho p er

sisted in defian c e o f the l aw an d in r esistan c e to the
c on stituted authority he de c lar ed sh oul d be r emo ved
,

beyon d the p ale O f in dulgen c e or mercy This fi rm

'
.

n ess whi ch in view o f r e c en t even ts an d the p owe r

, ,

exer cised by r ebel chieft ain s seemed to p artake o f ,

impruden c e n ot to say o f audacity s oon j ustified the

, ,

wisdom an d foresight Of the prin ce who ado pted it .

The l ar ge c ities wh ose p o pulation w as most aff ected

,

by the evils o f an archy w er e the fir st to r etur n to their

,

allegi an c e E cij a J aen Archi d on a an d E lvi ra

.
, , , ,

who se sedition s had lon g vexed the peac e o f the

empir e wer e the first plac es o f import an c e to Open
,

their gates to the n ew s over eign The provin c es o f .

which the cities o f Jaen an d E lvira wer e the capit als ,

dotted with countless stron gho lds an d in fested with

p ar tis an s le agued with I bn H afsun still h owever -
, , ,

r efused to ab andon thei r h abits o f r api n e ; an d Abd

al R ahman p r ep ar ed i n per s on to r edu c e to sub j ec

-
, ,

tion these turbul en t vas s als whose h abits o f in d ep en

,

den c e con fir med by a lmo st un broken succ ess ha d in

, ,

d u ce d them to r eg ar d their arms as in vin cible But .

the b andit chieftain s o f the S ierra N evada an d the

S errani a de R onda had n ot t aken in to consider ation
the ch anges which had occurr ed in the rude so ciety to
which they themselves belon ged The strong pers on .
568 HISTORY OF T HE

al ity an d r ema rk able achievemen ts o f I bn H a f sun —

had hither t o kept u n ited the l awless eleme n ts whi c h , ,

c o lle c ted f rom eve r y p r o vin c e o f Afr i c a an d S p ai n ,

had fo un d a se cur e r efuge in the mo u n t ai n s o f And a

lusi a N ow h o weve r the a p ost asy o f their le ader had
.
, ,

dimi n ished the con fiden c e an d r elaxed the en thusi as m

o f his f oll owe r s .His s u mmon s to ar ms w as un heeded ,

o r o beyed with ill co n c e aled mar ks o f dis aff e c tio n

-
.

The depleted ran ks o f his army for c ed him to the

emplo ymen t Of B er be r mer c en ar ies b arb ar i an s wholly
,

destitute Of att ach men t to the cause they served an d ,

w ho we r e always li able i n the crisis o f a b attle to

deser t to the en emy un der the p romise o f higher pay .

The kn owledge th at they might i n the futur e be eu

, ,

r oll ed i n the r an ks Of thei r p r ese n t a dve r s ar ies thus ,

h amper ed their e ff o r ts an d i n du c ed them to in flict

,

the le a st p o ssible d ama ge upo n their tribes men w ho

fought un de r the stan d ar d o f the E mir F r om furi .

ou s b attles , in whic h we r e Often exhibited fe ats o f

pr o wess worthy o f a mor e chiv alr ous ag e the con flicts ,

with the br ig an ds o f the Sierras had be come n oisy an d

h armless en coun te r s with out spirit an d with out blood
,

s hed . A feelin g o f mutua l dist rust whi ch n eeded ,

little p ro vocati on to r ipen in to acts o f Open h ostil ity ,

w as e n gen de r ed between I bn H a f s un an d his sub

-

j ects A gr o wi n g sen se o f in se cur ity had ye ar s be

.
,

fo r e caused the r ebel le ade r to swe ar allegian c e to

,

Ob ey d all ah the S c hiite p rin c e o f Afr i c a

, E x asper .

ated by this con fessi on o f we ak n ess the Offi c ers o f

,

the army wer e fur ther alien ated by the gifts an d

h on or s lavished up on the P a g an mer c en aries w ho had ,

supplan ted in the favor Of their comman der the tried

veteran s o f man y c amp aign s .

F or thi r ty ye ar s the S p an ish an d Be r be r elemen ts

ha d exh austed eve r y r es o u r c e in futile attempts to
sh ake O ff the Ar ab yoke N o dec isive vic tor y had ever
.

atten ded thei r arms The stru ggle n ever rose abov e
.
5 7O HISTORY OF T HE

v i c tio n or p oli c y aspir ed to mar tyr dom an d o pen ly ,

per formed to the disgust o f the orth o do x beh older

, ,

the r evo ltin g severities o f mon astic dis ciplin e The .

d aughter o f the r ebel chief her self r etir ed to a cloister ,

when c e she w as ye ar s a fter war ds dra gged forth to

, ,

pay the pen alty Of a p o st asy a f ate e ager ly wel comed

,

as the fulfil men t Of a p r o phe c y p ron o u n c ed by a

v agr an t mon k The cause whic h p o pul ar en thusi asm

.

had on c e i n vested with a n ati on al ch arac ter supp or ted ,

by the tradition s o f I ber i an Roman an d G o thic , ,

domin ion an d which held ou t delusive h o pes o f

,

n a ti o n a l in depen den c e ha d dis a ppe ar ed in the a tro

,

cities O f the wo r st o f al l str uggles a r eligi ous w ar ,

con du c ted by r en eg a des An o ther p ower ful elemen t

.
,

on c e allied i n symp a thy with the p ar ty o f I bn H a f -

su n , w a s n o w with unb ro ken un an imity arrayed

ag ai n st him The C o n quest had br ought r elief
.

an d l iber ty to man y th ous an ds o f families th at

fo r g en er ati on s had gro an ed un de r the Opp r ession s
o f sl aver y an d se r fd om The r emembran c e o f their
.

su ff er in gs had been beque athed to their des c en dan ts ,

an d the kn o wledge th a t the r est or ati on o f the Ch r is

tian r eligi on wo uld c er t ain ly be accomp an ied with the

en actmen t o f laws depr ivin g them o f the fr eedom they
en j o yed con firmed the lo yalty o f the latte r which had
, ,

been tempo r arily sh aken by the dis or der s o f the emi

rate . With feeli n gs o f min gled a ppr ehen sion an d
gratitude they comp ar ed their pr esen t con dition with
,

the deg rad ation an d miseries o f their an c est or s whose ,

mo st tyrann i cal master s had be en foun d in the ranks

o f the e cc lesi asti c al o r de r n ow seeki n g by eve ry ar t
,

o f in t rigue the re est abli shmen t o f the sup r e mac y o f

-

their Church the r e cover y o f their con fis cated lan ds

, .

a n d the r est orati on o f thei r an c ien t an d i r r esp on sible

pr ivileges The bold fron t pr esented by the r ebel

.

forc es w as f ormi dable onl y in a ppe aran c e The dis .

in tegrati on o f the f action which had mor e th an onc e

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 5 71

thr e aten ed the M oslem c a pit al an d the th ron e o f the

West w as complete I t n eeded but the p r esen c e o f
.

the s over eign to exp os e the ho peless con dition o f an

al r e ady a b an do n ed c ause S u c h w a s the state o f
s ociety in the di s a ff e cted terr itor y o f the emirate an d ,

such the ch ar ac ter o f the adver s ar ie s with who m the

youthful Abd al R ahman w as n ow c alled up on to
- -

c on ten d.

The a ppe ar an c e o f the r oyal stan dard w as the

sign al for the vo lun tary s urr en der o f the gr e ater
p art Of the p rovin c es o f J aen an d E lvir a The .

c as tles whi c h ha d lo n g been the se at o f outl awr y a n d

brig an d age wer e r azed As s oon as the Open coun tr y

.

had been se cu r ed Abd al R ahman pushed for war d

,
- -

without hesit ation in to the he ar t o f the sierra At .

fir s t he met with s tubb orn o pp ositi on but the captu r e

,

o f the st r o n g t o w n o f F in a n a w as f oll owed by the

submi s s ion o f ever y chieft ain wh ose proximity to the

s c en e o f actio n led him to fear the exemplar y v en
g ean c e o f an ex aspe rated mas te r I n less than thr ee
.

mon ths n ot a sin gle c as tle in the S ierra N evada re

main ed in po s session o f the in sur gen ts I n structed by .

the exper ien c e o f his pr edec ess or s Abd al Rahman,

- -

a do pted the mo st pr uden t a n d e ff e c tive me an s for

r et ai n in g his c o n quests The govern ors an d their

.

families wer e r emoved to C or dova The r ebel g ar .

r is on s we r e r epl a c ed by veter an s wh o se fidelity w a s

un question ed P ar don w as gran ted to all ex c eptin g

.
,

such as had r en de r ed themselves un deservin g Of clem

en cy by the commission o f atrocious cr imes The dig .

n ity o f the c r own w as fur the r se c ur ed by the r e est ab

-

l ishmen t o f j udic i al tr ibun als an d the a pp o in tmen t o f

magistrates who s e r eputation an d experien c e wer e a
guar an ty o f the fa ithful di s ch ar ge o f their duties .

The moral e ff ec t o f these politic measur es the amiable

h
c ar a c te r o f Abd al —
Rahman an d the r eput ation be
,
,

en j oyed for j ustic e accomplished as mu ch fo r the

5 72 HISTORY OF T HE

p aci fi cati on of the ho stile terr it or y as the fe ar in spir ed

by his arms His fir st impor tan t act a fter assumin g
.

the r egal o ffic e w as the r emission o f t axes which im , ,

p o sed by the n e c essities or the av ari c e O f his p r ede

c es s o r s
, weighed he avily up on a dist r ac ted an d im
po v e r i s he d pe o ple The gen eral amn esty whi ch he
.

had p roc laimed ; his s o li c itude for the welfar e o f his

subj e cts ; his firmn ess in de alin g with th o se w ho dis
p u te d his auth or ity ; the spir it he man ifested by ap
pe arin g at the he ad o f his troops w ho fo r year s had ,

n ot seen the fa c e o f thei r s o ve r eig n ; the physi c al

att r ibutes w ith whi c h n a tu r e had a d or n ed a n o ble an d

maj estic p r esen c e all con spir ed to captiv ate the im

,

a in a ti on an d i n spi r e the r espe c t o f b o th the c ivili an s

g
an d the s oldie r y . A con fiden c e min gled with en thu
s i as m an d r eve r e n c e w as aw aken ed at his a pp ro ach ,

a n d the useful membe r s o f eve r y commu n ity dis ,

he ar ten ed by ye ar s O f turmo il an d misf ortun e wel ,

comed e ac h bl oo dless an d de cisive vi cto r y o f the

youthful mon arch as an addition al h ar bin ger o f a
pe ac eful an d pr o sperous r eign .

The c ity o f S eville n ow g over n ed by the p ower ful

,

f amily o f the Ben i H ad j ad j while a n omin al depen d

-
,

en c y Of the emir ate w as in all r espe cts s ave this

, ,

dubio us mark o f subor din ati on the se at o f an in de ,

pen den t p r in cip ality The authority O f the E mir w as

.

n ot r e co g n ized within its w a lls The Div an had n o .

v oic e in the a pp oin tmen t o f the offic er s ch ar ged with

its go vernmen t The levyin g o f t r o o ps for service
.

un der the ro yal b an n er s r ested en tir ely upon the

c a p r i c e or dis c r eti on o f the Ara b p r i n c es w ho had ,

wr ested from an en feebled dyn asty the ri chest

pr ovin c e o f the e mpir e E ven the collec tio n of
.

the ann ual tax w as con sider ed a mer e act o f con

des c en sion an d c o ur tesy a privilege li able to be re
,

v oked at the ple a su r e o f the h aughty t r ibut ar y But .

disc or d ar isin g from the ambitious an d irrecon cilable

,
5 74 HISTORY OF T HE

an c His for agin g p arties we r e ambushed an d cu t

e .

Off . His con vo ys wer e in ter c epted H a vin g formed .

the siege o f T olo x wher e I bn H a fsun comman ded in

,
-

per s on a sud d e n s ally o f the g arr is on w as plan n ed

,

with such boldn ess an d succ ess th at a p an ic seized the

army an d a g r e at dis aste r w as n ar r o wly aver ted
, But .

the gen ius an d per severan c e Of Abd al R ahman even t - -

u all y t r iumphed o ve r all o bst a c les T olox w as t aken

. .

C astle a fter c a stle w as stormed an d demolished The .

supplies o f the in sur gen ts wer e exh austed an d they ,

wer e compelled to h ave r ecou rse to the gran aries o f

Afr ic a The for esight o f the E mir had h owever
.
, ,

an ti c ip ated this me asu r e o f the e n emy The vigilan ce .

Of his cruiser s bl asted the h o pes o f the famishin g

r ebels an d the ca ptur ed ships we r e a dded to the
,

n avy p at ro llin g the Medite r r an e a n while the pr ovi ,

sion s wer e con veyed to the ro yal camp I n time a

c on side ra ble exten t Of m
.

o u n t a i n ter r it or y w a s con

quer ed ; the c ities o f O r ihuela an d N iebla who se ,

a lluvi al r egi on s b o asted an almo st pe r e nn i al h arvest ,

wer e again added to the domi n ion s o f the cr o wn ; the

tr adesmen an d the pe as an tr y alike weary o f the con
,

tribu tion s levied by r elen tless b r ig an d a ge ze alously ,

c O Oper ated with the i mpe r i al magist rates in the r es

-

toration o f or de r ; an d Abd al R ah man s a tisfied with

- -
,

the r esult o f his fir st camp aign an d se cur e a g ain st any

a ttempt up on the ca pit al n o w beg a n to me di t ate an
,

expedition in t o the Chr istian pro v in c es o f the North .

The tru c e n ego ti ated between Abd allah an d Al

fon so I II w a s lon g pr eser ved by the p oliti cal n eces
.

sities which had origin al ly dic tated its p rovision s The .

E mi r w as fully occupied i n a desper ate attempt to r e

t ain his cro wn amidst the commotion s o f ahn o st un i
ver s al r ebellion an d an ar chy The Chr isti an mon archs
.

wer e un able to t ake adv an t age o f the helpless p o sition

o f thei r adve r s ar y on a c c oun t o f the plo ts an d cri mes
,

o f p r i n c es o f the ro y al h ouse the in trigues o f the

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 5 75

c lergy an d the in sub or din ation o f ambitious vass als

, .

Alfon s o II I compelled by the unn atur al cruelty an d

.
,

in gratitude Of his s on s to an tic ip ate the cour s e o f n a

tur e by r esign in g the supr eme dign ity had des c en ded ,

in to the gr ave br oken r ather by dome s tic s orro ws than

,

by the in fir miti es Of ag e His e ff or ts when forc ed to

.
,

an un timely abdi c ati o n ha d bee n di r e c ted with man y

,

for ebodin gs o f evil to an equit able p ar tition o f his

domin ion s His thr ee elde s t s o n s sh ar ed between them
.

the pr in c ip alities o f the r o yal p atr imon y G ar ci a r e .

c ei v e d Le on to Or d o fi o w a s all o tted G ali c i a F ru el a

, ,

r ema i n ed at O vi ed o F r om this epoc h d ates the or igin

.

o f the kin gdom o f Le on which by its pr oximity to

, ,

the fron tier an d its mo r e advan t ageous situation s oo n ,

a bs or bed an d even tu ally e c lipsed the dig n ity an d im

por tan c e o f its r ivals The s ho rt r eign o f G ar cia w as

.

occupied by a su c c es s ion of expedition s i n to the

en emy s coun try whi ch s eem to h ave been atten ded
’

with n o de c isive r e s ults Dyin g a fter thr ee year s

.
, ,

without issue his br o ther Or d o fi o r ec eived the votes

,

o f the c ou n c il an d w as r ai s ed to the v acan t th ron e

,

amidst the a cc l ama ti on s o f the pe o ple Thus the S t ate .

o f G ali c i a w a s mer ged in t o th a t o f L e on an d the tw o , ,

hen c eforth existin g un der the n ame o f the latter b e ,

came i n time an i n teg ra l p or ti on o f the S p an i s h mo n

archy , Or d ofi o w a s alr e ady r e n o wn ed for his v alor

in an ag e o f milit ar y he ro ism an d r oman ti c e n te r p r ise .

His acc ession w as sign alized by a foray which laid

waste the flouri s hin g provin c e o f Mer ida Pur suin g .

the s avage p olicy in augur ated by Alfon s o he mas ,

s acr ed all t aken in arms an d en sl aved the n on com ,

-

b atan ts w ho we r e SO un fo r tun a te as to fall i n to his

h an ds His r etr e at w as pur ch ased by the in h abit an ts
—
.

of B a d a j o z,w ho co lle c ti n,g a n i mme n se t r e a su r e to

whi ch the member s o f the ec clesiastic al or der wer e un
willi n g but imp ortan t con tr ibutor s—in duc ed him to
r eti r e
. Up on his r eturn to the capit al he devo ted a ,
5 76 HIS T ORY OF T HE

con sider a ble p or ti on o f the boo ty to the foun dation

o f a c hu rc h dedi c a ted to the Vi r gi n i n a ckn o w l ed g
,

me n t Of her in fluen c e an d pr ote ction to whi ch he ,

a ttr ibuted the auspi c i o us comme n c emen t o f his r eig n .

Alth ough the terr it or y whic h had su ff er ed from the

r e c en t i n c u r si on o f the Ch r isti an s f or med p ar t o f th at

r egi on whi ch still r efused to ac kn o wledge his au

thority Abd al R ah man w as n o t Slo w to perc eive the

,
- -

a dv an t ages whi c h must acc r ue to him fro m a ssu min g

the ch ampion ship o f th o se w ho wer e n omin ally his

en emies The c ause w as o n e o f vit al imp or tan c e to
.

a ll pr o fessin g the r eligio n o f M oh ammed The .

dign ity o f the emir ate had been in sulted by a troo p

Of maraudin g b ar b ari an s wh om the p o lished Ar abs
,

o f C or d o v a with j usti c e c o n side r ed thei r i n feri ors

even i n fe ats o f mar ti al pro wess an d w ho if secur e , ,

o f i mmu n ity would n ot on ly exten d their rav ages

,

further but als o c on tr act a p ro foun d con tempt for

,

the in ac tive an d pusill an imous ch ar ac ter o f their ad

v ers ari es The fickle a ttachmen t o f the in sur gen ts
.

o f the West might be r eg ai n ed or at le ast thei r

,

g ratitude ar oused by a demon s tr ati on in their f avor ;

,

an d the mo r al e ff e c t up on the e n e mies as well a s

up on the p ar tis an s o f the c r o wn co uld n o t fail to

be o f gr e at an d perman en t v alue An army w as .

equipped an d desp at ched un der I bn Abi Abd a to - -

l a y w aste the pl a i n s o f Le o n F o r fiftee n ye ar s the

.

M o slem st an d ar ds had n o t been seen on C h ristian

s o il an d the swar thy b att alion s o f Abd al Rahman
,
- -
,

s carc ely kn own ex c ept by fame to the subj e cts Of

Or d o fi o we r e the s ou rc e o f almo st a s mu ch ter ror
,

to the supe r stiti o us pe a s an t r y as we r e their an c estor s

w ho se rved u n der the b an n e r o f the r edo ubt able
T arik The ven tur e o f the E mir w as r ewar ded with
.

a bun d an t b oo ty ; the av ar i c e o f the s oldie ry w as at

o n c e aroused an d g ratified ; an d in the e n sui n g ye ar, ,

a n o ther expediti on or g an ized o n a mu c h l ar ge r s cale

, ,
5 78 HIST ORY OF T HE

thei r li ves G r a du ally h o wever the r es ourc es o f the

.
, ,

emi ra te dir ec ted by a fir m an d skilful h an d began

, ,

to p r ev ail in the S err an i a Th r ee o f the s on s Of

I bn —
.

H a fs un wer e r emoved by vo lun t ar y r eti r emen t ,

by de ath in b attle by mur der p rov oked by a do uble

,

a p o st asy The survivor H a fs r edu c ed to extr emity

.
,

by the siege o f B oba s tr o submitted an d h avin g be , , ,

come a l o y al subj e c t se r ved a fte r w ar ds with disti n o

,

tion in the imper i al army The f an ati c s w ho fol .

lo wed in the train Of the E mir ac tu ated by all the ,

malig n ity o f thei r kin d c aused the t ombs o f I bn

H a fs un an d G i a far to be Open ed ; an d Abd al —
,

R ah -

man h avin g le ar n ed th at the bo dies had been in terr ed

,

a ccor di n g to the c ust oms o f the i n fidel o r de r ed them ,

to be n ailed to st akes befo r e the p r i n c ip al g ate o f

C or dova The surr en der o f B obas tro w as s oon fol
.

lo wed by the submission o f the en tir e S erran i a I n .

the me an time the in sur gen t chieft ain s o f the moun

,

t ain s o f P r iego Of Ali can te an d o ther c ities o f the

, ,

Opulen t provin c es o f Tad mir Me r id a S an t ar em , , ,

Bej a an d fin al ly o f B ad aj oz made humble pro fes

, ,

si on s o f fealty an d Obedien c e to the con que r or .

The r ebel te r r ito r y whi ch n ot man y ye ar s before

, , ,

had exte n ded almo st t o the w alls o f the capit al w as

’

n ow li mited to the n ar r o w ar e a i n c l o sed by the f orti

fi catio n s o f T o led o An xious to a vo id bloo dshed the

.
,

E mi r attempted to Open n eg o ti ati on s for the sur r en der

o f the c ity with out r es o r ti n g to f o r c e But his over .

tur es wer e r e j e cted ; the T o led an s wh o se n atur al in ,

c l in atio n to tu r bulen c e ha d been e n co ur a ged by lon g

impun ity an d wh o se t aste fo r a lawless i n depen den ce

,

had been st r en gthen ed by its en j o ymen t dismissed the ,

r o yal e n v o ys with h aughty disd ai n Abd al Rahman .

- -

at o n c e p r oc eeded to i n vest the c ity The suburbs we re .

dev ast ated All supplies wer e in terc epted by a close

.

blo ckade The s allies o f the besieged we r e r epulsed

.

at eve r y p o in t Their la st h o pe van ished with the de

.
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 9

fe at o f a Ch risti an army sen t by the Ki n g o f Leon

to a ssist them an d the di s tr essed c ity a fter an ob s ti
, ,

n ate r esist an c e l asti n g tw o ye ar s c a pitul ated ,

.

The fier c e an d bloo dy s truggle whi ch had decimated

commun i ties dest r o yed the acc umul ati o n s o f i n dust r y
, ,

an d r et ar ded n ati o n a l p ro g r ess f o r n e ar ly h alf a c en

tury w a s fin ally at an en d F r om the c on fin e s o f the .

C oun ty o f B ar c elon a to the sh o r es o f the Atl an ti c ,

from the Pyr en ees to the Mediterran e an the auth o r ity ,

o f Abd al R ah ma n w a s n o w ac k n o wledged a s s u
- -

preme The d an ge r o f s ucc es sfu l r ebellio n had dis

.

appe ar ed w ith the n ame an d f or tu n e s o f I bn H a fs u n -

.

S in c e the time o f S er torius n o le ader had so ably ,

defen ded the c aus e o f the S p an is h pe ople The e ff ect .

o f the p r o tr a c ted co n test i n w hi ch the l atte r ha d

p ar ti cip ated had been to r aise them from the po si

tio n o f o ut cas ts to an equ ality with their an c ien t
Opp r e s s or s The br ig an d chief o f the S ie rr as had
.

been in a me asur e the pe culi ar ch ampio n Of thei r

.

, ,

r ights . Th ough lon g a M os lem his followin g had ,

con sisted l ar gely o f Ch r isti an s an d he ha d fin ally bee n ,

r ec eived i n t o thei r co mmu n i o n H i s s ag acity an d .

gen e r ous c on fiden c e had en tr usted them with impor

tan t c ivil Offic es with the co n du c t o f delic ate n ego
,

ti ati on s with emb assies to Afr i ca with the comman d

, ,

o f armi es E xper ien c e in w ar far e had b rought with

.

it the c i v ilizin g in flue n c es which develo p even in the ,

mid s t o f destr uction in cr e ased in telligen c e a mor e

, ,

toler an t spi rit a higher sen se o f per s on al dign ity an d

,

hon or Acc u s t omed fr om the e arliest times to an

.

ar bit rar y g o ve r n men t while n omin ally fightin g for

,

liberty they yet s aw n o thin g r epugn an t in the des

,

p o ti s m o f the e m i rate But it w as di ff er en t with the

.

K or eishite n obles who s e arro gan t pr eten sion s had

,

pro voked an d pr e cipit ated the lon g ser ies o f c alamities

n ow h a ppily ter mi n ated The lic en ti ous fr eedom o f
.

the Deser t w as th ei r ide al the s alut ary r estr ain ts o f ,

5 80 HISTORY OF T HE

a uthority their aver sion The h aughty pr ide en gen .

der ed an d tr an smitted through coun tless gen er ation s

o f c hieft ai n s in wh o se vein s c our sed the pu r est bloo d

o f Ar a bi a an d wh o se ac hievemen ts we r e r e c o un ted i n
,

the p a ssion ate strain s o f f amo us p o ets in duc ed them ,

to r eg ar d with i n e ff able disd ain an d to subj e c t to ,

ever y in dign ity all w ho we r e n o t member s o f their

,

ex clusive c a ste The d ay o f these in s olen t lor ds w as

.

n o w o ve r O f all the p arties who se qu arr els had dis

.

tr ac ted s o ciety their s had far ed the wor st N ever .

str on g in n umber s their r an ks had been thin n ed by

,

the or din ar y c a su alties o f w ar ; by the evils in sepa

r a ble fr om p over ty ; by summar y exe cution s for
t r e as o n . Their p o wer had been SO e ff ec tuall y de
str o yed th at they a ppe ar n o mor e as a distur bin g
elemen t in the ann als Of the Pen in sula S ubmittin g .
,

alth ough with r elu c t an c e to the f orc e o f n e c essity

, ,

they by degr ees con tra c ted all i an c es with the fac
tion on c e the o bj ec t o f their s corn an d len t their ,

un willin g ai d to the n o ble pr o j ect Of Abd al Rah man - -

,

which aimed at a c omplete fusion o f r ac es an d the

o blite r a ti on o f her edit ar y feuds an d an c ie n t prej u

dic es The last imp or t an t c on stituen t o f the pOpu

.

l ation the Ber ber s pr eserved un der a pp ar en t con

, , ,

f ormi ty to custom their ch ar acter o f merc en ar y an d

,

id olatr ous b arb ar ian s w ho n o t amen a ble to the ben e

, ,

fits o f pe ac e wer e destin ed er elon g to demon strate the

,

sui cidal p oli cy whi ch had in tr o duc ed such per fid iou s

a lli es i n t o the he ar t Of the empi r e

The pacifi c ati on o f the domi n ion s o f Abd al —

.

R ah -

man had n ot been per fe cted a mome n t to o s oon An .

en emy mo r e dan ger ous th an an y th at had y et men

a c ed the th ron e o f the Ommey a d es ha d a ppe ar ed on

the coast o f Afr i ca The I smaili an s a bran ch o f the

.
,

S ch i i te sec t r eformed by a sh r ewd an d ambitious

ch a r l at an in Per si a had th ro ugh its missi on ar ies
, , ,

supplan ted the dyn asty o f the Aghlabites an d now ,

5 82 HIST ORY OF TH E

an d egul ar ly tran s mitted r ep or t s o f the con dition o f

r

tr ade the l oc ation o f t r e asur e the pr o spe ct o f or der

, , ,

o r the p r o g r ess o f r evo luti o n to thei r e mplo ye r s at

K a i r o an The famo us g eo g ra pher I bn H au kal w as

.
,
-
,

o n e o f these F a ti mite emiss ar ies an d his w or k con

,

t ain s man y o f the r esults o f his exper ie n c e which are

n o t compli men t ar y to the ge n er a l con diti o n o f MO

hamme d an S p a i n the cap a c ity o f its r ule r s or the

, ,

hu man ity o f his o w n in t oler an t se ct Ther e is r e as o n

.

to believ e th at a con side r able p ar ty f av o r able to the

r efo r me r s an d c o n s isti n g l ar gely o f the bette r c lasses
, ,

existed in th at coun tr y ; an d it is c e rt ain th at the

Be rbe rs wh o se symp athie s we r e r e adily en listed in
,

favo r Of ever ythin g Afr i can wo uld h ave deser ted by

,

th ous an ds to ser ve un der their b an n er s This alarm .

in g s t ate o f a ff a i r s had bee n p r omo ted by an Obs cu re

p r ediction sedulously p r o p ag ated by the agen ts Of
the F atimite s which ann oun c ed th at an Afr ican s ov
,

er ei n w as o n e d a
g y to r ule o ve r the Pe n in sul a an d ,

a ll w ho believed it con fiden tly a sse r ted th at the ti me

o f its r e a liz a ti o n w a s a t h an d .

F ully co g n iz an t o f the d an ge r s atte n din g the v ic

tor i ou s p r o g r es s o f the I s maili an s w ho we r e n ow ,

en g aged in the con quest o f M aur it an ia Abd al R ah ,

- -

man he ar d with j oy the a ppe al fo r assist an c e o f the

exiled p r in c es o f N e c ou r wh o se family fo r mor e th an
,

a c en tu r y had been conn e c ted with his o w n by the

c l o sest tie s o f a ff e c ti o n an d g r a titude The distin .

u ishe d r efugee s w ho had with diffi culty es c a ped the

g
ven ge an c e o f the tyr an t o f K air o an wer e furn ished
with ship s an d mun ition s o f w ar an d by the policy , ,

o f thei r be n ef ac t or s o o n r eg a in ed p o ssessi on o f thei r

,

lo st inh er itan c e Aw ar e Of the imp o ssibility o f per

.

man en tly h oldin g an is ol ated p rovin c e ag ain st the

o v e r w hehn in g f or c es Of the e n emy the P rin c e o f ,

N e cou r at on c e p r ocl ai med the author ity Of the Om

mey ad es th roughout his domin ion s ; an d the pruden t
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 5 83

gen ero sity Of Abd al R ahman w as r ewarded by the

- -

a dditi o n o f a n ew st ate —whi ch emb rac ed the l ar ger

p ar t o f M aur it an i a— to the alr e ady exten s ive terr itor y

O f hi s e mpi r e Thu s by the in ter p o s ition o f a tribu
.
,

tar y p ro vin c e betwee n the fron tie r s Of E as ter n Africa

a n d S p a in the de s tructive adv an c e o f the F atimites
,

w as s t ayed an d the pe rman en c e o f the Ommey ad e

,

d yn a s ty as s ur ed f or tw o c en tu r ies lo n ge r .

The d an gerous ambition o f the Afr i can f an atic s

havin g bee n che cked Abd al Rah man w as at liber ty ,
- -

to tu r n hi s a tten ti o n to the o n ly fo e w ho n ow d ar ed
to make w ar up o n him — the Ch r isti an s o f the N o r th ,
.

A gr e at vi c to r y w as w o n by the min i s ter B ed r at

hf u ton i a ; an d the Le on e s e th o r oughly humili ated ,

a n d c o n vin c ed o f the mut ability o f fo r tun e r eti r ed ,

s ullen ly withi n the w a lls o f thei r c a s tles I mp atien t .

o f the mo n o t on o u s life o f hi s c a pit a l an d ambiti ou s

o f milit ar y di s tin c ti on Abd al R ah man n ow r esu med ,

- -

co m man d in per s on an d en teri n g the en emy s c oun ’

, ,

tr y left i n hi s wake the d r e ar y eviden c e o f r a pin e an d

des o l atio n O s ma Clu n i a an d S an E ste v an—over
,

.
, ,

wh o se g ate the he ad o f the un fo rtun ate gen er al I bn ,

Abi Abd a had been n ailed—wer e stormed an d de

-
,

str o yed N av arr e w as in v aded ; its kin g S an cho

.
I
, ,

be aten in a pit ched b attle an d dr iven in t o the for ests

o f the Pyr en ee s The latter then e ff ec ted a j un ction
.

with Or d o fi o an d the tw o mo n ar chs O ff er ed b attle in

,

the Valley o f Jun quer a A ccus to med to ambu s c ade .

an d to the p r o te c ti on o f thei r n ative r o cks an d d e fil e s ,

the moun t ain eer s pr oved n o match f or the M o orish

hor semen in the field A mor e sign al c at astr o phe th an
.

th at o f J un quer a had n ever afflicted the Chr istian

c au s e The s laughter w as app allin g The coun tr y
’

.
.

for leagues w a s str ewn with the b o dies o f the slain .

A gr e at n umber o f pr is on er s fell in to the h an ds o f

the M o slems n o t the le a s t imp o rt an t o f wh om wer e
,

the mil itan t bi s ho ps D u l cid iu s o f S alaman ca an d

, ,
584 HIS T ORY OF TH E

H ermo g iu s of Tuy w ho fo llo win g a cust om an te

, ,

d atin g the B attle o f the G u ad al ete wer e t aken , ,

she athed in armor an d fighting bravely in the fro nt

,

o f b attle.

After this vi c t or y n o ser i ous r esist an c e w as o ff er ed

,

to the M o slem a dv an c e .The light M o orish cavalry

swept like a hurr i can e alon g the fr on tier o f N av arr e .

The comp ar ative p ove r ty o f the in h abit an ts p resen ted

f ew attr ac ti on s to the in va de r s w ho we r e fo r c ed to
,

c on ten t themselves with fl ocks a n d the p r o du c e o f

the fields in ste ad o f the mo r e temptin g b ooty O ff er ed

by the o pulen c e an d luxur y Of mor e c ivilized n ation s .

The accumulati on o f pr ovision s w as so g r e at in the

Ar ab camp th at they could n o t be r emo ved an d a v ast ,

quan tity o f whe at w as give n to the fl ames to p reven t

it from fallin g in to the h an ds o f the en emy This .

c amp aig n w as ch ara c te r ized by a l l the r uthless b ar

,

b arity o f the ti me .The w ome n an d c hildr en o f the

mo un t ain eer s we r e en slaved The un succ essful r esist
.

a n c e o f a g ar r is on w a s fo llo wed by its exte rmi n ati on .

The s av age in stin cts o f the Be rber s wer e in dulged by

t or tur es an d all the ar ts o f the most exquisite cruelty .

W hen ever these bar bari an s en coun ter ed a mon astery

n ot on e o f the h o ly f athe r s w as left a live The r e w as
.

n ow visited up on the Ch r isti an s a seve r e r et ali ati on

for the u n spe ak able h orror s whi ch they had been in

the h abit o f in flic tin g up on thei r in fidel adver s ar ies in
the n ame o f the G o spel o f Pe ac e .

I t is a str ikin g pe culi ar ity o f the w ar far e s o lon g

waged between M oslem an d Ch r istian in S p ain th at
dis aster s o f the gr e atest app ar en t seve rity n o matter ,

by wh om en dur ed wer e produc tive O f n o subst an ti al

,

a dv an t a ge to the c on que r or M an y causes con spir ed

.

to p r o du c e this an omal ous r esult The immen se re

.

s ourc es Of the emir s wer e in suffic ien t to p rote ct their

exten ded fron tier The n umerous castles er ec ted by
.

the Kin gs o f Le on an d the C oun ts o f C astile to r etard

586 HIST ORY OF TH E

thei r empir e ; but n o w des c en ded to a st ate o f tute

,

l age to p o wer ful v ass als an d r estr i cted in j ur isdic tion

,

to the w alls o f thei r c apit al they a ppe ar ed to al l tr ue ,

believe r s un w or thy o f an a ppell ation which implied so

mu ch r esp on sibility an d had been the in c en tive to s o
mu ch r en own C on sideration s o f r espe ct for an c estral
.

gr e atn ess the claims o f r eligio us p r ej udi c e an d est ab

,

li she d c ust om s o r eve r ed by the O rien t al n o lon ger

, ,

existin g in thei r f ormer in ten sity the Ommey ad e ,

S ult an did n ot hesit ate to app ro pr i ate in the charac ter ,

o f the mo s t Opule n t an d disti n guished o f M o slem

r ule r s a title th at had bee n vi r tu a lly a b an don ed by

,

a dyn a sty wh o se degen e r a te p r i n c es had demon st r ated

thei r i n c a p a city to defe n d it o r even to a pp r e c i ate the

,

p roud an d h o ly di s tin cti on whi ch its p o ssessi on im

plied C on s c ious o f his me r its an d believin g th at the
.
,

p ast a chievemen ts o f his r eig n had e arn ed for him an

h o n or whic h the imbe c ility an d depen de n c e o f the
mon ar ch s o f B agd ad ha d fo r feited Abd al R ahman ,
- -

i s sued an edi c t in whic h he a s s umed the titles o f Amir

al M u men i n
-
C omman der o f Believer s an d Al N as
, ,
-

s ir al D i n All ah Defen de r o f the F aith

- - -
, .

F o r thr ee ye ar s the dis o r de r s whic h a git a ted the

kin gd om o f Le on suspe n ded h o stilities between the
Chr i s ti an s o f the N or th an d the kh alifate After .

man y mon ths o f an ar chy d efil ed by h orr ible crimes , ,

—c r imes whi ch r e c all the wo r st s c en es th at disgr ac ed

the r ev oluti on s o f the Visigothic empir e a ss assin a ,

ti on s to r tur e s the blin din g o f s ome ro yal captives the

, , ,

p ois on in g an d st ar v ati on Of othe r s — R amiro I I a ,

p rin c e o f gr e at addr es s an d exper ien c e as c en ded the ,

thro n e Th r ough his in tr igues with the govern or o f

.

S ar a g o ss a o f the p o wer ful f amily o f the Ben i

,

H a schim he o bt ain ed the supp or t an d at len gth

, ,

r e c eived the allegi an c e o f the l a tte r G ar c i a K i n g

, .
,

o f N av arr e w a s als o i n du c ed to j o i n the con fede r a c y

, ,

which thus in cludin g all the p rovin c es o f the N orth

, ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 5 87

bo th Ch r isti an an d M o slem O ff er ed an un broken an d ,

fo rmid able fr on t to the p o wer o f the Kh alif .

O n c e mo r e the i n tr epid Abd al Rahman pr ep ar ed - -

for w ar . The issue o f the c amp aign w a s ever yw he r e

favo rable to hi s arms Ramiro w as wor sted in a ser ies
.

Of b attle s Bf ohammed the in s ur gen t chief o f the

.
,

Ben i H as chim w as bes ieged i n his c apit al an d either

-
, ,

the fe ar s o r the c lemen c y Of his s over eign r estor ed

to him the tr us t he had s o fl ag r an tly bet r ayed The .

mon arch o f N av ar r e an d hi s mo the r wh o se ambition ,

had t aken adv an t age o f the y outh an d in expe r ien c e

Of her s on wer e c ompelled to s u e f or p ar don at the
,

feet o f the Khalif an d to r e c eive from his h an ds as

, ,

s uzer a i n the gover n men t o f th os e s tates which had

,

formerly bee n tr an smitted by S an ch o the Gr e at as an

in depen den t kin gdo m .

E l ated beyo n d me as ur e by hi s tr iumph s Abd al ,

-

Rahman c on c eived the ide a o f a gran d expeditio n th at

might con quer the i n fidel st ates o f the No rth an d ex
termin ate or expel for eve r th o se ob s tin ate an d d an
, ,

g erou s e n emie s who s e en ter p r ise w as a co n st an t r e

pro ach to the ze al o f the M o h ammed an s an d a men ac e
to the p ros pe r ity an d s a fety o f the kh alif a te In .

ac cor d an c e with this r e s o luti on the Dj ih a d w a s pro

c l a imed .A hun dr ed thous an d men r ushed to arms .

Volun teer s c ame fr om E gypt S yr i a M aur itan ia an d , , ,

the Libyan De s er t to be p r e s en t at the humili ation o f

the in fidel an d to sh ar e in the plun der o f his fields
, ,

his chur ches hi s p alac e s Gr eat magazin es o f pro vi

,
.

sio n s an d mun iti on s o f w ar wer e colle cted in s uit able

localities P ack trai n s c omp o sed Of thous an ds o f
.
-

be as ts o f bur den wer e assembled N o pr ecaution w as .

n egle c ted to i n su r e su cc e s s S urroun ded by his splen .

did bo dy gu ar d the Kh alif appear ed in per s on at the

-
,

he ad o f thi s immen se h o st but with a w an t o f t ac t , ,

which did little credit to his kn owledge o f human

n atu r e ,
he best owed the comman d up on N adj a a ,
5 88 HIST ORY OF TH E

S l ave , to the ex clusion o f the n o bles w ho s aw with ,

in exp r essible indign ation their her editary pr eten sion s

to comman d sub o r di n ated to the f av o r e n j o yed by an
Offic er Of in fer ior r an k an d o f mo r e th an plebeian
extr action The M o slems c ame upo n the al lied army
.

o f Le on an d N a v arr e at the vill a ge o f Alh an d eg a n ot ,

far from S al aman c a Un daun ted by the supe r i or

.

n umbe r s o f the e n emy the C h r isti an s b r avely sust ai n ed

the att ack The t r e achery o f the Ar ab offic ers in

.
,

vested with imp or t an t comman ds aided the in tr epidity ,

Of the Leon ese ; the aristocratic chieft ain s pr eferr ing ,

the gratification o f their r esen tmen t an d defe at at the

h an ds o f the in fidel to vi ctor y u n der a gen eral o f b ase
an d ig n o ble lin e age withd r ew an d the M o slems u n
, ,

de rwen t a terr ible defe at The comman der in chief

.
- -

w a s killed Wh ole division s wer e destro yed ; man y

.

distin guished s oldier s wer e dr agged away to the

dun ge on s o f Leon an d P ampelun a ; an d the Kh alif
himself with o n ly fo r ty n in e surviv or s o f his n umer
,
-

o u s es c o r t suc c eeded with the gr e atest difficulty in

,

es capin g the swor ds o f the Ch risti an c av alry The .

immin en t per il he ha d in cur r ed the sudden dis appe ar ,

an c e o f his ma g n ific en t army a n d per h a ps the co n

, , ,

s c iou s n e s s o f the i mp oli c y o f his co n du c t or fe ar th at

fo rtun e had aver ted her f ac e fro m him so a ff e cted

Abd al —
,

-
R ahman th at he n ever ag ai n exp o sed his
pe r s on in the field o f b attle .

But the r esults o f a vi ctor y which pr omised to be

s o a dv a n ta geo us to the cause o f Ch r isten d om w as as ,

usu al n ullified by the per s on al qu arr els an d r ev olu

,

tio n ar y p r oc eedi n gs o f the con que ro r s The C o un ty .

o f C a stile a depen den c y Of the Astu r i an cro wn

, ,

grown p ower ful through the sign al abilities an d

emin en t servic es o f its p r esen t r uler F er din and ,

G on z alez a per s o n age famous in me d iaav al history

,

an d f able a spi r ed to the n ame an d p r ivileges o f an

,

in depen den t kin gdom I ts g overn or w as a v ass al

.
590 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a g ain s t the Kin g Of Le o n R amiro h o weve r s oon

.
, ,

p roved too stro n g for his r ebellio us v ass al F e r di .

n an d w as thr o wn i n t o p r is on his est ates we r e con fi s

,

c ate d , an d the g o ve rn men t o f his d omi n i on s tr an s

ferr ed to a stran ger But n either the p romises n or

.

the th r e ats o f the s o ver eign c o uld sh ake the fidelity

o f the C a stili a n s I n publi c ac ts an d p r o cl amati on s
.

they defian tly e ff ac ed the n ame o f R ami r o an d in

s e rted th a t o f F e r din an d Their dev otio n carI i ed
.

them to the ve rge o f id olatr y They made a st atue .

,

ar rayed I n the h a bilime n ts o f the illust r i ou s exile a n d , ,

o n ben ded k n ee p ro ff e r ed to the se n seless mar ble thei r

,

un falte rin g an d r ever en t h omage F in ally their em .

,

thu s i a s m i mpelled them to mar c h i n a g r e a t b o dy to

the c apit al an d deman d the r ele ase o f thei r lo r d a ,

r equest whi c h the Ki n g o f Le on s a w p r o per to g r an t ,

but on ly un de r c on ditio n s th at depr ived the C o un t o f

C astile o f mu c h o f his po liti cal i n fluen c e an d p ower .

The de ath o f R amir o w a s the Sign al f or a bitter

con test between his s on s O r d ofi o an d S an c h o f or the
, ,

p o ssession o f the th r on e o f Le o n The a s s ist an c e o f .

F er di n an d G on z alez w as i n vo ked by the y oun ge r son

S an ch o an d the C oun t o f C a s tile per c eivin g the
, ,

a dv an t ages th at he w o uld e n j o y i n the Mi l e o f ki n g

maker an d whic h must even tu ally le a d to his en tir e

in depen den c e s eized with o ut he s it atio n the g olden
,

Opp ortun ity A blo o dy c ivil w ar e n sued in which

.
,

N av arr e als o be c ame i n vo lved an d h at red o f the ,

in fidel w as fo rg o tten in the furi ous en coun ter s o f

do mesti c strife I n the me an time the armies o f Abd
.
,

al R ah man r av a ged a t will the Ch ri sti an f r on tie r

-
.

R a id foll owed ra id with the a ssur an c e der ived fr om

con st an t i mpu n ity The market plac es o f the An da
.
-

lusi an c ities wer e he a ped up with the sign ifican t

t r o phies o f vic tor y —cr o sses an d cru c ifi x es em
, ,

broider ed vestmen ts an d j ewelled c en se r s side by ,

side with gh astly pyr amids o f he ads the n umbe r o f ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 59 1

the latter in o n e in stan c e r e achin g five thous an d .

Di s tr ac ted by the do uble per il o f C astilian r evo lt

an d M o slem i n v as i o n Or d ofi o I II sen t amb as s a d or s
, .

to C or do v a to s o li c it pe ac e A tr e aty w as dr awn up .

by whi ch the Le o n ese Kin g agr eed to s urr en der a

n umbe r o f the c a s tle s whi c h p ro te c ted the fr o n tier ; but

befor e this co n diti o n could be ful fil led Or d o fi o died ,

an d hi s b ro the r S an c h o w ho s u c c eeded hi m , p er emp ,

to r il y r efu s ed to exe cute the tr e aty H o s tilities wer e .

ther eup on r en ewed ; an Ar ab for c e in v a ded Leon ;

a n d a de c isi v e vi c t or y g ai n ed by the gen era l o f the

Khalif Abu I bn Yila t au ght the imp ruden t S an cho

,
- -
,

the folly o f r esistin g with out a dequate r es our c es ,

an d p r ep ar ati o n the gr o win g p ower o f the M o or ish

,

s ove r eig n .

S an ch o a ppe ar s to h ave been a pr in c e o f ability an d

r es oluti on but hi s ide as o f the r o ya l pr ero g ative we r e
,

to o dec ided f or hi s ag e Ambiti ous to en j o y the ar bi

.

trary r ights whi c h had been co n fe rr ed by the an c ien t

Vi s igo thic s ys tem he ben t all his e ff or ts to the sup
,

pr essi on o f the ar isto cr ac y an d wh at w as mo r e d an , ,

g erou s still n egle c ted to c on cili ate the e cc le s i asti c al

,

o r der wh o se we a lth an d the ve n er ati o n with whi c h it

, ,

w as r eg ar ded w ould h ave ma de it a d an ge ro us an

,

tag o n i s t f or an y mo n a r ch The exper imen t always .

,

a h az ar do us on e w a s d ou bly s o in the c a s e o f S an ch o
, ,

to wh om for tun e had den ied th o se pe r s on al c h arac te r

i stics whic h eli c it the appl au s e or c a ptiv ate the atten
tion o f man kin d An ex c e s s ive an d in cr e as in g Obesity
.

r en de r ed him i n ca p able o f l oc o mo ti o n with o ut a ssist

an c e
, an d he had lon g si n c e fou n d it i mp o ssible t o

moun t a h or s e Amon g an active an d athletic peo ple

.

Wh o se tr ade w a s w ar wh o s e p as time s wer e foun d in

,

the ch ase an d the field an d with w h om all martial ,

exer cises wer e at on c e a ple asur e an d a n ec essity the ,

spect acle o f a helpless mon arch like S an ch o the F at , ,

w as on e calculated to ex cite on ly se n timen ts Of the

592 HIST ORY OF TH E

deepest co n tempt But when to this physical d is ad

.

v an tage wer e added an arro g an t an d desp otic be ar in g

an d an ill con c e aled i n ten ti on to r et r e n c h the p r ivi
-

leges o f the n o bility wh o se member s con sider ed them

,

selves by r e a s on o f the theor eti cally elec tive c h ar acter

,

o f the cro wn almo st equ al in dig n ity a s man y o f them

,
,
wer e super i or in prowess to the p r in c es Of the r eign ,

in g ho use the disd ain o f the subj e c ts o f S an ch o w as

,

c h an ged i n t o a pp r ehen si o n lest the un wieldy mon ar ch

w ho ex c ited thei r r idi cule might ultimately develo p

in t o a mer c iless tyr an t A plo t to which F er din an d .
,

Gon zalez the pr o fession al agit ato r o f the time w as

, ,

a p ar ty w a s f ormed ;
, S an ch o w as c ompelled to t ake
r efuge in N av arr e ; a n d Or d o fi o I V a hu n c hb ack .
, ,

wh o se b ase an d s er vile n atur e corr esp on ded with the

deformity o f his per s on w as r aised to the Leon ese ,

th r on e R e c eived with every demon str ation O f sy m

.

p athy by his gran dmo ther the mar tial T o ta —the , ,

vi rtu al r uler o f N avarr e w ho fo r thir ty ye ar s had , ,

tr ied with v ar ious suc c ess the for tun e Of w ar with the
emir s o f C or dov a —S an cho exper ien c ed little d iffi
,

c ulty i n o bt a i n in g the p romise o f her aid i n the r e

c ov er
y o f his cr o wn But N av arr e a moun t ain ous
.
,

an d thi n ly pe o pled r egi on w as n o w exh austed by c on ,

tin u ed h o stilities an d in deed had n eve r been stron g

, , ,

en ough to co pe un aided with the mor e exten sive king

d o m Of Le on An alli an c e with s ome fo r eign p ower
.

w as the r efo r e an i n dispen s able r equisite for the s u c

c e ss fu l p r o se c uti on o f the desig n I n the formati on .

Of this allian c e n o c h o ic e w as p ossible On e mon arch .

al on e
, the Ommey ad e Kh ali f wh o se r es our c es wer e ,

suffi cien t to a c complish the desir ed en d coul d be ap ,

proache d an d th a t mon ar c h w as sep arated fr om the

,

N av arr ese queen by the r emembr an c e o f all the ou t

r a ges o f i n c e ss an t w ar f ar e o f the e n sl ave men t an d ,

decapitation o f th ous an ds o f her subj ec ts as well as ,

by the b arrier o f a h o stile f aith whose ill compre ,

-
59 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

had en abled him to att a in to ahn os t as ex alted a ran k

i n the p ro fessio n o f medi cin e a s he had r e ac hed i n the
ar ts o f dipl omac y He w as fu rther qu ali fied fo r the
.

po st by his en j o ymen t o f the co n fiden c e o f his s ov

er eig n ; by his thoro ugh a cqu ain t an c e with for eign
t on gues , in cludin g the idiom o f the Christian s ; an d
by his vas t erudition an d eleg an t mann er s which ,

fas cin ated al l with wh om he c ame in con t ac t The .

oc casi on w as on e th at r equi r ed an e miss ar y o f mor e

th an or din ar y ability The in s tr uc tions o f H asd ai in

.

c luded a dema n d for the c essi on Of ten fo r tr esses in

the terr itor y o f Le on to be made as s oon as the

,

usur per had been expelled ; an d th a t S an ch o himself

his un c le G arc ia —
,

, the n omin al Kin g o f N avarr e in ,

wh o se n ame T ot a ex er cised the r o ya l a uthor ity —

,

an d ,

the Queen sh oul d come i n per s on to C or dov a an d Sign

the tr e aty While n o mater i al o bj e c tio n w as in ter
.

p o sed to the fir st con dition in the dis cussion o f the

,

se con d it r equir ed all the addr ess o f H asdai to over

come the r epugn an c e o f T o t a to the humili a tion th at

such a step implied F in ally h o wever the elo quen c e

.
, ,

a n d c r a ft o f the en vo y p r ev a iled an d a tten ded by a

, ,

n umer o us c omp an y Of e cc lesi asti c s an d n o bles the ,

thr ee Chr isti an mon archs beg an their tedious j our n ey .

Their p ass age through the M o slem domin ion s w as at

ten ded w ith every man ifest ation o f public cur io sity
th at such an extr ao r din ar y c ir c umst an c e could ex cite .

I mmen se cro wds lin ed the highw ays Cities an d vil .

la ges wer e emptied o f their po pulatio n wh o se den se ,

masses o ften ser iously in ter fer ed with the pr ogress

o f the es c or t .The arr iv al o f the s o ver eign s at C or
dov a w as sign alized by a magn ific en t r ec eption mor e ,

a pp r o p r i ate to vi c to r i o us alli es th an to petiti on er s for

the r eco ver y o f a thron e But the t act o f the Khalif

.

led him to disguise as f ar as p o ssible the hu mi li ating

, ,

c h ar a cte r he had compelled his guests to assume ; an d

his dign ity w as at the s ame time enh an c ed by the

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 59 5

exhibition o f that o pul en c e an d gran deur which the

occ asi on en abled him to displ ay The tr eaty w as duly
.

sign ed an d it w as con c erted between the p arties th at

,

the p o wer Of the kh ali fate should be dir e cted again st

Leon while the fo r c es o f N av arr e made simult an e
,

ou sl y a dive r s i on t o w ar ds C a stile to p r even t the co,

o per a ti on O f C o un t F e r di n an d with the e n emy .

IN O even t o f his lo n g an d brilli an t r eign did mor e

to in cr e as e the p r estige an d str en gthen the auth o r ity
o f the famous M o slem r uler th an this str oke o f
pro
foun d p oli cy The en thusiasm o f the pe o ple w as u n
.

boun ded The feuds O f c en turie s wer e for the mo

.
,

men t for gotten in the in dulgen c e o f the feelin gs o f

,

n ati on al p r ide an d exult ati on The J ewish an d M o s

.

l em p o ets con ten ded with e ac h o ther in c elebratin g a

triumph without p arallel in the an n als o f I slam an d ,

lauded the for tun e an d the glory o f a pr in c e who se

a chievemen ts had hu mbled the pr ide o f the com mon
en emy o f their r espec tive se c ts .

Me an while the medic al skill o f the acc ompli shed

,

H asdai had perc eptibly r educ ed the en ormous bulk

whi ch had vir tually co st the un for tun ate S an cho his
c ro wn an d by the ti me the M o slem army w as r e a dy
, ,

to march he had fully r e cove r ed his forme r lightn ess

,

an d ac tivity The c amp aign w as o f sh or t duration

. .

City a fter city w as t aken ; the en tir e kin gdom r e

’

n oun ced the usu r per an d O r d ono w a s dr iven i n t o the

,

Astur ias The expedition o f the N avarr e s e w as at

.

ten ded with equ al su cc ess F er din an d s army w a s

’
.

beaten an d he h imself t aken pr is on er The moun

,
.

tain eers n ow r efused to shelter an y lon ge r a dethr on ed

mon ar ch wh ose per s on al c hara cter r en der ed him u n
wor thy Of their symp athy an d O r dono w as compelled
,

to flee in t o C astile .

Thi s de cisive camp aign w as the last o f the warlike

enter pr ises o f the gr e at Abd al Rahman An impru - -
.

den t expo sur e brought on an att ack o f pulmonary

596 HIS T ORY OF TH E

dise ase whi ch defied the skill Of the ablest physi ci an s

, ,

an d , a fte r an ill n ess o f seve r al mo n ths the mo st re

,

n ow n ed s ove r eig n w ho had occ upied the Ommey ad e

th r on e o f the West expir ed at the ag e o f seven ty

years .

His r eign lacked but a few weeks o f r e achin g the

extr a or din ar y len gth o f h alf a c en tur y His deeds .
,

h o wever well authen ti c ated seem almost to p ass the

,

boun ds o f human cr edulity When he r e c eived the

.

s c eptr e the r eg al auth o r ity w as s c arc ely r eco gn ized

,

within the n arr o w cir cuit o f the walls o f the capital .

When th at s c eptr e fell fr om his p alsied g r asp the ,

h aughty des c en d an ts o f the Visig o ths the ch ampion s

,

o f the C h r isti an f aith the hithe r t o i n vi n c ible mou n

,

ta in e er s wh o se p r ide an d big o t r y ex c eeded even their

v alor wer e his devo ted v ass als an d tr ibut aries The
, .

mo st formid able r ebellion th a t had ever afflicted the

Pen in sula—a r ebelli o n Of thir ty year s st an din g—w as
’

c r ushed The physical trac es o f th at lon g an d dis

.

a st r o us st r uggle we r e r emo ved ; the h atr ed which

spr an g from it mor e impl acable th an even the aver
,

sio n o f se c t to sec t w as allayed A for eign in v asion

, .

which th r e aten ed n ot on ly the destructi on o f his rac e ,

but the extir p ati on o f all kn o wledge an d all c iviliz a

tio n w as che cked an d a lo n g r espite given to the c ause
, ,

o f s c ien c e an d the av oc a ti on s o f pe a c e His pr ede

.

c ess or beque a thed to him an u n c e r t ai n r eve n ue drawn

fr om a p r e c arious tr ibute ; his ow n gen ius besides pro ,

v id in
g f or the en ormous expen ses o f g o ve r nme n t for ,

the c on structio n o f g r e at publi c imp rovemen ts and ,

for the deman ds o f a luxu r y witho ut p r e c eden t in its

extr av ag an c e w as still en abled to le ave in the public
,

tr easu r y a s um equ al to a hun dr ed million dollars .

A p o wer ful n avy as sur ed the s a fety Of the co as t

fr om for eign att ack an d permi tted the develo pment
,

o f a comme r c e wh o se a ge n ts ha d al r e a dy est ablished

themselves in eve ry p ro vin c e o f E u ro pe Africa an d , ,

 '
59 8 HIST ORY OF TH E

wh o se fo lds exhibited in tr icate p attern s o f the mos t

exquisite arabesques Th r ough g ar den s o f ar omatic.

plan ts thr ough co lon n ades o f man y co lor ed marble

,
-
,

o ve r fl oor s o f p o lished mo s ai c the en v oys we r e con ,

du cted to the audien c e ch amber Her e wer e se ated .

the Kh alif an d the member s o f his f amily while ,

r an ged a r oun d them st oo d the g r e a t c ivil an d milit ar y

dign it aries o f the empi r e the chiefs o f the eun u chs , ,

the Offici als o f the r oyal h ouseh old After a p r o foun d .

Obeis an c e the amb ass ador s pr ese n ted the letter o f their
,

s over eign I t w as o f sky blue p ar chmen t i n s cr ibed

.
-
,

with lette r s o f g old The se al w as als o o f the s ame

.

pr eci ous metal ; it b or e on o n e side the effigy O f the

S avi our an d o n the o the r the medalli on s Of C on
,

s tan tin e an d his s on The lette r w as en clo sed in a

.

g o lden box c ar ved with won dr ous skill an d it in turn , , ,

w as pl ac ed in a c ase e n velo ped i n tissue o f silk an d

gold On the lid Of this c ase w as a mo s aic p or tr ait o f
.

the Gr eek emper or .

I n o r der to i mp r ess the amb ass a dor s with the t alen ts

an d lite rar y ac qui r emen ts Of his c o u r tier s as well as ,

to d o them h on or the Kh alif had a pp o in ted a f amous

,

or at o r an d p o et to p r on ou n c e an a dd r ess o f welc ome ,

which sh oul d at the s ame time ex alt the glories of

, ,

his r eign an d the gran deur o f his empir e But the .

august p r ese n c e i n whi c h he f ou n d himself an d the ,

c o n s c i o us n ess o f his i n a bility to d o j usti c e to his sub

j ect SO aff ec ted the imp r essible n atur e o f the ch osen

,

expon en t o f the elo quen c e o f C or do va th at he w as

un a ble to utte r a si n gle wor d Then the Kh alif c alled .

up on on e a fter an other o f the wise men at his side ,

who se skill in improvis ation had her eto for e n ever

failed them to gr eet the Gr e c ian emb assy but they
, ,

al s o we r e silen t At last un s olic ited a Per sian n amed

.
, , ,

M on dhir I bn S aid a r e c en t arr ival at the court arose

- -
, , ,

an d r epe ated s ome a pp r o p r i ate an d extemp or an e ous

ver ses ful l o f the glow ing images an d extravag ant

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 59 9

met apho r s which ar e the delight o f the p assion ate

O rien t al When he con cluded n either the pr esen c e
.
,

o f r o yalty n o r the st ately an d dig n ified etiquette o f

,

the co ur t c ould r epr es s the a pplause o f the delighted

,

audien c e an d the Kh alif r e compen sed the for tun ate

,

po et with a pur se o f gold an d at on c e appoin ted ,

him— for he w as le arn ed in the l aw — Chief K a di o f

C or dov a The en vo ys havin g r ec eived ever y atten
.
,

tion in the p ower o f their gen er ous ho st wer e dis ,

mi ssed ac comp an ied by a vizier ch ar ged to o ff er in

, ,

the n ame o f the Kh alif a n umber o f splen di d hor ses , ,

arms an d c oat s Of mail to the Byz an tin e empe r or

, .

The ac co un t o f an o ther embassy o f an en tir ely dif

fer en t ch arac te r whi ch arr ived s ome time a fterwar ds
is in str uctive as affor din g a cur ious pictur e o f the
,

mann er s o f the time The Kh alif havin g formed .

,

fr om the ac coun ts o f men dac ious tr aveller s an ex ag ,

ger ated idea o f the exten t an d r esour c e s o f German y ,

an d desirous o f Openi n g dipl omati c r el a ti on s with th at

p owe r sen t to O tho the son o f Hen r y the F owler a

, , ,

letter ac co mp an ied with the usual pr esen ts The

, .

c hief o f the emb assy a M o z ar abi c bish o p

, per ished ,

on the j o ur n ey an d the missive w a s deli ve r ed by his

,

comp an i on s w ho wer e ign oran t Of its con ten ts

, The .

pr ide o f Abd al Rahman had permitted him to in cor

- -

ora te i n t o his lette r exp r essi o n s whi c h wer e n ot com

p
p li m e n t ar y to the T r i ni t ar i an belief o r as the c h r on , ,

ic l e suggestively r e mar k s i n it the German emper or ,

w as mu ch bette r t r e ated th an the G o d Of the Ch r is

”
tian s t rustin g to the t act o f the bish o p to s oothe an y
,

irrit ation th at mi ght ar ise fro m its per us al O tho .

,

h avin g r e ad it in the absen c e o f all explan ation

, ,

n aturally con str ued the l an gu a ge o f the M o slem as a

del iberate in sult to his r eligi on tre ated the en voys with ,

marked in dign ity r emoved them from the p r e cin cts

,

o f the co u r t an d fo r th r ee ye ar s wh o lly ig n or ed thei r

,

pr esen c e ex cept to r estrain them o f their li berty

,
.
6 00 HIS T ORY OF TH E

Then he determin ed to r et ali ate in kin d A letter .

w as d rawn up by the Ar chbish o p Of C o logn e in whic h ,

the vo cabularies o f p r o f an e an d e cclesi astical abuse

wer e exh austed in search o f epithets to be heaped
up on M o h ammed A messen ger w as n ow s o ught to
.

co n vey this s c u rr ilo us epistle for while man y co uld

, ,

be fou n d w ho we r e willin g to wr ite it few wer e i n ,

clin ed to r un the r isk atten di n g its delive r y ; f or it

w as well kn ow n th at amon g the M o slems vitupe ra

tion o f the P ro phet w as in ex orably pun ished with
de ath F in ally J oh n de G orz a a f an atic mon k whose
.
, , ,

auste r e life had obt ai n ed f or him a r eput ati on for

un usual piety v o lun tarily o ff e r ed himself as a c an di

,

d ate for the per ilous duty which almo st n ec ess ar ily
in vo lved the pen alty o f mar tyr dom His servic es .

we r e acc epted in def ault o f th o se o f an amb ass ador

o f supe r i o r dig n ity an d th r ee e cc lesi asti c s o f equ al
,

ran k we r e sele c ted to a c comp an y him an d to sh ar e ,

the doubtful fortun es o f the en ter p rise All ar ran ge .

men ts h avin g been completed this sin gul ar emb assy,

set forth from the co ur t o f O th o with but slight

p r o babili ty o f its r etur n Ar r ived witho ut acc iden t
.

at C o r do v a the mon ks we r e det a in ed in on e o f the

,

suburbs pen din g the n eg oti ation whi ch Abd al R ah - -

man deemed it pro per to en ter in to with them t ouc h

in g the O ff en sive lette r o f the empe r or wh o se co n ten ts,

wer e n o se cr et at the M u s su hn an cour t The Kh alif .

foun d himself plac ed in an un pleas an t dilemma The .

l aw w a s seve r ely expli c it co n c e rn in g the tr e atmen t o f

such as bl asphemed the n ame o f M o h ammed S h ould .

the en v o ys delive r the letter o f O tho r esp on sibility ,

wo uld att ach to their act as the r epr esen t atives o f their
s over eign an d yet their exec ution would be in the
, ,

eyes o f the wor ld a ser ious vio lation Of the l aw o f

,

n ati on s . E ver y e ff ort w as made to i n duc e J ohn de

Gor za to r et ain the letter an d pr esen t o n ly the gifts
which accomp an ied it The se rvi c es o f the shr ewdest
.
6 02 HIST ORY OF TH E

f11 1 o f adven tur er s w ho in the c lo sin g ye ar s o f the

, ,

pr e c edi n g c en tur y had est ablished themselves on the

,

co ast o f F ran c e an d wh o se en ter p r ise had they re

, ,

c e iv e d subst an ti al a i d fr om the g o ve r n me n t o f C o r

dov a might h ave a ff ected in n o s mall degr ee the

, , ,

ultimate f ate o f Ch r isti an E ur o pe .

I n the ye ar 8 8 9 a b an d o f twen ty M oor ish pirates

,

wer e dr iven by a temp est in to the Gulf Of G r imaud ,

whic h washes the sh or es o f L o wer P roven c e Their .

p r ed at or y h abits tempted them to explor e the a dj ac en t

c oun t r y ; a vill age w as su r p r ised an d plu n de r ed ; an d

fur ther in vestig ation con vin c ed them o f the ad v an

tages whi ch ch an c e had thr own in their w ay for the
foun d ation Of a perman en t co lon y I t w as in deed an .

ideal sp o t for a robber stron ghold The commer ce .

o f the N o r the r n Medite rr a n e an w as withi n e a sy r e ach .

The h ar bor w as r etir ed an d c a p ac ious L o fty moun .

t ain s cover ed with den se for ests surroun ded it F rom .

their s u mmits c o uld be dis c e rn ed the highly cultiv ated -

pl ain s o f F ran c e for gen eratio n s fr ee from the in

,

r o a ds o f the ma r a ude r wh o se i nh abit an ts r uled by a

, ,

succ ession o f in c ap able pr in c es wer e wh o lly destitute

,

o f the mar ti al spir it whi c h supplies the n egle c t o f

r oy al p ro te c ti on i n a h ar dy pe a s an tr y an d w ho had ,

been lon g un accust omed to the use o f arms N e ar .

a t h an d wer e the Al ps thr ough wh os e un guar ded

,

p asses acc ess w as o bt ain able to the smilin g v alleys an d

r i c h c ities o f I t aly a c ou n tr y whi c h ha s bee n the g o al
,

o f eve r y mi lit ar y a dve n tu r e r Of Wester n E ur o pe in

bo th an c ien t an d mo dern times .

The M oslem fr eeb oo ter s lo st n o time in a pprisin g

their fr ien ds an d comrades o f their dis covery R e .

c ru its from S p ain S i cily an d Afri ca daily swelled

, ,

their r an ks I t w as n ot lon g befor e a s cor e o f castles

—e ach the seat o f a maraudin g chieft ain —f ro wn ed
.

the heights o ver lookin g the Gulf o f G rimaud an d the

F or est o f F rax in et With p ro foun d s ag acity these
.
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 6 03

en ter p risin g b an dits s old their supp or t to the feudal

b ar on s wh o se quarr els per petu ally vexed the petty
,

st ates o f P ro ven c e always ch oo sin g the we akest fo r

,

their allies Thu s they held the b alan c e o f power an d

.
, ,

en r iched by the plun der o f c ivil w ar ac quir ed e ach ,

year a lar ger me asur e o f in fluen c e an d impor tan c e .

Their r elen tles s cruelty gave them a weight ou t o f all

pr o por tion to their n umber s or their v alor Their .

ex c esses wer e the te rr or o f the pe as an tr y By the .

en d o f the n i n th c en tu r y they had c r o s s ed the Al ps ,

thr e aten ed Tur in destr o yed man y mon asteries an d

,

, ,

laid waste the plain s o f M on tferr at an d Pie d mon t .

They e s t ablished themselves on the P o I n 9 3 5 they .

had advan c ed to the b or der s o f Ligur i a Thei r dep r e .

dation s exten ded a s f ar a s the c ity o f Gen o a The .

p asses o f M oun t Cen is an d M oun t S t Be rn ar d wer e .

i n their h an d s F r om their s tr on gholds in the Alps

.

they sto pped all tr affic an d levied con tribution s o n

ever y traveller They c arr ied their arms in to S wit
.

zer l an d an d pen et ra ted to the sho r es o f L ake C on

,

stan c e They burn ed chur che s an d abbeys un der the

.

walls Of M ar s eilles The c ity o f N ic e still be ar s in

.
,

the n ame o f on e o f its quar ter s a s ouven ir o f S ar ac en ,

occ up ati o n .

I n F ran c e by r e a s on o f its p ro ximity to thei r

,

co l on y an d the g r e a te r f ac ilities it O ff e r ed to thei r

movemen ts thei r in c urs ion s wer e mor e fr equen t an d

,

dis astrous Muc h o f the level coun tr y w as d epopu

.

lated I n the str on gest c itie s alon e w as secu rity to be

.

foun d Al mo s t the en tir e territory o f P roven c e

.
,

L an guedo c an d D auphin e w as at on e time subj e ct to

,

the visit ation s o f this awful s cour ge S o stro n gly had .

these dar in g ban ditti in tr en ched themselves in the

moun t ain s o f S outhwestern E uro pe th at the pr in c es ,

in wh o se d omin ion s they wer e foun d we r e u n able

to dislo dge them I t is hin ted by L iu tp ran d th at the
.

emb assy o f John de G orz a had for its pr in cip al Ob

6 04 HIS TORY OF TH E

j c et the c ess ation o f their r avages th r o ugh the in ter ,

v en ti on o f the Kh a lif a st a temen t by n o me an s im

,

pr ob able .

Be this as it may it w as n o t lo n g a fte r th at even t

,

th at the p o wer o f the M o slem c olon ists began to de

c lin e. F or a time the i n flux o f r e cr uits the a pp ro p ri a ,

tio n o f women an d the in stitution o f p olyg amous

,

h ouseh o lds th r e aten ed a superi ority in n umber s as

well as in arms an d a perman en c y o f o ccup ation
, ,

co n diti o n s wh o se d an ge r had been exe mplified by the

Ar ab con quests in the S outh These fe ar s h owever .

, ,

pr o ved without foun d ation The Ch r istian s gradu .

ally r e c o ve r ed thei r g r o u n d C a stle a fter c astle fell

.

befo r e their a ss aults Depen den t up on their o wn

.

e ff orts the M o slem pi rates could n ot sustain the com

,

bin e d a tt ac k ma de up on them fr om eve r y side an d , ,

befo r e the de ath o f Abd al Rahman they had lo st - -

their in fluen c e as a distur bin g f or c e in th ose coun

tries which they had for th r ee qu ar ters Of a c en tury -

made the s cen e o f their dep r edation s .

The o per ation s o f these chieft ain s we r e n ever di

vested o f the ch ar acte r Of br ig an d age E x c ept i n .

time o f co mmon d an ger they acted in depen den tly o f

,

e ach other The perman en t succ ess whic h is derived

.

from a un io n o f for c es an d con ce r ted p oliti cal action

n eve r atte n ded thei r arms Y et without or g an iz ation
.
,

an d dep r ived Of the supp or t o f an y for eig n g ove rn

men t they main t ain ed thei r fo otin g i n a h o stile terri

,

to r y for n e ar ly a hun dr ed ye ar s Their on ly r es ourc es .

wer e the plun der they Obt ain ed from their neighbors .

Their o n ly r e cruits we r e a dven tur er s like themselves ,

attr a c ted by the h o pe o f b oo ty Their h ar ems wer e .

filled by their fo r ays an d their r ac e p ro p ag ated at the

,

expen se o f the en emy N O chron icle Chr isti an or

.
,

Arab explic itly st ates th at they wer e even cou n te

,

n an c e d still less a ssisted by the Kh alifate o f C or

, ,

dova Y et n o o pportun ity s o fav or able to the exten

.
6 06 HIST ORY OF TH E

its cour t en c lo sed with a gr ac eful ar c a de an d coo led

by deli cious f oun tain s The p alac es an d g arden s
.

o f C or d o v a su r p assed i n exte n t an d equ alled i n mag

n ifi cen ce the f amous on es o f B agd a d an d D ama s cus .

I n the ch ar min g an d luxu r i ous r et r e at o f Medi n a al -

Z ahr a the Kh alif tran s acted the d aily r o utin e Of busi

,

n ess ; r e c eived f or eig n amb a ss a d o r s ; he ar d an d de

c ided co n tests f or lite rar y p r e c eden c e ; determin ed
question s o f civil an d e cclesiasti cal l aw E n tert ain .

i n g n ot with o ut r e a s on a p ro fo un d distr ust o f the

, ,

Ar ab elemen t which comp o sed the mo s t in telligen t

,

p ortion o f his subj ec ts he committed the p rin cip al

,

offic es o f g o ve r n me n t an d en t r usted the c ar e o f his

pers on to the M aml ou ks or S l aves a class o f servile

, ,

or igi n wh o se n umber s— th r o ugh r o y al f av or the pos

, ,

ses s io n o f mar ked ca p ac ity fo r aff air s an d the h abit

,

o f i mpli c it o bedie n c e— s oon ro se to extraor din ary

p ower an d in fluen c e in the st ate This ter m w as .

a pplied at fir st to c a ptives t aken in w ar by the Ar abs

themselves or s old to them by the b ar b ari an n ation s

,

o f Ge rman y . But by degr ees the n ame ac quir ed a

mor e exten sive sign ific an c e an d c ame to in clude al l
,

per s on s o f for eign birth or b ase extr action employed

i n the c ivil an d milit ar y se r vi c e Of the kh alifate .

Almo st ever y n ation an d t ribe fr om the sh or es o f

the C a spi an to the western extr emities o f Lusit an i a
wer e r epr esen ted in this i mp or t an t cl ass the alien ,

birth an d depen den t ch ar ac ter o f wh o se con stituen ts

divested them o f symp athy with the other subj ects
Of the empir e an d assur ed their u n w aver in g devotion
,

to the in te r ests Of thei r ma ste r F rom the e ar liest

.

days o f the emirate an en ormous traffic had been

,

c ar r ied o n i n sl aves with C hr isti an co u n t r ies p ri n c i ,

p ally with F r an c e an d I t aly I ts p ro fits origin ally

.
,

mon o po lized by Jews wer e in time sh ar ed by Chris

, , ,

ti an e cc lesi asti c s ; an d it has been est ablished by in

con t r ove r tible eviden c e th at at le ast on e p o pe did n ot
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 6 07

disd ain to replenish the co ff er s o f the C hurch b y an ex

pe d i en t so p r ej u di ci al to the in ter ests of r eligion an d
human ity The mon aster ies o f the S outh o f F r an c e
.

wer e lar gely devoted to the manufactur e o f eun uchs ;

tho se on the Meuse wer e also es peci ally c elebr ated on
this accoun t the unfortun ate subj ects for mutilation
,

bein g pr o cur ed by the mon ks thr ough the pur chase o f

childr en fr om the pe as an tr y The S lave cas te while .
,

it in cluded a con siderable pr o p ortion Of eun uchs w as ,

by n o me ans h owever limited to individuals o f th at

, ,

un for tun ate class .

Al thou g h c on d emn ed by a dverse for tun e to a sub

or din ate a n d fr equen tly to a humi li ati n g p ositi on in

the s c ale o f s ociety the in fer ior ity Of the S lave in this
, ,

r espe c t w a s mor e th an compen s ated by the auth o r ity

,

he exerc ised by the wealth he w as en abled to ac cumu

,

late an d by the con sideration he en j o yed as the chos en

,

age n t o f the Kh alif in p o s t s o f r esp onsibility an d c on

fi d en c e
. The highest emplo ymen ts wer e en trusted to
these str an gers to the pr ej udic e o f the an c ien t aris
,

tocr acy wh o se lin eage could be trac ed to the P a g an

guar di an s o f the K aab a an d the C omp an ion s o f the
P ro phet The r oyal bo dy guar d w as en tir ely com
.
-

po sed O f S laves In tro duc ed in to the coun try at an

.

ag e when youth is mo st sus c eptible to outw ar d im

pr essio n s they imbibed thr ough in timat e ass o ciation

, , ,

through the in fluen c e o f ex ample thr ough r eligious ,

in str uc tio n an d thr ough con sideration s o f per s o n al

,

i n ter est the h abits the p r ej udices an d the faith o f

, , ,

the M o slems S ome amassed l arge f or tun es in tr ade

. .

O ther s rose to impor tan t commands in the army .

M an y maint ain ed establishmen ts which sur passed

those o f the nob ility in pomp an d extr avagan c e ,

an d themselves o wned multitudes o f sl aves N ot a .

few wer e noted for their s cholarly att ainmen ts ; po s

sessed exten sive librar ies ; p arti cip ated with cr edit in
the public debates whi ch amused the leisur e Of the
6 08 HIS T ORY OF TH E

co urt ; an d a c qui r ed n o in con side rable r eput ation in

the pursuits o f literatur e .

This ep oc h o f M oorish domin ion agit ated by ,

for eign w ar an d in testin e disturb an c e w as likewise ,

Opp r essed by the c al amities o f n atur e an d the grievous

machin atio n s o f d omesti c t r e as o n I n the ye ar 9 1 5
.
,

the Pen in sul a w as visited by a f amin e o f un p ar alleled

sever ity A l on g con tin ued dr ought which defied the
.
-
,

ski ll o f the hydrauli c en gin eers an d the r es ourc es o f

an i r r ig atin g sy s tem th at w as the a dmi rati on o f E u

r o pe w a sted the l an d
, A pestilen c e fo llo wed as usual
.
, ,

in the wa ke o f the f ami n e Dep r ived o f all me an s o f

.

subsisten c e an d con s u med by disease the un h appy ,

pe as an tr y per ished by tho us an ds The str eets an d.

highways we r e Obstru cted with the dyin g an d the de ad .

The mo sques we r e cro wded d ay an d n ight with sup

plian ts w ho implor ed the pity Of a G o d w ho seemed
,

to h ave tu rn ed His f ac e i n an ge r f rom His childr en .

S uch w as the mor t ality th at the surviv or s we r e un able

to a ff o r d to the de c e ased the r ites o f bu r i al E very .

e ffort w as exer ted by the go ver n men t to allevi ate the

public mise ry but the dist r ess w a s so gen eral that
,

the liber ality o f the Kh alif w a s un able to p ro duc e any

gr e at impr o vemen t in the l amen t able co n diti on o f his
subj e cts who se vio len t me a sur es to Obt ai n the n eces
,

s ar i e s Of life n ot i n fr equen tly r equi r ed the in ter v en

tion o f milit ar y fo r c e The me asur e o f n ation al mis

.

fortun e w a s filled by the ruin wr o ught by a te rrible

hurri c an e th at swept the coasts o f Afr i ca an d An da
lusia an d by a con flag ration th at de s tro yed the larger
,

p ortion o f the capit al .

Abd al R ahman had tw o s on s n amed r espe ctively

- -
,

Al H akem an d Abd allah O f these the fir st w as the

-
.
,

heir app ar en t w ho th ough gr e atly esteemed an d re

, ,

s pe cte d f or his n oble c h ar a c te r a n d p r i n c ely vi r tues ,

w as still ge n e r ally con side r ed as in fe r i or to his b ro the r

in literar y ability a s well as in th o se sh o wy qu alities
6 10 HIS T ORY OF TH E

him the publi c con fide n c e at the ver y beginn in g Of his

r eign . The histo r y Of th at peri o d exhibits a pi ctur e
o f r eligi o us t o lerati on in vivid c on tr a st to the r ev o lt

i n g cr imes per pet rated by the S ees o f C on st an tin o ple

an d R ome . S o little w a s this gr e at p r in c e i n fluen c ed
by sec tar ian pr e j udic e or even by or di n ar y con sidera
,

tion s o f p o li c y th at he w as with in fin ite d ifii cul ty

,

dissua ded fr om a pp oin tin g to the highest j udic i al

of fi c e o f the r e alm a r e n eg a de who se f athe r an d
,

mother still belon ged to the Christi an commun ion .

The a ssumpti on o f the title o f kh ali f atten ded by the ,

alte r a tio n i n the co in a ge a n d the mo dific a ti on o f the

publi c pr ayer s in the mo sques—ac ts th at con firmed to

him the attr ibutes o f his n ew an d well me r ited dign ity
—
-

gave him gr eat pr omin en c e i n the M oh ammedan

wor ld The achievemen ts o f a quar ter Of a c en tury
.

c e r t a in ly e n titled him to a di sti n c ti on whi c h his p r ide

an d wisd om n o w i n du c ed him to a pp r o p r i ate an d ,

which w a s destin ed to con tribute a n ew an d p ower ful

impul se to the c ivilization o f Wester n E uro pe His .

po pularity c alled forth such multitudes o f vo lun teer s

when the H oly W ar w as pro claimed th at car e had to
be t aken lest the Sho ps be left with o ut clerks an d the
fields witho ut labor er s
The r eign o f Abd al —
.

-
R ahman I II is coin c iden t .

with the gr e atest wealth gran deur an d p ro sper ity o f

, ,

the Hisp an o Ar ab domin ation as those o f his son

-
,

an d g ran ds on i n di c a te r espe c tively the c li max Of its

in telle ctua l supr emac y an d its milit ar y glory Durin g .

this the mo st flourishin g era Of the S ar ac en empire

, ,

the Pen in sul a p r esen ted the aspec t o f a highly culti

v ate d an d extraor din ar ily p r o du c tive g ar den The .

gr ac eful an d delici ous plan ts o f the O r ien t gr ew .

ever ywher e side by side with the in digen ous fl or a

o f less favor ed E u r o pe The semi t ro pic al r egion
.
-

embr ac ed by the p ro vin c es o f V alen cia an d Mur c ia ,

thic kl y s et tled as they ar e then supp or ted a far

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 6 11

mor e n umerous p o pulation th an n ow clusters in

their fer tile v alleys The tr eeless an d proverbially
.

barr en steppes Of O ld C astile wer e diversified with

for ests an d do tted with pictur esque villages E n d .

less fields O f ripen in g grain met the eye on the

plain s o f L a M an cha wher e to d ay a sp ar s e an d ,
-

stragglin g veget ati on aff or ds pr ecar io us susten an c e

to the flo ck o f the s hepher d The n atur e o f the .

s o il its pe c uli ar ad apt ability to c er tain ag ri cul

,

tur al pr o duc ts the r o t ation o f cr o ps the fer tilizin g

, ,

qualities o f all var ieties o f man ur es the systemati c ,

distr ibutio n an d e con omy o f water wer e thoro ughly ,

un der sto o d an d the p r in ciples o f s cien tific hus b an dr y

,

a pplied with phen omen a l su cc ess N ot a fo ot Of .

groun d w as wasted The rocky hill s ides wer e with

.
-
,

in fin ite l abor cu t in t o terrac e s cover ed with mould

, , ,

an d pl an ted with vin eyar ds Wher e even a Sin gle.

c itr on caro b or O l ive tr ee w o uld g r ow a tr i an gul ar

, ,
-
,

en clo sur e w as co n str ucted o f s ton es fil led with e arth

an d ten ded with a ssidu o us c ar e The yield Of the .

h arvests w as o ften a hun dr ed fold I t w as n ot u n -

.

usual in man y distr icts f or the s ame gr o un d to pro

, ,

duc e four cr o ps o f di ff er en t kin d s in the cour s e o f a

ye ar I n the S outh where the warm an d gen i al cli
.
,

mate assisted the n atural pro ductiven ess Of the s oil ,

the coun tr y w as n ot in a ptly termed a terr estr ial p ar a

dise The subur bs o f C or dov a G r an ada an d Murci a
.
, ,

wer e prover bial for their be auty an d their luxur i an t ,

veget ation w as r ather suggestive o f the r ural su r

ro undi n gs o f p r o vi n c i al h amlet s th an o f the vi c in ity

o f gr e at c apit als The Olive or ch ar ds o f S eville wer e

.

the mo st exten sive in the wor ld The b an ks o f the .

Guadalquivir n ear th at city wer e lin ed with frui t

, ,

tr ees an d for a distan c e o f thir ty miles on e could

, , ,

travel thr ough a succ essio n o f farm h ouses castles -

, ,

an d st ately vill as emb o we r ed i n per enn i al ve r du r e A .

net wo rk o f can als subj ect to an d r egulated by an

-
,
6 12 HIS T ORY OF TH E

equit able c o de Of l aws in ter pr eted by r usti c magis

t rates ch o sen by the pe o ple t r ave r sed i n all di r ec tion s
,

the till able l an d o f eve r y p r o vin c e Gigan ti c aque

.

ducts spann ed v alleys an d hill sides be ar in g to the

-
,

p arched an d thir sty s o il o f the dist an t pl ain s the

r efr eshin g w a te r s o f the mo u n t a i n sp rin gs The .

experien c e o f the M oor en abled him to detect the

p r es en c e o f the pr e ci ous fluid i n the mo st u n prom
isin g localities ; an d subterr an e an ch an n els hun dr eds ,

o f yar ds i n le n gth hewn i n the livin g r oc k still a ttest

, ,

his d aun tless en er gy an d perseve r an c e .

The in c ess an t w ar s an d d omestic feuds Of the

Abb as id e s an d the F atimites whi c h con sumed their
,

r es ou rc es a n d i n te rr upted thei r comme r c e pr esen ted ,

Opp or tun ities to the Ommey a d es o f S p ain by whi ch

they we r e ever r e ady to p r o fit The is ol ated s ituati on
.

o f the l atte r an d the pe a c eful co n diti o n o f thei r em

,

pi r e for exten ded perio ds o f time wer e emin en tly ,

p r o pitiou s to the develo pmen t o f for eign t r ade while ,

the p o ssession o f a lar ge merc h an t mar in e fa cilit ated

tran spo r t ati on to p oin ts th at n atio n al h o stility an d r e
l ig iou s p r ej udic e o fte n r e n de r ed in acc essible by l an d .

Alth ough the gr e at en tr ep Ot o f Alex an dr i a w as clo sed

to the sub j e c ts o f the Kh alifs o f the West they we r e ,

amply i n demn ified by the h o spit able r e c epti on an d

offi c i al cou r tesies whi c h they h abitu ally r e c eived f rom

the peo ple o f C on stan tin o ple I t w as a j udi c ious an d

.

en lighten ed poli c y an d on e wh o se import an t in flu

,

en c e on eve r y bran ch o f art an d le ar n in g c an n ot be

estimated by the mater i al pr o sper ity h o wever gr e at , ,

which its in stitution con ferr ed th at dic t ated the all i

,

an c e an d p r ese r ved the c l o se r el a ti on s l on g existin g

,

between the p rin c es o f M o or ish S p ain an d the sov

er ei g n s o f Byz an tium . Dur in g its mo st p ro sperous
e ra the me rc h an t vessels o f the kh alif a te n u mbe r ed
,

mor e th an a th ous an d P er man en t a gen c ies for the

.

purch ase an d s ale o f merch an di se wer e est ablished in

6 14 HIS T ORY OF TH E

gr eat pr o vin c i al c a pit als w as to be seen o utside o f

the Pen in sula S eville con t ain ed five hun dr ed th ou
.

s an d in h abit an ts ; Almeri a an equal n u mber ; Gr an ada

four hun dr ed an d twen ty fi v e th ous an d ; M a la g a thr ee
-

hun dr ed tho us an d ; Valen c ia tw o hun dr ed an d fi ftV

tho us an d ; T o ledo tw o hundr ed th ous an d .

The s an it ar y r egulation s main t ain ed in these large

commu n ities we r e ahn os t pe r fe c t The str eets wer e
.

p aved an d lighted A th orough system o f drain age

.

p r ev ailed S ome Of the sewer s un der the c ity of

.

Valen ci a wer e lar ge en ough to ad mit a car t with e ase .

an d the s mallest c ould be trave r sed by a lo a ded be ast

o f bu r den O r der w as pr ese rved by me an s o f a nu

.

mer ou s an d well or g an ized p o li c e w ho p atrolled the

-
,

thoroughfar es d ay an d n ight .

F r om the best i n formati on to be Obt ai n ed con c ern

in g the r even ues Of S p ain un de r the Ar a bs dur i n g the
r eig n s o f di ff er e n t mon ar c hs the c o n c lusi on is i n dis
,

pu tabl e th at they ex c eeded i n amo un t th o se o f all the

o the r s ove r eign s o f E u ro pe c ombi n ed The d ata we .

p o ssess while muc h less co pious an d explicit th an

,

coul d be desi r ed ar e as f ar a s they g o u n do ubtedly

, , ,

co r r e c t
, a lth ough s ome c r iti c s h a ve questi on ed thei r

a ccu ra c y .A sin gle in stan c e may suffic e to con vey an

ide a o f the we alth Of the kh ali fs un der the most
flourishin g con d ition s o f their empir e The r even ue .

o f Abd al R ahman II I w as twelve million nin e hu n

- -
.

dr ed an d for ty fi v e thous an d din ar s equiv alen t to

thir ty—
-
,

thr ee million six hun dr ed th ous an d dollars .

The immen sity o f the pecuniar y r es ourc es o f the

kh alif ate may well ex c ite the w on de r if n ot the in ,

cr edulity o f the s c h o l ar whe n it is r e me mber ed th at

,

the r atio o f the r espe ctive mo n etar y v alues o f the ten th

an d twen tieth c en tu r ies is ten to o n e The f ac t that.

suc h a s u m c oul d be con tr ibuted f or the support o f

governmen t by a n ation oc cupyin g a li mited territo
r i al ar e a like th a t o f S p ain with out bein g c onside r ed
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 6 15

on erous or in an y w ay imp air in g its commerc ial pros

p er ity is a mo r e r eli able in di cati on Of the affluen c e o f
,

the Wester n Kh alif ate th an a wh ole librar y o f sta

ti s ti c s . The p r in cip al tax levied w as on e ten th o f the -

yield o f the min es cr o p s mer c an tile in vestmen ts an d

, , ,

in dustri al occ up ation s I n additio n to this w as the .

r egul ar c on t r ibuti o n yieldi n g fou rteen milli on do ll ar s

, ,

p aid by Chr istian s an d J ews a s a con sideration for

the en j o ymen t o f their laws an d the practic e o f their
r eligi on ; c er t ai n t axes o n sho ps an d o n the s ale o f

pro per ty an d duties on imports n on e o f which wer e

, ,

at all ex c e s s ive On e o f the mo st imp ort an t s our c es

.

o f r even ue i n a war like a e w as the fifth o f the b oo ty

, g ,

obt a i n ed i n b attle whi c h a fter divisi on w as dep o sited

, , ,

i n the r oy al t r e a sur y N o a ppro ximate c omput ati on

.

c an be ma de o f its a mou n t whi ch n e c ess ar ily v ar ied ,

with e ach c amp aign an d n o a ppr aisemen t w as t aken

,

o f its a c tu a l v alue a fter its fir st distr ibuti o n which ,

w as i n mo st in st an c es h astily ma de an d in accurate
, , .

The exigen cie s o f w ar far e an d the expen ses ar isin g ,

from the c on str uction o f impor t an t public wor ks ,

o ften de man ded the imp o siti on o f additi on a l a n d

extraor din ar y bur den s which while n o t co un ten an c ed, ,

by l aw wer e usu ally p aid with out r emon s tran c e a s

, ,

r equi r ed f or the p r o p ag ati on o f the F aith an d for

the c ompletion o f n oble ar chitec tural mon umen ts rep

r e s en ti n g the gl or y an d piety o f the mon arc h an d

the Opulen c e o f the s tate The dign itar ie s o f the .

empir e main t ain ed the po mp an d st ate o f prin c es .

Their p alac e s their c our ts their r etin ues wer e in

, , ,

feri or on ly to those o f their ro yal mas ter N o Chris .

ti an poten tate could vie wi th them in magn ificen c e .

Thei r we alth ac cumulated by ever y legal expedien t

, ,

by ever y devic e o f extor ti on w as bestowed with lavish ,

han d A pr es en t made by the Vizier I bn S hobey d

.
,
-
,

to Abd al R ahman III an d c eleb r ated by the Ar ab

- -
.
,

writer s o f the ag e as an in st an c e o f pr o digal gen er

6 16 HIS T ORY OF TH E

o s ity , be ar s witn ess o f the v as t tr e asur es which must

h ave been p o ssessed by imperi al Offic ials o f the highest
r an k . I t i n c luded an est ate wh ose for ests con t ain ed
twen ty th ous an d tr ees ; sixty slaves male an d female , ,

selec ted for their accomplishmen ts an d be auty ; on e

hun dr ed ho r ses an d mul es ; eight hun dr ed suits o f
ar mor ; a l ar ge n umbe r o f co stly we a p on s ten ts an d , ,

tr appin gs ; car pets cushi on s an d Silks ; r ar e s ables

, ,

a n d c l o aks o f b r oc ade ; qu a n tities o f c amph or al o es , ,

musk an d amber The mo st imp or t an t item o f this

, .

magn ific en t gift w as co in an d vir gin gold to the

amo un t o f five hun d r ed an d fifty th ous and di n ar s I ts .

wh ole v alue may be estimated at mor e th an fi v e million

doll ars .

The p o litic al s ag acity o f the M o or ish pr in c es neg

lecte d n o pr e cau ti on whi ch might con tr ibute to the
con s o lid ati on o f thei r auth or ity or the se c u r ity O f thei r

domin ion s The n avy o f Abd al Rah man I II w as

.
- -
.

the mo st p o wer ful in the Mediterran e an The irre g u .

l ar tr oo ps at his comman d we r e p ra c ti cally u n limited

in n umbe r ; th o se r egular ly e n r olled amou n ted to mor e
th an a hun dr ed an d fifty th ous an d The b o dy guar d .
-

o f the Kh alif w as fa mous fo r the splen do r o f its arms

an d the per fe c ti on o f its dis c ipli n e I t w as comp o sed

.

Of twelve th ous an d veteran s o f wh om eight th ous an d

,

wer e c av alr y The accoutr emen ts o f the member s o f

.

thi s selec t cor ps we r e the mo st co stly an d per fe ct th at

the milit ary s cien c e o f the time could provide Their .

un ifor m w as o f the fin est silk The cap ar is ons o f.

their h or ses wer e u n equ alled in magn ific en c e The .

hilts o f their s c imetar s we re j ewelled ; their b elts an d

s cabb ar ds wer e o f s olid g old .

F a cilities for r apid an d secur e commun icati on with

the fron tier s o f the empir e wer e aff or ded by sub
s tan ti al c ausew ays whi c h ra di atin g fr om the c a pit al
, , ,

wer e equ ally available for the p ass age o f tr oo ps an d

the tr ansp ort ation o f mer ch an dise The s a fety o f the
.
6 18 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a lways dis coun ten an c ed by the li ber al spir it o f the

S p an ish M o slem E ven fr om the e arliest ep och o f
.

their oc cup ation the gr an deur o f thes e wo rks which

, ,

h ave immo rtalized the po wer an d maj esty o f the

C a s ar s filled their un tuto r ed but n ot un a ppr e c iative
,

min ds with aw e an d won der B r idges an d f orti fi c a .

tion s which had sur vived sin c e the r eign o f the fir st

emperors wer e r ebuilt The highways which formed .
,

such an imp ort an t fe atur e o f the milit ar y p olicy o f

the empir e wer e thor oughly r ep air ed an d exten ded
,
.

S u ch o bj ects o f G r eek or Roman ar t as c ame in to

p ossession o f the S ar ac en s—with the ex c eption o f
st atuar y whi ch as r epr esen tin g the human f orm p ar
, , ,

took o f the ab omin ation o f idol atr ous wor ship—wer e

car efully p r ese r ved I n eve r y act an d se n time n t w as
.

dis c losed a feelin g o f r ever en c e an d a dmiration for the

impo sin g an d grac eful mo n umen ts beque athed to
p o ster ity by the fo rmer master s o f the wor ld .

The c en tr e o f all this won der ful c iviliz ation w as the

f amous c ity Of C or d ova The c a pit al o f the empire .
,

o f itself it p o ssessed all the r equisites o f a m

, i ghty
state a v ast po pulation commer c i al we alth r eligious
, , ,

pr estige p o liti c al p ower E ight c ities o f the fir st ran k

, .

an d th r ee th o us an d s malle r to wn s we r e subj e ct to its

j ur isdic tion E ach ye ar the s u m o f thr ee mi llion

piec es o f g old—sixty milli on do llar s—w as p aid in to
.

its tr e asur y N O commun ity o f an cien t or mediaeval

.

times c ould comp ar e with it in p ro ficien c y in the arts ,

in s c ien tific att a inme n ts in in telle ctu al cultur e I ts , .

inh abit an ts co uld n ot h ave n umbe r ed less th an a mi l

li on Their dwelli n gs gen er ally built o f ston e ex
.
, ,

hibi te d the un p r eten din g exte r io r pe culi ar to O r ien t al

arc hite c tur e but within they we r e a d orn ed with mo
,

s aic s an d arabesques with bloomin g p ar terr es an d ,

marble foun t ain s The str eets a da pted to the s corc h

.
,

in g cli mate wer e n arro w but s oli dly p aved pe r fe ctly

, , ,

drain ed an d subj e c t to const an t supervision were

, , ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 6 19

kept i n a st ate o f cle an lin ess un kn own to the best

r egul a ted mu n i c ip alities o f mo de rn E u ro pe I n sum .

mer a gratefu l coo ln es s w as obtain ed by awn in gs

, ,

which str etched fr om on e buildin g to an other ex

, ,

c luded the ra ys o f the s u n f a c ilit a ti n g the pu r p o ses o f

,

tr afli c an d the i n te rc ou r se o f the peo ple The houses

— ex clusive o f the p alac es o f the n obles an d public
.

Offi c i als which we r e ver y n ume r ous—amoun ted to the

,

extr ao r din ar y figur e o f on e hun dr ed an d thir teen

thous an d Ther e wer e eighty thou s an d four hun dr ed
.

Sho ps seven hun dr ed mos ques n in e hun dred baths

, , ,

an d fou r th o u s an d th r ee hun d r ed mar kets wher e wer e ,

con s t an tly to be seen the co stumes an d the t r e a sur es

o f eve r y c o u n tr y kn o w n to c o mmerc e in th at a e
g .

F o r ten miles i n a dir e c t lin e o n the d ar kest n ight

the pedest r i an co uld walk se cur ely thro ugh the c ity
an d its en vi r on s by the light o f i nn umer a ble l amps .

The tot al ar e a o f the c apit al in cluded a Sp ac e Of

twen ty fo u r miles in len gth by six in width alon g the
-

c l assi c B asti s whi ch—the o n ly s tr e am o f An d alusia

,

that is s aid to be ar a str i ctly Arab n ame—had been

design ated by the S ar ac en s The Gr e at River The .

c i r cu mfe r en c e o f the c ity p r o per en c l o sed by f or tified

,

walls w as four teen miles I n the s ize an d n umber o f

, .

its b azaar s an d in the var iety o f the merch an dise with

whi ch its war eh ouses wer e fil led C or do va en j oyed an
,

un di s puted pre emin en c e o ver the mo st luxurious

-

c ities o f Asi a an d we s t o f the B o sph o r us ha d n o

,

r iv al with the s i n gle ex c epti o n o f C on st an ti n o ple

,
.

The r ar est an d mo s t expen sive luxur ies Of the t able

an d the h ar em we r e to be p r oc ur ed in the sh o ps o f the

gig an tic capital Be autiful slaves fro m Gr eec e I t aly

.
, ,

an d Abyssi n i a ; white eun uchs wh ose emas culation

,

had r a the r e nh an c ed th an dimi n ished their eleg an c e

o f fo r m an d r egul ar ity Of fe atu r e ; bl acks wh o se re ,

pul sive hideous n ess an d colo ss al st atur e wer e quali

fi cation s for the r etin ue o f the Khalif books an d
6 20 HIS T ORY OF TH E

man us cripts in ever y ton gue ; the c h oic est spic es an d

pe r fumes Of the O r ien t ; p r ic eless j ewels who se sheen ,

enh an c es to suc h a degr ee the ch arms o f female love

lin ess ; r obes o f ever y hue an d textu r e woven with ,

texts an d mott o es i n th r eads o f silver an d go ld —all ,

o f these an d man y o the r w ar es

, Obj e c ts o f the eu,

p id i ty a n d the p a ssi o n s o f ma n — wer e d aily exhibited

to the co veto us an d a dmi r in g gl an c e o f the p a sse r by -
.

G r e at c ar av an s ar ies a ff or ded shelter to multitudes o f

mer ch an ts traveller s an d pilgr ims w ho allur ed by
, , , ,

a v ar i c e c u r i o sity
, or dev o ti o n
, d aily r es or ted to the
,

r en o wn ed Met ro p olis o f the West I nn s wher e foo d .

, ,

lo dgi n g an d alms wer e g ratuitously distr ibuted to the

,

wor thy but impe cun ious s c ho lar who se me an s wer e ,

i n adequate to the gr atific ati on o f his liter ar y aspir a

ti on s est ablished by the g overn men t an d main t ain ed
,

fr om the fun ds o f the public t r e asur y fo rmed a peou ,

li ar an d str ikin g fe atur e o f the v aried life o f the city .

F ro m the r iv ulets o f the di st an t S ier ra a l o fty aque ,

du ct tw o le agues an d a h alf in len gth—an d who se

,

vermilion hue der ived from the Cin n abar in its

,

c e me n t pr esen ti n g a Vivid con tr ast to the gr een o f

,

the s u rr oun din g lan ds ca pe r en der ed it a mo st con ,

s pi cu ou s Obj e c t — fur n ished the in h abit an ts with a

n eve r f a ilin g supply o f w a te r
-
F o un t ai n s th r ew up
.

their glitte r in g sp ray i n every squ ar e befo r e every ,

p ala c e in the court yar d Of ever y mo sque I n s ome

,
-
.

in st an c es the str e am p our ed in n o isy v olume fr o m the

,

mouth o f a li on or a croco dile o f gilded bro n ze g ro ,

te s qu e an d te rr ible in a ppe ar an c e ; in o the r s the d r o ps ,

r ippled gen tly over the edges o f exquisitely car ved

basin s o f po r phyr y an d al ab aster The air w as he avy .

with the min gled ar oma o f myr ia ds o f blo ss oms as ,

fr om o r ch ar d an d g ar den we r e wa fted the odo rs o f

man y a deli cio us ex oti c whic h fil led the str eets with
,

their in to xi catin g frag ran c e .

S even p on der ous g ates co ver ed with s cales o f b r ass

, ,
6 22 HIS T ORY OF TH E

tain abl e in the ca pit als o f Ch ristian E u ro pe wer e en ,

j o yed in C or do va by per s on s in the most mo der ate

c i r cumst an c es " The a ttir e o f the humblest c itize n i n

d i c ated an un usu al degr ee o f pe r s on al comfor t ; pr o

fes s ion al men dic an c y th at cur se o f O r ien t al com
,

mun ities w as dis couraged an d pr a cti c ally un kn own

,

the wor thy su ff er er f oun d a r ea dy welcome in the

public h o spit al while the impo sto r w as s courged in t o
,

un won ted ac tivity by the o ffi c er s o f j usti c e .

The suburbs o f C or do v a exc lusive o f the r oyal ,

r esiden c e o f Medi n a al Z a h r a whi c h w as super i o r to

- -
,

the other s in exten t an d beauty wer e twen ty on e in ,

-

n umber They bor e roman tic n ames suggested by

.

their ch armin g situation s an d the admirin g homage ,

they r e c eived fr om the pe ople such as The Vale o f ,

” ”
P aradise The B e autiful Valley
, The P ath o f ,
”
Ro ses ,The G ar den o f Won der s While subj ect .

to the j u risdi c tion o f the c en t r al mun i c ip al p ower ,

they in othe r r espe cts p r esen ted the a spe ct o f a ser ies
, ,

o f i n depen de n t commu n ities pr ovided with ever y ,

n e c essity an d luxu r y r equi r ed by a n u me ro us an d

thr iv in g po pulation —sho ps ba ths in n s war ehouses

, , , , ,

mar kets an d mo sques , Tw o o cc upied the o pp o site

.

ban k o f the river ; the other s en cir c led the M o or ish

c a pit a l w ith a gi r dle o f d a zzli n g white vill as in ter ,

sper sed with g r oves Of p a lms r isi n g amidst a we alth

o f tr o pi c al ve r du r e F or miles in eve r y di r e c tio n we r e
.

or an g e orc h ar ds wh o se s weet n ess i mp r eg n a ted the air

,

for man y a le a gue R ivulets an d f o un t ain s di ffused

.

th rough str eet an d g ar den a delici ous cooln ess Blo s .

s oms o f g audy hue an d over p o we rin g fr ag ran c e gr ew

in p ro fusi on alon g the aven ues The co lumn s in the .

co u r t y ar ds we r e e n twi n ed with r o ses

-
Alon g the ston e .

causew a ys r a di a ti n g i n eve r y di r e c ti on fr om the c ity

t roo ped c ar av an s o f plo ddin g camels laden with ,

pr oducts Of the art an d in dustr y o f E uro pe Afr ica , ,

an d Asi a ; or r idin g swift And alusi an h o r ses

, Sped ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UROPE 6 23

the ro yal cour iers with desp atches for the govern ors
o f the dist an t st ates o f the empi r e The maj estic .

bridge acr oss the Gu adalquivir w as fr om sun rise to

'

s un set ,cro wded to its utmos t c a p a c ity with tra de r s ,

s er va n ts s oldier s moun ted c av alier s an d be asts o f

, , ,

bur den .

The pamper ed t as tes o f the kh al ifS foun d their u t

mo st gr atificatio n in the comp ar ative se c lusion o f the
ten vi lla s whi ch the latte r p o ssessed i n the en viro n s o f
their c a pital Her e wer e pr ovided me an s Of sen sual
.

en j o ymen t th at f ar e clip s ed in exten t an d eleg an c e , ,

the vo luptuous attra ctio n s an d wan to n extrav a gan c e

o f C apr i S yb ar is an d An tioch These abo des o f
, , .

pleasur e con tr ived with all the skill Of the S arac en

,

ar chite c t we r e su rr oun ded by g roun ds th at exhibited

,

to per fe c ti on the pe c uli ar an d sur p r isin g e ff e ct s o f the

h or ticultur e o f As ia Ai r y galler ies sust ain ed by
.
,

c o lumn s o f p olished mar ble wer e brillian t with the ,

be autiful stu cc o es Of D amas cus The mur al decor a .

tion imi t ated fr om the textile fabr ics o f I n dia par

, ,

took o f all the r ichn es s Of s ilk b r oc ade in ter woven

with thr e ads o f g old The sp arklin g mos aic s o f C on
.

s tan tin o pl e l avished i n g ay p r o fusi o n up on ar c h an d

,

al cove c o n tr ibuted thei r sh ar e to w ar ds the embellish

,

men t o f these en ch an tin g r etr eats Cu rious l attic es .

o f a l a b aste r a dmitted a subdued an d un c er t ain li ght .

S en ten c es fr om the work s o f famous p o ets—most o f

them o f an irr ever en t an d bacch an alian ch ar acter
met the eye up on corn ic e ar chitrave an d c apital The , ,
.

basin s wher ein d ashed with musical tin kle the j ets
, , ,

o f cou n tles s fo u n t ai n s wer e o f mas s y s ilver , The .

furn itur e w as o f alo e s an dal woo d eb on y an d ivor y

,
-
, , ,

delic ately c arved an d in laid L ovely female Slaves o f .

every n atio n ality acco mplished in the ar ts o f po etry

,

an d musi c an d edu c ated un der the super vision Of

,

famous i n str u ctor s min ister ed to the wan ts Of the

,

C omman der o f the F aithful en ter tain ed his leisur e ,

 6 24 HIS T ORY OF TH E

with an imated an d in telle c tual dis co ur se o r r eli eved ,

his car e with their en de ar men ts an d with the c h arms

o f s on g Va st n u mber s o f white an d black eun u chs
—the former selec ted for their be auty the latter
.

pr ized for their lo fty st atur e an d t r an s c en den t ugli

n ess —glided myster i o usly th r ough the sh a do wy a p ar t

men ts or armed wi th j ewelled wea pon s guar ded the

, , ,

fo r bidden p ort als o f the h ar em .

I n the g ar den s the fe r tile imagin ati on o f the Ori

,

e n t al artist ri oted in i ts marvellous cr e ation s The .

walks p aved with color ed pebbles formed arabesques

, ,

Of qu ain t an d v ar ied p attern s The hedges wer e .

fashion ed in to imit ati on s o f for tified wal ls with ,

b attlemen t t o wer an d b arbic an

, , F r om c on c e aled
.

s ourc es foun ta in s c ast at r egular in ter vals their

,

wate rs high in to the air L abyr in ths fr om wh ose

.
,

in tr i cate p aths es cape w a s imp o s s ible with out a guide ,

beset the w ay Of the i n cautious guest The s c en e .

w as dive r sified with l akes up on wh o s e cr yst al su r

,

f ac e floated swan s an d o ther water fo wl o f silver ; -

by gr o tto s wh o se coo l r e c esses wer e suggestive o f

,

luxurious r ep o se ; by arc a des o f glossy ever gr een ;

by pl an ts o f v ar ieg ated fo li age wh o se tin ts at a ,

dist an c e r esembled a sur f ac e o f ri ch en amel ; by

,

en ch an tin g vi s t as wher e clumps o f o doriferous

,

sh r ubs an d c olor ed gr asses in ter sper sed with beds

,

o f b r illi an t fl o wer s ar ran ged in sen te n c es exp r ess

in g wishes fo r the h a ppi n ess o f the mon arch an d

the glor ification o f Allah c ove r ed the lan ds cape like
,

a pie c e Of t a pest r y mo r e g or ge o us th an the mo st ex

,

qu i s ite c r e ati on s o f the we ave r th a t eve r issued from

the looms o f Per si a o r F lan der s
-
.

The oldest an d on e o f the mo st famous o f these

Villas w as R u s a fah the f avo r ite r es or t o f Abd al R ah
,
- -

man I I t w as n ot mer ely a plac e o f r el ax ation an d

.

en j o ymen t for in its g ar den w a s fir st attempted the

,

s cien tific c ultiv ation Of the b otanical t r e asur es o f the

6 26 HIS T ORY OF TH E

d or might form a fittin g cli max to the glor ies o f his

r eign . A thir d o f the publi c r even ues a su m whi ch , ,

with out in c ludin g th o se der ived from the t axes o f

Jews an d Christian s an d the fifth o f the sp oils o f
b attle amo un ted ann u ally to mor e th an tw o million
,

piec es o f gold w as als o dev oted to the work by the

,

en thusi astic mon arch Ten thous an d labor er s an d

.

twen ty eight th ous an d beasts Of bur den wer e daily

-

employed The mi nuten ess an d pr olixity with which

.

are des c r ibed the qu an tity o f mate r i als used an d their

v alue the n ation alities o f the ar tis an s an d their re

,

mun er ation as det ailed by the Ar ab c hr on i cler s are

, ,

in stru ctive th ough tedi ous an d imp ar t an air o f ,

verac ity to a n arrative which would other wise almost

tr an s c en d belief The plan s wer e drawn by the mo st
.

emin en t archite cts Of C on stan tin o ple The walls sub .

,

s tan ti al ly built Of st on e me a su r ed seven teen hun dr ed

,

by twen ty seven hun dr ed cubits an d wer e pr ovided

-
,

with all the outwor ks an d defen c es o f a formidable

c astle . As w as the case with the G r e at M o sque the ,

mate rials o f the edific e were collec ted lar gely from
fo r eign s o urc es an d wer e put to gethe r un der the
super vision o f Byz an tin e artifi cers aided by the mo st ,

skilful n ative workmen I ts con struc tion w as super.

vised by the Kh alif in per s on w ho in his devotion to , ,

the un de r t aki n g h avi n g absen ted himself for thr ee

,

succ essive F r idays fr om the ser vi c es o f the M o sque ,

w as publi cly r ebuked by the k adi f or this fl a gr an t n eg

le ct o f duty .

The quarries o f N u midi a G r ee c e an d An d alusia , ,

co n t r ibuted supplies o f the fin est mar ble an d a l a b aster .

C a pit als o f Roman or igin we r e fur n ished by the

r u i n ed temples o f N ar b onn e T ar ragon a Uti ca an d , , ,

C ar th age The Byz an tin e emperor sen t as a pr esen t

.

to his all y a numb e r o f c olumn s wh o se be autifu l tints ,

o f g r ee n an d r o se c all ed f or th the a dmi r a ti on o f all

w ho beheld them .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UROP E 6 27

The p alac e w as divided in to thr ee distin ct sections .

On the slo pe o f the moun t ain r o se the magn ific en t

alcaz ar within wh ose ap ar tmen ts wer e lo dged the
,

mon arch an d the membe rs o f his ser aglio composed ,

o f sixty th r ee hun dr ed w omen

-
with their slaves an d
,

atten d an ts The n umber o f the latter w as all told

.
, ,

seven teen thous an d .

L o wer down t owar ds the city wer e the qu ar ter s

, ,

o f the b o dy gu ar d the eun u ch s an d the p a ges o f the

-
, ,

cou r t fo r wh o se a c c ommo d ati on fo u r hun dr ed h ouse s

,

wer e r equir ed N ext in or der c ame the gar den s fil led

.
,

with cho ic e plan ts an d deli ci ous fruits an d diver sified ,

with artific ial cas cades an d lakes ab oun din g i n gold

fish Within the p r ecin cts o f this h ortic ultural p ara
.

dise wer e to be en c oun ter ed ever y spec imen o f the

exten sive flor a—bo th n ative an d for eign —kn own to
the accomplished botan ist s o f An d alu s ia Hedges o f .

myrtle box an d laur el tr immed in fan tastic de s ign s

, , , ,

sep ar ated the bro a d an d win din g walks o f rustic

mos aic S ummer —
. h ouses an d shady bower s in vited to
the siest a a fter exp o sur e to the glar e an d heat o f a
semi tro pic al sun The pr olific in gen u ity o f the hy
-
.

d rau l ic en gi n ee r had exhausted itself in the won de r ful

distribution o f str e ams o f water—in the v aryin g play
o f a th o us an d fo u n t a i n s ; in mi n i a tu r e r ivulets wh o se ,

tin y ch an n els wer e chiselled in the balustrades o f

mar ble stair c ases ; in fair y gr o ttos ove r who se r oo fs ,

o f p ai n ted gl ass the spr a y fr om r ev o lvin g j ets sh on e

with kaleidos co pic e ff ect ; in roar in g cas c ades fr om ,

whose s ombr e depths wer e con st an tly visible the i ri

des c en t hues O f the r ain bo w S ome o f the foun t ain s
.

wer e master pie c es o f the s culptor s art Tw o Of them ’

.

are men ti o n ed a s bein g espe c i ally r emar k a ble The .

larger w as o f gilded bron ze with human figur es ele

an tl c ved i n r elief an d c ame fr om C on st an ti
g y ar ,

n opl e The basin o f the other o f gr een mar ble w as

. , ,

o f S yr i an w ork man ship an d disp o sed ab out its r im

,
628 HIS T ORY OF TH E

wer e twelve gro tesque r epr esen t ati on s o f an imals an d

bir ds cast i n g o ld an d glitte rin g with j ewels F r om
, ,
.

the mo uths o f these c ur ious mon ster s j ets o f water

wer e p r oj e cted in to the b asin belo w .

O ver the ma in p ort al o f the edific e car ved in al a ,

baster with con summate ski ll st ood the effigy o f the

,

lovely sl ave wh o se suggestion had evoked this p al ace

o f the gen u an d from wh om it had r e c eived its n ame
,
.

The p ortion o f the g or geous edific e up on whi ch the

M oor i s h c hron i cler mo st delights to dwell w as the
c e n t ra l p avili o n E lev ated on a terr a c e o f white
.

marble in b oth its exter i or an d in ter i or it a ff or ded a

,

d azzlin g ex ample o f the wealth o f its o wn er an d o f

the exquisite t aste Of its ar chite ct .

Cir cular in fo rm its dome w as supp or ted by

,

co lumn s Of p r e c i ou s mar ble an d r oc k cr yst al who se -

,

c a pit als we r e i n l aid with pe ar ls a n d r ubies The walls .

an d dome wer e o f t r a n slu c e n t on yx ; the roo f o f g o ld

an d silve r tiles pl a c ed i n a lte r n ate r o ws

, The span .

d r el s an d the in s c r iption s o f the fr ieze e x hibited the

imper ish able tin ts an d j ewell ed pl ay o f Byz an tin e
mo s ai c .D oor s o f o d orife ro us woo ds in l aid with
ivor y ebon y an d go ld en r i ched with gems o f gr e at
, , ,

v alue gave a cc ess to this magn ific en t a p artmen t

,
.

Un de r the c en tr e Of the dome stoo d a mov able b asin

o f p o r phyr y fil led with qui c ksilve r I n s ome man n er
.
,

p r ob ably by the use o f mi rr or s the r ays o f the su n

,

c o uld be con c e n tr ated up on the met al an d the b a si n

c aused to ro t ate r a pidly by hidden me c h an is m c a sti n g ,

blin din g fl a shes o f light in every dir e c tion ; dazzling

the beh olders with the in toler able glar e an d strikin g ,

with amazemen t an d terror the amb ass a do r s o f for eign

power s for wh ose ben efit this in gen ious con tr ivan ce
, ,

whi ch would seem rather to belon g to the st age th an

to the audien c e ch ambe r o f a p o we r ful mon ar ch w as
-
,

r epe atedly exh ibited .

The h all o f this p avilion w as the s c en e o f many o f

6 30 HIST ORY OF TH E

it w as mo dell ed I t con t ain ed five aisles ; its gilding

.

an d mo s aic s exhibited the fin ished lab or s o f the

Asi ati c ar tist ; its s an ctu ar y an d pul pit wer e marvels
o f O r ien t al t a ste an d skill A min ar et o f po lished
.

ston e ten c ubits squ ar e an d forty in height an d

,

co ver ed with ara besques in r elief surmoun ted the ,

grac eful edific e The co ur t w as p aved with win e

.

c o l or ed mar ble an d p ro vided with a fo u n t a in el ab o

,

r atel
y c ar ved an d gilded .

F r om a ro yal villa Medin a al Z ahr a i n sen sibly

,
- -

exp an ded in to a min i atur e c ity Ar oun d the p alac e .

c luster ed the luxur i o us dwellin gs o f the c ou r tie r s the ,

merch an t s an d the ofli cers o f the army The aven ues

,
.

wer e lin ed with tr ees wh o se fo li age fo r med a con

,

ti n u o u s ar ch N ot a h ouse c ould be seen th at w as

.

n o t emb o s omed in g ar de n s a b oun di n g with gushin g

water s an d r ar e ex otic s E ven the sides o f the S ierra

.

ha d been str ipped o f the s omb r e gr o wth o f eve r gr ee n s

whi ch had origin ally cover ed them an d plan ted with , ,

fi g an d a lmon d tr ees a ppe ar ed in all the be auty o f

-
,

luxuri an t foli age an d fr a gr an t blo ss oms N ot far .

awa y exten sive pl an t a ti on s o f the sweetest o f fl o wer s

,

g ave to the loc ality the n ame o f Geb al al W ar d at - -

,

The M oun t ain o f the Ro se .

Thr ee hun dr ed b aths ex c lusive o f th ose appro,

pri ated to the use o f the i mpe ri al ho useh o ld con ,

tr ibuted to the health an d the c er emon ial pur ity o f

the inh abit an ts The favor ite r esiden c e o f the
.

kh alifs Medin a al Z ahr a be came the se at of the

,
- -

muses the h ome Of the ar ts the c en tr e o f the in

, ,

tel l ectu al s oc iety o f the empi r e I n stituti on s o f .

learn in g spran g up within its bor der s The literary .

con tests whi ch c on stituted an u n ique an d p r omin en t

featur e o f the An dalusian cou rt we r e c elebr ated ther e

in the p r esen c e o f the mon arc h an d the comp an i on s o f
his gr e atn ess an d his leisur e F or ty ye ar s wer e re .

quir ed for its con struction twen ty fi v e un der Abd ,

-
 MOORI S H E M P IR E IN E UROP E 6 31

al - R ahman fifteen un der his son Al H akem I ts

an d -
.

cost r epr esents at a mo de rn v alu ation the en ormous

, ,

s u m o f on e hundr ed an d fifty million dolla r s Ex .

er i en ced tr aveller s Of ever y n ati on pr on oun c ed with

p ,

ou t a dissentin g vo i c e th a t the wor ld did n ot po ssess

, ,

in p oint o f pi ctu r esque situati on r oyal magni fic en c e , ,

an d ar chite c tur al b e aut

y a r ival Of the in compar able
,

city an d p al ac e o f Medin a al Zahr a - -

.

I t is difficult to con c eive fr om their pr esen t for lorn

,

an d deser ted con diti on Of the aspect once p r esen ted

,

by the en virons o f imper i al C or dova I n depen den t .

o f its p o pul ous subur bs the commercial tributaries

,

o f the c apit al r ep r esen ted v a st mercan tile in ter ests ,

an d furnished supp or t to multitudes o f in dustr io us

artis an s F ive thous an d mills lined the ban ks o f the

.

r a pid Gu a dalqu ivi r E n co uraged by the pr o fit de

.

rived from a r egul ar an d exten sive t ra de with f or eign

n a ti o n s man ufactur ing est a blishmen ts had sp r un g up

,

in ever y c ity o f importan c e E ach o f these t own s had .

its mo sques an d its imams w ho in addition to their , ,

ecclesi astical duties dis ch arged the fun ction s o f

,

magis tr ates an d r eported r eg ularly to the authorities

o f the ca pit al .

I n the p atron age Of letter s Abd al Rahman I II ,

- -
.

w as in n o r espe ct inferior to an y o f his most liberal

pr ede c ess or s He hims elf exc elled in improvis ati on
.
,

that t alen t so highly pr ized by his countrymen His .

fame an d his mun ifi cen ce allur ed to the cour t o f

Cor dov a the most accomplished s ch olars from ever y
r egi on o f the wor ld The c a pital ab oun ded with
.

co lleges aca demies

,
lyc eu ms an d other education al
, ,

foun dati ons The medic al pr o fession had attain ed

.

to a high stand ar d o f ex c ellen c e an d the Jewish ,

sur geon s o f C or dov a wer e un ivers ally r ecogn ized as

un riv alled in the extent an d v ariety o f their kn owl
edge M any physic ians held important employ ments
.

un der the governmen t deserved tr ibutes to their skill ;

,
6 32 HIS T ORY OF TH E

but su ch w as their ch ar ity th at the do or s o f even the

mo st distin guished o f them wer e alw ays o pen to the
p oor an d their gratuitous mini str ation s at the ser
,

vi c e o f the mo st humble su ff er er The s c ien c es o f .

a st r on omy an d c hemist r y b ased up on o bserv ations

,

at B agd a d an d exper imen ts at C ai ro an d D ama s cus ,

had ma de an unp r e c ede n ted advan c e I n the r o yal

a lcaz ar , in the p alac es o f p r in c es i n the man si on s ,

o f the r i c h i n the h o mes o f the le ar n ed the min d o f

, ,

the seeker a fter kn owledge w as daily exer c ised by

the dis cussion Of subj e cts o f un iver s al in ter est by ,

the p ro se cution o f s c ien tific in quir y by lectur es by , ,

i mp rovis a ti on s by the Spir ited c on tests o f p o ets fo r

,

liter ar y supr emac y I n ever y callin g an d pro fession

.
,

in eve r y p o siti on o f life the useful an d the orn a

,

men t a l ar ts the n o ble an d eleg an t pu r suits Of litera

,

tur e wer e c ultiv ated by both sexes with an ar dor akin

to en thusi asm .

The n ame o f Abd al Rahman I II glori ous in the

- -
.
,

an n als Of M o or ish S p a in has n ot ho weve r es caped

, , ,

the c on demn ati on o f histor y His gr eat deeds ; his .

tr iumphs in w ar an d diplomac y ; his skill i n the

r e co n c ili a ti on Of a dver se f ac tion s ; his gen erous
c lemen c y ; his en cour agemen t o f letter s may well ,

be the sub j ec t o f extrav agan t eulo gy But the sen .

sual p assion s o f his n atur e b or der ed up on in s an ity ;

an d his c h arac te r w as d efil ed by th a t n a meless an d

un n atur al vic e whi ch p r actised an d even defen ded

,

by on e o f the most f amous o f the G r eek philo s o phers ,

has fr om the e ar liest times bee n the ble mish an d the

r ep r o a c h o f O r ie n t al c iviliz a ti on .

The in fir mitie s Of ag e an d the irks omen ess o f

s a tiety embitter ed the de c li n i n g ye ar s o f the Kh alif .

He virtu ally aban don ed the admin istr ation o f the em

pir e to his heir Al H akem Ren oun c in g the g ay
,
-
.

friv olities o f the co ur t he att ached himself to a

,

f an ati c n amed Abu Ayub wh o se as c etic mann ers

-
,
6 34 HISTORY OF TH E

CHAP T E R X I II

REI G N OF AL -
HAK E M II .

9 6 1—9 76

S pl d i d C m i l t th A s i n f Al H k m I I —
en er e on a a Hi e cc e s o o -
a e s
—O d fi e k
.

Wi d P ud t M
s e an u r Au di n e
en eas r es r o o s e s an e c

Hi B s —S u ful E p diti n g in t th Ch is
as en es s cces s x e o a a s e r

ti —Di t b
an s i A f i —A my f th Kh lif D
s ur a n c es n r ca r o e a e

fe t d—Th B b Ch i ft i
a e e u pt der d th ei
er e a ns are co r r e an r

di b d—I mp t
,

F
C t —
or c es f C d v
s an

D c ipti n f the G t M s qu D e th f Al
e n re es r
R lig i s
o o
or a n ce o

rea
or

o
o a

e — as a

a
e

o
ou

H k m—H i Lit y Att i m t —H i P t n g o f

L ett s Th Li b y—I n tituti
a e s e r ar a n en s s a ro a e

er -
ef L n i g—G n e
r ar l ~
s on s o e ar n e ra

P v l re f Ed ti n P b li I mp v m t
a en c e o Th uca o u c ro e en s e

Kh lif th E mpl
a f th H igh e t C u lt e f hi s Ag e
e xe ar o e s ur o

P p e ity f th E mpi
ros r o e re .

AT the de ath o f Abd al Rahman I II the Hisp an o - -

.

Ar ab empir e seemed to all unf amili ar with the de ,

fe cts o f the M o slem con stitution in v u ln erable to the ,

a tt a cks o f fo r eig n or d omesti c en emies The wise .

disp o sition s o f th at ac complished rul er had for a ,

time r econ ciled the di ff e r en c es arisin g from trib al

,

an tip athy an d r eligio us dis cor d The employmen t o f .

mer c en aries con stitutin g an army which coul d n ot be

,

corr upted an d wh o se is olation fr om the seditious

,

p opulac e w a s the mo st e ff e c tual guaran ty o f its

fidelity app ar en tly a ssur ed the per petuity o f a system
,

whi ch a pr o foun d an d st ates man like p olicy had estab

li shed . The ad min istr ation w as dir e c ted by cap able
an d exper ie n c ed mi n iste r s The public r even ues far .

ex c eeded in amoun t tho s e o f the we althiest c ontem

poran eou s n ation s O bedien t to the l aw o f p o litical
.

attr ac ti on which like gr avity in the mater i al world

,

draws the we aker to the str on ger p o wer n eighbor in g ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 635

kin gdoms alth ough sep ar ated fr om the kh alifate by

,

the mo st power ful motives tha t c an in fluen c e hu

man ity—by the an t agon ism o f rac e by the pr ejudic es ,

o f r eligi on by the me mor y o f gen e rati o

, n s o f in ces

s an t war far e by h o stile tradition s whi ch in vo lved the

,

lo ss Of an empir e an d the subj ection o f its peo ple

had ackn o wledged the sup r emacy o f the Omm ey ad e

prin c es I n the humili atin g ch arac ter o f suppli an ts

.

for the favo r o f an he r edit ar y foe the s ove r eign s o f ,

Le on an d N avarr e had implor ed the ai d o f the in

fid el an d the former o f the s e had r eg ain ed p o ssession
,

o f his domin i o n s un der a t r e aty whi c h i mpli ed if it ,

did n ot actu ally expr ess con ditio n s o f v as s alage re

,

flectin g little c r edit up on the su cc esso r o f the h aughty

Visigoths E ver y con sideration whi ch con tributes to
.

in spir e the r espec t an d admir ation o f man kin d len t

its as s ist an c e to exalt the fame an d gr eatn es s o f the
co ur t o f C o r do v a The mo st distin guished mon ar chs
.

s oli c ited the fr ien d ship Of the Khalif His capit al .

w as the liter ar y c en tr e o f the Western wor ld The .

in tell e ctual ac tivity ther e di s played had n ever been

equ alled sin c e the glor ious d ays when Gr ec ian gen ius
immortalized the s chools Of I on i a an d Attica The .

M oslem fleets co n tro lled the Mediterran ean The .

mech an ical ar ts the s cien c e Of agr icultur e the var i

, ,

ou s bran ches o f for eign commer c e an d domestic

tr affic had un der a well gr oun ded feeli n g Of publ ic
, ,
-

secur ity r e c eived a pro digious an d un exampled

,

impulse I t w as ther efor e un der the mo st h appy

.
, ,

auspi c es th a t Al H akem at the ag e o f for ty eight

-
,
-
,

with a ch ar acter lo n g con sidered the embo dimen t o f

all p r i n c ely vi r tues assu med the supr eme di r e cti on o f
,

affa ir s .

On the d ay follo win g the de ath Of Abd al Rahman - -

,

the a cc ession Of his s on w as c elebrated with gr e ater

splen dor th an had yet distin gui shed this impor tan t
fun ction Sin c e the f oun dation o f the Western em
6 36 HIS T ORY OF TH E

pi r e M ag ni fi cen tl y attir ed the gr e at o ffic er s o f the

.
,

khal if ate atte n ded to swe ar allegi an c e to the n ew

s over eign After the member s o f the r o yal family
.
,

the c hief Offici als the min ister s o f st ate the k adi s
, , ,

an d the Ch amber l ai n s had t ake n the oath they ad min ,

i ster e d it in tu rn to the h o st o f r et ain e r s an d su bor di

, ,

n ates o f the r o ya l h o useh o ld The p omp di spl ayed .

on thi s occ a si on w a s w or thy o f the mo st p o wer ful the ,

mo st Opulen t an d the mo st luxur i ous mon ar chy in

,

E u ro pe The c er emon y w as held un de r the c en tral

.

p avilion o f the p al ac e o f Medin a al Zahr a whose - -

,

de co ration s sp arklin g in the sun light seemed to

, ,

r e alize the g or ge o us d r e ams o f O r ien t al en ch an t

men t The eight brother s o f Al H akem wer e es
.
-

c or te d to the p al a c e with al l the h on or s due to their

ran k ; but it co uld n ot es ca pe the n o ti c e o f th o se p r in c es

th at the str on g gu ar d whic h surr o un ded them an d ,

li n ed the en tr an c e o f their ap ar tmen ts w as less a ,

man ifest ati on o f r espect th an a men ac in g pr e caution

ag ai n st t r e a s o n The vizier s in vested with their
.
,

r o bes a n d in sig n i a o f offic e an d the n o bles t ook up

,

their p osition s behin d the member s o f the Kh alif s ’

f amily w ho stoo d on eithe r side o f the thr on e B e

, .

yon d them cr owdin g the ample sp ac e o f the ro tunda

,

an d even fil li n g the a d j ac en t a p ar tmen ts wer e the ,

imperi al magistr ates the gen er als o f the army the , ,

provin c ial g overn or s an d the v ast cro wd o f public

,

fun ction ar ies summon ed fr om the capit al as well as

fr om the n eighborin g cities o f An dalusi a to r en der
h oma ge to an d a ssist at the in augur ation o f the C om
man de r o f the F aithful The eun u chs th at cl ass o f .
,

mon ster s which has always s ought in demn ity for its
degrad ati on by the ac quisition o f p o wer an d we alth ,

whi ch has n ever f ailed to r even ge itself up on s ociety

by the ruin o f the g overnmen t whi ch t o ler ated its
in stitution an d who se pr epon de ran c e in the p olitical
,

system o f the kh alif ate had be come p orten tous an d

6 38 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a strous con sequen c es had en de avo r ed to imp r ess up on

,

his heir the p olicy an d even the n e cessity o f r et ain

, ,

in g un imp air ed the auth or ity con fe rr ed by the ex alted

offi c e o f C omman der o f Be l iever s The in dividu al .

sele cted for this imp or t an t p ost w as G ia far al Ask - -

labi a S lave wh o se caste an d n ation ality seemed to

Al —
, ,

H akem a sufficien t war ran t for his goo d beh avi or ,

an Opin i on subse quen tly j ustified by the wisdom an d

t ac t he displayed in the dis ch ar ge Of his offic i al duties .

His a ppo in tmen t w as f o llo wed accor din g to the ,

c ust om o f the co u r t by the delive r y o f a mag n ific en t

,

p r esen t to the Kh alif c on sistin g in this in st an c e o f

, , ,

r i chly a pp ar elled sl aves an d ar ms an d armor i n l aid

,

w ith g old .

The n ews o f the de ath o f Abd al Rahman had been - -

r e c eived with p r eten ded g r ief a n d se c r et deli ght by

the s ove r eign s o f Leon an d N av ar r e The pr estige .

o f the fo r me r Kh alif an d his a bi l ity to e n f or c e his

,

deman ds had been r epe atedly demon str ated by the

,

even tful tran s acti on s o f his lon g an d glor i ous r eign .

The bl acken ed fields an d disman tled castles o f the

fr on tier the he a ps o f bon es ble ac hin g on man y a
,

battle fi el d b or e silen t but con clusive testimon y to his

-
,

r uthless h o stility an d to the p r o wess o f his ar mi es .

But the ch ar acter o f his su c c ess or w as as yet un de , ,

v eIO ed
p A l ife alr e ady adv an c ed beyon d mi ddle ag e
.

had been di stin guished by n on e o f th o se mar ti a l deeds

whi ch elicit the a pplause o f a sub j e c t an d awaken the
r espe c t an d the a pp r ehen si on s o f an e n e my The pre .

dile ction s o f the n ew Kh alif for a seden t ar y l ife an d ,

his in timate r el ati on s with the le arn ed we r e Viewed ,

with c on tempt by the b ar barous Ch r isti an s w ho con ,

s id er ed w ar a s the pe c ul i ar c al lin g o f a man o f spi r it ,

an d the ac quisiti on o f k n o wledge as on ly fit for

mon ks an order wh ose p acific occup ation s did n ot

, ,

n evertheless ex c lude even its membe r s from the

,
pr o
fe s s ion o f arms I n tho se e ar ly times while n ot as
.
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 6 39

yet expr essly s an ction ed by the authority o f the

P ap ac y the vi olation o f an en gagemen t made with
,

the en emies o f the Chur ch w as alr e ady con sider ed a

mer it or ious ac tion to be go vern ed r ather by motives
,

o f expedie n c y th an by an
y co n side ra ti o n s o f morality

an d n ati on a l h o n o r The tre aty by whic h S an ch o had

.
,

stipulated to deliver to the Kh alif a c er tain n umber

o f for tr e s s es in r etur n f or the r est orati on o f his c r o wn ,

had n ot been c arr ied o u t by the Kin g o f Le on The .

tempt ation to violate it or at le ast to elude its per,

forman ce n ow be came irr esistible

, T o the deman ds .

o f Al H akem S an ch o r etu rn ed ev asive an d temp o

-
,

ri zin g an swe r s The Kin g Of N av arr e d oubtless act

.
,

in g in co llusio n with his n eighbo r w a s even less t ra ct ,

able . F er din an d Gon z alez w ho had fallen in to the ,

h an ds o f the latter w as held a clo se pr is o n er at P am

,

pel un a an d the Kh ali f w ho w as an xious at all

, , ,

hazar ds to o btain p o ssession o f the per s on o f this

,

formid able a dver s ar y pr omised to abate a p or ti on

,

o f his dema n ds in case G arc i a w ould a g r ee to sen d

his illustr ious captive to C or dova The Kin g o f N a .

var r e n ot on ly r efused but ac tually liber ated the ,

C oun t Of C astile with the u n der st an din g that he

,

sh ould expel his s on in l aw O r do no I V w ho had

- -
,
.
,

s ought a r efuge at Burgos an d sh ould at on c e de ,

c lar e w ar a g a in st the Kh al if F er din an d promptly .

fulfil led his en ga gemen t s The un fo rtun ate O r dono .

w as t o r n fr om his family an d ign omi n iously dr iven

ac r o ss the b or de r ; at his s u mmon s to arms the ol d

warr ior s o f the C oun t flocked to hi s s tan d ar d an d the ,

settlemen ts o f E str emadura an d An d alusia lon g ac ,

cust omed to pe ac e on c e mo r e exper ien c ed the d e p lor

,

able evils o f p ar tis an h o stility Accomp an ied by on ly .

a s cor e Of r et ain er s w ho o f al l his n umer ous r eti n ue

, , ,

wer e all th at wer e willin g to sh ar e his un c ert ain for

tun es O r do no j ourn eyin g through the en emy s coun
, ,
’

try r e ached the c ity o f Medin a Celi

,
Her e as in all -
.
,
6 40 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the empir e the str eets r es o un ded with the d in o f arms

, ,

for Al H ake m con vin c ed th at the r espe c t o f the

-
,

Christian s could on ly be pr eser ved by a di splay o f

forc e w a s ever ywher e makin g ac tive pr ep aration s for
,

w ar . The spir it Of the r oyal fugitive ro se at the in

spirin g sight an d h o pin g th a t by pro per man agemen t
, ,

the mi lit ary su cc esses o f Al H akem might be made to -

en ur e to his o w n adv an t age he r equested o f the g ov ,

ern o r o f the c ity a s a fe co n du c t to C o r do v a an d p er -

missi on to plac e himself un der the p rotec ti on o f the

Kh al if His wi s h w a s r e a dily a cc eded to an d a troo p
.
,

o f c av a lr y w as det a iled to es cor t him to the ca pit al .

The r oute p assin g n e ar the r oyal c emeter y Or d ofi o ,

a sked to be sh o wn the to mb o f Abd al R a hman I II - -

.

This h avin g been don e he dismoun ted un cover ed his , ,

he ad an d kn eelin g by the g r ave Of the mon arc h w ho

, ,

in life had been his mo st i n vete r ate e n emy he p r ayed ,

lon g an d ferven tly f or the r ep o se an d welf ar e o f his

s oul A few d ays a fter war ds he w as r e c eived by the
.

Kh alif in the p al ac e o f Medin a al Z ah ra As a t oken - -

.

o f r espe c t an d an eviden c e o f v a ss al age he w as re ,

qui r ed to assume the white r obes o f the Ommey ad es .

Ob ey d al l ah I bn K a s i m A r chbish o p o f T o led o an d
- -
, ,

W alid I bn K hai zor an J udge Of the Ch ristian s o f

- -
,

C or dov a who se Ar abic n ames seem str an gely at

,

v ari an c e with the Offices they admin ister ed es cor ted ,

him to the audien c e ch ambe r ; their p r esen c e being -

n e ce ss ar y b o th as i n ter p r ete r s an d to a ff o r d i n f orma

,

tio n on po in ts o f etiquette ri goro usly ex ac ted by the

pun ctilious court o f C o r dov a an d con c er n in g whi ch ,

it w as j ustly con j e c tured the former ass oci atio n s Of a

barb arian r uler had left him en tir ely un ac quain ted .

The intro duction o f the Chr isti an p rin c e w as at

ten ded with the p omp or din ar ily displayed at the re
c epti on o f the g r e atest ki n gs a n d thei r amb ass a dor s

The b o dy —
.

gu ar d Of the Kh alif w as dr awn up in all

the p an o ply Of gle amin g we ap on s an d co stly armor .
6 42 HIS T ORY OF TH E

AS s oon the speec h o f Al H akem had b een trans

as -

lated to him witho ut maki n g al lo wan c e for the

,

cou r tly ex a gge ra ti o n it imp l ied he aro se an d s aid " I ,

am the sl ave o f the C omman der o f the F a ithful ; I

trust in his magn an imi ty ; I seek my supp or t in his

lo fty vir tues ; I give him ful l p ower over me an d
mi n e " He then in langu age wor thy only o f the
”
,

me an est vass al begged the aid o f the Kh alif in

,

the r e co ve r y o f his th ro ne an d in con c lusion c on

, , ,

tras ted his ow n volun t ar y submi ssi on with the co ndu ct

o f his cousin S an ch o w ho had been compelled by Abd
,

al R ahman to r en de r him h oma ge a s a con ditio n o f the

-

tr eaty Al H akem l isten ed with ill con c e aled con

.
- -

tempt to his h aran gue pr omised th at all his wishes

,

sh oul d b e fulfill ed an d th at he Sh ould be guar an teed

,

a g ai n st mo lest ati on fr om his en emies The in terview .

termin ated the eun uchs es cor ted the Leon ese fr om the
,

p avilion Or d ofi o displayed li ttle less servility to

.

war ds the Vizier G i af ar th an he had sh own to his

master an d w as with di ffi cul ty p r even ted fr om kiss
,

in g the h an d o f th at dign it ar y H avin g perc eived in .

an an te ch ambe r a se at whi c h he w a s in fo rmed w as

s ometimes used by the Kh ali f he grovelled befor e it ,

w ith as mu ch a pp ar en t r ever en c e as if it had bee n a

s acr ed r eli quary o f the most un doubted vir tue .

A splen did pal ac e w as assign ed a s a r esiden c e to the

Kin g an d his suite ; they wer e all c lothed with robes
o f h on or —
a mar k o f the highest distin c ti on among
,

O rien t als —an d a n umber o f va lu able p r esen ts sen t

,

fr om the court fur ther assur ed them o f the gen erous

symp athy o f their ben efactor I n a few days a tr e aty .

w as con c luded by whi ch Or d ofi o pledged himself to

,

main t ain pe ace with Al H akem an d per petual w ar -

wi th the C oun t o f C astile The flo wer o f the M oorish

.

troo ps c omman ded by Ghalib the ables t o f the im

, ,

per i al gen er als w as or dered to make the c amp aign

, ,

an d the Ar ch b isho p o f T o led o an d the Bish o p an d the

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 6 43

Judge o f C or do va we r e design ated to accomp an y the

army n ot s o mu c h to assist the pusill an imous mon ar c h
,

by their coun sels as to c ar efully n ote his beh avior an d ,

see th at he w as guilty o f n o thin g th at could con tribute

to the i n j ur y o f the Kh alif or eve n r emotely aff e ct
,

in an un favo rable man n er the ob j e c ts o f his ambition .

I n the me an time S an cho had t aken the al arm .

When he le arn ed o f the suc c es s o f Ord ofi o he r eali zed ,

th at he had pr esumed too muc h up on the pe ac eful

dispo sition an d epicur e an t astes o f Al H akem I t -
.

w as n o se cr et th at a p o we r ful army w as muste r in g to

in v ade hi s domi n io n s By the arti fi c es o f the en emy
.
,

its number s wer e pur po sely multiplied His p o pu .

l ari ty ha d n eve r bee n gr e at an d his r e s t ora ti on had

,

been accomplished by me an s abh orr en t to a lar ge

n umber o f his subj e c ts M an y o f hi s v as s al s could
.

n ot be depen ded up on .The gr eat provin c e o f G a

licia a fi e f o f the cr own o f Leon r efused to ackn ow l
, ,

edge hi s title an d its coun t held l an gua ge th at in di

,

c ate d th a t he on ly s o ught a f av or able o pp or tun ity to

declar e himself in depen den t Un der the cir cum

.

s t an c es but on e cou r se w as Open to S an ch o an d he ,

s ent an emb assy to C o r do v a to st ate th at he w a s will

in g to per fo rm without delay the con diti on s o f the

, ,

tr e aty he had co n c luded with Abd al Rahman - -

.

The dupli city o f Al H akem a defect h a ppily rar e

-
,

in the an n als o f his r a c e an d whic h r efle c ts suc h dis

cr edit up on his n ame n ow be c ame a pp ar en t
, He v i o .

lated without compun c tion the comp act he had ma de

, ,

w ith Or d o fi o. The latter over co me with dis app oin t

,

men t an d mor tifi cation at the failur e o f his ho pes ,

gave himself up to melan ch oly an d died the victim ,

o f his o wn ab a semen t a n d c r edulity i n the gilded

pr ison which had been s et a p ar t as his ab ode in the

en viron s o f the M o slem capit al .

His r ival r emoved an d the alli an c e o f F er din an d

,

Gon z alez assur ed S an cho con cluded th at the occasion

,
6 44 HIS T ORY OF TH E

w as mo st o pp ortun e for a fur ther r epudiatio n o f his

en gagemen ts He accor din gly defied the Kh al if an d
.
,

the latter at on c e proclaimed the H oly W ar The .

army o f i n v asi on w as commanded by Gh alib The .

C oun t o f C astile w as defe ated in a gr e at battle .

The g overn or o f S ar a g oss a Yahy a I bn M o h ammed

,
- -
,

e asily wor sted the Kin g o f N avar r e The imp or t an t .

f or tr esses o f S an E stev an de G ormaz an d C alah orra

.
,

which had been stormed an d destroyed wer e r ebuilt , ,

pr ovided with M oorish g arr is on s an d added to the ,

domin io n s o f the kh alifate The Ar ab ar my wasted

.

the b or de r s o f C at alon i a w ith fi r e an d swor d ; for tw o

co un ts o f th a t p r i n c ip ality Miron an d B or el en
, ,

do wed wi th mor e h ar dih oo d th an dis cr etion had been ,

pr ev ailed upo n by the Kin g o f N av ar r e to j oin the

con fede r a c y ,an d wer e n o w con demn ed to expiate
their br e ach o f faith by the pillage o f their c ities an d
the miser y o f thei r subj e cts E ver ywher e the arms
.

o f the M o slems we r e tr iu mph an t The en emi es who

.

had con fiden tly r e c ko n ed on the in c ap ac ity an d in ert

n ess supp o sed to a tt ac h to a li te r ar y life an d the well

kn o wn aver sio n o f Al —
,

H akem to the mi lit ar y pro fes

sion wer e compell ed to ackn o wledge the wisdom o f
,

his disp osition s an d the en er gy with whi ch he carried

them in to exe cution On e a fter an o ther sued for
.

pe ac e E ven from distan t G a li ci a came an emb assy

.
,

he a ded by a n oble matr on the mother o f a coun t w ho

, ,

w as e n te r t ain ed with the distin gu ished cour tesy for

whi ch the cour t o f C or dova w as famous an d w as dis ,

missed with gifts wh ose splen dor d azzled the eyes o f

a b ar b ar i an p r in c ess b orn an d b r ed amidst the b ar r en

slo pes an d p ove rty str icken h amlets o f the Pyr en ees
-
.

This succ essful c amp aign clo sed the milit ar y Opera
ti on s o f Al H akem in the N or th He had taug ht his
-
.

p er fi d iou s a dver s ar ies a seve re but s alut ar y less on .

Wh ateve r in clin ation to r en ew h ostili ties they might

h ave en ter t ain ed their o w n dissen sio n s pr ec luded its
,
6 46 HIS T ORY OF TH E

be r epeated w er e in spir ed by ho pe an d en co ur aged

,

by tradition I t w as n ot the masses alon e w ho c her

.

i shed these omi n o us aspiration s The p rin c es o f the

.

v arious dy n asties w ho at di ff er en t per io ds o f its his

,

tor y swayed the destin ies o f Al M aghreb had with

,
-
, ,

ou t ex c epti on r eg ar ded the r i c hes o f the Pe n in sula as

,

l awful spoil if n o t actu ally as a p ar t o f their p atr i

,

mon y I ts con dition —p ol itic al s oc ial r eligious com

merci al—w as as famili ar to them as the domestic
.
, , ,

p oli ty o f their o wn domin ion s Their spies wer e to

.

be foun d in the gr e at emp or iums o f trade in the most ,

sequester ed h amlets in the ran ks o f the army in the

, ,

c orr id or s o f the p al ac e even in the bed c h amb er o f

,
-

the kh alif Un kn own an d o ften un suspec ted their

.
,

in fluen c e had been felt in man y a bloo dy in su rr ec

tion in the de cisive momen t o f man y an even tful
,

d ay . N ever for a momen t did they ab an don the

lon g n our ished p r o j e c t o f c on quest ; n ever did they
-

r e n ou n c e the ambition — destin ed un h appily to be

r e a lized— o f pl an tin g their vi c t o r i o us b ann er s an d
e r e ctin g their thr on e on the b an ks o f the famous
Gua d alquivir S in c e the a ssumption o f the suze
.

r a in ty o f the Afr i c an p ro vi n c es b or der ing on the

Mediterr an e an by Abd al R ahman the main ten an c e

- -
,

o f th at digni ty ha d caused n o i n con sidera ble dr ain

on the t r e a sur y o f the kh alif ate I mmense sums wer e

.

an n u all y t ran smi tted to mai n t ai n troo ps to supp ort ,

the pr eten sion s o f feeble v ass als an d to bribe b ar ,

bari an chieft ain s to r efr ain fr om r av agin g the lan ds

o f thei r n eighb or s N O compen s ation w as o ff er ed for
.

the expen se in curr ed ex c ept the n egative an d un cer

t ain on e impl ied by the temp or ar y r estrain t o f Berb er
I n v a s i on .

The atten tion o f the F atimites had been s ome ye ars

befor e dir e cted t owar ds the E ast an d a fter a Sh ort , ,

an d Vi ct or i ous st ruggle the p ri n c es o f th at dyn a s ty

,

wer e en abled to r emove the seat o f their empire from

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 6 47

the s an dy pl ain s o f M aur it ani a to the in ex h austible

Vall ey o f the N ile A gr e at dan ger to the O mme
.

yade E mpir e o f S p ain w as ther efor e app ar en tly re

mo ved At this time H ass an I bn Ken un the last
.
,
- -
,

survivor o f the E d ris ite s exer cised a pr e carious s ov ,

g y o ve r th a t p or ti on o f the Afr i can c oast o f

er e i n t

which T an gier w as the c apital A n omin al v a ss al o f .

Al H akem his lo yalty w as lar gely depen den t upon

-
,

the fe ar s ex c ited by the en cro achmen ts o f his n eigh

bors an d when Abu al F otuh the r epr esen tative o f
,
- -
,

the F atimites in v aded his domin ion s the allegian c e

, ,

o f I bn Ken u n w a s without hesit a ti on t r an sferr ed to

-
, ,

the Khali f o f E gypt .

The r ev olt o f I bn Ken un an d the alarmi n g prog

-
,

r ess ma de by the F at imite Vi c e r o y impr essed up on ,

Al H akem the n e c essity for immedi ate an d de cisive

-

a c tion .With his customar y diligen c e he issued ,

or der s fo r the dep ar tu r e o f a str on g milit ar y an d

n av al fo rc e to pun i sh the tr e as on o f his v ass al an d

o ve r awe the fic kle an d p er fid i ou s chieft ai n s o f Afr i c a .

The obj ect o f the expedition w a s T an gie r the seat ,

o f the c ou r t an d the r e s iden c e o f I bn Ken un The -

.

Ommey ad e fleet block a ded the h arb o r an d the t roo ps ,

.

hav in g en coun ter ed the en emy n ear the c ity a fter a ,

sh ar p en gagemen t gain ed a decisive victor y But this .

succ ess w a s o f sh ort dur ati on I n the l an d o f Al .

M aghr eb swar min g with active an d war like bar

,

bar i an s the r e cr uitin g o f an army w as a matter o f

,

trifli n g difficulty The Deser t hor des allur ed by the

. ,

expectation o f plun der an d the ex c itemen t o f arms ,

c r owded to the camp o f the E d r i s ite p r in c e w ho s oon ,

foun d himself on c e mor e able to tempt the for tun es

o f w ar An other b attle w as fought ; the tr oo ps o f
.

the K h al if sust ain ed a demor ali zin g defeat ; their

gen er al I bn — Toml os w as left de ad on the field an d
, , ,

the su rviv or s w ho es caped the spe ar s o f the M au ri

t an i an cav alry s o ught security behin d the b attlemen ts
6 48 HIS T ORY OF TH E

of T an gier The e ff e c t p r o duc ed by this vic tor y on

.

the ven al an d in con st an t peo ple o f Afr ic a w as s er i

ou s .The r eput ation an d the p o wer o f I bn K enu n -

r e c eived an ext raor din ar y i mpulse The petty v ass als .

w ho f or ye ar s had enj o yed the b o un ty o f the Kh alif

h asten ed to r en oun c e their allegi an c e F rom far an d .

n e a r al on g the s an dy highw ays t o w ar ds the c amp o f

,

I bn Ken u n tr oo ped the fe ro c io us tr ibes men wh om no

-
,

pr in c e ha d yet been able to con cili ate an d n o g overn ,

men t been able to c ivil ize N O terr itor y exc ept th at

.
,

o c cupied by a few f or tified t o wn s r emain ed lo ya l to ,

Al H akem; even these plac es wer e in a st ate o f siege ;

-

an d it w as evide n t th at un less e n e r geti c me a su r es we r e

,

t ake n to r etrieve the dis a ster the w ar cry o f the B er ,

-

ber s w ould s oon be he ar d on the plain s o f An dalusi a .

The Kh alif w as n ot un con s ci ous o f his d an ger .

F rom ever y provi n c e o f his domin i on s he summon ed

his bravest troo ps an d his mo st exper ien c ed gen erals .

The supr eme comman d w as en tru sted to Gh alib ,

wh ose skill an d v alo r had been sign ali zed in the r ec en t

camp aig n a g ain st the Ch r isti an s an d w ho w a s s ol ,

em n l y admon ished on pe r il, o f his li fe to r eturn ,

vict or ious I t w as n ot however to the un c ert ain

.
, ,

even t o f battle th at the Kh ali f un r eser vedly com

mitted the destin ies o f his empir e The mer c en ary .

c h ar a c te r o f the B er ber sheiks alw a ys the p artis an s ,

o f him w ho b r ibed them mo s t li be rally o r w ho b r ibed ,

them l ast w as wh at Al H akem depen ded up on far

,
-
,

mor e th an up on either the t actic s o f his gen er al or the

c ou ra ge o f his s o ldier s A gr e at tr e asur e w as plac ed
.

at the disp o s al o f Gh alib an d he w as in st r u cted to

sp ar e n o p ain s to det ac h from the army o f I bn —

,

Kenun
ever y chief o f influen c e witho ut r egar d to the n u m
,

ber s o f his followin g or the extrav ag an c e o f his de

man ds I n case he su cc eeded he w as or der ed to con
.
,

duc t the f amily o f I bn Ken un to C or dova H avin g

-
.

lan ded in s a fety Gh alib studiously av oided a general

,
6 50 HIS T ORY OF TH E

Vic er o y o f the N or ther n F r on tier whom Al H akem ,

-
,

still fe ar ful Of the issue o f the Afr ican camp aign had ,

sen t to r ein for c e the army o f Gh a lib .

The siege o f the r ebel for tr ess w as pushed with

en ergy but its defen c es wer e s o formi dable th at four
,

mon ths ela psed befo r e the g ar ris on could be bro ught
to terms Then the mo st fav or able c on dition s were
.

gran ted ; the per s on al s a fety o f the s o ldi er s w as

guar an teed an d their p ro per ty kept in vio late ; an d
the main ar ti cle o f the in stru c ti on s o f Al H akem -
,

touchin g the con veyan c e o f the E d r is ite s to C or

dov a w as acceded to th ough n ot with out man ifest
, ,

r elu c t an c e whi ch ho wever w as o f little momen t

, , ,

un der ci rcumstan c es wher e p ro test an d r esist an c e

wer e equally un av ailin g With the c aptur e o f the
.

E agle s R ock termin ated the c amp aign in Afr i ca

’
.

The r emain in g E d r is ite pr in c es w ho had seen wi th ,

di smay the sudden dis appe ar an c e o f the h o st o f I bn

Ken un lo st n o time in makin g terms with the repr e
,

s en tativ e s o f the Kh a lif The en tire r egion o f M auri

.

t an i a en j o yed a pr o foun d but delusive pe ac e The .

Ber ber s ha d r etir ed to their s olitudes to en j o y the

r ew ar d o f thei r t r e a s on an d to w a t c h f o r an other
,

o pp or tun ity to disp o se o f thei r se rvi c es to the highest

bidder The F atimites con ten t with their r e c en t

.
,

ac qui siti on s left the a dmin ist r a ti on o f thei r Afr i can

,

possession s to a Vi c ero y an d f as c in ated with the , ,

a ttr a c ti o n s o f their n ew h ome on the N ile did n ot ,

s eem f or the momen t

, desir ous o f p r o se c utin g an y
,

fur the r s chemes o f imper ial a ggran dizemen t .

Gh alib es cor tin g his illustrious p ris on er s mor e th an

, ,

seven ty in n umber n ow r eturn ed to C or dov a F rom

, .

the h ou r o f his lan din g at Al g eziras his mar ch as ,

sumed the appear an c e o f a mil it ar y tr iumph The .

lin e o f march w as obstruc ted by the th r on gs th at ,

attr a c ted by the n ovelty o f the spe c t ac le had as ,

sembled from f ar an d n e ar E ver y town and ham .

 MOORIS H E M P I RE IN E URO PE 6 51

let th rough which the c avalcade passed ran g with

the exult an t shouts o f a v ast an d ex cited mul titude .

The r ich attir e o f the c aptives ; their n oble an d dig

n i fi e d be ar i n g ; the r oman c e attachin g to the story
o f the fo un d ati on o f thei r h ouse ; thei r des c e n t fr om

the family o f the P r o phet c er tain ly r emote an d prob

,

a bly fi c titi ous pr ovoked the curiosity if it did n ot

, ,

exc ite the symp athy o f the elated p o pul ac e w ho on ly

, ,

s a w i n thei r hu mili ation an o ther a dditi on to the gl ory

o f thei r s over eign When the c apit al w as appro ached

.
,

the Kh alif came f or th to meet the gu ar d an d their

pr is on er s As s oon as his pr esen c e w as kn o wn I bn
.
,

Ken un dismo un ted kn elt befor e him an d kissed his

, ,

h an d Gh alib an d his offi c er s wer e r e c eived with all

.

the h on or s due to men w ho un der arduo us cir cu m

s t an c es h ave ac hieved su cc ess ; the p r i n c es wer e con

du cted to a fo r tified p alac e i n the c ity an d their ,

atte n d an ts di str ibuted in di ff er en t lo c ali ties wher e ,

their s a fe keepin g c ould be a ssur ed ; the bo dy guar d

- -

o f the c hief c on sistin g o f seve n hu n dr ed w ar r i or s o f

,

a pp r o ved v a l or w as in cor p orated in to a division o f

,

the army an d Al H akem could n o w c on gr atul ate

,
-

himself th at hi s dec ision an d en er gy had compelled

the r e s pe ct o f his en emi es an d had p ro cur ed for his
domin ion s the ben efits o f un iver s al peac e .

The in c on s t an c y o f for tun e did n o t h o wever per , ,

mit the Kh alif lon g to en j oy the leisur e an d the

s atisfac ti on to be de r ived fr om the i n dulgen c e o f

his literar y t astes an d the tr iumph o f his arms His .

he alth imp air ed by in ten se an d c on stan t appli cation

,

to study b r oke do wn
,
An attack o f a po plexy a dmon
.

i shed him th a t he must r en oun c e the c ar es o f st ate ,

an d the con du c t o f the g overnme n t w as hen c efor th

committed to his vizier M os ha fi The latter a veter an.

,

an d a ccomplished st ates man sign ali zed his adven t to

,

un con tro lled p ower by the in stitution o f man y radical

an d g r e atly n eeded r eforms The depar tmen t o f
.
652 HIST ORY OF TH E

fin an c e whi ch had be come the se at o f c orr uption w as

, ,

r e or g ani zed an d a dmi ni ster ed with p ruden c e an d

e con omy The dis c iplin e o f the army w as improved
. .

The former Vi c ero y o f the n or thern fron tier the g al ,

l an t Y ahya I bn M oh ammed w as r ec alled from com

- -
,

man d in Afr i c a an d r ein st ated in his former offi c e ,

a me a su r e th a t i n su r ed the tr an quillity o f the C hr is

ti an st ates whi ch had r e c en tly develo ped symptoms

,

o f a git ati on in seve ral i n st an c es culmin ati n g i n ac ts

,

o f Ope n an d destr u c tive h o stility The in ter ests o f .

the Kh alif in M aur it an ia wer e con fir med by the ap

p o in tmen t o f tw o n ative pr in ces wh o s e fideli ty could
be depen ded up on ; an d by this stroke o f p olicy the , ,

vizier w as en abled to r emove al l the Arab troo ps ex ,

c ept the g arr is on s o f a few c ities to p o in ts wher e ,

their ser vi c es would be f ar mo r e adv an t a ge ous to the

governmen t an d at the s ame time less expen sive to
, , ,

the t r e asur y The en ter t ain men t o f the E d r isites

.
,

w ho main t ain ed a p omp little in fe r i or to th at o f the

r o y al f amily itself w as a s o ur c e o f const an t p er
,

pl ex ity an d an n o y an c e to the e con o mi cal min iste r At .

len gth pr o fitin g by the dis con ten t in duc ed by a seden

,

t ar y life an d a vigilan t espion ag e ill disguised un der -

a n a ppe ar an c e o f libe r ty he su c c eeded i n pe r su a din g

,

I bn Ke n u n to allo w himself an d his f ollo we r s to be

-

t ran sp orted to T u n is with the un der st an din g th at

,

they should n eve r ag ain set fo ot o n the s oil o f M aur i

t an i a When the pr ep ar ation s for dep ar tur e had been
.

completed the th r ifty vizier p ar ti ally in demn ified the

,

tr e a sur y for the expen se caused by the involunt ary

guests o f the Kh ali f by un ce r emon iously a ppropri
a tin g a l ar ge pie c e o f amber g r is o f i mmense v alue , ,

whi ch I bn Ken un con sider ed the most pr e cious obj ect

-

o f all his p o ssessi on s After lan din g at Tun is the

.
,

exiles proc eeded to Alex an dri a wher e for man y ye ar s ,

they en j oyed the ho spit ality an d pro te c tion o f the

F atimite Kh alif F rom this ti me the p r in c es o f the
.
6 54 HIS T ORY OE TH E

learn in g an d elo quen c e o f its theo lo gian s an d the ,

p omp o f its wor ship .

On the r ight b an k o f the Gu ad alquivi r st oo d the

Gr e at M o sque in the eyes o f the M oh ammed an s o f
,

Afr i ca an d S p ain supe rior in s an c tity to all o ther

temples s ave on ly the K a ab a F o un ded by the fir st
, .

Abd al R ahman full y as much from p olitic al mo

- -
,

tiv es as th ro ugh r eligi ous ze al it had been e mbellished ,

by the wealth the t aste the r iv a lr y an d the en thu

, , ,

s i a s m o f n in e gen e r a ti on s o f s o ve r eig n s h avin g at ,

their c omman d the r es ourc es o f o n e o f the ri chest an d

most flour ishin g coun tr ies o f the glo be By its er e c .

tion the p ower o f the Western Kh alifate had been

,

est ablished up on a fir m an d en durin g ba sis an d the ,

perman en t in depen den c e o f its dyn asty assu r ed The .

mor e or less in tima te r ela tion s hitherto main t ain ed

with the M o slem empir es o f Asi a we r e sever ed ; the
n omin al allegi an c e due to the mon arc hs o f D amas c us

an d B agd ad per sisten tly asse rted by per emptor y

,

edi cts an d o ccasion ally con c eded by the r en dition o f

a p r e c a r i ous tr ibute w as for ever r en ou n c ed
, The .

ai ms o f the f oun de r di c t ated by a p o liti cal s ag ac ity

,

s av or in g o f almo st super human wisdom wer e fin all y ,

r e alized ; an d a mo n g the subj e c ts an d t r ibut ar ies o f

the H ouse o f Ommey ah pro s cr ibed by the r uler s o f,

Ara bia the s an c tuar y Of the M o sque o f his capit al

,

usur ped the plac e on c e o cc upied by the temple o f

Me cc a the s c en e o f the humi liation s the pe r ils an d
, , ,

the tr iumphs o f the P ro phet Thus by a master .

,

stroke o f p oli cy which a ppealed alike to the wo r ldly

,

ambiti on an d the r eligi o us p r ide o f the pe o ple w as ,

con s o lid ated the a uth or ity o f a n ew an d pr o g r essive

r a c e Of ki n gs I ts ass oc i ation s espec i ally stru ck the

.

imagin ati on o f the pious M o h ammedan I t occupied .

the site o f the pr in cip al chu rc h o f G o thi c C or do va ,

which in i ts turn had been bui lt upo n the rui n s o f a

, ,

P agan temple The st on es o f i ts f oun dation had be en

.
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 6 55

tran sported fr om N ar bonn e The e arth in which they

.

wer e embedded had been stain ed with in fidel blood .

Chr istian pr is on er s chain ed to gether had p ain fully

, ,

bor n e these mater i als for a distan c e o f tw o hun dr ed

leagues an d other s had for gen eration s lab ored up on
,

its w all s The sp oil o f man y a succ essful camp aign

.

had con tr ibuted to en r i c h its in ter i or On all Sides

.
,

golden in s cr iption s an d tro phies o f con quest attested

the glory o f the pr in c es o f I s lam an d the in vin cible
pr owes s o f their armie s The Gr e at M osque is n ot
.

mer ely an epitome o f ar chite ctur e wher ein are dis ,

c lo sed a d apt a ti on s o f the ar ti s ti c ide a s o f man y widely

s ep ara ted n a ti on s —the man ifest ati o n s o f a spi r it

,

which could a pp r o pri ate an d c ombin e i n exquisite

harmon y the column s o f the Roman the c apit als o f ,

the Afric an the arc h o f the S yr ian the mo s ai c o f the

, ,

Byzan tin e the b attlemen ts o f the Per s ian —

, it is an ,

elo quen t testimon i al to the gen ius whic h c ould en list

the o r din ar ily b an eful in fluen c e o f s uper stition in the
cul tiv a ti on o f literatur e an d the di ff usi on o f kn o wl

edg e F or this s plen did temple played n o u n impor

.

tan t p ar t i n the in tellectual adv an c emen t o f M oh am

medan S p ain as well as in the c iviliz ation o f b ar b ar i an
,

E ur o pe .

The multitude s o f pilgrims an d s ch ol ars w ho re

s orted to C or dov a h a sten ed without delay to p ay their
, ,

devotion s at its shr in e The Ar ab r e cogn ized in the

.

sweep Of its arches the gr ac eful cu r ves o f the p alm

,

gr oves o f N ej d an d Y emen memen to s o f the Desert

,

immor t alized by the con c eption s o f the ar chitec t ,

ever min dful o f the life an d h abits o f his Bedouin

an c estr y .The polished S yr i an v iewed with admir in g
r aptu r e the r i ch stu c c o es wh o se c omplex an d go r ge ous
,

p atter n s s urp assed in be auty the br oca des o f D amas

cu s an d the de corati on s whi c h c o ver ed the p al ac es o f

the mon archs o f Asia I n the c ar v in gs o f its lattic es

.

w as to be trac ed the pe culi ar form o f the I ndian cro ss ,

6 56 HIST ORY OF TH E

a symbo l wh o se or igin is un kn own to the mos t an c ient

tradition an d which a ppe ar s s culptur ed up on the v en
,

er abl e alt ar s o f C eylo n an d Hi n dust an E ven the .

emblem o f a se c t most o bn o xi ous to I slam w as appro

pri ated an d by a sin gul ar i n co n sisten c y compelled
, , ,

to a ssist i n the ad orn me n t o f the mo st g or ge ous

mo sque o f the M o slem wor ld The cr estin g o f the .

wall s origin a lly p a in ted s carlet is typic al o f fl ame

, , ,

an d , br ought from Per si a symb o lized the faith o f ,

the Gheber s the detested worshipper s o f fi r e Thus

,
.

wer e con cen trated in this un ique struc tur e the ideas ,

the mater i als the devic e s the o rn amen t ation o f many

, ,

ep ochs an d o f man y rac es E ac h visit to its hallo wed .

p r e cin cts imp ar ted fr esh in spir ation to the theolo gian ,

to the ar tist to the p o et to the studen t to the an ti

, , ,

qu ary The r ever en c e it c laimed as a se at o f pilgrim

.

a e in vested its shr in e with a tt r ibutes p o ssessed by

g
n o n e o f the f amo us ora c les o f a n tiqui ty an d sh ar ed ,

by fe w o f the fan es o f an y con temp oran eo us r eligious

faith I t w as mor e over j ustly r eg ar ded as the pecu
.
, ,

liar cr e ation o f a pe o ple wh om its er e c tion had gr e atly

co n tr ibuted to form an d ama lg ama te an d w ho we r e ,

en titled to cr edit fo r the admiration whi ch its mag i fi

n
c e n c e an d its be auty eli c ited E ver y c ity an d p ro vin ce
.

o f the e mpir e ha d co n t r ibuted to the pi ous un der

t akin g C or dov a p aid the army o f l abor er s emplo yed

. .

Mer id a furn ished co lumns an d o ther materi als r e ady ,

for the mas on fr om the temples an d the amphithe atr e

,

which had embelli shed the se at o f Roman p ower in

an c ien t Lusit an i a F r om the qu arr ies o f Almeri a an d
.

Gr an ada came gr e at qu an tities o f j asper marble an d , ,

al ab aste r F rom the for ests o f the S ierr as w as o b

.

tain ed the l arch for the c eilin g wh o se r emark able ,

pr eser vation in buildin gs n ot sub j e c ted to the d estr uc

tive con sequen c es o f e cclesi astical av ar ic e attest its
extraor din ary exemption from the a tt acks o f insects
an d the r av a ges o f de cay The prin c es o f M aurit an ia
.
658 HIS T ORY OF TH E

tate d by weight o f the wal ls an d the pr essur e o f

the
the ar c ades wer e plac ed at fr eque n t i n ter v als l ike
, ,

fl an kin g to wer s in the defen c es o f a c ita del The .

summi ts o f wall an d tower wer e fr in ged with battle

ments Ac c ess w as ob t ain ed to the in ter ior by mean s
.

o f twenty on e h or sesh o e arc hw ays

-
thr ee o f which ,

Open ed into the cour t yar d an d n in e on the e ast an d

-
,

west sides r espe ctively thr ee in all bein g r eserved for

, , ,

the espe ci al use o f w ome n These archways wer e .

de cor ated with terr a c otta mo s aic s in re d an d yellow

-
,

r elieved by in s cr ipti on s in g o ld on a g r o un d o f blue

an d s car let The do or s we r e cover ed w ith plates o f

.

burnished brass an d p rovided with r in gs an d kn ocker s

,

o f huge dime n sions an d c u r i ous w orkman ship .

N o chur c h in Chr isten dom could o ff er to the eves

o f the w or shippe r su ch a s c en e o f be auty as th at eu

j o yed by the M o slem as he p assed from the thron ged

an d dusty str eets o f the c ity int o the sp ac io us C o ur t

o f the O ran ges The l atter b or e the f a s c in atin g an d

.

voluptuous aspe c t o f a tr o pic al g ar den The atmo s .

pher e w as fr a gr an t with the pe r fume o f or an ge r o se , ,

an d j asm i ne The fo li age o f the p alm r e c allin g the

.
,

famous groves o f Medin a an d tran sportin g the pil

grim in imagin ation to s c en es in the distan t O rien t ,

r o se maj esti cally ab o ve the s maller but n ot less attr ae

tive or an ge tr ees with their glossy leaves g olden

-
, ,

frui t an d sn ow y bloss oms E xquisite flo wer s ar

, .
,

r an ged in beds o f f ant a sti c p attern s bl oomed alon g ,

the b or der s o f the arcades F our gr e at b asin s e ach .

,

a mon o lith supplied the water for the c er emon i al

,

lustration en j o in ed by the l aw o f I slam F r om the .

foun t ain s the v ast throng c la d in white ro bes moved

, ,

silently t o war ds the temple an d in to the door s which , ,

lo oki ng up on the c ourt were clo sed b y c ur t ains o f

,

stamped an d gilded leather Within the eye w as be .

,

wi lder ed by the for est o f column s —mor e th an fou r

teen hun dr ed in n umber —str et chin g f ar away to an
,

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UR O P E 6 59

a pp ar en tly in termin able dist an c e They wer e desti .

tute o f ba ses an d their c apit als wer e en tir ely co vered

,

with go ld Abo ve tier s o f double ar ches in r ed an d

.
, ,

white sustain ed the c eilin g glitte rin g with ar abesques

,

en twin ed with texts fr om the K o ran The division s o f .

the latter wer e formed by medalli on s oval hexagon al , ,

a n d c i r c ul ar be ar in g a gen er al r e s emblan c e to e ach

,

o ther yet w idely di ff er in g i n distribution o f color s

,

an d details o f o rn amen t ati o n The flo or w a s com .

posed o f man y colo r ed mar ble arr an ged in design s

-
,

o f si mple but ple asin g c h ar a c ter L attic es o f al a .

b aster carved in p attern s n o tw o o f which wer e iden

,

tic al admitted in mello wed r adian c e the di min ished

,

splen dor o f a tr o pi cal s u n At the s outhern extr emity .

w as the Kibl ah or p o in t f ac in g Me cc a to war ds whi ch

, ,

every de v out M os lem tur n s five time s a d ay in pr aye r .

I t w as design ated by the Mihrab a di min utive cha pel ,

corr e s p on di n g in s ome r espe c t s to the H oly o f H olies

o f the syn ago gue an d f ac in g the p r i n c ip al n ave o f

,

the M o s que C on structed by Al H akem II the r ich

.
-
.
,

n es s o f its de c orati on w a s un p ar alleled an d the t ra c er y ,

o f its design u n ique E n gr ailed i n ter l acin g ar ches o f

.
,

pec uliar form supp or ted the dome o f the vestibule .

The en tran c e to the Mihr ab or s an c tu ary — a marble w

ch ambe r o c t a g o n al in f orm an d fifteen feet in di am ,

eter as well as i n height—w as fl an ked by tw o s imilar

doorways le adin g in t o a p artmen t s o f s maller di men
sio n s F o ur slen der c olumn s o f ver de an tique an d
.
-

lapis lazuli sustain ed the sweepin g hor sesho e arc h Of

-

en tran c e The s labs Of mar ble which li n ed the Mihrab

.

wer e c arved an d gilded The c eilin g w as compo sed o f .

a Sin gle bl o ck whic h the skill o f the s culptor had

,

fashion ed in to the exa ct r epr esen t ation o f a gigan tic

shell I n the vestibule over por t al an d wall up on
. , ,

sp an dr el an d dome sp arkled elaborate an d fan t astic

,

cr e ati on s in Byz an ti n e mo s ai c wr ought by the mo st ,

cu nn i n g artifi cer s o f C on st an ti n o ple I t w as a con .

660 HIS T ORY OF TH E

diti on o f the tr e aty between C on st an tine an d Ab d al -

R ahman th at the latter sh ould be fu rn ished with all

the mo s ai c he r equir ed f or his buildin gs I n a single .

vessel desp at ched fr om the B o sph orus un der dir ection ,

o f the E mpe r o r du r in g the r eig n o f Al H ake m wer e -

, ,

sixteen t on s o f this pr e ci ous mater ial .

The legen ds in the C u fi c ch aracter wh ose forms ,

s o r e adily len d themselves to mu ral de c orati on we r e ,

a lw a ys o f g o ld The g r oun dwor k w as o f di ff er en t

.

co l or s — s c ar let
,
bl ack blue g r een an d cr ims on
, , , , ,

disp o sed in h armon ious c ombin ation s mo st a gr ee able

to the eye The elegan t c ur ves o f the arabesques
.

formed a ch armin g con t r ast with the an gular letter s

o f the i n s c r ipti on s C omp o sed o f min ute cubes o f
.

gl ass s cor es o f whi ch we r e n e c ess ar y to co ver a

,

squ ar e in ch o f s ur fa c e the p atien c e an d skill re

,

qui r ed for a wo rk o f such magn itude an d delic ac y

can s car c ely be eve n imagin ed Y e ar s wer e em .

plo yed in its completion an d its dur ability w as such

,

th at wher e the mo s aic s h ave es c a ped the destructive

,

t ouch o f the Ch risti an vandal their s o lidity an d lustre ,

r emai n to d ay un imp air ed a fter the ch an ges the

-
, ,

n egle c t an d the dep r ed a ti on s o f mo r e th an eleven

,

c e n tur ies .

Within the en clo sur e o f the Mihr ab w as kept the

pulpit bui lt un der the dir e c tion o f Al H akem II -
.
,

an d destin ed f o r the use o f the s o ve r eig n when in , ,

the c a p a c ity o f S uc c ess or o f the P ro phet he ad ,

dr essed the multitude con gr egated i n the M o sque .

I t w as made o f min ute pie c es o f costly w oo ds com

bin e d with ivory t o r to ise shell an d mo the r o f pe arl
,
-
, ,

put t ogether with gold an d silver n ails S even ye ars .

wer e c on sumed i n the p ro duc tio n o f this admi rable

spe cimen o f the j o in er s art The carvin gs wi th whi ch
’
.

it w as cover ed wer e o f the mos t exquisite ch aracter .

I ts i n trin sic value w as g r e atly enhan c ed by the j ewels

with whi ch it w as en r iched an d the pr ec io us met als ,
662 HIST ORY OF TH E

w as n ot visible to th o se outside an d its r esemblan ce ,

to a wall w as in cr e ased by its t owe r in g height o f

fifty feet as well as by the gilded b attlemen ts
,

with whi ch it w as cr own ed The p avemen t w as

.

o f silver tiles an d the c e n t r a l d o or destin ed f or the

, ,

p ass a ge o f the Kh ali f w as he avily plated with gold

,
.

Durin g his atten d an c e at the ser vic es o f the M o sque ,

the C omman der o f the F aithful w as rar ely seen by

his subj ec ts F rom the adj oin in g p alac e he cr ossed
.

the str eet by a cover ed br idge an d tr aver sin g a secr et

, ,

p ass age con trived in the s o uthern wall o f the M o sque ,

en ter ed the vestibul e o f the Mih r ab an d then ce pro ,

c eed ed to his p o st in the elev ated t r ibu n e o f the M ak

surah This p ass age co nt ain ed eight doors at e ach

.
,

o f whi c h a se n ti n el w as p o sted These o pen ed alter

.

n atel y t o war ds the e ast an d west thus in c ase o f , ,

tr eachery pr ec ludin g the p o ssibility o f conc ert

,

amon g the gu ar ds on e o f wh om if faithful

, , ,

could , un aided r e a dily defen d the p a ss age again st

,

the c ombin ed e ff or ts o f the r emain in g seven The .

en tran c e o f the Kh alif w as the occasio n o f a mag nifi

c en t displ ay A silken car pet in terwoven with silver
.
, ,

w as sp r e a d fr om the p al ac e ga te to the M aks u rah .

Black an d white eun u chs in splen did co stumes pre

c eded an d follo wed the ro yal p ar ty The b o dy guard .
-

o f the s o ver eig n w as comp o sed o f membe r s o f his

family c arr yin g drawn s c imet ar s an d she athed in

, ,

shin in g mail These p r e caution s wer e con sider ed

.

n e c ess ar y o n accoun t o f the mel an ch o ly expe r ien c e

o f f ormer S u cc ess or s o f the P r o phet The s acr ed .

c h arac ter in vestin g O mar O thman Al i an d Mu avi a

, , ,

had n ot p r ese rved them from the a ss assin s d agger ;

’

an d the p o pul ac e o f C o r d o v a n o tor i ous f or its d ar ing

cr imin als an d f an ati c s

,

ex c ited well groun ded fe ars

,
—
in the mi n d o f a mon ar ch wh o se formid ab le army w as
s ometimes in suffic ien t to r estrain its r ev olutionary
spir it fo ster ed by turbulen t adventur ers col lected
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 663

fr om ever y n ation subj ect to the co de o f I slam On .

the western side o f the temple an d facin g the royal ,

p alac e w as the Ch amber Of Alms wher e the ch arity

, ,

o f the Kh alif w as daily dispen sed in ac cor dan c e with

the in j un c tion s o f his faith .

The in ter ior o f the M o sque by r eas on o f its vast ,

exten t an d its comp aratively l ow c eili n g w as more or ,

less o bs cu r e even at n oon d ay an d lamps wer e kept

,
-
,

con st an tly bu r nin g i n its aisles Tw o hun dr ed an d .

eighty ch an deliers o f brass an d s ilver wer e suspen ded

from its ar ches the oil used in them bein g per fumed
,

with c o stly essen c es The lar gest o f these con t ain ed

.

four teen hun dr ed an d fi fty fou r lamps an d me asur ed-

,

thirty eight feet in c ircumfer en c e I ts r eflec tor con

-
.

tain e d thir ty six th ous an d pie c es o f silve r f asten ed

-

with r ivets o f g old I ts be auty w as enhan c ed by the

.

gems with which it w as studded an d by the c ombin ed , ,

eff ec t o f the mirr or s the light w as in cr e ased to n in e

,

times its or igin al in ten sity Durin g the en tir e mon th

.

of R amadh an the M o sque w as ill u min ated with

twen ty th ou s an d li ghts An en ormou s t aper weigh
.
,

in g sixty p oun ds w as plac ed in the M aksu r ah

, I ts .

di men sion s wer e c alculated with such accur acy th at

the w ax w as completely co n sumed dur in g the la st
h ou r o f the last d ay o f the festival .

A deep an d myster ious signi fic an c e has always at

tache d to the c elebr atio n o f the fe ast o f Ramadh an
in the M oh ammed an wor ld but n o whe r e wer e its ,

r ules Obser ved with su ch s o lemn ity an d its c er emon ies ,

per formed with su ch splen dor as in the c apit al o f ,

M oh ammedan S p ain I t corr esp on ded i n man y r e

.

s pe cts to the Len t o f the C hr isti an Church F rom .

dawn to dark n ot a mouthful o f foo d n ot a dro p o f ,

water could p ass the l ips o f the con sisten t believer

,
.

After sun set he w as in a me asur e r e compen sed for

, ,

his pr ivations durin g the d ay L amps wer e hun g .

from tower an d min ar et The tin kle o f the mandoli n

.
664 HIST ORY OF TH E

an d the mell o w n o tes o f the lute wer e he ar d fr om

l attic ed b alcon ies The s oun ds o f bo isterous r evelr y
.

r o se f a in tly on the midn ight air fr om r etir ed c o u r t

yar ds an d the dist an t ap ar tments O f maj estic p alac es .

C ro wds in the mo st pic tur esque o f costumes swept

through the str eets D an c in g girls an d stor y tel lers
.
- -
,

surroun ded by appr ec i ative audienc es plied their sev ,

e ral v o cation s in the squ ar es un der the glistening ,

fo li age o f lemon an d oran ge tr ees The K oran ic pro

-
.

hibiti on o f in dulge n c e in win e w as to o o fte n fo r gotten ,

an d the in dig n ati on o f the abste mi o us M o slem w a s fre

quen tly aroused by the Sight o f t r an sgr ess or s in every

st age o f in toxication On al l sides we r e the eviden ces
.

o f j oy car eless n ess an d festivity

, , .

I n side the M o sque a far di ff e r en t s c en e pr esen ted

itself to the eye o f the deli ghted spec tator F rom the .

lo fty galler y o f the min ar et —wh o se c en t r e w a s veiled

,

i n Obs cur ity but who se gilded cr est glitte r ed with the
magica l pl ay o f a hun dr ed co lor ed lan tern s —
,

the ,

pier c in g v o i ce o f the muezzin w as c allin g the peo ple

to p r a ye r Th rough ever y doorway an e n dless livin g
.

str e am p our ed in to the temple Amon g the w or .

shippe r s but keepin g alo o f from the sur ging mass

, ,

wer e n umber s o f str an gely muffled figur es aecom ,

a n i e d by gig an ti c bl a c ks a tti r ed i n robes o f silk an d

p
gold These wer e the ladies o f the h ar ems wh om the
.
,

liber al ideas o f An d alusi an s o cie ty usu ally permitted

to dispen se with the veil but whi c h ass umed on this
, ,

occasi on fr om c h o i c e be c ame a con ve n ie n t disg ui se an d

,

an i n v alu able aid to i n tr igue The in ter io r suggested

.

a visi on o f en ch an tme n t Myri ads o f lights illumin ed

.

every co rn er o f the v ast edific e riv allin g in their in ,

t oler able brillian c y the blin din g glar e o f the me ridian

s un . Their rays we r e r efle cted an d multiplied by the
gleamin g walls ; by the c eilin g with its br oad in scrip ,

tion s an d its bew ilder in g arabesques ; by the met allic

folia ge o f a th ous an d c apit als ; by the p or t al o f the
666 HIST ORY OF TH E

bro ught from Afri ca its sides wer e c ar ved in elegant

,

trac er y wh o se gilded p attern s wer e proj e cted up on

,

a g r o und o f ult r amar in e an d vermilion I t w as .

lighted by win do ws formin g gr ac eful arches s u p ,

por ted by dimin utive c olumns o f r ed an d white

j asper H alf o f the windo ws had tw o o penin gs an d
.
,

the r emain der th r ee an d disp osed altern ately amidst

, ,

the maze o f v aried an d br il li an t decor ative design s ,

they p r o du c ed a ch armin g e ff e ct The in te r ior .

c on t ain ed tw o st a i r w ays s o con tr ived th at a per s on

,

a s c en di n g o r des c e n di n g eithe r w as i n vi sible to an y

o n e up on the o ther A g allery eighty on e feet from

.
,
-

the groun d w as used by the muezzin f or the duties

,

o f his s acr ed Offi c e An o ther an d a smaller stru ctu r e

. ,

c orr esp on din g i n style with the on e up on whi c h it w as

super imp o sed r o se to the a ddition al height o f twelve

,

feet an d w as furn ished with b attlemen ts similar to

,

th o se o f the M osque I ts summit w as adorn ed with.

thr ee huge b alls tw o o f gold an d on e o f silver en

, ,

c i rc led by l ilies o f the l a tte r met a l c r o wned wi th a ,

p omegran ate o f burn ished g o ld Th r ee hun dr ed per .

s on s o f al l r an ks—man y o f wh om li ke the servit or s ,

o f the K a ab a we r e eun u chs — we r e e mpl o yed in the

,

v ar ious offi c es o f the Gr e at M o sque the men i als b ein g ,

lodged within its walls A guar d w as c on stan tly .

main t ain ed d ay an d n ight in the vic in ity o f the M ak

, ,

surah un der wh o se flo or wer e v a ults for the custo dy

,

o f the can dlesti cks an d the v ar i o us s acr ed vessels used

in the c er emon ies o f festiv als .

S u ch w a s the superb temple o f C or d ova on c e the ,

pr ide o f I slam an d o n e o f the n o blest monumen ts

,

o f supe r stiti o n an d p o li c y eve r con c eived by human

gen ius o r er ected by human p ower I ts completion .

ma de po ssible the g r an d achievemen ts o f the Om

mey ad e dyn asty wh o s e in fluen c e ac tin g in dir e ctly
, ,

up on Christi an n ation s gr e atly fac ilit ated the eman

,

c i ation o f the human i n tell e c t lon g confin ed b y the

p ,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 667

galli n g bo n ds o f ec clesi astic al in t oleran c e an d heathen

tr a dition The in spiration o f its ar chitects w as de
.

r ived fr om man y s o u r c es ; in its pl an it exhibited the

con forma ti on o f the syn ag o gue an d the tabern acle ;

in its de co r atio n we r e displayed the luxur i ous a dorn

men ts o f the Gr eek cathedr al ; its t ap ers an d its in
c en se r e c alled the L a tin c e r emon i al i n its turn b or ,

r o wed fr o m the p omp ous r itu a l o f P a g an s a cr ific e .

E ven in its pr esen t dil apid ated st ate the or igin al pu r ,

p os e s o f its in stitution ar e a pp ar en t at every step ; an d

n o thi n g sh or t o f its en ti r e de s tr u c tion could e r a di cate

the en thusia stic impr essio n s ex c ited by the first view

o f its si n gul ar i n ter io r with its fo r est o f c olu mn s an d
, ,

its t ar n ished an d mutilated vestiges o f Orien t al splen

d or . I t is emin en tly typi c al o f the c iviliz atio n o f a
v an ished rac e wh ose deeds are wr itten i n somethin g
,

mor e en dur in g th an b ras s or marble an d serves to in ,

di c ate to p o ster ity the subli mity o f the spir it th at could

con tr ive an d the skill an d r es ou rc es th at could exe c ute
, ,

an un de r t akin g o f su c h g r an deur an d ma g n ific en c e .

The he alth o f Al H akem gr owin g ste adily worse

-
,

he ma de pr ep ar ation s to avo id as far as po ssible the , ,

evils in c iden t to a disputed s uccession He had on ly .

on e son H i sc hem then fou r teen ye ar s o f a g e ; but the

, ,

history o f his h ouse aboun ded with in stan c es o f the

un s crupul ous ambition o f r o yal claiman ts belon gin g
to the co ll ateral br an ches w ho had aspir ed to est abli sh
their pr eten sion s by arms Without declar in g his ob.

g ran d coun c il Of n o bles g ove rn or s o f prov

j e ct a
, ,

in ces ge n e r als o f the army an d min ister s o f st ate w as

, ,

con ve n ed at C or d ov a With bowed he ad an d f alter

.

in g gait the feeble mon ar c h as c en ded fo r the l ast time

,

the steps o f his thr on e Thr ough the vizie r he ex

.
,

plain ed to the assembled officials the r e as on why he

had c al led the m t o gether an d made the r equest
whi ch w as un derstoo d as a comman d—th at all sh ould
,

att ac h their sign atur es to an in str ument de c l arin g

668 HIST ORY OF TH E

H i s che m the s ole heir to the cr o wn o f the kh ali fate .

This h avin g been don e similar d ocumen ts wer e de

,

s p atc he d witho ut del ay i n to al l the p ro vin c es o f the

empir e to be sign ed by the in ferior officials Of the

,

govern men t an d even by the peo ple in or der to se cur e , ,

by ever y pr actic al expedien t the perman enc e o f the

,

dyn a sty an d the in tegr ity o f its succ ession which had ,

at l a st c ome to be r e co g n ized as depe n den t up on the

l aw o f p r imo gen itur e We sh all see in the sequel

.
, ,

ho w f ar these el ab orate an d well con tr ived p r e caution s

-

wer e succ essful .

The few mon ths which r emain ed to Al H akem -

a fte r the i n ve s titu r e o f his son with r o y al p o we r wer e

occ upied in the pe r fo rman c e o f g o o d w or ks His .

worldly aff a ir s an d the futur e o f his empir e had been

committed to the h an ds o f o ther s The con dition o f
.

his min d an d his f aili n g eye sight p r ec luded him

-

from the en j o y men ts an d the con s olation s o f liter a

tur e C on s c ious o f his in cr e asin g in fi rmiti es an d ad
.
,

mon ished d aily o f his a pp r oa chin g en d he en de avor ed ,

to emplo y his en ti r e t ime i n the ful fil me n t o f the duties

o f a dev o ut Mussulman His life had been disgrac ed
.

by n o ex c esses disfigur ed by n o per se cution s st ain ed

, ,

with n o crimes He had ever been distin gui shed for

.

the exercise o f a br oad an d un o sten t atious ch arity .

C alurnn y itself co uld n eithe r accuse him o f f an ati c is m

n or i mpute to hi m even the suspi c io n o f i n fidelity .

The mo st pr ecise an d orth o dox in ter pr eter s o f the l aw

an d the b oldest fr e ethin ker s had been equ a lly welcome

at his cou r t , an d ha d d a ily e n co un te r ed e a ch o ther

in the g r e at lib r ar ies o f his c a pit al The abs olute

.

in tel le c tu al liber ty whi ch ther e existed w as in deed , ,

con side r ed a r ep roac h by ign oran t M o slems o f less

en lighten ed lan ds w ho could n ot un der st an d the asso

,

c i ati on with he r eti c s an d the to le rati on o f in fid el s ; but

in S p ain whe r e a system o f un ive r s al educ ati on had

,

been est ablished an d w a s en forc ed as well b y l aw as

,
6 70 HIST ORY OF TH E

spir ed the h o pe th at he would p ro fit by the wise coun

sels an d the pious ex ample he had en j o yed r ec ited the ,

bur i al servic e an d the bo dy o f Al H akem w as com

-
,
-

mitte d to the sepulchr e The bier w as fo llo wed by a

.

mighty con cour se wh o se te ar s an d lamen t ation s man i

,

fe ste d their g rief an d who se a pp r ehe n si on s o f im

,

pen din g misfo r tun e wer e betr ayed by the cry Ou r ,

F ather is de a d an d with him dies the s w or d Of I sl am

, ,

the supp or t o f the we ak an d the terr or o f the pr oud " ”

The pr omin en t fe atur es o f the ch arac ter o f Al

H akem we re his lo ve o f le arn in g his p ro fuse but ,

always j udi c i ous li ber a lity a n d his p r o f o un d r ever

,

en c e for the doctrin es o f the K or an an d the laws o f

the empir e The few milit ary o per ation s he w as
.

c alled up on to di r e c t sh owed n o w an t o f vi g or an d ,

suggested th at i n a less pe ac eful ag e he might h ave

o bt ai n ed the l au r els o f a su cc essful gen era l His de .

v otio n to literatu r e amoun ted to a p a ssi on N o mon .

ar c h o f wh om hist o r y ma kes men ti o n has equ alled him

in the exten t o f his k n o wledge o r the n umber an d

diver sity o f his liter ar y accomplishmen ts I n every .

co un t r y o f the wor ld in the f oei o f c iviliz ati o n in the

, ,

gr e at c apit als an d commer c ial empo r iums o f the E ast ,

at B a gd a d C a i r o D amas c us Al ex an dr i a C on st an ti
, , , ,

n o pl e his a gen ts we r e st ati o n ed to se cu r e b ooks for

,

his libraries N o pr ic e w a s too extrav ag an t to pay n o

.
,

diffic ulty w as too ar duous to surmoun t in the acqui ,

s iti on o f a w or k who se ch ar a c ter ma de it a desi r able

a dditi o n to the v a st co l le c ti on o f the p al ac e o f C or

d ov a The r ar ity o f a vo lume w as a spe c ia l in ducemen t

.

to its pu rch a se Wher e the o wn e r r efused to p ar t

.

with a man us cr ipt he w as as a r ule e asily pr evailed

, , ,

upon to allow it to be co pied an d his c our tesy w as ,

alwa ys mu n ifi cen tl y r ew ar ded I n the exten sive libra

.

r ies o f the p r in c es o f the O r ie n t wh o se co lle ction s

, ,

h owever v alu able co uld n ot vie with the superb on e

,

o f Al H akem wer e co n st an tly o c c upied the expert

-
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 671

s cribes an d copyists o f th at accompli shed un tirin g ,

mon ar ch ; in vestig ators who se labor s wer e n ever ter

min ated who se pen s we r e n ever idle A pr emium w as
, .

O ff er ed to ever y wr iter o f n o te who se pro duction s

sh ould be fir st submitted to the Kh alif an d the kn owl ,

edge o f this fac t o ften pr ocur ed for him the in s pec

tion o f man us cr ipts lon g befor e they wer e made public
in the coun tr y wher e they we r e c omp o sed The emu .

lation an d the aspir ation s o f distin gui shed authors

caused their works to be tr an s mitted to C or d ov a from

the most distan t lan ds from Al M aghr eb E gypt

,
-
, ,

Byzan tium S yr ia an d Pers ia an d the r ewar d for a

, , ,

comp o siti on o f u n usu al mer it n ot in fr equen tly r e a c hed

the en ormous figur e o f a th ous an d pie c es o f gold .

Un der the in fluen c e o f such p oten t agen c ies it is ,

n o t r emar k a bl e th at g r e a t p o pul ar ity w a s commun i

c ated to the study o f every bran c h o f hu man kn owl

edge T r eatises r eplete with the stores o f an cien t

.

wisdom wer e br ought for th fr om dusty corn er s wher e

they had lain n egle cted for c en tur ies ; the s ages o f
Gr ee c e wer e tran slated in to Arabic ; an d the phil oso
phy o f Ar istotle an d the problems o f E uclid wer e
publi cly expo un ded for the ben efit o f the multitude .

I n a s ociety wher e in telle c tu al pr e emin e n c e w as a -

c er t ain p a ssp or t to o fli c i al disti n c ti on the study o f ,

letter s s oon be c ame n ot on ly a p o pular an d abs or bin g

pur suit but on e o f the mo st desirable o f pro fessi on s
,
.

The a ccumulati on Of bo oks w as the fir st emplo ymen t

o f an aspi ra n t to publi c con side ra ti on an d politi cal

fame I n the hou s e o f ahn ost every pr osperous c itizen

.

a colle c ti on o f v olumes n ot e x hibited to displ ay the

,

wealth or ped an tr y o f the own er but with wh ose con

,

ten ts he w as mor e or less familiar w as pr eser ved F or

, .

the ben efit o f tho se wh ose me an s wer e too limited for

the po ssession o f such luxur ies as well as to aff or d
,

ever y facility for the promotion o f in telligen c e an d

the adv an c emen t of s cien ce public libraries wer e
,
6 72 HIST ORY OF TH E

fo unded i n all the gr e at c ities o f the Pen in sula With .

the gro win g deman d for man us cripts their va lue n ot ,

o n ly in c r e a sed i n the mar kets o f the w or ld bu t , ,

th r ough the e n ormous p ric es they c omman ded liter ,

a r y i n dustr y w a s stimul ated to thei r se ar ch an d r ep ro

duction I t w as a well kn own fact th at n o gift w as so

.
-

acc ept able to the Kh alif as a rar e man us cr ipt o r the ,

fir st co py o f a n ew work by an auth or o f est abli shed

r eput a ti on The libr ar y o f Al H akem II w as un
.
-
.

doubtedly the gr e atest r ep o sitory o f learn in g which

ha d up to th at time existed i n E ur o pe As a s i g n ifi .

can t t o ke n o f the estimati o n i n whi c h its v o lumes we r e

held the a pp oi n tmen ts an d furn itur e o f the bui ldin g

,

wher e they we r e dep o sited exh ibited all the mag n ifi

c e n c e o f a p al a c e The fl oor w as o f rar e an d co stly
.

marble the walls an d ceilin g o f alab a ster an d mos aic

, ,

the c olumns o f j a sper an d ve r de an tique The cases -

.

wer e o f p o lished w oo ds s o me sele cted for their rar ity

, ,

o ther s f o r the delightful fr a g ra n c e they exh aled In .

s cr i p ti on s in c h ar a c te r s o f g o ld i n di cated the con ten ts

o f the shelves or i n spi r ed the studen t by the r epeti

, ,

ti on o f the maxims o f famous wr iter s to emulate ,

the ex ample o f the wise an d vir tu ous s ch olar s o f

an tiquity The man us cr ipts i n time be came so n u
.

mer ou s that the h alls o f the lib r ar y extensive as they ,

wer e c ould n ot con t ain them I n the s criptor ium an

, .

army o f bi n der s an d callig r a phists w a s emplo yed ,

an d the fi n est b oo ks we r e gilded an d illumi n ated with

a t aste an d eleg an c e th at h ave n eve r bee n equ alled .

The n umber o f v o lumes in the colle ction o f the Khalif

is v ariously st ated at fr om four hun dr ed thous and to
six hu ndr ed th ous an d F o rty fou r v o lumes wer e re
.
-

qui r ed for the cat alo gue alon e With the con tents .

o f mo st o f these w orks Al H a kem is s aid to h ave b een

-

famil i ar an d in deed man y o f them wer e en r iched

, , ,

with n otes an d commen ts wr itten by his o wn h an d .

The title p age o f e ach v olu me bor e n ot on ly the n ame

-
6 74 HIS T ORY OF TH E

system wh o se r egulation s wer e en fo r c ed w ith mil itary

,

pr ecisi on To in vest the c ause o f in str uction with

.

a dditi on al p r estige the in fluen c e o f ro yalty w a s in

,

v oked a n d Al M on dhir the b ro ther o f the Kh alif w as

,
-
, ,

c h ar ged with the ge n eral super visi on o f the in s titu

tion s o f le arn in g The ch arity o f Al H akem had

.
-

foun ded at C or do va n o less th an twen ty seven s ch ools -

,

whe r e the childr en o f the p oor r e c eived an educ ation

n ot i n fe r i or i n tho r ough n ess to th at con fe rr ed by the

best c o lleges o f the empir e .

The in telle ctu al pr o gr ess o f the n ation w as gr eatly

assisted by the fr eedom o f th ought whi c h w as un ive r

s ally p r ev alen t The study o f philos o phy w as en

.

cou r ag ed an d the p r omulg a ti o n o f the mo st her eti cal

,

o pin i on s w as n eithe r p r o hibited by publi c sen ti men t ,

n or allowed to be in te r fe r ed with by the fan ati c is m

o f the or th o d o x se c ts By the in c ess an t c ollision o f

.

o pin i on s by the co mp ar is on o f auth or ities an d by the

, ,

ex amin ation o f an t ag on istic doc trin es a gen er al spir it

o f i n qui r y sp ran g up ; an d i n con sequen c e o f its dis ,

semin ation even the pr o fess or s o f the Un iver sity

,

wer e n ot wron gfully suspe cted o f a le an in g t owar ds

atheis m .

The e ff o r ts o f Al H akem had been e ar ly dir e cted

-

to the r efor mati on o f mann e r s an in vidio us t a sk which ,

might well e x h aust the r es o lution an d t ac t o f the most

po litic an d c ourage ous s o ver eign The ex ample o f .

the O r ien t the p o ssession o f we alth an d the in fluen c e

, ,

o f luxu r y ha d in tr o du c ed an d p r omo ted the d emor al

izin g vic e o f drun kenn ess The win es o f An d alusia .

wer e the n as n ow famous fo r their p alat able as well

, ,

as fo r thei r e x hil ar a ti n g qu alities The co un try w as .

co ver ed with vi n ey ar ds an d the p r o du c ts o f the wi n e

,

pr ess formed n o in con sider able item o f the commercial

st atistic s o f the Pen in sula Debau cher y at fi rst car .
,

r ied o n in se cr et had g ro wn b old with the o pen c oun te

,

n an c e o f high o ffic i a ls an d the in c r e a sin g i mpun ity

with whi ch it w a s p r ac tised ; an d it w as hin ted th at even

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 6 75

the min ister s o f r eligion did n ot hesitate to in dulge in

a vi c e s o sever ely r ep r o b ated by the K oran The pro .

hibite d bever ages we r e n ot c on fin ed to win es for in ,

ebr i atin g liqu o r s distilled from fi s d ate s an d o the r

g , ,

fruits wer e als o c on sumed in large quan tities This .

pern ic ious h abit w as n ot c o n fin ed to the we althier class ,

but w as almo st un ivers al ; an d the s c en es o f r evelry ,

in which per s on s o f b o th sexes p ar ti c ip ated at b an quets

an d o the r festivities r iv alled if they did n o t sur p ass
, , ,

the s can dalous or gies whi ch had in the d ay o f their

splen dor an d their in famy disgrac ed the court an d
capit a l o f D a ma s c u s The M o slem c asuists attempted
.

to ex cuse these br e ac hes o f the l aw by allegin g th at

the use o f win e w a s n e c es s ar y to the s oldier as it ,

in spir ed him with cour age an d in cr e ased his powers

o f en dur an c e an d th a t this i n dulge n c e s h ould be at
,

least con c eded to tho se w ho h abitu ally exp o sed them

selves to the weap on s o f the en emy S uch s ophistr y .
,

h owever failed to imp ose up on the dis c ern in g min d

,

o f Al H ake m
-
Determin ed to r emove if p ossible
.
, ,

the me an s o f in t oxic ation he issued a pe r emptor y

,

or der th a t al l the vi n e s in the Pen i n s ul a sh ould be to rn

up an d destro yed His c oun sellor s however h avin g

.
, ,

r ep r esen ted th at su c h a sweepin g me asu r e wo uld be

pro du c tive o f gr e at fin an c ial loss an d con sequen t

suff er in g an d that in toxi catin g bever ages could be
, ,

an d we r e even the n ma de fro m othe r fr uits he c on

, , ,

sen ted to withdraw the or der which had alr e ady ,

c aused wide sp r e a d al arm amon g his s ubj e c ts

-
But .

his sen se o f duty did n ot permit him to le ave the evil

un checked The imams wer e dir ec ted to de cl ar e from
.

the pulpits o f the mosques th at the use o f win e w as

for bidden at all s oci al assemblies an d public festivities ;
an d the k adis wer e espe c i all y admon ished th at the
pen alties pr es cribed by the l aw for drun ken n ess must
be en for c ed r eg ar dless o f the we alth ran k or offic i al
, , ,

station o f the o ff en der The vic e w as h owever too

.
, ,
6 76 HI ST ORY OF TH E

deeply roo ted to be abo lished by the den un c iation s o f

the olo gi an s or the impo ten t th r e ats o f magistrates ,

themselves suspe cted o f se cr et p ar ti c ip ati on in the

O ff en c es they a ff ec ted publi cly to co n demn The .

so c iety o f C or dov a an d with it th at o f the en tir e

“

kh a lifa te in a min or deg r ee had in f act be come

, , , ,

thoroughly epicur e an The philo s o pher while Ob

.
,

servin g a de c en t r ever en c e for the n atio n al r eligion

who se rites he o pen ly p ractised in the ch ar ac ter o f a
goo d citizen an d pr ivately r idi culed in the comp an y
o f his fr ie n ds w as deeply ti n c tu r ed with the an c ie n t
,

p an theisti c do ct rin es o f I n di a E ven the p o pul ac e

.

ha d c e a sed to exhibit the fan ati c is m whi ch is the i n

sep arable comp an i on o f ign oran c e The system o f .

un iv e r s al educ atio n had gradu ally an d in sen sibly re

moved man y O f tho se p r ej udi c es on who se per petuity
depen d the imp ort an c e an d the po we r o f the min isters
o f supe r stiti on The ex ample o f their superior s w as
.

n ot l o st on the multitude The atten dan c e at the

.

mo sques w as n ot per c eptibly dimin ished but it became ,

r athe r a ma tter o f c ust om th an an o bse r v an c e di c t ated

by con s cien tious belief an d a sen se o f r eligious duty .

A skepti cism per va ded the masses which sur pr ised and
al ar med the d evo ut pilg r i m fr om a f ar dist an t cou n -

try w ho visited the sh r i n e o f C o r d ov a in his eyes s ec, ,

on d in h o li n ess o n ly to the temple o f Me cc a E n j oy .

men t o f the pr esen t in di ff e r en c e to the futur e were

, ,

the p rin c iples which guided the con du c t an d in fluen ced

the li ves o f the pleasur e lovin g subj e cts o f Al H akem
- -
.

Un der suc h c ir cumst an c es the corr e c ti on o f public

,

immo r ality an d the r ep r essio n o f a p opular an d

,

pr ev alen t vi c e w as a difficult if n ot a ho peless un der

, ,

t akin g The edic t o f the Kh alif again st drun kenn ess

.

w a s public ly o bse rved an d se cr etly dis r eg ar ded The .

epi cur e an ten den c y o f the ag e w as to o gen eral an d too

well est abli shed to be seriously a ff e cted by the procla
mation s o r the ex ample o f pr in c es .
6 78 HIST ORY OF TH E

min d o f the Kh alif At va st expen se an d with in fi

.

n ite l ab or he c aused fo u r b a si n s o f sto n e to be c on

,

stru cted at the an gles o f the co ur t o f the M osque tw o ,

for the use o f men an d tw o for the use o f wome n .

I n the c e n t r e w as a g r e at mo n o lithi c r eser voir o f

mar ble fr om whi ch ro se a foun tain th at di ffused its
,

r efr eshi n g sp r ay ove r the t ro pi cal veget ati on with

whi ch the cour t w as adorn ed The blo cks for these .

ba sin s wer e qu arried in the moun t ain s miles from ,

C o rdo va an d the largest r equir ed the p ower o f

,

seven ty oxen an d an army o f lab or er s to tran sp ort it

to its desti n a ti on This gig an ti c un dertakin g con
.

s umed twelve d ays An abun dan t supply o f water

.

w as con veyed fr om the sp r i n gs an d r ivul ets o f the

sier ra thr ough the aqueduct an d the o ver flo w p assed
,

by me an s o f pipes in to immen se cistern s un der the

p avemen t o f the court av ail able in case o f siege an d
,

an eve r r e a dy p r o te c tio n a g ai n st fi r e
-
The aquedu c t .

als o supplied man y othe r foun t ain s th rough out the

c ity whi c h we r e i n cr e ased in n umbe r a n d con ven ien c e

,

by the p ro viden t c ar e o f the Kh alif The hydr aulic .

works o f Al H akem ar e almost in tac t to d ay a fter

- -
,

the vic issitudes o f man y even tful ages an d the con

st an t we ar o f mor e th an n in e hun dr ed ye ar s The .

mar ble r ese rvo i rs wher e wer e on c e per formed the

,

lustr ation s o f M oslem ze alo ts from ever y lan d n ow ,

furn ish with w ater the p opul ac e o f Ch r isti an C or

dov a wh o se squ alid an d r epulsive a ppe aran c e who se
, ,

brut al physic al ch ar acter isti c s wh o se p r o fo un d ig no

,

r a n c e o f the hist or y o f the c le an ly i n telle c tu al an d

, ,

p olished rac e to whi ch these splen did memori als o f art

an d i n dust r
y are to be as c r ibed o ff e r str ikin g evidence
,

o f the i n st a bility o f the highest c iviliz a ti on an d o f the

con st an t te n de n c y o f man to r etro g rade to the c on di

tio n o f the s av age ; o f his in c a p acity to a ppr e ci ate or

pr o fit by the expe r ien c e an d the wisdom o f the con
quer ed when the latte r belo n g to an o the r cr eed or
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 6 79

an o ther se ct ; an d o f the stupen do u s p ower for evil

that c an be exerted by a hier archy wh ose established
poli c y is foun ded on the systemati c debasemen t o f the
in telle ctual faculties o f its sl aves .

A pleasin g story is r el ated o f Al H akem which -

str ikin gly illustrates his equ an imity an d his gen ial
mann er s as well as th at r ever en c e for le arn in g an d
its pr o fess or s whi ch w as ch ara cter is tic bo th o f the
man an d the mon ar ch The imperio us deman ds o f .

desp oti c p ower as we ar e accus tomed to r egar d them

, ,

admit o f n o hesit a ti on or comp r omise in thei r o bedi

en c e Y et suc h w as the mild an d fo rbe arin g disp osi

.

tion o f this gr e at s over eign th at his subj e cts c ould

ven tur e on occasion s th at seemed to j ustify it to p ost
, ,

pon e for their ow n con ven ien c e complian c e with

or de r s th at wer e pe r empt or y While the fa qui Abu
.

I br ahim o n e o f the g r e atest o f the auth or ities on

,

M oh ammedan l aw wh o se t alen ts a dorn ed the Un iver

s ity o f C or dov a w as le c tur in g o n e d ay to a l ar ge c l ass
,

o f studen ts in on e o f the mo sques he r e c eived thr ough , ,

a eu n u c h a su mmo n s fr om the Kh alif to atten d him

,

in st an tly at the p alac e .

I he ar with pr o foun d r es pe ct the or der Of the

C omman der o f the F aithful r eplied Abu I brahim
”
,
-
.

Return to him an d s ay th at th ou h ast foun d me

,

in the H o use o f G o d surr oun ded by my pupils , ,

whom I am in s tru ctin g in the traditio n s r elatin g to

the P ro phet Tell him that the momen t I h ave
.

fin ished my le c tur e on this h o ly s ubj e c t by whi ch my ,

audien c e will f ail to p r o fit if I am i n terrupted I will ,

r ep ai r to him
”
The eun uch c on foun ded by this
.
,

r eply r etu r n ed to the p a l ac e an d r ep or ted the r esult

, ,

o f the i n ter view I n a sh or t time he c ame b ack an d

.
,

add r essed Abu I b r ahim as f o ll o ws " O F a qu i I h ave

-
,

deliver ed thy an swer to the S ultan w ho applauds thy ,

piety an d app r eci ates the imp ort an c e o f the labor s

thou art d aily per formin g for the ben efit o f o u r holy
6 80 HIS T ORY OF TH E

r el igion ; he will await thy ple asur e an d has dir e cted

,

me to r emain un til thy le ctur e is fi n ished th at I may ,

N ot on ly did the com

”
es cort thee to his p r esen c e .

plais an c e o f Al H akem on this oc casion as on man y

-
,

o the r s yield to the c l aims o f le ar n ing but it w as als o

, ,

in dulgen t to the ag e an d we akn ess o f his fr ien d He .

c aused the g ate whi c h w a s n e ar est the p al ac e to be

Open ed to accommo date the ven erable pr o fess or w ho ,

walked with difficulty an d wh ose i n fi rmities p r even ted

him from moun ti n g on h or seb ack ; an d when he
arr ived at the en t ran c e he fou n d a g r e a t nu mber

o f off i c i als a n d d omesti c s asse mbled to d o him h on or ,

an d w aiti n g to con du c t him with the c e r e mon y due

,

to his r eput ati on an d the esteem i n whi ch he w as held

by his r o yal master in to the h all o f audien c e Thus
, .

c o uld the pl ac id an d mag n an imo us n atu r e o f Al

H akem sub or din ate the pr e ro g atives o f r o yalty to the

deman ds o f kn o wledge an d s acr ific e fo r the ben efit
,

o f the v o t ar ies o f s c ie n c e th a t impli cit Obedie n c e wh o se

n egle c t is an evide n c e o f t r e as on an d wh o se in st an
,

tan eou s o bse r v an c e is o n e o f the in sep ara ble r ights o f

ar bit r ar y p o we r . His gr eatn ess even r o se super ior to
the p altr y pr ej udi c es o f ran k an d the r equir emen ts
o f c ust om ; the i n ti ma c y in whi c h he lived with the

le ar n ed the r espe ctful f amiliar ity whic h he en c ou r

,

aged fr om his f av or ites ,Off e r a su r p r isin g con t r ast

to the tyrann y an d imp a tien c e usu ally a ss oc i ated with

the p o ssession o f desp otic auth ority .

Ther e h ave existed few ex amples o f a ruler SO per

fectly iden tified with the spir it o f his ag e an d the
gen ius o f his peo ple as w as Al — H akem wh ose n ame ,

mo st appr o p r i ately sign ifies The Wise N atur e had .

n ot best o wed up on him the con summa te t a len ts for

o r g an iz ati on , an d the p rO pheti c s ag a c ity with whi ch

she had gifted the fo un der o f his dyn asty Abd al ,

-

R ahman I
—
. He did n ot p ossess either the political
t ac t or the milit ar y ca p acity o f Abd al Rahman III -
.
6 82 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a ble dep os its o f o r e wer e Open ed an d develo ped for

the ben efit o f c ommerc e an d the arts I n sh ort the
.
,

r eig n o f Al H akem r ep r ese n ts the g o lden a g e o f

-

M o slem histor y — , an ag e th a t with Si n g ul ar feli c ity

had a pp ro p r i ated the wisdom an d the expe r ie n c e o f

an tiquity ; wh o se w on de r ful p r o g r ess i n eve r y b ran ch

o f in dust r y in eve r y dep ar tmen t o f kn o wledge w as

, ,

the admiration o f all n a tion s Ch r istian an d in fidel

,

an d wh o se i n spi r in g ge n ius w as i n r e ality the l ast as

, , ,

he w as the mo st accomplished o f a famous rac e o f

,

kin gs .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 6 83

CHAPT ER X IV

REI G N OF H I SCH E M II .

9 76 —1 01 2

O r i g i n o f I bn — ab i — —
Ami r Al M an s u r—The S cen e i n the Gar den
Gen i u s an d Atta i n men ts o f the Youthfu l S tates man —H i s
-

—
S u dd en R i s e to P ow er I n fluen c e o f the E un u ch s—T he ir
C on s p ir a c y D etecte d—I bn — a b i Ami r as p i r es —
to S u p r eme
Author ity—H e i s a pp ointe d H aj ib—R u in o f hi s R ival s
R eor g an iz atio n o f the C iv il an d M ilitar y S er v i c e—S y s
te mati c D e g r a d atio n o f H i s c hem The P a l ac e o f Z a hi r a
The H aj ib b ecomes M a s ter o f the E mp ir e—S u c c e s s fu l
-

W ith Ch i sti n s —Distu r b n c s i n A f ic —D

s t u ti n o f L eon —S ac k o f S n ti g — D e th f Al —
ars w the r a a e r a e

r c o M an s u
a a o a o r
— H is G t S vic s t the St te—H i s U n b oken S e i es o f
M i lita y T i ump hs —Al — R h m n —M o
r r

Ab d—l —
r ea er e o a

r r M od h ffe a r- a a a

hamme d—S ul eyman— D is app n ce of H i s c hem—R pid

e ar a a

Di in teg ti n f the E mp i
s ra o o re .

S I M U L TANEOUSL Y with the a cc essi on o f H is chem

II a gig an ti c an d omin ous figur e like a p or ten tous
.
,

spe ctr e at on c e the imper s on ation o f glor y an d the

,

h ar bin ger o f r uin appear s upon the the atr e o f action

,

in the Pe n in sul a Un der the tw o pr e cedin g s ov er

.

ei n s the M o sle m E mpi r e o f the West had ma de u m

g
p aralleled ad v an c e s in useful kn owledge in c ommer ,

c i al p ro spe r ity i n all the ar ts w hi c h r a ise n ati on s to

,

the mos t ex alted r an k in the s cale o f civiliz ation .

Pe ac e r eign ed ever yw her e within its border s The .

ten den cy to sedition whi ch had so lon g obstr ucted its

,

p ro sperity an d depleted its po pulation had been vig ,

orou s l y an d su cc e s s fully r epr essed Justic e un tain ted .

,

with even the suspi c io n o f c orruption an d which w as ,

n o r espe c te r o f per s on s w as dispen sed by its t r ibun als

, .

I ts system o f educ ati on an d its r esults wer e the w on

d er o f the a g e The achieveme n ts o f its le ar n ed men
.
,
6 84 HIST ORY OF TH E

w ho wer e s c atter ed o ver E uro pe had caused them to

,

in cur the suspi c ion o f an d in s ome in st an c es even to

, , ,

en dur e the pen alties attachin g to the pro fession an d

the pr acti c e o f magic And yet with all its gr eatn ess
.
,

a n d all its f ame the kh a lif ate w as destin ed u n der the

, ,

a dmin istr a ti o n o f the ph an tom mon arc h H i s ch em II

—the l ast o f his dyn asty—to att ain to a still higher
.

p osition amon g the n ation s o f the e arth This pr e .

emin en t distin ction ; the un broken tr iumph o f mor e

th an fifty c amp aign s ; the humiliation o f its en emies
in thei r fo r me r ly imp r egn able st r on gh o lds ; the dese
c r ati on an d plun de r o f thei r mo st s ac r ed sh r i n es ; the

devast ation an d i mpo ve r ish men t o f their terr itory ;

their r egular p aymen t o f t ribute an d ackn ow l ed g
men t o f v a ss al age —al l o f these r esults are to be
,

a tt r ibuted to the t alen ts o f the h a j ib Al M an sur

,
-
,

the mo st con summate po liti cal an d milit ar y gen ius

th at ever guided the des tin ies o f an y po r tion o f the
vast an d Opulen t empir e con quer ed an d r uled by the
se ctaries o f M oh ammed .

Amon g the adven tu r ers w ho f ollo wed the b ann er

o f T ar ik a t the time o f the C on quest w as Abd al -

Melik an Ar ab des c en ded fr om a n o ble family o f

,

Y emen whom p oli ti c al en t an glemen ts an d fi n an ci al

,

r eve r ses had compelled to assume the h az ar do us but

attrac tive calli n g of a s o ldier o f fo rtun e The .

s carc ity o f men o f in telligen c e an d in tegr ity in an

ar my o f b ar b ar i a n s led to the a pp o in tme n t o f the

illustrious exile to the comman d o f a division I n this .

ca p ac ity he occupied the an c ie n t to wn o f C art eya the ,

fir st fo rtified plac e t aken by the in v ader s After .

p ar ti cip atin g in the c amp aign s o f T ar ik an d Mus a ,

Abd al Melik r etir ed to the c astle o f T orro x on the

- -

Gua diar o which had fallen to his sh ar e in the gen eral

,

distr ibuti on o f the con fis cated l ands o f the Visigothic

mon ar chy Although n ot belon gin g to the K or eishite
.

ar ist oc r ac y his f amily w as disti n guished by its for mer

,
6 86 HIS T ORY OF TH E

con vers ation o f fo ur o f the p ar ty w as lively an d

bo ister ous ; the fifth h o wever plun ged in an ab s orb
, ,

in g r eve r ie had for s ome t ime p r ese rve d a glo omy

, , ,

an d un br o ken silen c e Wh at ails thee O I bn abi

.
,
-

Ami r at len gth ex c l aimed on e o f hi s c omp an i on s ;

”
?

th ou art as pen sive as a faqu i an d as silen t as a c amel

th a t tr ea ds the s an d dr ifts o f the Desert ; h ast thou
-

per ch an c e lo st thy mistr ess ? ”

I h ave lon g had a pr esen timen t O M oh ammed , ,

th a t on e d ay I sh ould r ule this l an d ; let e ach o f y ou

n ow de cl ar e wh at publi c e mplo yme n t he mo st desi r es ,

an d I pledge my wor d th a t whe n I r ise to p owe r it

sh all be con ferr ed up on him r esp on ded the t ac itu rn

”
,

studen t .

A roar o f laughter gr eeted this un expected r eply .

Ah " s aid on e o f the merr y collegi an s

”
these ,
“

figs are delic ious an d I sh ould be pleased to live in

,

M alag a wher e they gro w ; fo r my p ar t I ch oose to be

,

g overn or o f th at pr ovin c e .

An other exc laimed I h ave n ever t asted an ythin g

,

a s g oo d as these c akes I beg y ou to a pp oin t me

.

in spe ctor o f markets fo r then I sh all be sur feited

,

w ith deli c ac ies with o ut the expen ditur e o f a si n gle

,

dir hem .
”

An othe r s aid I am en ch an ted with this mag n i fi

,

c en t c ity ; wh o se sh r i n e is the glo r y o f I sl am; wh o se

suburbs ar e in feri or on ly to the g ar den s o f P ara dise ;

who se we alth sur p asses all the tr e asur es o f the O rien t ;
who se p alac es ar e the won der o f the world I pr efer .
,
”
a b o ve all o ther o fli ces the p r efe c tu r e o f C o r d ov a
, .

The four th studen t r emain ed sullen an d silen t .

O Abdallah "s aid on e o f his co mp an i on s

”
w hy ,

dost th ou n o t pr o fit by the gen ero sity o f the futur e

r ule r o f An d a luz
”
?

Abd allah r o se an d seizin g I bn abi Amir by the

, ,
- -

be ar d ex claimed in a v oic e choked with in dign ation

, ,

an d r a ge Wr etched boaster "thy in s olen t presu mp

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 6 87

tion exc eeds that o f I blis himself — th ou the ruler o f

An daluz "Let the fir st ac t o f thy author ity be to h ave
me st r ipped n aked sme ar ed with hon ey th at the bees
,

an d flies ma
y stin g me pl ac ed up on a don key with
,

my fac e to his t ail an d paraded in this c on diti on

,

th rough the str eets o f the c a pital This i s the favor

.

th at I deman d o f thee w ho with thy in su ff er able con

,

c eit an d ar r o g an c e d o th i n sult the ma j e s ty o f the

kh alifate an d the hon or an d dign ity o f the S u cc ess ors

,

o f the P r o phet o f G o d "

”

R ele asi n g himself with s ome difficulty an d stiflin g , ,

as best he could his r esen tme n t at the mo st out r a ge o u s

,

a ff r on t th a t co uld be o ff e r ed to a M u s s u hn a n I bn abi ,
-

Amir calmly r eplied The time will come when y ou

,

will all h ave c au s e to r emember this d ay I s h all n ot .

for get my promise an d e ach o f y ou sh all h ave his r e

,

quest gr an ted a ccor di n g to the liter al terms in which

,
”
he has pr eferr ed it .

S uch w as the self c on fid en ce o f I bn abi Amir w ho

- - -
, ,

while a p oor an d obs cur e yo uth almo s t un kn o wn ,

amidst the th o us an ds o f s tuden t s i n atten d an c e at the

Un ive r sity o f C or dov a yet an imated by the in s pir a

,

tion o f gen ius an d con s c ious o f his cap acity f or gr e at

un der takin gs c ould thus in dulge i n s eemin gly ex
,

tr av ag an t dr e ams o f empir e But with all this ap

.

p ar en t pr esumption his w a s n o c ommon ch aracter He .

un ited in a r emar kable degr ee all the qu alities which

c o n du c t men to p o liti ca l emin e n c e B o ld even to the
.

ver ge o f aud acity ; en er getic per seve r in g an d h o pe

, ,

f111 un der the most dis couragin g cir cumst an c es ; in ex

hau s tibl e in r e s our c e ; abs olutely in di ff er e n t a s to the
mor ality o f the me an s emplo yed to att ain an en d s o
lon g a s its expedien cy w as established ; a gr ateful
frien d an d an implac able en emy ; an adro it n ego
ti ato r ; a b or n c om man de r ; almo st fr o m b o yh oo d he
seemed to h ave employed his extraor din ar y abilities in
the a c compli s hmen t o f the lo fty design whi ch w as the
688 HIS T ORY OF TH E

c her ished o bj e ct o f his un s cr upulous ambition His .

fe atur es we r e r egul ar his con ver s ation agr ee able his

, ,

mann er s c aptiv atin g to a degr ee th at ex c ited admir a

ti on in a s oc iety wh ose p oliten ess w as pr o verbial an d ,

the st ately etiquette o f wh o se co ur t w as n ot exc elled

by th at o f an y coun try o r o f an y ag e His kn owledge .

o f human n a tu r e w a s s o u n e rr i n g th a t it a lmo st

seemed the r esult o f in spirati on N o on e c ould r esist

.

the fas c in atin g in fluen c e th at in vested his p r esen c e .

N o on e could withstan d the e ff ec ts o f his r esen tmen t .

An d yet despite his fie ry n atur e the pro foun d po lic y

, ,

which guided al l his acti on s en abled him to r est r ain

his an ger an d con tro l his p assi on s un til the time for
ven ge an c e had c ome He w as an a ccomplished
.

s ch ol ar espe ci ally well ver sed in j ur isp ruden c e an d

, ,

had e ar ly f amili ar ized himself with the stir r in g an n als

o f I sl am ; with the ar du o us st r uggles o f its F oun der ;

with the su ff e rin gs o f its martyr s ; with its vic t ories

an d its dis a ste r s ; with the w o n de r ful pr o g r ess o f its

c iviliz a ti on ; with the mar tial achievemen ts o f its

her o es He kn ew by he ar t the st ory o f the gr e at
.

c a pt ai n s a n d st a tes me n man y o f wh om th o ugh b or n

, ,

in an o bs c u r e st ati on like himself had ma de the M o s ,

l em cause illus tr i ous un de r the dyn a sties o f the E a st

an d West Thus gifted with ever y t alen t th at n a
.
,

tur e co uld besto w ; his faculties str en gthen ed an d de

v el o ed by the a dv an t a ges de rived fro m a thor ough
p
men t al tr ain in g ; his bein g domi n ated by an iron will
who se po we r w as dir e c ted to the r ealiz ation o f a
.

p roj ec t whic h for the time a bs o r bed ever y o the r as

piratio n the u n k n o wn an d pe nn iless a dven tur e r pr e
,

p ar ed to push his for tun es .

After his education w as completed he man aged to ,

Obt ain a p r ec ar ious livelih oo d in the c ap ac ity o f a

publi c wr iter w ho d r ew up petitio n s to be p r esen ted
to the Kh alif His skill i n chir o gra phy an d his
.
,

kn owledge o f ju rispr uden c e Obt ained fo r him in a

, ,
690 HIS T ORY OF TH E

sible o ffi c e o f S uper in ten den t o f the Min t whic h in ,

c luded man y o f the fu n c ti o n s o f a mi n iste r o f fin an c e .

The keen observation o f the yo un g o ffic i al s oo n dis

c lo sed to his pen etr atin g mi n d the r ar e f ac ilities f or

pe cun iar y a ggr an dizemen t an d po litic al promo tion his

plac e a ff or ded to a man o f tir eless en er gy u n s cru pu ,

lous ch aracter an d b oun dless a spi ration s His duties

, .

br ought him d aily in to in timate r elati on s with the mo st

p o wer ful dign it ar ies o f the empir e G r e at sums o f .

mon ey we r e at his disp o s al The implic it con fiden c e

.

r ep o sed i n him an d the high f av or he en j o yed a t co u r t

, ,

r en de r ed it i mp ro b a ble th a t a n
y i n spe cti on o f his ac
co un ts wo uld be or de r ed with o ut ti mely w ar n in g an d ,

a n o pp or tu n ity a ff o r ded to corr e c t an y e mb arra ssi n g

defic it The r egular h abits o f his life sever e al most

.
,

to auste r ity ; his k n o wledge o f a ff a i r s ; the in spira tion

o f his gen iu s whi c h seemed to s o lve with o ut an e ff or t
, ,

fo rmidable p r oblems o f po liti c al e con omy an d fin an c e

whic h defied the c ap acity an d in dustr y o f other s pecu ,

li arl y fitted him fo r the imp o r tan t p o st he occupied .

While str ic tly o bserv an t o f his r esp on sibilities every ,

c i rc umst an c e o f his su r r o un di n gs eve r y suggesti on o f

,

his comman din g in telle ct wer e ma de subser vien t to

,

the pur p o ses o f his ambiti on By the exquisite cou r

.

tesy o f his man n er s an d the defer en c e he displayed

to war ds his supe r ior s he con c ili ated the proud an d
,

ex c lusive n obility w ho at fir st looked with marked

,

dis a ppr o val up on the r a pid elev ation Of the a spirin g

youn g st ates man The l ower c l asses wer e ch armed
.

by his c on des c en sion by his gen er o sity by his aff a

, ,

bility by the t ac t th a t n eve r fo r g o t the c l aims o f old

,

a c qu a i n t an c e
, by the gratitude th at n ever f ailed to
a ckn o wled e the o blig ati on s o f an c ie n t f r ie n dship
g .

The tr e asur es o f the st ate wer e used with out stin t or ,

s cruple to i n c r e ase or to str en gthen the fo llowin g o f

,

the S uper in ten den t o f the Min t N o on e in dist r ess

.

applied to him with out r eli ef The f ame o f his publi c

.
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 691

ben e fac ti on s spre ad even to the bor de rs o f the kh ali

fate Thu s by the impr ovemen t o f every o ppor
.
,

tun ity an d by the judic i ous emplo ymen t o f the u n

li mited me an s at his dispo s al I bn abi —
,

Amir o rg an i zed
,
-

an d con t r o lled a l a r ge an d g r o wi n g p ar ty o f a dhe

r en t s wh o se l o ya lty to his per s on an d his i n ter ests w a s

,

in man y i n st an c es even str on ge r th an the devo tion

which they en ter tain ed t owar ds their lawful s over eign .

I t w as n ot ho wever thr ough his in fluen c e with the

, ,

n o bility n or fro m his p o pul ar ity with the masses th at

, ,

I bn abi Ami r de r ived his mo st s an guin e ho pes o f

- -

su cc ess His per s o n al attractio n s had c aptiv ated the

.

sus c eptible S ult an a w ho blessed with an un suspic iou s

, ,

an d compl a c en t husb an d s c a r c ely deig n ed to con c e al

,

her admir ation fo r her h an ds o me pr o tég é An i n ti .

mac y w as est ablished between them who s e con tin u ,

an c e s eems st ran gely i n comp atible with the j e alo u s

espion age o f an O r ien t al court an d which furn ished ,

an i n exh austible fu n d o f r a iller y f or the s arcasti c an d

a n on ymous p o ets o f the c a pit al E ver y whim o f the

.

fair Au ror a w as gratified by her de v oted stewar d .

H er wishes wer e o ften an ti c ip ated The s ilen c e o f .

the o c cup an ts an d the s lave s o f the h ar em w as pro

c ur ed an d r et a in ed by the dist r ibuti o n o f c os tly gifts .

The pr in c ess he rself w a s the ben efici ar y o f the mo st

pro dig al mu n i fi c en ce On on e o cc as ion I bn —
. abi Amir ,
-

caused to be c on s tr u c ted f or her a min i atu r e p a l a c e o f

massy silver E ver y det ail o f an d appen d age to a

.

r o yal dwell i n g w as r ep r o du c ed in thi s expe n s ive an d

in gen i ous toy The eun uchs the guar ds the atten d
.
, ,

an ts I n their a pp ro p r i a te g ar b wer e r ep r ese n ted by

, ,

tin y st atuettes The foun tain s wer e supplied with

.

delicate per fume s in ste ad o f w ater The gor geous .

o rn amen t ati on s o f an al c az ar wer e deli n e ated with

marvello us fidelity an d beauty This magn ific en t .

pr esen t ex c ited the won der o f the p o pulac e when , ,

suppor ted upon the shoulders o f a s cor e o f sl aves it .

692 HIST ORY OF TH E

w as bo rn e th r ough the str eets to the p al ac e an d l aid

at the feet o f the delighted Au r o r a But this c r o wn .

in g exhibiti o n o f extrava g an c e came n e ar bein g at

ten ded with ser i ous co n seque n c es The pro motion o f .

I bn abi Ami r despite his t ac t an d libe rality whi ch

- -
, ,

dis armed the en vy an d mali c e o f the cour tier s had ,

r aised up a g ain st hi m p o we r ful an d r es o lute e n emies .

The latte r o pen ly accused the S uper in ten den t o f the

M in t o f embezzlemen t o f the public fun ds With .

the summar y p r o c eedin gs c h ar ac te r istic o f an ar bi

tr ary g o ve r n me n t I bn abi Ami r w as cited at on c e
,
- -

befor e the Div an an d o r der ed to pro du c e his b ooks

,

an d al l the t r e asu r e in his p o ssessi on The war y .

min ister w as equ al to the emer gen c y A th orough .

a ccou n t an t he k n ew a t the c l o se o f e a ch d ay the ex a c t

,

amo un t o f the defi c it whi c h he w a s co n s c i o us must ,

s ome time or other be made go o d He a pplied to the

, .

v izie r I bn H o d air w ho w as i n debted to him for n u

,
-
,

merou s favo r s for a temp orar y loan o f several th ou

,

s an d pie c es o f g o ld The vizier w as on ly too h a ppy

.

to o blige his fr ie n d ; the acc u r ac y o f the acco un ts w as

ver ified ; the s u m for whi ch the S upe r in ten den t o f
the Min t w as r espon sible w as f oun d to be in t act ; an d
tho se w ho had impe ached the Offi ci al i n tegr ity o f the
min iste r wer e br an ded with the o bloquy whi ch att aches
to the u n su cc essful pe r se c utio n o f an h on est an d
c a p able pub li c se r v an t .

The c r edit o f I bn abi Amir n ow r o se higher th an- -

eve r His suc c ess i n extr i c atin g himself from the

.

sn ar e whi ch had been s o ar tfully l aid for him extorted

the un willin g p r aise o f his a dvers ar ies To make .

amen ds f o r the a pp ar e n t i n j usti c e he ha d don e the

favo r ite by impugn in g his h on esty Al H akem con ,

-

ferr ed up on him n ew an d r epe ated mar ks o f his con

fid e n ce He be c ame in su cc essio n t rustee o f i n test ate
.
, ,

est ates K adi o f S eville an d Chief o f P oli c e o f C or

, ,

dov a A still gr e ater dign ity w as s oon a ft er wards

.
694 HIS T ORY OF TH E

tion o f wh ose rules he had n o pr ac tical ac qu aint an ce .

He engaged in the con ver s ation p ar tic ip at ed in the ,

amusements an d sh ar ed the pr iv ati ons of the l atter

, .

'
His ten acious memor y which r ec alled without efl ort
,

the n ame o f ever y in dividu al he had on c e seen aided ,

mate ri ally to the in cr e a se an d the pr eserv ation o f his

per son al popular ity With a vi ew to futur e con
.

tin g en ci es the s a g ac io us minister neglect ed no o cca

,

sion to se cur e the good w ill o f the Berb er chieftain s .

He sh ar ed their rude but gen er ous h ospit ality He .

fl atter ed their ridi cul ous pr eten sions an d in dul ged ,

their her edit ary pr ej udi c es He impressed them with

.

his power b y an impo sin g display o f pomp an d mag

n i fi c en ce
. The pr esen ts whi ch he l avi shed up on them
wer e r eported an d ex aggerated with b arbarian hy per
bole in ever y c amp o f the Deser t S uch w as the aff ec .

tion with which he c ame to be r egarded by the fero

c ions b andits o f M au r it an i a th a t it almo st suppl anted

the semir eligious r espec t c laimed an d ex acted by their

sheiks w ho exercised the fun c tion s of a p re carious
,

magistrac y b ased rather up on temporary an d condi

,

ti on al su bmission th an est ablished by the abs olute an d

perman ent renun ciation o f a p art o f the natural rights
o f the gove rn e d .

After the r etur n o f I bn abi Amir in the train o f

- -

the vic torious Gh alib he a ssu med a state corr espond

,

in g with his rank an d the publi c estimation in which

he w as held His p alac e at R u s a fah on e o f the most
.
,

ch arm i ng subur bs o f C o r d o v a r iva lled the ab odes of

,

r o yalty in eleg an c e an d splen do r The mo st ex qui .

site de cor ations embelli shed its walls I ts extensive .

g ar dens exhibited all the luxuri an c e an d b eauty of

the tro pi cs The gro ves swarmed with nighting ales
.

an d bi r ds o f g or ge o us pl u ma ge I n numerable foun .

t ains di ffused on ever y side their welc ome an d r efresh

ing spray Multitudes o f slaves arr ayed in brilliant
.
,

robes of silk th ron ged the corr id or s

, I n the g r e at .
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 695

marble din in g h all a t able w as c onstantly laid for the

-

ben efit o f all w ho desir ed to p artake o f the ho spitality

o f the o w n er The influen c e and po pular ity o f the
.

l atter wer e d aily man ifested by the throng o f peti

tion ers w ho fr om d awn to sun set obstr uc ted the gates
, ,

o f the p al ac e O f all this c ro wd no supplian t how

.
, ,

ever humble w as su ff er ed to depar t without a c our te

,

ou s an d attentive he ar in g The con st an t accumula

.

tion o f busin ess an d the demands o f the var ious

,

offi c i a l empl oyments o f the mi n iste r r equi r ed the ,

ser vic es o f a gr e at number o f clerks an d se cr etar ies .

These o ffic es while n o Sin e cur es wer e eager ly s olicited

, ,

by yo uths con n ected with the mo st r espectable families

o f C o r do v a w ho esteemed it an hon o r to per fec t thei r
,

po litical education under so accomplished a master ,

an d w ho we r e n o t slo w to dete c t th at thr o ugh his

ser v ic e l ay the p ath to futur e power an d distin c tion .

The po pularity o f I bn abi Amir w ho in addition to

- -
, ,

his other offici al fun ction s had re c en tly assumed tho s e

,

o f the stew ar d o f the p ala c e w a s at its height when,

Al H akem died ; an d the mi n ister with the Vizier

-
,

M oshafi w ho had j oin tly been in vested with th at tr ust

,

by the Kh ali f pr epar ed to establish the r egen cy an d

,

a ssu me co ntro l o f the empir e .

The a ppr ehen sion s en tert ain ed by Al H akem o f -

the public dis approbation atten din g the acc essio n o f a

mi n or were speedily re alized The gr adu al diver gen c e
.

fr om the ancien t c on stitution o f the Ar abs which ,

r e cog n ized on ly the c l a ims o f p ri n c es o f matur e ag e

an d est abli shed r eput a ti on w a s viewed with suspi c i on

,

an d dislik e by every c l ass o f the peo ple The mer ely .

fa ctitiou s title o f her editary desc ent w as n ot s ufficien t ,

in thei r eyes to compens ate for the d an ger s li able to

,

r es ul t fr om w ant o f exper ien c e an d a dmin ist r a tive

ability . The investitur e o f an infan t with r eg al au

thority w as uniformly r eg ar ded b y the super stiti ous
as an evil omen whi ch p or ten ded the dest ru cti o n o f
,
69 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

the mon ar chy The c ase w as mor eover with out

.
, ,

p r e ceden t in the histo r y o f the khalifate for the w ise ,

so ver eign s o f the H ouse o f Ommey ah had in v ar i ably ,

un der simil ar c irc umst an c es sub or din ated p ater n al ,

f on dn ess to the p aramoun t in ter ests o f the st ate I n .

this in stan c e the expedien c y o f an o pp osite cour se w as

,

o bvi o us for the b r o the r s o f Al H akem we r e un ive r

,
-

s ally r e co g n ized as tho roughly competen t to dis ch arg e

with cr edit the high an d r espon sible duties conn e cted
w ith the exe r c ise o f the sup r eme p o we r F ul ly co g .

n i za n t o f this p r ej udi c e the eun uchs th o se ban eful

, ,

p ar asites o f O r ien tal desp otism wh ose lives wer e

p assed in an atmospher e o f in tr igue an d co rruption ,

dexter ously pr ep ar ed to avail themselves o f the po pu

l ar dis con ten t fo r the p romo tio n o f thei r o w n design s .

These in c arn ate fien ds w ho foun d in the betr ayal o f

,

their f ell o w cr e atu r es an in adequate but gra teful c om

-

p en s ati on f o r the o ut rage in fli c ted on them by s oc iety ,

had ac qui r ed with eve r y r eig n a fr esh acc ession o f

, ,

pr ide an d in s o len c e A picked b o dy o f a th ous an d o f

.

them con stituted the guar d o f the h ar em Al tho ugh .

slaves they en j o yed ex clusive pr ivileges an d with

, , ,

ever y o pp ortun ity for the in dulgen c e o f their domi

n atin g p a ssi on o f av ar i c e had a cc umul ated v a st
, pos
sessi on s A mist aken ide a impo r ted with other n ox i
.
,

ou s p r i n c iples f r om the O r ie n t c aused the i mmu n ity ,

o f the eu n u c h a n d the exhibiti on o f his o p ul en c e to be

co n side r ed as a n e c ess ar y a ppen d a ge to the g r an deur

o f the s ove r eig n As a n atural r esult o f this o pin ion

.
,

the impuden c e an d o pp r ession o f this p ower ful c aste

wer e exer c ised with out r estr ain t un til they be c ame i n
t oler able They ro bbed tradesmen with impun ity
. .

They s cour ged with r elen tless br utality su ch u n fortu

n ate pedest r i a n s as cro ssed thei r p athw ay They in .

v aded the pr iva c y o f h ouseh o lds an d in sulted their

inmates —an in expi able o ff en c e un der Mussulman
,

l aw . They b orr owed lar ge sums o f mon ey from

698 HI ST ORY or TH E

of per s o n s w ho wer e kn o wn to h ave in curr ed their

enmity .

The de ath o f Al H akem w as un expe cted an d n o

-
,

on e w as p r esen t du r in g his l a st mome n ts ex c epti n g

the c hief eunuchs F ay i c an d D j aud ar These cr a fty

, .

in dividu als con s c ious o f the un p o pul ar ity o f their

,

caste , an d kn o wi n g th at thei r cr i mes w o uld r e c eive

s can t in dulgen c e at the h an d s o f the min isters I bn

abi Ami r an d M o s ha fi
-
dete rmin ed to suppr ess for
,

a time the in telli gen c e o f the Kha lif s de ath c h an ge ,

the su cc ession an d ther eby se cur e for themselves a

,

co n tin u an c e o f p o we r The prin c e they sele cted to

.

oc cupy the v acan t th r on e w as M o hira the br othe r

g ,

o f Al H akem-
But a fi rst an d in dispen s able r equisite
.

for the su cc ess o f the e n te r p r ise w as accor din g to the ,

practic al D j au d ar the ass assin ation o f the vizier

,

M o shafi To this suggesti on F ay i c w ho u n d eres ti

.
, ,

mated the cap ac ity an d r es olutio n o f the min ister ,

r efused to a cc ede After s ome dis cussio n it w as

.
,

dete rmin ed to sen d for M oshafi an d en de avor by , ,

ever y in duc emen t po ssible to tur n him from his alle ,

g ian ce N othin g could h ave been mor e gr atifyin g

.

to the co n spi rat or s th an the compli an c e o f the Vizie r .

He a ppe ar ed to en ter hear tily in t o the s cheme gave ,

his n ew ass o c iates much wise coun sel an d promised ,

th at he in pers on woul d at the p r o per momen t guar d

, ,

the door o f the p alac e Then r eturn in g to his r esi

.

den c e he h astily a ssembled a n umbe r o f c ivil an d

,

milit ar y o ffic i als up on wh o se fidelity he could depen d ,

an d a c qu a i n ted them with the pl o t th at had j ust

c ome to his kn o wledge The dan ger w as immin en t ;
.

the acc ession o f M og hir a an d the supr emac y o f the

,

eun u chs whic h w as c ert ain to r esult from it an d woul d

a ff e c t the life o r f or tu n es o f eve r y p r omi n en t mem

b er o f the g ove r nmen t de man ded the mo st e n e r getic

,

a c ti on .I t w as determin ed witho ut a dissen tin g voi c e

, ,

th at M og hi r a sho uld be put to de ath This r es olu .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 69 9

tion w as easily t aken but its execution w as a di ff er ent

,

matter The amiable an d in o ff ensive ch aracter o f the

.

pr inc e r ender ed his deliber ate a ss assin ation extremely

r epugn an t eve n to men wh o se c ruel h abits an d s an

g u in ary exper ien c e had o r din arily r ender ed them

de a f to the appeals o f pity At len gth I bn abi .
,
-

Amir r ose amidst the silen t assembly an d agr eed to ,

ass ume the invidi ous o ff i c e o f exe c ution er At the .

he ad o f a stron g gu ard he p r oceeded at on ce to the

,

p alac e o f the un h a ppy M og hir a who w as equally un ,

c on s ci ous o f the de a th o f his bro ther o f the d an ger ous ,

hon or for which the ambition o f the eun uchs had d es ig

n ated him an d of the stern de cr ee which had j ust
,

sealed his fate With all the matchless courtesy for

.

which he w as distingui shed the messen ger o f dea th ,

a n n oun c ed his e rran d O ver come with grief at the

.

lo ss o f his b rother an d terr ified by the p resen c e o f

,

the s oldiery M og hira a fter giving utteran c es to the

, ,

mo st fervid p rotest ati on s o f dev otion to his n ephew ,

implor ed with te ars the clemen cy o f the min ister .

Deeply moved by the distr ess o f the p rinc e the r es o ,

l u tion o f I bn abi Amir falte r ed an d he desp at ched

- -
,

a messen ge r to the vizier de c lar ing his c on fiden c e in

,

the lo yalty o f M og hi ra an d suggestin g th at the de

,

c r ee Of the coun ci l should be mo dified an d impr is on

men t be substituted for the pen alty o f death The .

r eply o f M o shafi w as per emptory " E xecute him

if thou dost n ot like the commission th ou
'
at o n c e ;

h as t volun tar ily un der t aken I will sen d an other not ,

”
troubled with such un se as on able s cruples F urther .

delay w as ou t o f the question ; M og hira w as stran

gled and the room in which the crime w as perpe
,

tr ated w as at on c e w alled up with s olid mas onr y .

The memory o f this deed as cr uel as it w as un wise , ,

lon g ran kled in the heart o f I bn abi Amir He never - -

.

fo r gave the vizier for the guilt he had in curr ed

through his agency by an act who se expediency n o
,
7 00 HIS T ORY OF TH E

S o phist r y could est ablish an d who s e bar b ar ity n o

,

p oliti cal n e c es s ity could ex cuse The time w as s oon

.

to co me whe n the r elen tless M o s hafi w as to ex pe r i

en c e in his turn all the bittern ess o f de ath without
, ,

its c on s olati on s ; all the mo r tifi cation s whic h atten d

the lo ss o f p ower an d f ortun e ; all the p an gs o f
con s c ien c e whi c h p roc eed fr om the vi o l ati o n o f the

immut able laws o f j ustic e an d the wan to n s acrific e

o f the mo st o bvi o us p r i n c iples o f morality .

The pl ac id exterior o f I bn abi Amir gave n o Sign

- -

o f his o ut r a ged feeli n gs whe n he r etu rn ed to his c ol

le agues but his spir it had been deeply moved an d

, , ,

wi th the vin dictive en e r gy o f his n atur e he tr e asur ed

,

up a g ain st the vizie r a ter rible accoun t to be dis

c h ar ged up on the d ay o f r e c k on in g .

The chief eun u c hs r e c eived with con stern ati on the

n ews o f the bet ray al o f thei r p r o j e c t a n d the de ath

o f the p r in c e ; but they we r e s o s atisfied o f the

se c ur ity o f their p o we r th a t they did n ot for an in
st an t suspen d thei r t r e a s o n able o per ati on s Their .

emiss ar ies disper sed amon g the p opul ac e multiplied

, ,

by their artful r ep r esen t ation s the per ils in ciden t to

the a cc ession o f a s over eign w ho had n ot yet p assed
the ag e o f c hildhoo d The ci r cumst an c es atten din g
.

the mur de r o f M og hir a—u n j u stifi abl e en ough in

themselves —wer e distorted an d ex agger ated The .

r esen t me n t o f the masses w a s i n fl a med a g a i n st the

min ister s wh o se r ap ac ity an d ambition it w as sug

, ,

gested wo uld s ub or din ate to their ow n design s every

,

con sider ati on c o nn e c ted with the s a fety o f the st ate

an d the p ro sper ity o f the empi r e The servi c es o f

.

in fluen ti al an d mer c en ary dema go gues we r e en listed ;

the we alth o f the eun u chs w as lavished with out stin t
to se c u r e an d r et ain thei r p ar tis an s ; o pe n de n un c i a
tion s o f the auth or ities wer e hear d on eve r y h an d ; the
a ppe ar an c e o f a membe r o f the u n p o pul ar f ac ti on in

the str eets w as the sign al for a r io t ; an d the r estless

702 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a bro g ation o f tr e aties ; fo r the r epudi ation o f the

h ateful Oblig ation s o f t r ibute ; for the seizu r e o f ter
ritor y ac qui r ed by M o slem v al or ; for the r e cover y
o f milit ar y p r estige lo st si n c e the ti me o f the g r e at

Abd al Rahman The ac tive p ar tis an s o f the N o r th

- -
.

ac c or di n gly s w ar med o ve r the u n pro te c ted p r ovin c es ,

who se inh abit an ts had slacken ed their vigilan c e an d

n egle c ted thei r arms du r i n g the l on g a n d p acific .

r eign o f Al H akem -
Little r esistan c e w as en cou n
.

te r e d o win g to the i n competen cy o f the offic e r s

,

c h ar ged with the defen c e o f the fr o n tie r The .

h abitu al in d olen c e o f M o shafi w as s oon f oun d to be

un able to co p e with these en ter prisin g mar auder s w ho ,

eluded his squad r on s an d spr e ad terror an d ruin

amon g the r i c h pl an t ati on s an d h amlets o f An d alusi a .

At len gth embo lden ed by succ ess they passed the

, ,

S ierra M or en a an d the omin ous spe c t ac le o f the ban

,

n e r s o f the i n fidel w as on c e mor e visible from the

to wer s o f the capit al This defian c e w a s mor e th an .

the pr ide o f the S ult an a could en dur e S he sen t for .

I bn abi Ami r an d i mplor ed him to c h a stise the in s o

- -
,

len c e o f the Ch r isti an s A coun c il w as acco r di n gly .

held an d an expediti on r es olved upon The vizier

, .
,

with his usu al add r ess man aged to be a ssign ed to the ,

sup r eme comman d an d to av o id as far as p o ssible

, ,

the c on tin gen cy o f a r everse the w ar y gen er al with , ,

the clo sest dis cr imin ation sele c ted f or this se rvi c e the ,

mo st tr ustwo r thy offic er s an d the mo st experien ced

veteran s o f the army .

At this time I bn abi Amir had j ust en te r ed his - -

thir ty n in th ye ar O f the theor y o f the art o f w ar

-
.

he kn ew but li ttle o f the practical a pplic atio n o f its

,

pr in ciples abs olutely n o thin g His en tir e life had .

been p assed in avo catio n s whose duties we r e rather a

hin der an c e th an an ai d to se r vic e in the field But .

the po wers o f his min d equ al to an y emer gen c y , ,

en abled him to sur moun t with e ase the a pp ar en tly

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 7 03

in super able o bstacles th at n ow con fr on ted him I f .

he w as defic ien t in military kn o wledge an d exper ien c e ,

he w a s on the other h an d en dowed with qualities

, ,

too o ften ign or ed o r despised by the mar tin et In .

pr uden c e in co oln e s s in j udgmen t in courage he

, , , ,

w as n ot sur p a ssed by the mos t a ccomplished le ade r

th at ever dir ected the movemen ts o f an army The .

hitherto succ essful r e alization o f hi s p r oj e cts which ,

he had for e s een an d c ar efully plann ed in spir ed him ,

with a j ust but n ot an arr o gan t con fiden c e in the

, ,

ca p abilities o f his gen ius He p os s essed the secr et

.

o f i n g r a ti ati n g hi mself with the s o ldier s who s e dev o ,

tion to his per s on s ubsequen tly c arr ied the d ay on

man y a h ar d fo ught an d do ubtful field Al l o f
-
.
,

wh atever ran k sh ar ed mo st liber ally the fruits o f his

,

boun ty The offic ers wer e d aily en ter tain ed at his

.

table I n dividual pro w ess w as gen er ously r ewar ded

. .

The mo st tr iflin g in fractio n o f dis c iplin e w as pu n

i she d with in flexible sever ity S uc h w as the p olic y
.

that guided the con duct o f the n ew gen eral from the
ver y begin n in g o f his mar tial c ar eer Un der the .

c i r cu ms t an c e s it i s n ot at al l su r p r isi n g th at hi s ar ms
,

for a qu ar te r o f a c en tu r y should h ave been ab s o lutely

in vin c ible
The fir st expedition o f I bn —
.

abi Ami r w a s n ot re
-

markable for the r esult s whi ch it acc omplished in a

militar y p oin t o f View But its mo ral e ff ec ts upo n
.

both M o slem an d Chr istian wer e far mor e imp or t an t

th an would s eem to pr oc eed from a mer e for ay in to
the coun tr y o f the en emy I t r evived the declin in g
.

p r estige o f the khalifate I t raised the fl aggin g

.

a r dor o f the s oldie r y e n er v a ted by the vi c es an d the

,

in dolen c e o f an un even tful an d pr otr ac ted pe ace I t .

aro used well gr oun ded h o pes o f futu r e c on quest an d

-

glory un der a n ew an d en ter prisin g comman der .

I t con vi n c ed the implacable en emi es o f I sl am th at

the w arl ike spirit whic h had s o lo n g defe a ted their
7 04 HIS T ORY OF TH E

pr o j ec ts an d o bs tr u c ted their ambitio n w as n ot yet

extin c t The flyin g squadr o n s o f Le on ese c e ased to
.

plun der the vill ages o f An d alusia The shepher d .

an d the husb an d ma n we r e he n c efor th pe rmitted to

pur sue their v ocati on s in se cur ity The st an dar ds o f

.

the in fidel emblazon ed with the detested symb o l o f

,

the cro ss n o lon ge r distur bed the devo tion s or in sulted

,

the maj esty o f the M o slem ca pit al

The p ower o f I bn abi —
.

Amir bein g est ablished up on

-

a s o lid f ou n d ati o n he beg an to ma tu r e pl an s he ha d

,

lon g meditated for the ac quisiti o n an d exe r c ise o f

the sup r eme autho r ity The t alen ts he had exhibited
.
,

the succ ess he had achieved had ma de him the mo st ,

distin guished an d comman din g figure in the kin gdom .

He n ow determi n ed to disemb arra ss himself i n turn , ,

o f s u ch g r e a t o ffi c i als o f st ate as might be able to

thwar t him i n the executio n o f his ambitious pr o j

e cts an d he de cided to begin with M os hafi the on ly
, ,

o n e wh o se e mi n en t p o siti on c o uld suggest the p o ssi

bility o f r iv a lr y I n the exe cuti on o f this p ro j e ct

.
,

an tip a thy o f r ac e eve r c on spi cuous in the M o or ish

,

c o n tests fo r sup r e mac y len t its aid to j e alousy o f

,

p o wer M o shafi w a s o f Be r be r extraction an d con

.
,

sequen tly o bn oxi ous to the Ar ab f acti on to whi ch

I bn abi Ami r bel on ged
- -
The vizie r o wed the c on
.

siderati on in whi ch he w as held by Al H akem s olely -

to hi s liter ar y a tta in men t s whi ch we r e a g r e a te r

,

r e co m men d ation to the f av or o f th at mon arch th an

either t alen ts f or st ates man ship or r en o wn in arms .

H is pr ide w as ex c essive ; his c h ar ac ter l a cked dec i

si on ; his pen u ri ousn ess w as proverbial ; his pe cu l a
tion s co n spicuo us in a cour t whe r e moral an d p olitical
i n tegr ity wer e the ex c epti on He w as alr e ady a mer e
.

puppet in the h an ds o f his c olle a gue wh o se gen ius ,

had obt ai n ed o ve r his feeble an d i rr es o lute min d a

c o mplete as c e n den c y While main t ain in g the clo sest
.

r el ati on s with M o s ha fi his per fid iou s en emy av ailed

,
7 06 HIS T ORY OF TH E

ac ters , e ager to pr o fit by the sp o ils o f su cc essful an d

unmo lested ro bber y .

But a ch an ge w as n ow at h an d The n ew pr efe ct .

bro ught to the a dmin istration o f the aff ai r s o f his

offi c e the s ame i n flexible j usti c e the s ame seve r ity , ,

the s ame r es olutio n whi ch had elsewher e distin guished

,

his con du c t in a public c a pacity The p o lic e system .

w as r emo delled I ts membe r s ter r ified by s ome s alu

.
,

t ar y ex amples whic h the exigen cies o f the servic e

,

r equ i r ed n o l on ge r frate r n ized with c r imin a ls

, The .

fo r eign o utlaws fled pr e c ipit ately from the c ity The .

str eets c ould on c e mor e be t raver sed i n se cur ity the ,

subur bs c e ased to be the s c en e o f tumult an d dis

or der . The adv an t ages o f ran k an d for tun e g ave
n o i mmu n ity to o ff en de r s u n de r the ste r n j u r i s d i c

tion o f I bn abi Amir E ven the ties o f bloo d we re

- -
.

ign or ed by this imp ar tial magistr ate f or his o w n son , ,

h av in g been con vi cted o f s ome vi ola ti on o f the l aw ,

r e c eived su c h a te r r ible s cou r gin g th a t he died u n der

the h an ds o f the exec ution er .

I n the me an time the fr ien ds o f M o shafi had c alled

,

hi s atte n ti on to the d an ge r s th a t th r e aten ed him an d ,

which his pe r c eptio n s had n ot been acute en ough to

dete ct The crisis w as immin e n t an d the vizier s aw
.
,

n o o the r me an s to cou n te r a c t the in sidio us desig n s o f

his r iv al exc ept by c ou r tin g the f avor o f his an c ien t

en emy Gh alib He dete rmin ed at on c e up on a bold
.

stroke o f p oli c y an d with ever y man ifest ation o f

, ,

hon or an d defer en c e r equested the h an d o f the d au g h

,

ter o f Gh alib f or o n e o f his s o n s The p ride o f the .

veteran despite his deep s e ated feelin gs o f en mity

,
-

w as fl atter ed by the complime n t The f amily o f .

M oshafi while n ot n o ble w a s on e o f the mo s t dis

, ,

tin g u i s hed in An d alusi a His we alth ac qui r ed by

.
,

ye ar s o f pecul ati on w a s kn own to be imme n se an d

, ,

his author ity n omin ally dir e cted the a ffa ir s o f the
khal if ate I mp r essed w ith the a dv an t a ges o f su c h
.
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 707

a matrimon ial alli an c e Gh alib r eadily assented to ,

the p ro p o sition o f the vizier Delighted beyon d .

me as ur e with his suc c es s M o shafi lost n o time in ,

ar ran gi n g the p r eli min ar ie s ; the marr i age con tract -

w as sign ed an d a, d ay app oin ted for the fin al

c er emon y But these arr an gemen ts could n ot be
.

con c luded with out the k n o wledge o f the spies o f I bn

a bi Ami r s ome o f who m w e r e membe r s o f the h ou s e

-
,

hold o f the vizier The latter s o on dis c over ed th at he

.

w a s n o mat ch fo r hi s wily a d v e r s ar y His plo t s wer e .

met by c o un ter plo ts The in fluen c e o f the S ult an a

supp or ted by the en tir e followin g o f I bn abi—
-
.
,

Amir -
,

who se fr ien ds in cluded s ome o f the highe s t fun ctio n

ar ies o f the kh alifa te w as exe r ted to sh ake the r e s o
,

lu tio n o f Gh a lib The mo tives o f M os hafi we r e im

.

pu g n e d I t w a s ar tfully i n si n u ated th at thi s sudden

.

demon str ati on o f fr ien dship w as on ly a con ven ien t

mask for s ome deep laid act o f per fi d y -
The im .

plac able h atr ed so lon g en tertain ed by the vizier

a g a in s t the vete r an co mman der g ave co n s ider able
c ol or o f p ro b ability to thi s suggesti on An d fin ally .
,

I bn abi Amir himself made a for mal deman d f or

- -

the h an d o f the beautiful Asma pro testin g that the ,

s on o f the plebei an M os hafi w a s un wo r thy o f a d amsel

who se ran k an d be auty might well en title her to be

the br ide o f the mo st p o we r ful subj e ct o f the M o slem
empi r e The con s t an cy o f Gh alib w as n ot pro o f
.

a g a i n st the s e plausible r epr esen t ation s Witho ut .

warn in g he r epudi ated his en g agemen ts w ith M o s

His d aughte r became the wife o f I bn —
,

ha fi . abi

Ami r ; thei r n upti als we r e c elebr ated with a p omp ex

cee d in g a n ythi n g o f the ki n d eve r held i n the c a pit al ;

an d the b r ideg ro om hi mself w a s a ppo i n ted to the

offic e o f h a j ib the mo st ex alted dign ity in the gift

,

o f the cro wn .

F rom this time the fall o f M os hafi w as ra pid The .

wor thless fr ien ds o f hi s p r osperity o n e by on e ab an , ,

7 08 HIS T ORY OF TH E

d on ed him He w as impris on ed alon g w ith the male

.

members o f his family an d their pro per ty w as seized

,

pen din g an in vestigation f or malfe as an c e in offi c e .

Ther e w as n o d ifli cu lty i n est ablishin g the t ruth o f

this a ccus ation The O ff en c es o f the culpr its had been
.

fl agran t an d n otorious The sen ten c e o f con fis cation

.

imp osed upon them swept in to the public co ff er s a

g r e at t r e asur e mo st o f which had been ac quir ed by
,

fraud an d ext or tion S uch o f the r el atives o f the

.

vizier a s had r en der ed the mselves espe c ially o ff en sive

to thei r pe r se c ut or we r e st r an gled O the r s man aged .

to eke ou t a w r et c hed subsiste n c e by the mo st men i al

occ up ati on s an d eve n by begg ar y
, The vener able .

M o sha fi a fte r su ff er i n g fo r ye ar s ever y hu mili ati on

,

th at c o uld be impo sed by the in gen uity o f h atr ed an d

the in s o len c e o f p ower pe rished in s ome un kn o wn ,

w ay by vi olen c e an d his b ody w as c ar ried to the grave

,

with but little mor e c e remo n y th an usually atten ded

the in termen t o f a p auper .

While these even ts wer e t r an spir in g a fo rmidable ,

con spi rac y for the a ss a ssi n ati o n o f the Kh alif an d

the p r omo tion o f on e o f his cousin s Abd al Rahman ,

- -

I bn Ob e y d al l ah to the r o y a l dign ity w as matur in g

-
, ,

in the c a pit al The gr e at maj or ity o f the liter ar y

.

men —the f or me r comp an io n s an d in st ructor s o f I bn

,

a bi Ami r — with o ffi c i als w ho had Viewed his elev a ti on

-
,

with un c on c e aled en vy an d h atr ed stimul ated by ,

medio crity an d c on s c ious in competen c e wer e the pro ,

moters o f the en ter p rise The dan ger ous p o siti on o f .

le ade r w as a ssumed by the eun uch D j aud ar w ho w as ,

an xi o us to a ve n ge his disgrac e to r et r ieve his for t ,

un es an d to r est or e the failin g cr edit o f his caste

, .

The r e w as s c ar c ely a k adi a j ur ist a po et o f the , ,

co u r t o r a p r o fess o r o f the Un ive r sity w ho w as

,

n ot c o gn iz an t o f the plo t The faqu is an d the theo .

l o g i an s w ho con s ide r ed the or tho do xy o f I bn abi

,
-

Amir a s mor e th an do ubtful wer e c o n cern ed in it to a ,

7 10 HIS T ORY OF TH E

n ess o f I bn abi Amir suggested a me an s o f cou nte r

- -

ac ti n g this d an ge r H avin g c ar efully sele cted the

.

the olo gi an s O f the capital mo st n o t o r io us f o r their

in t o le ran c e
, he in vited them to the p alac e an d
s olemn ly in formed them th at the pr esen c e o f the
philo s o phic al an d s c ien tific works in the librar y o f
Al H akem w as a gr e at bur den upon his con s c ien c e
-
,

an d r equested thei r a ssist an c e i n pur gin g the c olle e

ti on o f b ooks tr e atin g o f subj e c ts wh o se study w as

n ot s an c ti on ed by the K o r an C on ducted in t o the
.

immen se librar y wh ose shelves wer e cover ed with the

lite rary tr e asu r es o f E u ro pe an d Asia the big oted ,

e n emies o f lear n in g en ter ed upo n their t a sk with

al ac r ity . The c olle ction w as ex amin ed i n det ail an d ,

the works kn own o r suspec ted to be t ain ted with

hetero d ox sen timen ts we r e co n sign ed to the fl ames .

The distin guished pen iten t imp ro ved the occ asi on to
o ff e r a n edifyi n g exhibiti on o f ze al by pe r s on ally

a ssistin g in the dest r u c ti on o f the p r o s c r ibed v o lu mes .

History ha s f ailed to ac qu ain t us with the magn i

tude o f this lo ss I t must h ave been imp ort an t ho w
.
,

eve r even if due allo wan c e be made for the ign or an c e

,

o f the mufti s an d f a quis w ho ha d but slight k n o wl

,

edge o f an y s ave theo lo gi c al lite ratur e an d wh o se ih

,

d u stry must h ave bee n s or ely t axed by the l ab o r i ous

s cr utin y o f six hun dr ed th ous an d v olumes Hen ce .

fo rth n o on e ven tur ed to question the o r tho do xy o f

the min ister He p atro n ized with marked p ar ti ality
.

a l l membe r s o f the r eligi o us p r o fessi on ; fl atter ed

their p r ide by his atten tion to their p ro sy dis cour ses "
w on their aff e c ti on by his libe ra lity ; eli cited their
praise by his den un ci ation o f in fi d el s He demo n .

s tr a ted th at the skill o f his yo uth ha d n ot dep ar ted

from him by the pr o du ction o f a be autiful c o py o f

the K o ran wr itten en tir ely by his o w n h an d which
, ,

he n ever su ff er ed to le ave his per s on an d co n st an tly

,

perused in publi c with such app ar en t un ctio n th at all

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 71 1

w ho beheld him wer e gr eatly impressed with this

r e mar k able displ ay o f dev o ti on .

M oshafi h avin g been disp o sed o f it w as n ow the

The p o wer ful in ter est o f I bn —
,

tu rn o f Gh alib . abi

Amir with the S ult an a an d the nobles which had

r a ised him to the ran k o f ha j ib pl ac ed him o n a p o liti

c al equ a li ty w ith his f ather in l aw - -

The latter w as
.

c o n st an tly at v ar i an c e with hi s ass oc i ate wh om he c on ,

s i d e r ed as his i n fer i o r but wh o se a s c enden c y i n the

,

c o n du c t o f the a dmi n i s tr ati on he w as n e v er theless

forc ed to ackn owledge The an n oyanc e I bn abi

.
-

Ami r su ff er ed from thes e disputes an d the fac t th at,

Gh alib w as n ow the s o le o bs t acle inter posed between

his ambitio n an d the pr actic al sovereign ty o f the em
pir e led him to begin without delay the s cheme which
,

he had devised for the o verthrow o f his c oll eag ue .

The fir s t an d in deed the in dispen s able r equis ite o f

, ,

succ es s w as the c on trol o f the army The po wer o f .

the aud aci ous min ister whi ch w as dr e aded by ever y

,

c ivil fu n cti on ar y o f the kh alif ate virtu ally en ded at

,

the o utp o sts o f the n e ar est g arrison The s o ldiery .

kn ew him on ly as a kadi ; an d while he had beh aved

with c r edit in mor e than on e engagemen t an d had ,

e s t abli s hed a n ame for gen ero sity his mili t ar y r epu
,

tation an d p o pul ar ity had s o f ar p roved to be n either

br illi an t n or en durin g The attachmen t o f the sol
.

dier s c en tred in Gh alib They had sh ared together

.

the h ar dships an d the glor y o f man y ar duous cam

a i ns Thei r inte r ests ha d l on g been iden ti c a l an d
p g . ,

an y demonst rati on invo lvi n g the hon or or the s a fety

o f the gen eral w ould h a ve been r esisted by the en ti r e

mil itary forc e o f the mon ar chy The army con sisted
.

main ly o f Ar abs the Ber ber s en listed by Abd al

,
-

R ahman II I h avi n g been g r adually disb an ded an d

.

natives o f the Penin sula substituted for them un der

Al H akem The p ar ti ality o f their comman der had
-
.

in dulged them in frequen t an d serious infr action s

7 12 HIS T ORY OF TH E

of dis ciplin e Their equi pmen t w as n ot uniform an d

.
,

w as o ften defe c tive The awkwar dn ess o f the h or se

.

men w as the j est o f for eign e r s I n man y r espec ts

.

the or g an iz ation o f the v ar io us cor ps did n ot di ffer

from th at o f a dis or der ly an d in efficient mili tia
The exper ien c e ac quir ed by I bn —
.

abi Ami r dur i n g

-

his s oj o ur n in Afr ic a had con vin c ed him o f the ex

cell en c e o f the M au r it an i an c av a lr y wh o se r eput a
,

tion in deed d ated fr om the F irst Pun ic W ar The .

S p an ish p o sts in th at co un tr y had been ab an d oned ,

with the ex c eption o f Ceut a an d the p ro tec torate

,

forme r ly exerc ised by the kh alif r emo ved I n con .

sequen c e o f this me asur e an d ther e bein g n o c en tral

,

p ower to r estr ain the Ber bers the en tir e r egion be

,

came at o n c e a p r ey to an ar chy At the time the

.

min ister w as plann in g a th orough r e or gan iz ation o f

the army in telligen c e w as con veyed to him by the
,

g overn or o f Ceut a th at a con sider able det achmen t o f

Berber s w ho had been wor sted in a r ec en t b attle
,

an d we r e abs olutely i mp o ve r ished had a ppe aled to

,

him for pr o te c tion whi ch he had temp o rar ily aff or ded
,

them The ple a sur e o f the g over nmen t w as r equested

.

r espe c ti n g the fin al disp o siti on o f these r efugees .

The o r der w as immedi ately sen t to pr o p ose to them

en listmen t in the army Of the kh alif ate The o ff er .

w as acc epted with o ut hesit ati on an d the in h abit an ts

,

o f Al g ezir a s beheld with c on ste rn ati on an d disgust

the disemb ar kation o f a h or de o f fer oci ous w arr iors

c l o thed in ra gs an d mou n ted on h or ses wh o se skeleton

for ms seemed h ar dly cap able o f sustain in g even the

weight o f their emaci ated r ider s But the s a g acious
.

haj ib w ho r e co gn ized i n these u n co uth b ar b ar i an s the

,

formid able in stru men ts o f a s oarin g ambition en ter ,

tain ed his n ew p r o tég és with r o y al h o spit ality The .

fin est arms an d h or ses we r e fu rn ished them Their .

b oun dless ra pacity w as gratified by ever y con c ession

th at in s o len c e could deman d or pro dig ality aff ord .
7 14 HIST ORY OF TH E

li fe The co un try w as o verr un by armed men w ho

.
,

did n ot hesit ate when occ asio n deman ded to r udely

, ,

strip the un fo rtun ate pea s an t o f the h ar d earn ed -

fruits o f his l ab o r The lo fty st atur e an d ex traor

.

d in ar y st r e n gth o f these mo u n t ain ee r s their un ,

equalled po wer s o f en dur an c e their br aver y an d their ,

s te adi n es s i n b attle r en der ed them mo st desirable ,

r e cr uit s .The emi s s ar ies o f I bn abi Amir exper ien c ed - -

n o diffi c ulty i n con vi n c i n g them o f the ben efits they

would r e c eive by a ch an ge o f master s A con s ider .

able det a ch men t r ep a ir ed to C or d ov a an d e n te r ed the

army o f the Kh alif The min ister t r e ated them with

.

even gr e ater in dulgen c e th an he had sh o wn to the

Afr ic an s They r ec eived do uble p ay
. They wer e .

lo dged in p alati al qu ar ters They wer e magn ific en tly .

a rmed an d mo unted an d p ro vided with ever y att ai n ,

able comf or t an d luxu r y The p arti ality o f the haj ib.

fo r these f avor ite me r c e n ar ies s ometimes even c aused

him to dep ar t fr om the equity whi ch ha d he r et o fo r e
c h ar ac te r ized hi s j udi c i al con du c t I n the con tr ov e r .

s ies he w a s c a lled up on fr om time to time to s ettle, ,

between his M o s lem sub j e c ts an d his Chr istian gu ar ds ,

his de c i s i on s wer e almo st in v ar i ably r en der ed in fav or

o f the l atte r The e ff ects o f this p o liti c cou r se s oon
.

bec ame a pp ar en t The C as tili an s an d N av arr ese like

.
,

the B é rber s v olun tee r ed in l ar ger n umber s th an could

,

be accommo d ated O n ly pi cked men wer e acc epted

.

by the r ecr uitin g offic e r s ; an d a cor ps w as f ormed

which for physic al str en gth per fe ction o f ar mamen t
, , ,

an d ex c ellen c e o f dis c ipli n e had n ot its co u n te r p a r t ,

in E ur o pe .

While I bn abi Amir w as thus d ay by d ay tighten

- -
, ,

in g hi s g r asp up on the c ivil an d milit ar y dep ar tmen ts

o f the g ove r n me n t he w a s at the s ame time g r a du ally
, , ,

un dermin in g the supp or t an d we aken in g the p o wer

o f his r iv al The custom o f tr ib al o r g an iz ation in
.
,

her ite d from the pr e I sl ami c er a still p r ev ailed in the

-
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 7 15

ar my lVI emb er s o f the s ame tribe c omman ded by

.
,

chiefs o f thei r ow n ki n dr ed we r e mu s te r ed in t o the ,

servi c e to gether I n n umer ous in st an c es by in ter

.
,

marri age w ith in dividuals O f o ther rac es the ch ain o f ,

r el ati o n s hip ha d been broken Clan n ish pr ej udic e .

had h o weve r su rvived the r e cor d o f gen e alo gies fo r

, , ,

man y wer e fou n d en r olled amo n g the v ar ious tr ibes

w ho eviden tly had n o t the r emo te s t c l ai m to su ch ass o
c i atio n The p oli cy o f I bn abi Amir w as dir e cted to
.
- -

the fin al abro g ati on o f these an c ien t distin cti on s The .

Ar abs wer e distr ibuted amo n g the st ro n gest division s

o f the Be r be r an d Ch r i s ti an me rc en ar ie s By this .

me an s their ide n tity w as lo st amidst a c r owd o f for

eign e r s ign oran t alike o f their customs their tradi ,

ti on s an d n o t in fr equen tly o f their l an guage The

, , , .

favor ite troo ps o f Gh alib wer e by this mean s quietly , ,

an d expediti o usly s c atte r ed beyo n d the h o pe o f r e or

g an izati on The dis c iplin e o f the army w as sedu

.

lo u s l y impr oved Offic er s w er e appo i n ted to com

.

man d w h o se firs t qu alific atio n w as devotion to the

per so n al in ter e s ts o f the h aj ib an d who se se co n d w as ,

b as ed up o n their exper ien c e in w ar an d their r epu

tation f o r cou r age Militar y r egula tion s wer e en
.

for c ed with such seve rity th at even the ac ciden tal

exp osur e o f a swo r d du rin g p arade w as pun ished with
de ath .

H avin g to his en tir e s atisfac tion o bt ain ed c on trol

o f the army I bn ab i Ami r n o w p r o p o sed to hi mself
- -

the auda cio us pr o j e ct o f pl acin g an d r et ain in g the

youthful Kh alif in a con dition o f per petu al tutelage .

His mo ther o ver wh om the min ister s till r etain ed his

,

as c en den c y str an ge to r elate willin gly len t her aid

, ,

to the ac c omplish me n t o f thi s n efar io u s design The .

t alen ts o f the youn g p rin c e at th at time ab out fifteen ,

ye ars o ld ar e stated by c on temp o r an eous writers to

,

have been far abo ve medi o crity Un der favor able .

c i r c u mst an c e s it is p o ssible th at he might h ave be c ome

,
7 16 HIS T ORY OF TH E

a r uler n ot in fer ior to the mo st di stin gui shed o f his

lin e But un h appily ever y e ffo r t w as exerted to
.
, ,

dwar f his in telle c t an d imp air his physical p o wer s .

He w as kept in stri c t sec lusion in the p alac e o f Me

din a al Zahr a His te ac her s wer e r emoved an d his
- -
.
,

edu cati on systemati c ally n eglected I t w as con stan tly .

in c ulcated up o n him th at his chief duties as a mon ar ch

wer e the diligen t pe rus al o f the K oran an d the d is tr i
bu ti on o f a lms His b ody w as emac iated an d his
.
,

intelle c tu al f aculties we aken ed by the fr equen t an d ,

p rotr acted fa sts which his r eligious a dviser s en j oi n ed .

These r egul ation s suffic ien tly in j ur i ous to bo th the

,

bo dy an d the min d o f youth wer e n ot to be com ,

p ar ed in their destr uc tive e ff e cts with the sen sual

exc e s ses en cour a ged by the tempt ation s o f the h ar em .

I n its r eti r ed an d myste r i ous ap art men ts eve r ythin g

w as fav or able to the p r ococi ou s develo pme n t o f the
p assion s C r o wds o f beautiful slaves con st an tly su r
.

r oun ded him an d per for med f or his amuseme n t the

,

lic en tious d an c es o f the E ast The r ar est per fu mes .

di ffused their in t oxic atin g Odor s through the dimly

lighted ap ar tmen ts Her e s a fe from the fr own in g
.
,

glan c es o f fa qui an d s an t on co uld be quaff ed to the , ,

p oin t o f r epletio n an d in sen sibility the deli c ious win es ,

o f S p ai n The atten d an ts r ec eived pe r emptory in

.

s tr u c ti on s to l o se n o o pp or t un ity o f corrupti n g an d

b rutalizin g their helpless ch arge I n con sequen c e the .

,

un for tun ate H is chem w as degr aded by the h abitu al

pr acti c e o f the mo st r evoltin g vi c es His p r ematur ely .

f ailin g p ower s wer e at fir st stimul ated by a ph ro disi acs .

His vir ility w as a fte rw ar ds perman ently imp air ed by

drugs a dmi ni s ter ed for th at pur pose by eun u chs in
the pay o f the min iste r With the adv an c e o f the .

pr in c e in year s the c on dition s an d diver sion s o f child

,

ho o d r emain ed un c h an ged The s ame t o ys amused his .

idle momen ts The s ame dev o tion al exer c ises wer e

.

d aily en f orc ed by his spiritual guides His wor ld w as .

7 18 HIS T ORY OF TH E

er e c ted for the c o n ven ien c e o f the g r e at Offic i als o f

the g o vern men t an d Z ahira s oon ac quir ed the inh abi
,

t an ts an d assumed the appe ar an c e o f a c ity The .

emplo yees o f the co urt the pe r s on al a dher en ts o f the

mi n iste r an d the her d o f p ar asites w ho in fested the
,

purl ieus o f ever y p alac e t o gether with a multitude ,

o f t ra des men an d ar tifi ce r s t oo k up thei r r esiden c e i n

,

the n eighbo rh oo d ; an d an ide a may be formed o f the

e xte n t o f Z ahi r a when it is r e membe r ed th a t a lth o ugh ,

the r eside n c e o f I bn abi Ami r w as twelve miles f rom

- -

C o r dov a the g ar den s o f its en vir on s r e ached to the

,

ban ks o f the Guad alquivir immedi ately o pp o site the

c a pit a l o f whi c h it in f a c t fo r med on e o f the mo st
, , ,

attr a c tive subu r bs .

O f this villa a st ory is to ld by the Arab histo r i an s

which illustr ates at o n c e the we alth the p r o fusion an d , ,

the lo ve o f o sten t ation s o pr omin en t in the c h ar ac ter

o f the O r ie n t al With a view o f impr essin g the
.

en vo ys o f the Kin g o f N av ar r e with his p ower an d

Opulen c e the h a j ib o r de r ed a gr e a t l ake in the g ar
,

den s o f Z ahira to be plan ted with water lilies I n to -

.

e ach o f the flo wer s durin g the n ight he c aused to be

, ,

plac ed a go ld or silver co in lar ge n u mbe rs o f which ,

he had or der ed stru ck espe c ial ly for th at pur p o se .

The weight o f the p r e ci ous met als r equir ed w as tw o

hu n dr ed p oun ds At the audien c e whi ch took pl ac e
.
,

at su n r ise in a dditi on to the g r a n d c ivil an d milit ar y

,

display usu al o n such occ asi o n s a b o dy o f eun u chs , ,

a th ous a n d in n u mbe r an d equ ally divided sto o d on ,

each s ide o f the th ro n e Al l wer e d r essed in white

.

silk The robes o f five hun d r ed wer e embro ide r ed

.

w ith g o ld th o se o f the o the r s with silve r

, S a shes o f .

gold or s ilv e r tissue en c irc led their waists an d e ac h ,

c ar r ied a g o ld o r silve r t r a y As the fir st rays o f the .

s un li ghted up the Sple n d or s o f the s c e n e the eu n u c hs ,

moved forw ar d with milit ary p r ec isi on g athe r ed the ,

lilies an d emptied thei r p r ec iou s c o n ten ts at the f eet

,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 719

of their master in a gr eat hea p o f glitter in g co in .

The e ff ec t o f this exhibitio n upon the simple moun

tain eers o f N av arr e may be imagin ed The r eput a .

tion o f the haj ib s r e s ourc es alr e ady gre at w as mag

’

, ,

n ifi ed a hu n d r ed f o ld M y s ti fi ed by the a ppar en t
-
.

pr o digy the amb ass ador s r ep or ted to thei r kin g th at

,

even the e ar th an d the w ater su rr en der ed their hidden

tr e asur es at the c omman d o f the omn ip o ten t M oh am
medan r uler
While the as tute an d politi c I bn abi —
.

Ami r w a s per -

fectin g his arran gemen ts to se cu r e ab s o lute con tr o l

o f the empi r e he t r e ated Gh a lib with f ar mor e th an
,

o r di n ar y co n sider ati o n He exhibited t owar ds him

.
,

o n all occ as i o n s the mos t di s ti n gui s hed cou r te s y

, He .

deferr ed to his o pin ion o n question s o f min or im

p or t an c e He humbly s oli cited his a dvi c e when s atis
.

fi e d th at its acc ept an c e wo uld n o t in te r fe r e with the

ac c omplish men t o f his pl an s But the sh rewd o ld
.

s oldier w as n ot to be impo sed upon by th ose flatterin g

eviden c es o f esteem an d att ac hmen t I n ten s ely lo yal .

to the H ou s e o f Ommey ah he had see n w ith disgust ,

an d a pp r ehen si on the r estr a in t o f the Kh alif an d the

usur p ation o f his p r ero g ati v es He had viewed with .

s carc ely les s dismay the in or din ate ambition o f hi s

c oll e ague an d the pr ed omin an c e to whi ch he had
a tt ai n ed .

While he did n o t at fir st per c eive the ultimate

e ff e c t o f the r e or gan iz atio n o f the milit ar y servic e ,

the disb an din g an d t ran s fer to dis tan t an d widely

sep arated p r ovin c e s o f tho se di v ision s mo st att ached
to his pe r s on as well as the i n cor p or ation o f his
,

fav orites in to the cor ps o f fo r eign mer c en aries fin ally ,

Open ed his eye s to the co n sequen c es o f the polic y o f

his son in l aw
-
But it w as then to o late The mis
-
.
.

c hief ha d al r e a dy been a c compli s hed The in dign a .

tio n o f the gen eral at fir s t foun d ven t in in e ff ectual

r ep ro a c hes At len gth dur in g an expedition in to the
. ,
7 20 HIST ORY OF TH E

en emy s un tr y while the tw o min ister s wer e r e co n

’
co ,

n oitr in g fr om the summit o f a to we r a fte r a vi o le n t ,

qu arr el Gh alib dr ew his swor d an d att acked his ass o

c i ate The l atter t aken by sur p r ise s aw n o other w ay
.
, ,

to avo id in st an t de ath but by p r e cipit atin g himself

fr om the battlemen ts His flo win g r obes caught on a .

proj e ction an d s aved his life The in c en sed r iv als .

sep arated with thr eats o f mutual defianc e ; w ar w as

at o n c e de c l ar ed between them; an d the di mi n ished

for c es o f Gh alib wer e str en gthen ed by a c on siderable

n umbe r o f h or seme n fu rn ished by the Kin g o f Le on .

The o per ation s o f the c amp aign wer e at fir st in de

ci s i v e but Gh a lib h avi n g exp o sed himself r e cklessly
, ,

in an e n g ageme n t w as killed ; his follo we r s we r e

,

seized with a p an i c an d the vi ctor y r emain ed with

,

his fortun ate adver s ar y .

I bn abi Amir w as n o w the s o le ma ste r o f the Kh al

- -

i fate o f the West By sheer forc e o f ch ar ac ter by

.
,

daun tless r es o lution by tir eless en e r gy he had r e al

, ,

ized his mo st che r ished aspir a tion s Witho ut fr ien ds .

or the i mp or t an t ai d o f family c on n e c ti on s he had ,

o bt ai n ed an d had a lr e a dy lo n g exe rc ised a p r e p on

deratin g in fluen c e in the st ate His a dro itn ess an d .

li beral ity had or gan ized a n ume r ous fac tion an d a

fo rmid able army b oth o f which served his per s on al
,

in ter ests with u n swer vin g lo ya lty The n omin al .

s o ver eign o f the coun t r y w a s vir tually his ser v an t .

The en tir e machin e ry o f go ve rnme n t with its tr e as ,

u r es the a pp o i n tmen ts o f its o ffi c er s the distr ibutio n

, ,

o f its r ew ar ds the in fli ctio n o f its pu n ishmen ts the

, ,

s uper visi on o f its c ivil p o li c y the co n du c t o f its cam ,

pai g n s w as in his h an ds
, S uc h w as the ex alted p o si.

ti on att ain ed by the former un kn ow n a n d impe cun ious

studen t o f the Un ive rsity w ho had man aged to o h ,

t ain an un c er ta in livelih oo d by wr itin g petitio ns for

a ppli c an ts f or ro y al f a v or man y o f w h o m we r e n o w ,

his o ffic i al subo r din ates Th ro ugh t he ch an ges o f .

7 22 HIST ORY OF TH E

an d w as embroider ed on the skir t o f his r o bes ; but

these wer e the o n ly survivin g eviden c es o f the exist
en c e an d the auth or ity o f the l ast o f the Ommey ad e s .

I n the n ew an d radi c a l p oli c y whi c h I bn ab i Amir - -

had in augu r ated with r espe ct to the army he w as far ,

from bein g a c tuated by pur ely selfish mo tives He .

un der st o od th or oughly the in con stan t an d r estless

n a tur e o f the p o pul ati on whi c h he r uled E xper ien c e .

had r epe atedly sh o wn the per ilo us con diti on s ar isin g

fr om a pr otr acted pe ac e The K or an e n j o in ed per
.

petu al w ar ag ain st the i n fidel S u ch a c rus ade w as

.

p opul ar with all c l asses —with the theologi an s who se

, ,

r eligi o us an i mo sities it g ratified ; with the me r c h an ts ,

wh o se t ra de it i n c r e ased an d wh o se co ff er s it r epl en
i shed ; with the n o bility to whom it o pe n ed an ave n ue
,

to milit ar y distin c ti on ; with the s o ldie r y w ho wer e ,

a tt rac ted by the p ro spe c t o f u n limited plun de r .

E ver y year fr om the d ate o f his ass o c i ati on with

,

Gh alib in the a dmin istr ation I bn abi Am i r had pro

,
- -

c l a i med the Dj ih a d , an d had hi mself t ake n p ar t in

tw o expediti on s a g a in st the Ch r isti an s T o this p o li c y

.
,

wh o se expedien c y w as in disputa ble he public ly de ,

cl ar ed his i n ten ti on to a dhe r e The peo ple he ar d the

.

ann o un c emen t with exult ati o n The faqui s a pplauded

.

the piety o f the h aj ib with a fer vor whic h they

s car c ely vo u chs a fed to the deed s o f the s ain ts w ho
fil led the M o slem c ale n d ar The con st an t employ
.

men t o f a l ar ge n umber o f t r o o ps i n h o stile o pe r ation s

w as a subst an ti al gu ar an ty a g ain st r ev o luti on With .

this p oten t s a fegu ar d the d an ger s o f sediti on were

,

n o l on ge r to be a pp r ehen ded The p assion s an d the

.

en er gy o f the n ation wer e to be expen ded in a w ar

bey on d the b or ders o f the mo n ar chy But still an .

o the r con side rati on i n fluen c ed the mi n d o f the g r e at

st atesman He w as ze alously s oli c itous for the h on or

.
,

pr o foun dly ambiti ous for the glor y o f his c oun try ,
.

He desir ed to exten d her fron tier s ; to r eco ver the

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 7 23

territory th at had been con quer ed from or b as ely

y i elded by her s o ve r eig n s as well as to ch astise her ,

blasphemin g en emies .

O f the g r eate r n umber o f the fi fty tw o c amp aign s -

di r e c ted by I bn abi Amir the c hr on i c ler s o f the time

- -
,

h ave left us n o r e c or d M an y o f them doubtless .

, ,

wer e mer e maraudin g expedition s ; but all wer e u n i

formly an d sign ally suc c essful N ot the slightes t .

r eve r se di mmed the lust r e o f a si n gle t r iumph With .

e ach year the limits o f the Ch r istian kin gdoms be came

mor e an d mor e c on tracted un til they b ar ely r e ached ,

the s outhe rn slo pes o f the moun t ain s Beyon d .

,

str et chin g away to the M o slem bor de r w as a s cen e ,

o f de s ol a ti o n w her e on c e w avi n g c r o p s an d ve r d an t
,

p astur es met the eye The p r e s en c e o f an o c c asion al

.

pile o f blacken ed r uin s w as the o n ly in di cati on th at

the coun tr y had ever been in h abited S o co mplete w as .

this dev astation th at the plain s o f Le on an d C astile

have n ot yet r ecover ed from its e ff e c ts The for ests .

then cu t do wn h ave n ever been r epl an ted The cur se .

o f ste r ility an d the fr eezi n g w in ds th at s weep ove r

,

this cheer le s s r egion seem to dis c our age the h o pe th at

,

it will eve r r egain its forme r pro duc tiven e s s The .

in c ess an t mar ch o f the M oo rish armies fo r a quar ter

o f a c e n tu r y oblite ra ted e v e r y sig n o f a n i mal an d

veget able life .

The ir e o f I bn abi Ami r w as ar oused by the r eflec

- -

tion th at the Kin g o f Le on de s pite the a dmon itio n s ,

he had r e c eived had d ar ed to a ssist hi s r ival M oshafi

, ,

an d ,
ben t on reven ge he made p r ep ar atio n s for the
,

mo st imp o r t an t expedition whi ch had un der his com

man d eve r in v aded the Chr isti an ter r ito r y The .

stron g c ity o f Zamora defen ded by s even mighty ,

wall s an d s even moats w as t aken by s to rm F our

,
.

thous an d o f the en emy wer e butcher ed an d as man y ,

mor e led in to captivity A thous an d settlemen ts su r

.
,

r o un ded by eviden c es o f the thr ift o f an in dustr i ous

724 HIS T ORY OF TH E

peas an tr y we r e given to the fl ames A co n sider able

, .

n u mbe r o f mo n a ste r ies an d co n ven ts we r e dest ro yed ,

an d thei r inma tes delive r ed to the Be r be r s to be in

s u lted a n d t o rtu r ed with eve r y devi c e o f r uthless b ar

b ar ity R e alizin g thei r common d an ger the Kin gs

.
,

o f Le o n an d N a v a rr e formed a defen sive a lli an c e with

the C oun t o f C astile an d ven tur ed to r esist the,

pr ogr ess o f the M o slems The h o stile armies met at .

Rued a n ot far fr om S i man cas A gr e at b attle t ook

, .

pl ac e ; the Chr isti an s we r e completely ro uted an d ,

v i c t o r s an d van qui s hed en ter ed S iman cas to gether .

N o qu arter w as sh o wn by the in fu r i ated S ara c en s .

E ve r y Ch r isti an w ho fell i n to their po we r w as put

to the swo r d Win ter w as at h an d but I bn abi Amir
.
,
- -
,

w ho u n de r st oo d the n e c essity o f fo llo win g up a v ic

t or y with out heedin g cold o r tempest moved on
, ,

Le on The city r educ ed to extr emity w as about to

.
, ,

yield when the in to ler able h ar dships o f the se as on

, ,

which w as on e o f un usu al sever ity compelled a ,

r et r e a t .

After the c aptur e o f S iman c as the en thusi astic ,

s o ldie r y c on fe rr ed up on thei r comman de r the a ppel a

tion o f Al M an sur The Vi ctori ous This n ame by

-
, .
,

whi ch the haj ib w as a fter war ds un ivers ally design ated ,

w as i n imit ati on o f the c ustom o f the kh alifs ao

, ,

c e te d by him a s a title o f h on or With its a d o pti on

p .

he arr o g ated to himself man y o ther t oke n s o f dis

tin ction hithe r t o con sider ed the ex c lusive pr ivileges
o f ro y alty His titles we r e woven in golden letters
.

o n the hem o f his g ar men ts His n ame w a s a ss oc iated

.

with th at o f H i s chem in the kho tba O f all w ho .

a pp r oached him the mo st se r vile Obeis an c e w a s ex ac ted .

N ew an d o ppre ss si v e r egul ati on s wer e added to the

al r e a dy compli c a ted c e r emo n i al o f the co u r t The .

marks an d r equir emen ts o f h oma ge exten ded to every

member o f the haj ib s f amily even to in fan ts in the
’

c radle N o n e o f the mo n arc hs w ho in he rited the

.
7 26 HIS T ORY OF TH E

st atutes ele cted kin gs levied t axes comman ded

, , ,

armies . Le on w as se r iously we aken ed by in tes tin e

qu arr els The n obles wer e constan tly aspir in g to the
.

th ron e an d raisin g up a succ essi on o f in competent

,

pr eten der s The p ower ful a pp an age o f C a stile had

.

been perman en tly al ien ated from the crown an d en ,

j o yed a n omin al indepen den c e with o ut the r es ourc es

to main t ai n its lo fty p r eten sion s M an y o f the .

br avest warr ior s o f the " N or th had been tempted by

promises o f high pay an d abun dan t b oo ty to re
n o un c e thei r a llegi an c e an d wer e n o w se r vi n g u n der
,

the st an d ar d o f the kh alif ate With the succ esses o f .

the M o slems an d the dimin ution o f their o w n terri

,

tor y the mutu al distrust O f the Ch r isti an pr i n c es in

,

cr e a sed an d thei r is o l ati on from e ach o ther be came

,

mor e an d mor e complete Their domestic feuds an d .

irr econ cil able an tip athies in duc ed them in tur n to , ,

s olic it the aid o f their n atu r al e n emies a me asur e ,

which led to the imp o sition o f t ribute an d the ackn ow l

e d g men t o f v ass al age The c ity o f C o r do va w as
.

fil led with Ch r isti an exiles w ho con tin u ally imp or ,

tun ed the go vern men t to embr ac e the cause o f their

severa l faction s again st thei r kin dr ed an d their coun
tr y men S ome o f the mo st serious an d fat al rev olu
.

tio n s which distur bed the pe ac e o f the n o r ther n st ates

wer e tra c e able to this s our c e an d to the in tr igues o f,

pro s cribed a dven tur ers wh o se design s it w as man i

festl y the in te r est o f the M o sle ms to p romo te The .

difficulties which beset the yo uth an d in exper ienc e o f

R amir o II I Kin g o f Leon c aused him to a ppeal to
.
, ,

the co urt o f C or do va for supp or t a g ain st the usur per

Bermudo w ho had depr ived him o f his ca pit al an d
,

his crow n I n r eturn fo r the desir ed assistan c e the

.
,

dethr on ed Kin g an n ou n c ed his willin gn ess to become

the feu d atory o f the Kh alif Befor e the tr e aty w as .

con c luded h o weve r R ami r o died

, , The p artis an s o f .

the latter wer e n ume rous an d power ful ; the c olor o f

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 727

r ight as well as superi or ity o f title would in vest any

c an did ate wh om they might sele ct ; an d Be rmudo

determin ed to an tic ip ate their design s follow the ,

un wo rthy ex ample o f his de c e ased r iv al an d by the , ,

s acrific e o f his pe r s on al hon or an d the in depen denc e

o f his coun t r y r et ai n a p or ti on o f the auth or ity he
,

had illeg ally ac qui r ed . The humiliatin g con c ession s

deman ded by Al M an s ur wer e acquies c ed in witho ut
-

hesit atio n by the c owar dly u s ur per ; homage w as r en

der ed to the h aj i b as suze rain ; an d men ac ed by the
,

presen c e o f a M o s lem army the kin gdom o f Leon

, ,

every foot o f which had been w on from the i n fid el s

at an i mmen se s ac r ific e o f life a n d v a lo r f or the thi r d
,

time sin c e its con quest by the Astur i an s des c en ded to

the po siti on o f a tr ibut ar y pr in cipality .

H avin g r educ ed the kin gdoms o f the N or th to such

a c o n diti o n o f helple s s n e s s th at he had n o thin g to

fe ar fr om their h o stility Al M an s ur n ow dir ected his

,
-

a tte n ti on t o w ar ds a coun tr y whi ch ha d l on g en j o yed

immun ity fr om M oslem in vasion The C oun ty o f .

C atalon i a while a n omin al a pp an age o f F r an c e w as

, ,

r uled by its chief magist ra te w ith all the a ttr ibutes

o f desp oti c s o ve r eign ty . The we akn es s o r the appr e

hen s i o n s o f for me r kh alifS had dete rr ed them fr om
provokin g a con test whi ch might br in g up on them ,

in a dditi o n to thei r d omestic fo es the un ited for c es

,

o f the F r e n ch mo n ar chy Thes e fear s ho wever wer e

.
, ,

ill foun ded The pro vin c es o f th at kin gdom like

.
,

th ose o f Ch r isti an S p ain wer e a pr ey to in tern al

,

dis cor d The s o ciety o f F r an c e w as in a st ate o f

.

tran s ition . A bitter con test w as ragin g between

feud al pr eten sio n s an d r oyal pr er ogative The cr own .

had n o r es o ur c es to squ an de r in the defe n c e o f a dis

t an t an d un p ro fitable depen den c y an d the h aughty
,

n obles would h ave r esisted an a ttempt to levy t roo ps

for a camp aign o f d oubtful issue beyon d the Pyr e

—
.

n ees
.
All these f ac ts we r e k n o w n to A l M ansur ,
72 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

wh ose spies in fested ever y cour t in E u r o pe His .

r eso luti on fo rmed the min ister caused the H o ly W ar

,

to be p r oc l aimed a g ain st the C at al an s

—
I t w as the .

twen ty thir d expedition o f his r eign E lated by the .

ho pe o f fr esh victories volun teer s r espon ded by thou

,

s an ds A g r eat army w as muster ed which w as met

.
,

on the fro n tie r by the C a t al an tr oo ps c omman ded by

C oun t B o r el in per s on An en gagemen t took pla ce

.
,

but the Christian s lo n g un accusto med to w ar c o uld

, ,

n ot st an d befor e the vete ran s o f the kh a lifate They .

wer e defe ated with ser io us lo ss an d five d ays a fter , ,

war ds B arc elon a w as stormed an d deliver ed o ver to

,

pillage O f the in h a bit an ts few es caped de ath or

.

ca ptivity ex c epti n g the J ews th o se c on stan t sv m ,

a thi ze rs with the M o slems w h o e ar ly reco n i zm

p g g , ,

the adv an t ageous situ ation o f B ar c elon a had settled ,

ther e in l ar ge n umber s ha d accumul ated v ast for ,

tun es had risen to un r iv alled emin en c e in the kn owl

,

edge an d practic e o f medic in e an d had foun ded com ,

mer ci al est ablishmen ts wh o se in ter ests wer e p rote cted

an d who s e in fluen c e w a s a ckn o wledged in ever y
coun t r y o f the gl o be The C oun t pr eser ved the re
.

main d er o f his domi n ion s from a similar f ate by the

p aymen t o f an immen se ran s om This dear ly pu r .
-

ch a sed i m mun ity pr oved the s alva tion o f E astern

S p ain whi ch un able to withst an d the att acks o f the
, ,

M o slems an d en tir ely with out h o pe o f for eign ai d

, ,

must o ther wise h ave been even tu ally added to the

r e alm o f I sl am .

Turn in g his pierc in g glan c e t owar ds ever y p oin t o f

the comp ass wher e a vic to r y could be gain ed or an
en emy humili ated Al M an sur n o w determin ed to in
,
-

ter fere on c e mor e in the a ff a ir s o f Afr i c a I n th at .

coun tr y the p ar tis an s o f the H o use o f Omme ah

y ,

a fte r man y vi c issitudes had o n c e mor e r eg a in ed the

,

as c en den c y But s car c ely w as this r esult aecom

.

pli shed w he n I bn Ke n un the la st pr in c e o f the E dr i

-
, ,
73 0 HIS T ORY OF TH E

Ken un h avin g b ee n br ought a pris on er to Al g ezir as

, ,

w as behe aded with out c e r emo n y This flagr an t dis .

r eg ar d o f a s o lemn tr e aty a deed whi ch n ot onl y im

,

pu g n ed the ho n or o f the ha j ib s lieuten an t but w as

’

bran ded as a hor rible s acr ilege c aused gr e at d i ss atis

,

faction th rougho ut And alusi a The victim w as on e .

o f the des c e n d an ts o f Ali r eg ar ded by a n ume r o us

,

sec t as the in carn ation o f divin ity an d r ever ed by a ,

maj or ity o f believer s thr oughout the M o slem world .

The in dign ation o f the p o pulac e fo und ven t in mu r

mur s an d men ac es Askal ed j a in furi ated beyon d
.
,

me asur e wen t so far as to den oun c e his supe rior to

,

the troo ps un der his comman d The main ten an c e o f .

o r de r an d the r equi r emen ts o f dis c iplin e could n ot

toler ate such an exhibition o f i n subor din ati on ; an d

the impruden t offic er w as p romptly arr ested for
tr e as on foun d guilty an d exe c uted This act o f
, , .

j usti c e alth ough a pp r oved by the Divan on ly ag g r a

, ,

v ated the p o pul ar r esen tme n t The min ister on c e

.

mor e r ealized th at the empir e he had se cur ed by in

trigue must be con st an tly sustain ed by arms I t w as .

n e c ess ar y to diver t the a tten ti o n o f the pe o ple from

the seve r e me asur es in dispen s able to d omestic t r an

qui llity to merit or ious s chemes o f for eign c on quest .

An Opp or tun e pr etext for a ruptur e with the Kin g o f

Leon had r ec en tly pr esen ted itself The M oor ish .

for c e en ter t ain ed by Bermudo un der pr eten c e o f

,

main t ain in g his autho r ity but r e ally to over a we the

,

usur per an d en for c e the p aymen t o f t r ibute had ,

sign alized its r esiden c e amon g the in fid el s b y the per

petr ati on o f eve r y kin d o f o utra ge I t w a s in v a in .

th at Bermud o r emon strated ; his compl ain ts wer e

r e c eived by the g o ve rnmen t at C o r d o v a wi th silent

c o n tempt Then ado ptin g the on ly c ause po ssible

.
,

un der the circumst an c es he appe aled to the p at riotism

. ,

o f his subj e c ts a ssembled an a rmy an d dro ve o u t the

, ,

o bn o xi ous i n truder s The pride o f Al M an sur could

.
-
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UROP E 731

n ot a ffo r b rook such an in sult A strong bo dy o f

d to .

M o slems att acked C oimbr a whose r emote situation

,

an d dist an c e from the usual field o f operation s had

hither to insur ed its s a fety I t w as taken ; its build
.

in gs wer e burn ed an d demo lished ; an d fo r seven

ye ar s a fterwards the site o f this onc e flourishing c ity
r ema in ed des o late an d un in h abited Fr om C o imbra . ,

cr os s in g the D ou ro the haj ib dire cted his c our se

,

straight to the en emy s c a pital F ormerly p rotected

’
.
,

by its massive fo rtificatio n s an d aided by a w in ter o f

un usu al sever ity the g arr i s on had been able to defy
,

his e ff o rts to t ake it by st orm Leon w as the stro n gest

.

an d mo st i mp o r t ant for tr ess o f the N or th I ts de .

fen c es d ated fr om the era o f the Roman domin ation .

I ts walls built by the ar chitects o f the C aes ar s mea s

, ,

u re d mo r e th an twen ty feet in thi ckn ess L o fty t o wer s .

,

pr otected b y b arbican s r o s e at fr equent i n ter v als o f

,

their exten sive circui t whi ch en closed h ous e s mas s ed

,

to gether an d con structed p r in cip ally o f ston e The .

gates we r e bron ze an d o f pro digious weight They .

wer e hun g in p ortals fac ed with marble and decorated

with carvin gs an d st atues The citadel w as con sider ed
.

abs o lutely imp r e g n able The garrison w as n umer o us

.
,

exper ien c ed in milit ar y o peration s an d provi ded with ,

ever y r equi site for a pr otr acted defenc e .

But the c ity onc e in vested the impetuosity an d r es o

,

l u tion o f the M o slems dis app oi n ted the h opes o f the

b esieged w ho expe cted that the r everse atten din g the
,

former att ack would be r epe ated The r eputation o f .

Al M an sur w as staked upon the issue Able offic er s

’

- .
,

skill ed in the use o f mil itary en gines which had

desc en ded from Rome an d Byz antium di r ected the ,

app r oac hes an d super in ten ded the min in g o f the

wall s .The r esistan ce w as most obstin ate but a , ,

br e ach h avin g fin ally been made the veteran s o f Al ,

M an sur rushed to the ass aul t The governor o f the .

c ity ,
C ount Gonz alez wh om severe illness had ren
,
73 2 HIS T ORY OF TH E

der ed in c a p able o f ac tion advised o f the pro gre ss o f,

the en emy or der ed his a tten d an ts to arm him an d

,

car r y him to the fr on t The exhortation s an d the

.

s ight o f its emac i a ted com man der ani mated the g ar
r is o n to con spi c u o us but u n av ai l i n g deeds o f v al or .

The fr on t r an ks o f the Ch r istians we r e broke n an d ,

the M o slems p our ed in to the br e ach The govern or .

,

helpless an d bleedin g w as killed in his litter at the

,

he a d o f his t r oo ps as be c ame a g allan t an d in tr epid

,

s oldier E x asperated by the stubb orn r esistan c e they

.

had expe r ie n c ed the M o slems g ave n o qu arte r

, The .

c ity , a fte r h avi n g been plun de r ed w as razed The , .

en ormous str en gth o f its defen c es the ten ac ity o f the ,

Roman ma s on ry con structed to defy a like the slow

,

a c ti on o f the ele men ts an d the des tr u c tive e ff or ts o f

man av ailed n o thin g ag ai n st the systemati c h avoc o f

,

the impl acable Al M an su r A s olit ary t o wer w as left

-
.

st an din g as a spec imen o f the dimen sion s o f tho se

fortification s whi c h had been levelled with the groun d .

A v a st he a p o f ston es an d rubbish mar ked the site o f

the Chr istian c a pit al wher e a po pulous town had
,

existed from the time o f Augustus when the camp ,

o f the L e i o S epti ma con stituted an i mp or t an t fr on

g
tier outp o st Of the Ro man empir e .

The S ar ac en army in its marc h to L e on had fl an ked

Zamo ra whe re Bermud o had t aken r efuge Al
, .

M an sur on his r eturn p r ep ar ed to besiege th at c ity

, , ,

an d Be r mud o too k a dv an t a ge o f the p r ev aili n g c on

fusi on to es cape with the r emn an t o f his fo llower s to

O viedo Zamora surr en der ed an d w as for thwith
.
,

delive r ed up to the c apr ic es o f the lic en ti ous s oldier y .

Dese rted by thei r mon arch the Leon ese n obles h ast ,

en ed to make peac e with the c on queror M o s t o f .

them did h omage to hi m for their est ates The re .

main d er w ho de c lin ed to s acrific e the pr ej udic es o f a

,

lifetime an d dis o bey the admon itio n s o f the C hurch

for the en j oymen t o f a temp orar y a dvant age wer e ,
73 4 HIST ORY OF TH E

ate . He determin ed to in fli ct upon the C oun t o f C as

tile himself all the p an gs r esultin g from p atern al dis
a pp o i n tmen t an d fili al i n g ratitude He in stigated .

S an cho the s o n o f G ar c i a to form a p ar ty an d dr ive

, ,

his f ather fr om p ower The n obility un an imously

.

declar ed for S an cho ; a Mussulman fo r c e sustain ed

his pr eten sion s ; Al — M an sur seized Cluni a an d S an
E stev an as his sh ar e o f the sp oil ; an d G ar c i a h avin g ,

been wo un ded an d made c a ptive in a skirmish died ,

s oon a fter war ds in the h an ds o f the S arac en s The .

p e r fi d y o f S an cho w as r ewar ded with the g overn me n t

o f C a stile whi ch he held a s a f eu d ator y o f the Kh alif
, .

The fugitive Kin g Bermudo who se usur p ation

, ,

ha d bee n atten ded with a se r ies o f misfor tun es an d ,

wh ose domin ion s had with the ex c eption o f a con

,

tracted r egion o f whic h Asto r g a w as the c en tr e been ,

divided between his r ebelli ous v ass als an d the M oor s .

i n defian c e o f the men ac es o f Al M an sur still con -

,

tin u e d to aff or d p ro te c ti on to Abd all ah the o n ly s u r ,

v iv o r o f the p r i n c ip a l c on spi ra t or s The approach o f

.

the M u s s u hn an t r oo ps an d the seizur e an d s ack o f

Asto r ga con vin c ed the o bstin ate mon ar ch o f the ex
,

pe d i en c y o f submissio n Abdall ah w as sur ren der ed

.
,

taken to C o rd ova plac ed up on a c amel an d c on duc ted

, ,

th r ough the str eets o f th at c ity p r ec eded by heralds

,

w ho p r oc l aimed him a t raitor to his s o ve r eign an d an

a p o st ate to his f a ith . His life w as sp ar ed but he ,

w as t or tu r ed dur in g the e n ti r e admi n ist r ati on o f Al

M an sur by bein g kept in d aily fear o f exec uti on ; a
fate whi ch he en de avo r ed to ave rt by the mo st humili
ati n g exp r essi on s o f con t r itio n an d by exhibiti ons o f
,

gro vellin g ser vility whi ch s o f ar from ex c iting the

,

pity o f the mi n ister on ly in cr eased his co n tempt

, .

A n ew an d implac able adver s ary an d on e whose ,

p osition pl ac ed her beyon d the r e ac h o f the mi ni ster s ’

ven ge an c e n o w ar o se to defy his po wer The S ul

, .

tan a Aurora—w ho un ited to her amorous su s ce pti

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E U RO PE 73 5

biliti e s all bstin acy an d vin di ctiven ess o f the

the o

B asques to which r ac e she belon ged—had for man y

,

ye ar s en ter tain ed the clo sest r el ation s with the favor ite
wh ose fo rtun es she had foun ded an d wh ose s ucc es s ,

she had so ze alo usly p r omoted Their in timacy even .

,

dur in g the lifetime o f Al H akem had been the -

,

s c an d al o f the c apit al But the lady like man y o f .

,

her s ex w as in co n st an t an d o ther love r s in cludin g

the kadi I bn al —
, , ,

S alim als o s too d high in her favor

-
, .

As s oon a s Al M an sur n o lon ger r equir ed her s er

-

vi c es to adv an c e his in ter e s ts he had the impr uden c e ,

to n egle c t his h aughty mist r ess Deeply piqued she .

,

began to medita te r e v en ge H er s o c ial ran k the .

,

in vi o lability o f her per s on an d her r esiden c e in the ,

palac e g ave her a dv an t a ges which s he w as n ot s low

to imp r o ve With all the fier y en er gy o f her n atur e
.

she r epr esen ted to the Kh alif the degr ad ation o f t he

po sitio n he had been co mpelled to assu me an d ur ged ,

him to as s er t hi s r ight s as a s ove r eign H is chem .

,

w ho ha d hithe r t o e v i n c ed n o diss atisf ac tio n with his

con diti o n w a s ro used fr om his leth ar gy
, Un der his .

mother s di ctati on he made a formal deman d on the

’

mi ni s ter fo r the pr ero gatives whic h the latter had

usur ped The Vic er oy o f Afr i c a Zir i I bn Atia in
.
,
- -
,

s tig a ted by the a ge n t s o f the S ult an a ro se in r ebel li on , ,

an d p r ocl ai med h imself the s upp or te r o f the l a ws o f

the empir e an d the ch ampion o f its in ju red mon arc h .

The in gen uity o f Auror a p rovided her p artis an s with

a n a bun d an t supply o f mon ey The v aults o f the .

p alac e o f Medin a al Zah r a wher e w as the n ation al

- -
,

tr e asur y co n t ain ed six milli o n piec es o f gold They

,
.

wer e depo sited in e ar then ware j ars se aled with w ax ,

an d imp r e s s ed with the royal Sign et The astute .

prin c ess r emoved a hun dr ed o f the j ars wh ose con ,

ten ts amoun ted to the su m o f eighty thous an d din ars ,

bro ke the seals cover ed the gold with ho n ey drugs

, , ,

an d sy rups an d hav in g att ached to e ach an appro

, ,
73 6 HIS T ORY OF TH E

pri ate label caus ed them to be c o n veyed by her slaves

,

to a p al ac e i n the c ity when c e they we r e with out

, ,

delay tran spo rted to Afri ca

, The rage o f Al .

M an su r on fin din g himself thus o utwitted by a woman

w as ext r eme but it av ailed hi m n o thin g
, He coul d .

n ot ven tu r e to o ff e r vi o len c e or even r epro a ches to

the mo ther o f his s o ver eign wh ose se rvan t he w as in

n ame . The t r en d o f r e c en t even ts suggested th at
H ischem might h a ve co n sen ted th at the money be
emplo yed fo r the r eco ver y o f his imperi al dign ity .

Desir ous o f obt ain in g the s an ction o f l aw in a matter

o f su c h vit a l i mp or t an c e Al M an su r called the g r e at
,
-

o ffi c er s o f st ate to gethe r T o them he r ep r ese n ted

.

th at the women o f the h ar em wer e plun der in g the

tr ea sur y an d r equested pe rmission to r emo ve the g old
,

fro m the p al ac e This w as r e adily gran ted ; but when

'
.

the officer s exhibited their warr an t they wer e r efused ,

a dmissi o n to the v aults o n the ple a th at the Kh alif

,

ha d n o t auth o r ized the r emov al o f the t r e a su r e .

F o iled o n c e mor e the min ister—who se gen ius fertile

, ,

in expedien ts an d un d aun ted by r eve r ses n eve r on ce

desp aired o f su cc ess—
,

devised a plan whose audacity

wo uld h ave app alled a less determin ed mortal P er .

fe ctl y famili ar with all the a pp ro ac hes to the p al ac e ,

he pen etr ated by a secr et p a ss a ge to the a p ar tmen ts

o f the Kh alif His un expe cted a ppearan c e and
.

men ac in g aspe ct terr ified the imb ecile pr inc e w ho ,

protested th at he had n o desir e to thwar t the design s

o f the min iste r an d with out hesit a tion sign ed an
, , ,

o r de r f o r the r emo v al o f the g o ld The politic Al .

M an sur at the s ame time ext orted fr om him an edict

, ,

by w hich he un r eser vedly r en o un c ed in f avor o f the ,

ha j ib all p rac ti c al co n t ro l o f the go ve r n me n t o f the

,

e mpir e This expli c it an d in disput able con firmation

.

o f the autho r ity o f the l a tt er at o n c e leg alized eve r y act

which he had alr e a dy c o mmitted i n a publi c ca p a c ity .

I n a me asur e it in v e sted his pe r s on with the s an c tity

,
73 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

of vi ct or y an d a delusion o f omin ous impor t to the

,

S arac en i n truder s in the Pen in sul a Histor y aff or ds

.

n o p ar allel to the mome n t ous e ff e cts p ro du c ed by

the ado ption o f this fr ivo lous legen d The circ um.

st an c es o f its origin whi ch contemptuously vi olated

,

ever y pr ob ability o f time or plac e ; its un iver s al ao

c eptan ce by in divi du als o f ever y ran k in life ; its sub

sequen t e xten sion to the dist ant lan ds o f an un kn o wn

wor ld ; the blin d an d un question in g f aith with which
the imp ossible mi racles o f its subj e c t wer e r e c eived ,

Off er an elo que n t commen t ar y on the b ou n dless in

flu en ce o f the C ath o li c hie rarc hy an d the deb a sed

super stition o f the ag e .

The destr uctio n o f the chur ch o f S an tiag o w as n ow

the aim o f Al M an sur The dep r essin g in fluence
-
.

o f su c h a sig n al t r iumph ove r the a dver s ar ies o f

I sl am it w as tho ught with mu ch r e as o n w ould be in

, ,

c al cul a ble
. The immun ity en j o yed by the Ch ristian
s an ctu ar y o f S p ain w as attr ibuted by its v ot aries to
the pr o te ction aff or ded by the b o dy o f the s ain t far ,

mo r e th an to the n atural difficulties whi ch an en emy

must surmoun t to r each his shr in e E ven could an
.

in v asion o ccur an d the dese cr ation o f the c athedral

be thr e aten ed it w as fir mly believed th at the miracu
,

lous in terven tion o f He aven —mor e mar ked e ven th an

th at whi ch deterr ed the Roman s fr om r ebuilding the
temple o f Jeru s al em—would avert suc h a c alamity
fr om on e o f the h o liest plac es o f the C hristian world .

The r emo val o f these imp r ession s by demon stratin g

,

the in cap acity o f S t J ames to defend his ow n r elic s

.
,

must c ert ain ly weaken the f aith o f the multitude

i n his ability to p rot ect the lives o f other s The
.

pr estige de rived from the in ter p osition o f sup er

n atural in fluen c e would be ser iously impair ed The .

men acin g spectr e O f the p atron o f S p ain would n o

lon ger in spir e the f an aticism o f his fo llower s to str ike
terr or in to the S ar ac en ar mies These c on clusion s o f
.
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO PE 73 9

Al M an sur
-
while foun ded on r eas on in the end
, ,

p r oved fallacio us The superstitious ven erati on

.
,

which con firmed by blin d ign oran c e an d credulity

,

fo r c e n tu r ies n o w exerci s ed its p o wer o ver an en tir e

,

pe o ple w as too deeply rooted to be mor e th an tem

,

po raril y a ff e c ted by the mo s t gl ar in g s acr ilege .

The c ampaign w as c ar efully plan n ed E ver y pre .

c auti on w as t aken to p r o vide ag a i n st an

y p o ssibility
o f f ailu r e M archin g we s tward the several division s
.
,

o f M o slem cav a lr y a ssembled at C or i a At O porto .

they wer e j o in ed by the fleet in which the in fan tr y ,

had a lr e ady emb ar ked A n umber o f Christi an v as

.

s als atten ded by their r etain er s respon ded to the

, ,

s u mmon s o f their suze rai n an d len t their r eluctan t aid,

to the in j ur y o f their f a ith an d the dest ru ction o f thei r

c oun t r yme n The D ouro w as cro ssed upon a bridge
.

con st r u c ted o f ships Ro ads wer e cu t thr ough r ocky

.

an d pr e cipitous moun tain s B ro ad estuar ies an d .

r ive r s we r e fo r ded The coun tr y whi ch had lon g

.
,

su ff er ed fr om r epe ated for ays w as dep o pulated an d , ,

could o ff e r n o r esist an c e When the moun t ain s o f.

G ali c i a a ppe ar ed in the dist an c e the r es oluti on o f the ,

Ch ristian allies falter ed S ome o f the coun ts en ter ed

.

in t o a se cr et co r r esp on den c e with the en emy Their .

design s we r e betr ayed an d a n umber o f Leon ese ,

n o bles un de r wen t the ext r eme pen alty o f t r e as on .

This s alut ar y ex ample in sur ed the w aver in g loyalty

o f thei r c omp an i o n s w ho hen c efor th fou n d it ex p e
,

dien t to c on c e al their r eal sen timen t s un der an appe ar

an c e o f o bedien c e an d al ac r ity .

The r egion n ow tr aver sed by the M oslems had

hitherto been s a fe from their in r o ads This c ircum .

stan c e the s acr ed ch ara cter o f the terr itor y an d the

, ,

we alth o f the cler gy had attracted to the vicin ity o f

S an ti ago a l ar ge an d busy p o pul ati on E cclesi asti cal .

establishmen ts abou nded Alon g the hill sides wer e .

-

c o untless he rmit ages shr in es an d ch apels Almost

, , .
7 40 HIS T ORY OF TH E

ever y vall ey w as occupied by a mon aster y o r a con

vent The l an ds sus c eptible o f cultiv ation we re tilled
.

by slaves or depen den ts o f the r eligio us h o uses wh o se ,

c on diti on di ff e r ed little fr om th a t o f he r edit ar y s er

v itu d e . The man sion s o f the p r elates o f high ran k

ex hibited a p alatial magn ific en c e an d wer e n ot in
,

fr equen tly ten an ted by oc cup an ts o f the s o fter sex ,

who se c h arms o f fa c e an d figur e in dicated an appre

c i ation o f female be auty h ar dly to be expe c ted fr om

their pi ous comp an ion s .

The utter demoraliz ation o f the Ch r istian kin gdoms

thr o ugh d omesti c feuds an d i n c ess an t war far e added ,

to the te rr o r i n spi r ed by the n ame o f Al M an sur pre -

,

c luded the p ossibility o f e ff e c tu al r esist an c e The .

inh abit an ts t akin g with them their portable pro perty

,

an d the b on es o f thei r s ai n ts an d ki n gs fled to the ,

moun t ain s or to islan ds o f the s ea coast S an tiago-

.

w a s completely dese r ted . The in v ader s o btain ed a

r i c h b oo ty fro m the sh r i n es o f i n n ume rable c h a pels

an d mon aste r ies . E ver y bui ldin g in the c ity in ,

c ludin g the f amo us c athed r a l w as r a zed to the g r ou n d

, .

The latter w as con st ructed o f marble an d gran ite .

I ts plan an d de cor ati on exhibited the corr upt t a ste an d

bar b ari c splen d or inh erited fr om the Visig o ths wh ose ,

faults o f design had been a ggrav ated by the n ative

r ude n ess o f the G a li c i an ar c hite c ts I n fron t o f the
.

high alt ar st oo d the statue o f the s ain t c arved by the ,

pious but un pr actised h an d o f a G othi c s cul pto r an d ,

en clo sed in a sh rin e o f massy silver E ver y p or tion

.

o f it ex c ept the f a c e w as p a in ted or p r o fusely gilded .

On e h an d c l asped a Bible the o the r w as raised alo ft

,

in the attitude o f ben edi cti on The kisses o f innu mer

.

a ble pilg r i ms ha d a l mo st oblite r a ted the coar se an d

grotesque fe atur es o f the image By its side wer e

.

disp o sed the emblems o f the v agran t apo stle the ,

sta ff the c al ab ash the s callo p shells I ts he a d w as

, , .
7 42 HIS T ORY OF TH E

Kh alif ate wer e dep o sited amids t the fr enzie d acol a ,

mation s o f the peo ple The g a tes wer e used to form .

a p or ti on o f the c eili n g an d fr om them sust ai n ed by , ,

c h a i n s o f b r on ze the g r e at bells wer e hun g inve rted

, ,

to be utilized as l amps dur i n g the c er emonies o f the

n u me r ous festiv als p r es cr ibed by the M o slem r itu a l .

The c ar eer o f the M auritan ian r ebel Zira I bn Atia - -

,

wh om the p rodig ality o f the S ult an a Aurora had

en abled to assert his in depen den c e un der pr etext o f ,

liberatin g the Kh alif w as n ot Of lon g duration The

fir st army sen t over by Al —
.
,

M an sur to ch astise his in

s ol en c e met with dis aste r The se con d comman ded by .
,

hi s o wn s on Abd al Melik al M o d haffer van quished

,
- - - -
,

the for c es o f Zir a a fter a desperate struggle The .

latter with the lo ss o f his p o ssessi on s w as als o stripped

, ,

o f his p o wer an d died s oon a fte r o f wo u n ds r e c eived

,

i n b attle .

E ar ly in the spr i n g o f the year 1002 the in d e fat

i g abl e Al M an sur ag ain in v a ded the te rr itor y o f the
-

Chr isti an s This time his h o stility w as dir ected

.

a g a in st the sh r in e o f S t E mili an the p at r on s ai n t o f .

,

C astile wh ose chur ch w as in the village o f C an ales

,
.

The t own the ch apel an d the con ven ts with all their
, , ,

p arapher n alia o f priestly impostur e an d super stition ,

wer e destroyed But the r en o wn ed comman der wh ose

.
,

pro wess had so lon g sust ain ed the r eput ation o f the
M oslem arms had fought his last c amp aign A p ain
, .

ful malady wh o se c ause w as un kn own an d wh ose

, ,

symptoms b affi ed the skill o f the best physic i an s o f

C ord ova had s ome mon ths befo r e att acked him The
, .

exp osur e an d ex citemen t o f this expedition in cr e ased

its vio len c e The illustri ous su ff er er bec ame so we ak
.

th at he w as forc ed to tr avel in a litter I t w as eviden t .

fr om his emaci ated for m an d in c ess an t agon y th at he

w as f ast a pp r o a c hin g his en d At Medin a Celi the .
-

ar my h alted I ts gen er al c o uld pr o c eed n o farther

. .

A un iver s al feeling o f s orro w aro se as the s ad tidings

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UROPE 743

of the con dition o f the dyin g chieft ain spr e ad

thr ough out the c amp .

The memor y o f the turbulen t po pulac e o f the capi

tal an d the con s ci o us n ess th at it had r equi r ed all the
,

en er gy o f his determin ed ch ar acter to tr iumph over

his domestic en emies embitter ed the last moments o f
,

Al M an sur He dr e aded the in auguration o f an ar chy

-
.

an d the r esult an t p ar titi on o f the kh alifa te He w as .

on ly to o well ac qu a i n ted with the i n st ability o f the v a s t

an d magn ific en t f ab r i c o f g r e atn ess whi c h his gen ius

had r e ar ed With a view to pr eser ve as lon g as pos

.

sible for his s on s the po we r he w as un able to legall y

tran smit he dir e cted Abd—
, al Melik to h a sten at on c e
-

to C or d ov a an d a ssume co mman d o f the g arris on To .

his se con d s on Abd al R ahman he tran sferr ed hi s

,
- -
,

auth o r ity o ver the a r my M an y wise in j un ction s wer e

.

imp arted by their dyin g p ar en t to the s e tw o youn g

offic e r s
, wh ose mil it ar y ch ar ac ter had been formed
un der his ow n eye durin g man y even tful camp aign s .

The elder w ho w as n ot an un wor thy des c en d an t o f so

,

gr eat a sir e pr o fited largely by his o pp or tun ities The

, .

youn ger un equ al to the t ask o f govern men t w as des

, ,

tin ed to r ealize the wo r st expe ct ation s his ac quain t

an ces had formed o f his e r rati c an d li c en ti ous n atur e .

His in str uction s en ded the str en gth o f Al M an sur

,
-

g ave w ay an d he r e c eived with calm r esign atio n the

,

in exo rable summon s o f the An gel o f De ath F or .

year s he had en tert ain ed a p r esen timen t th at he

Shoul d en d hi s days at the he ad o f his army perh aps ,

in the he at o f b attle I t w a s n ot on ly his ho pe but

.
,

he made it the subj ec t o f his daily petitio n s th at Al ,

l ah would v ou chs a f e to him the glor i ous p rivilege o f

dyi n g in w ar again st the in fidel ther eby to merit ,

the r e compen s e o f martyr dom I n expectation o f a .

favorable an swer to his p rayer s the arran gemen ts for,

his bur i al wer e always r eady His shroud w as in .

vari ably in cluded amon g the e ff e cts o f his c amp equi

7 44 HIST ORY OF TH E

p age I t w as o f lin en made fr om flax gro wn on his

.

p atern al est ate at T orr ox an d woven by the h an ds o f

his ow n d aughter s His con s cien c e to ld him th at the
.

mater ial thus pr o du c ed an d p r ep ar ed w as n o t t ainted

with the bloo dy r emi n is c en c es th at p o pular r eport in
sin uated too o ften att ached to his other p ossession s .

The pr oviden t statesman wh o se aspiration s wer e n ot

,

c on fi n ed to matte r s te rr estr i al an d carr yin g in t o his

,

r el ation s with Al l ah the s ame p r uden c e whi c h had

distin guished his earthly car eer n eglec ted n o precau ,

ti on to in sur e his s alv ation A well kno wn tex t o f the

.
-

K oran de clar es th at he w ho appe ar s befor e the Al

mighty with the dust o f the H oly W ar up on his feet
sh all be exempt from the t ortur es o f etern al fi r e To .

secur e this adv an t age o n the D ay o f Judgmen t Al ,

M an sur carr ied with him in all hi s camp aign s a s ilver

casket o f eleg an t design in to whic h every even in g
, ,

when the army h alted his attend ants car eful ly col
,

l ected the dust whi ch had accumul ated up on hi s g ar

men ts durin g the d ay E n velo ped i n the sh roud pre
.

p ar ed for s o man y ye ar s an d spr in kled with this h oly

,

dust the b o dy o f the g r eat M o slem gen eral w as laid

,

at r est in the c ity o f Medin a C eli -

.

The ch aracter o f M o h ammed I bn Amir Al M an - - - -

s u r has a lr e a dy been p ar ti ally deline ated in these

pa ges I n it both g oo d an d evil wer e un sp ar in gly

.

min gled Beyon d me asur e sh r ewd po litic aud ac ious

.
, , ,

a n d r es o lute he w as an a dept in in stigatin g o thers

,

to the commissi o n o f dis cr edit able ac ts by whi ch he

p ro fited while his in strumen ts alone en dur ed the
,

Odiu m att achin g to them By the irr esistible for ce of

.

in telle ct he had r isen fr om Obs cur ity to the en j o yment

o f imper i al p o we r N o act o f wan t on cr uelty ever pol
.

luted his admin istration Y et such w as his firmn ess

.

a n d the fe ar in whi ch he w as held th at n o sediti on

dur in g his as c en den c y disturbed the peac e o f the kh ali

f ate His condu c t on al l o ccasion s wher e his p er sonal
.
7 46 HIST ORY OF TH E

studen ts By his expr ess o r der s the r e cit ation s were

.

n ot suspen ded either at his entr an c e or his dep ar tur e .

M an y o f the mo st accomplished s cho lar s o f the E ast

an d West c on ti n ued u n de r his auspi c es a s they had ,

don e un der th o se o f Al H akem to adorn the court

-
, ,

an d to delight with thei r le ar nin g the cr iti cal an d f as

tid i ou s s oc iety o f C or do va A spec ial fun d appr o

.
,

r i ate d from the publi c t r e a sur y w as a ssign ed fo r the

p ,

suppor t o f these distin guished guests o f the S t ate .

F amous grammar i an s po ets an d histori ans w ho

, , ,

foun d this a lucr ative field for the exerc ise o f their
talents took up their r esiden c e in the c apital The
,
.

r eput ati o n s o f the physi c i an s an d su r ge on s o f An d a

lusia n ow gr e ater th an ever had lon g sinc e sp r ead

, ,

to the r emo test b or der s o f E u ro pe When ever Al .

M an sur un dertook an expedition ther e foll owed in ,

his train a n umber o f b ar ds an d ch ron i cler s w ho coul d ,

without delay r e cor d his achievemen ts an d c elebr ate ,

in the mo st stir r in g an d p atheti c strains o f whi ch the

p oesy o f the Deser t w as c ap able the v alor the g en ,

ero s ity the piety o f the r en owned ch ampion o f the

, ,

M o slem faith F orty on e o f the mo s t accomplished

.
-

li terar y men o f the empir e accomp an ied the army for

this pu r p ose dur in g the C at alon i an camp aign .

The en largemen t o f the M o sque wh o se size w as ,

doubled by the addition s o f Al M an su r w as un der -

,

t aken quite as much to r estor e his failing cr edit with

the mi n ister s o f r eligion as to accommo date the v ast
an d in cr e asi n g cro wds whi ch o n F r id a ys a ssembled

i n the H ouse o f G o d The lan d r equir ed for the ex

.

ten sion w as p aid for at twi c e the v alu ation alr e ady ,

suffi c ien tly ex orbit an t estimated by the ow n er s them

,

selves I n the g ar den o f an o ld woman who s e

.
,

p r emi ses it w as abs olutely n ec ess ary for the archit ect
to se cu r e st oo d a ma gn ific en t p al m
, At fir s t she .

obstin ately r efused to sell her p r o pe r ty bu t a fter ,

r e pe ated s oli citati on s she con se n ted to ex c h an g e i t

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E UROPE 7 47

for an o th er r esidence in who se groun ds w as a tr ee o f

equal size an d b eauty But even amidst the tro pical
.

veget ation o f the environ s o f C ordov a such a con dition

w as n ot e asily c omp l ied with At length i n the .
,

vic in ity o f Medin a al Zah ra an estate which po ssessed

- -
,

the desir ed r equisite w as pr ocur ed at a fabul ous pric e .

I n imitati on o f hi s pr edec ess ors the khalifs Al ,

M an sur per formed for weeks the duties o f a common

labor er o n the foun d ation an d the super structu r e o f
the M o sque This addition still intact con structed
.
, ,

o f co ar se mater i als an d un symmetr i c al in for m is ,

r e adily disti n guish able fr om the r est o f the in ter i or ,

who se sweepin g horsesho e arches an d exquisite deco

rati on s are models o f g ra c e an d beauty S o mer ito r i .

o u s w as this wor k con s ider ed by the Mussul man theo

l og i an s that they dec l ar ed th at its accomplishmen t

,

a l on e w as s ufli ci ent to Obt ain f or its auth or a se at in

P aradise .

The en ergy o f Al M an sur w as f ar from b ein g con

-

su med in military expedition s an d the pur suit o f

glor y I n the fr equen t in tervals o f pe ac e his e ff orts
.

wer e lar gely dir ected to impr ovin g the con dition o f
his subj ects the highest an d most noble title to dis
,

tin ction to which a rul er can aspir e He r eformed the .

abuses whi ch had cr ept i n t o the a dministrati on o f j us

tic e He checked the peculation s which wer e exh aust

.

in g the tr e asury b y the i n stitution o f a rigid s ystem

,

o f a ccoun ts an d the seve r e pun ishment o f di sh on est

offi c i als . He sternly r ebuked the in tole ran c e o f

zealo ts who attempted to est ablish with out his s anc
'
,

tion a p oli cy of per sec ution for Opin ions which they
,

con sider ed her eti cal With his advent to p ower the
.
,

malign an t influenc e o f the eun u chs w as n o lon ger

felt in the pre cin cts o f the c ourt a nd the un easy ,

geni us o f this pern icious class w as diverted from the

tor tuous p aths o f political in trigue to the h armless
an d ple a sing occup ati on s o f li te r atur e and art He .
7 48 HIS T ORY OF TH E

imp roved the br eed o f h or ses by the imp or t ation o f

the pur est bloo d o f Ar abi a There w as s carc ely a
.

r ive r i n And alusi a whi ch could n ot b oa s t o f a bridg e

e ither bui lt o r r ep a i r ed b y the or der s o f the able an d

tir eless mi n ister N ew highw ays we re o pened O ld

. .

on es we r e widened an d exte n ded By these wis e acts

.

o f publi c utili ty n ot on ly w as the marc h o f tr oops

'

fac ilit ated but the tr ade o f c oun tr y an d c ity w as

,

p ro digio usly in cr eased with a co rr esp on din g di min u

,

ti on o f the pri c e o f p rovision s wh o se abun dan c e an d

,

c he a p n ess mater i ally benefited all c l asses o f the

po pu
lation The best commen tar y o n his tran s c en den t
.

abilities is f oun d i n the fac t th at the empi r e whi ch he

had ruled with su c h glor y an d su cc ess pe r ished with

him His maj esti c pe r s on ali ty d omin ated ever ythin g
. .

I n the hist or y o f I sl am n o simi l ar ex ample o f un ive r

s ally r eco gn ized in dividu al super iority has ever been
r e co r ded This extraor din ar y gen ius seemed impr eg
.

n a ble to the tempt ati o ns whi c h usu a lly a ss ail the

favorites o f fortun e He w as addicted to n one o f

.

th ose unn atural vic es wh ose p r ac tic e d efil ed the ch ar

a cters o f eve n the g r e atest o f the Ommey ad es His .

h ar em w a s main t ain ed rather as an acc ess or y to his

dign ity th an as an in strumen t o f his ple asur es His .

amo u r with Au ror a whi ch ha d p r ov oked the s ar c asti c

,

j ests o f the p o pulac e had been from fir st to last a

,

mer e matter o f p olicy The p assion of the S ult an a

.

he had deliberately used as the in strument o f his am

biti on ; whe n it had se r ved his pur p o se it w as as de
li ber ate ly c ast a side With eve r y Opp or tun ity for the
.

accumul ati on o f unt o ld we alth Al M an sur ac qui r ed ,

-

n o mor e th an w as n e c ess ar y to sust a in the p omp i n c i

den t to his ex alted rank Av ar ic e had n o pl ace in

.

his n atur e His o w n tr e asur e as well as th at o f the

.

gove rn men t b e fr eely dispensed in ch ar it ab le don a

tion s The slightest act o f extor ti on committed by
.

on e o f his sub or d in ates w as met with c h a s tisement

7 50 HIS T ORY OF TH E

pu n ity the most s acr ed Opin i on s an d pr ej udic es o f the

peo ple M or e o ver an an cien t t r adition un iver s ally
.
, ,

beli eved de cl ar ed th at a c h an ge o f the dyn asty por

,

ten ded the speedy dest ru cti o n o f the kh alifa te The .

man who in defian c e o f these ide as co uld attempt Open

usur p ation w as a public en emy s omethin g wor se if , ,

p o ssible th an a traitor F or these cogen t r e as ons

, .
,

ther efor e Al M an sur did n ot seize the ro yal o ffic e

,
-
,

which had he been able to assu me it mi g ht perh aps

, ,

h ave r et ain ed the succ essio n in his o w n family As .

it w as he we aken ed the ven eration en tert ain ed for

,

the p rin c iple o f legitimac y with out acquir in g f or his

,

des c en d an ts an y perman en t adv an tage in r eturn for

the s acrific e 1N o on e r e alized these fac ts so thor
.

oughly a s hi mself The futur e o f the empi r e en

.

gro ssed his th oughts I t pr esen ted itself to his min d

.

a midst the delibe r ati o n s o f the Div an i n the lite r ar y ,

dis cussion s o f the Un iver sity in the man oeuvr es on ,

the field o f b attle I t disturbed his slumber s I t

. .

embitter ed his dyin g momen ts The mor t al to r tur e .

he en dur ed from the r efle c tion th at by his a gen c y the

in tegrity o f the kh alifate had been irr etr ievably im
pair ed an d th at he could n ot tr an smit the in her it an c e
,

o f his glor y w a s a l mo st a s i n te n se a s an y he c ould

,

h ave experien c ed thr ough r emo r se f or crimes perpe

tr ated i n the pur suit o f his un r ighte o us ambiti on .

The histor y o f the c amp aign s o f Al M an sur dif -

fer s materi ally from th at o f the milit ar y en ter

pr ises o f his p r ede c ess or s Her eto for e in all im .
,

po rt an t w ar s the Chr isti an s wer e the aggr ess or s But

, .

un der the min ister o f H ischem the M o slems always

led the att ack O ther r uler s had n eg otiated tr e aties
.

eithe r prompted by vic tor y or compelled by defeat .

I n twen ty fi v e ye ar s he n eve r ma de te rms with the

-

in fidel His succ ess b ec ame h abitual an d infused a

.
,

j ust c onfiden c e in to his ow n f ollower s while in a cor ,

r esp on din g deg r ee it dishe a r te n ed the en e my Al mos t .

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E U ROPE 75 1

fo r the first time in the an n als o f I slam the peremp

tory in jun c tion o f the K oran w as fulfill ed to the letter .

The e ff e cts o f on e c amp aign wer e n ot r ep air ed befor e

the c al amities o f an other wer e at h an d The fron tier .

to the Ch r isti an st ates r e c eded The gr eat cities o f .

Z amor a Leon Asto rga B ar c elon a P ampelun a S an

, , , , ,

tiago wer e levelled with the dust C athedrals an d .

mon aster ies wer e plun dered o f we alth bestowed by

pious s overeign s an d gen er ati on s o f gr ateful devo tees .

The in comes o f the pr iesth oo d c e ased on accoun t o f

the devast ation o f their est ates With the ruin o f the .

r eligi ous h o use s a n d the i mp o ve r ish men t o f their

oc c up an ts the Ch r isti an wo r ship de c li n ed

, The pr es .

tige o f the ec clesia s tic al or der w as weaken ed an d ,

o ver an exten sive r egi on on c e ab ou n di n g with churches

an d con ve n ts s c ar c ely a r emi n i s c en c e o f Ch r isti an ity

su rvived By the su cc essive desecr ation o f the tw o

.

h oliest shr in es in E uro pe the faith o f the multitude

,

in the b o a sted e ffi cacy o f r elic s in the c elesti al i n te r ,

c essi on o f s a i n ts an d even in the v alue o f r eligion

,

itself w as serio usly s h aken The misfor tun es o f the

, .

c le r gy—w ho still h o weve r r et a i n ed a p or ti on o f thei r

, ,

an c ien t dis c ipli n e—r e a c ted on the o ther divisi on s o f

s o ciety alr e ady suffi cien tly demoralized The mon

, .

ar c h an d the n obles evin c ed a disp os iti on to r esist the

in s o len t deman ds o f the p riesthood an d h ave been , ,

i n c on sequen ce an athematized by p r el ates an d de

,

f amed by chr on i clers The kin g seized witho ut c er e

.

mon y the pr oper ty o f his sub j e cts The b aron s plun .

der ed the ro ya l est ates an d c as t lot s for the ser fs an d

,

the flocks whi ch they had app ro pr i ated I n less than .

twen ty ye ar s the Ch r isti an s lo st all they had gain ed

in the p r evi ous th r ee hun dr ed E ven the d efil es o f
.

their moun tain s wer e o ccupied by Moorish garr is on s ,

an d the Astur i an pe as an t w as compelled to pu r ch ase

the un c e rtain pr ivilege o f procur in g his ow n suste

n an c e by the su rr en de r o f the l ar ge r sh ar e o f the
75 2 HIS T ORY OF TH E

r esults o f his l ab or S u ch wer e the e ff e cts o f the

.

p oli cy o f Al M an sur on the tw o r iv al n ations o f the

-

Pen in sul a a p o li c y wh o se ben efits per ished with the

,

auth o r but wh o se evils we r e desti n ed to be aug me n ted

,

an d per petu ated th r ough a l ong pe r io d o f n atio n al

misf ortun e an d dis o r der .

Berber immigratio n en co uraged by the c on s picu ,

ou s f av or en j o yed by the Afr i can divisi on s o f the

ar my as well a s by the r i c h r ewar ds o f su c c essful w ar

,

far e an d which w as f ated to in flic t such dis aster s upon

,

the dismember ed mon archy in cr e ased beyon d pre ,

c eden t d u r i n g the a dmin ist r ati on o f Al M a n su r Eu -

.

tir e t r ibes p assed the S t r ait to sh ar e the temptin g spo il

o f the H o ly W ar Ther e w as n o room for these
.

fe ro cious s oldier s i n the c ro wded c ities E ven in the .

c o un tr y s o thi c kly p o pul ated sp ac e co uld h ar dly be

, ,

f oun d for their en campmen ts Their ten ts wer e .

pitched in the p astur es an d on the s10 pes o f the

sierra Their fierc e aspe ct app alled all w ho b eheld
.

them Their co stumes an d their arms wer e stran ge

.

an d for eign I gn oran t o f Ar abi c the guttur al ao

.
,

c en ts o f thei r M au r it an i an di ale ct g rated up on the

e ars o f the p olished An dalusi an I n times o f the .

gr eatest vi ct or ies when the peo ple wer e in toxicated

,

with su cc ess ther e wer e dis c ern in g men w ho dr e aded

,

the as c en den c y o f such d an gero us allies I t w as .

,

ho wever the in ex h austible supply o f Afr ic an r ecruits

,

whi ch se cur ed the un b r oken ser ies o f tr iumphs th at

sign alized the c ar eer o f Al M an sur Their n u mbers -
.

we r e ove rwhelmin g I n a r eview held befor e an .

expedition in t o the N or th six hun dr ed thous an d ,

troo ps wer e muster ed in the plain o f C or dov a .

The n ews o f the de ath o f the po ten t min ister w as

r e c eived by the ma j o r ity o f the inh abit an ts o f the

ca pit al with a feelin g o f exult ati on With the mu l .

titu d e his emin en t servi c es could n ot at one fo r the

,

o bs c ur ity o f his bi r th or the splen do r o f his fo rtun e .

75 4 HIS T ORY OF TH E

u f a ctu res , agr icultur e fl our ished to a degr ee her eto

,

f or e un kn own The rule o f Al M od haffer is r egr et

.
-

fully alluded to by subsequent wr iter s as coin ciden t

w ith the go lden ag e o f M o slem an n als .

After a r eign o f seven ye ar s Al M o d haff er died ,

-
,

un der circumst an c es which raised a s tron g suspic ion

o f p o is on By a pr evio us arr angemen t which pOpu
.
,

l ar r u mor suggested as the mo tive o f his de ath his ,

offic e w as t ran sfe r r ed to his b r othe r Abd al R ah man ,

- -
.

The latter w as the o ff spr in g o f a C hristi an pr in c ess ,

the d aughter o f S an cho Kin g o f N av arr e By his , .

vi ces an d his blasphemy he had in curr ed the dislike

o f the pe o ple a n d p ro v o ked the exe cr ati on o f the

the o lo gi an s The former in memor y o f his in fidel

.
,

gr an dfather fasten ed upon him the dimin utive S an

,

an epithet o f con tempt

”
chol , The latter r ecoun ted
.

with in dign an t h orror his immo derate in dulgen ce in

win e an d his o pen r idicule o f the s acr ed c er emon ies
o f I sl am Awar e o f his un po pular ity Abd al R ah
.
,
- -

man n evertheless con tinued to o ut rage publi c sen ti

men t an d ma de n o attempt to gain the att achment
,

o f his subj e c ts or to c o n c ili ate his e cc lesi a sti cal a d v er

s a r i es He even had the aud ac ity to ask o f H is chem

.

his in vestitur e an d ackn o wledgment as heir presump

tive to the th ron e The Kh alif w as pr ev ailed up on
.
,

p artly by s o phistr y p ar tly by thr eats to c omply with

, ,

this extrav a g an t an d imp oliti c deman d an d an edict ,

w as dra wn up i n due f orm an d published p r oc laimin g ,

the detested S an ch o] heir to the titles an d the autho ri ty

o f the illustr i o us dyn as ty o f the Omme ad es
y .

N o me a su r e co uld h ave b een devised by his mo st

bitter en emy so fatal to the aspiration s o f its promo ter
a s this co n c essi o n wr un g fr om a r elu c t ant an d pe r se

c u ted s o ve r eign I t w as ali ke an insult to r eligi on

.

an d to l o yalty I t att acked the s acr ed ch aracter o f

.

the S uc c ess or o f the P ro phet while attemptin g to ,

ab ro g ate the p r e r o g atives whi c h in the eye o f the ,

 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E U RO PE 75 5

devo ted subj ec t wer e in separable from the con dition

,

o f s over eig n ty S an chol fur the r in cr e ased the pre

.

vaili n g dis c on ten t by compellin g the so ldiers to dis

c ar d the helmet for the tur b an an inn ov ati on whi ch , ,

a pp r o pr i atin g a dis ti n c tive p or ti on o f the atti r e o f

the o lo gi an s w as gen erally r eg ar ded as a fl agr an t act

,

o f s ac r ilege .

C ar eless o f public o pin ion an d con fiden t o f the ,

st abili ty o f his power S an chol began to en tertain ,

a spi r ati on s to mili t ar y disti n c ti on He led an ex .

ped iti on in t o the Asturi as the r esults o f whi ch wer e ,

n ot fl a tte ri n g to his v an ity The moun t ain d efi l es .

,

fil led with s n o w i mpeded his p r o g ress an d the s car

, ,

c ity o f p r o visi o n s whi c h he had n eglec ted to pr o vide

,

in suffi c ien t qu an tities fin ally c ompelled him to r e

,

tr e at I n the mean time C ordov a w as in r ev olt A

. .

ban d o f c on spir ators hea ded by M oh ammed a gr e at ,

gran ds on o f Abd al Rahman III sur prised the cit a

- -
.
,

del The un fo r tun ate H i s chem the puppet o f every

.
,

faction w as compelled to abdi cate The r eligious

, .

fan atic s an d the p opulac e h ailed the ch an ge o f g o v

ernmen t with ext r ava g a n t exp r essi on s o f j oy a feel ,

i n g by n o me an s sh ar ed by the we althy an d in telligen t ,

w ho an ti c ip ated with u n disguised con c e rn the destruo

tive tyr ann y o f a succ ession o f milit ar y adven tur er s .

The fir st act o f M ohammed w as the seizur e o f

Zahir a The str on gh old o f the Amiri d es w as en ter ed
.

an d s acked by an in fur i ated ra bble F or four d ays .

the beautiful p al ac e fo un ded by Al M an sur w as at -

the mer c y o f the r evo luti on ists an d outl aws o f the

ca pit al . The lon g r ows o f villas which embo s omed , ,

sh ady gr oves o f palm an d oran ge tr ees str etched -

,

a w ay to the Gu ad alquivir wer e visited with the s ame ,

destruction E verythin g p ortable even to the woo d

. ,

wo rk w as removed N o estimate c ould be made of

,
.

the plun de r se c u r ed by the mob w ho r an s acked ever y ,

a p ar tme n t ; bu t the s o ldier s o f M oh am

. med delivered
7 56 HIST ORY OF TH E

to their master tw o millio n o n e hun dr ed th ous and

piec es o f silver an d a million five hun dr ed thous an d
pie c es o f g old The torch w as then a ppl ied an d the
.

en tir e suburb w as r educ ed to ashes The st ones .

wer e gr adually appro p r iated for the co n structio n o f

o ther buildin gs an d i n a few ye ar s the memor y as
,

well as the ruin s o f the se at o f the Ami rid es had com

pl etel y v an ished .

When the in telligen c e o f these even ts w as trans

mitted to S an chol at T o ledo he set ou t at onc e with ,

his army for C or do va The mar ch had s carc ely.

begun befo r e he experien c ed the ful l exten t o f his

un po pular ity whi ch her et o fo r e he had r efused to
,

believe His fo rc e w as dimin ished daily by desertion s

. .

M an y o f the s o ldier s w ho r emain ed r efused to Obey

their offic er s At a sh ort dist an c e from the c apital
.
,

the Ber ber s on wh om he pl ac ed his main r elianc e left

, ,

the camp at midn ight an d morn in g foun d the com ,

man der with a slen de r r etin ue wh o se n umber did n ot ,

equa l th at o f his or din ar y bo dy gu ar d N otw ithstand -

.

i n g these o min o us in dication s the in f atu a tion o f S an ,

c h o l w ho f an c ied th at the pe o ple o f C o r d ova would

, ,
'
by the mer e e ff ec t O f his pr esen c e be in du c ed to re ,

turn to their allegian c e urged him on to his ruin H e ,

.

w as s eized by the tr o o ps o f M oh ammed behe a de d his , ,

bo dy c lo thed in rags an d n ailed to a stake an d then

pl ac ed with the head—whi ch w as imp aled on a pike
,

in on e o f the mo st publi c qu ar te r s o f the c ity With .

the de ath o f S an chol the rule o f the Amir id es w ho

, , ,

in a subo r din ate c ap acity had for a ge n erati on ex er ,

c i sed desp oti c p o wer an d wh o se p oli c y w as desti ned

,

to visit up on their coun t r yme n a lon g ser ies o f mi s

for tun es termin ated for ever
, .

The pern i cious e ff e cts Of the prac tic al usur p ati on

o f Al M an su r n ow be came a pp ar ent
-
The ambition .

o f eve r y a spi ri n g p ar tis an w a s en c o u ra ged by the

example o f th at gifted le a de r wh o s e e xtr aor din ary

75 8 HIS T ORY OF TH E

fr om the c ity The pr eten der w as taken in the c on

.

fusion atten din g the Skirmish an d immediately ex e

outed .

His plac e w as fil led by S uleyman another pr ince ,

o f the Ommey a d e lin e N eg o ti ati on s were en ter ed

.

in t o wi th the C oun t o f C astile w ho in con sideration, ,

o f the su rr en der o f c e r t a in terr it or y ag r eed to fu r ,

n ish a l ar ge co n ti n ge n t o f men an d hor ses As s oon as .

their or gan ization w as e ff ec ted the Ber bers mar ched ,

on the ca pit al A b attle w as fought on the plain o f

.

C an ti ch but the dis or de r ly rabble o f C o r dov a we r e

,

un able to r esist the fie r c e o n set o f the Afr i c an c av alr y ,

an d te n th ous an d o f the p ar tis an s o f M o h am med fell

by the s w or d or per ished in the Gu adalquivir M o .

h ammed then liber ated H is chem wh o se supp osed ,

cor pse he ha d bu r ied r esig n ed his dig n ity an d pr o

, ,

c l ai med the s on o f Al H ake m s ove r eig n o f S p ain

-
.

But the ruse had n o e ff e c t The C or dov an s admitted

.

the Ber ber s an d S uleyman occ upied the p alace o f

,

the kh alifs .

Hen c efor th the st or y o f the Pen in sul a is on e of

a n ar c hy an d rui n E ve ry provin c e ever y h amlet w as
.
, ,

a p r ey to the h at r ed o f con te n din g p a r ties intensified

by the d aily in fli c tion o f mutual o utr ages C hr istian .

merc en aries p aid with the plun der o f the enemy

, ,

served in the ar mies o f bo th fac tion s The peas an try .

wer e ro bbed an d but cher ed with o ut merc y C or dova .

w as r epe a tedly s acked by the C at al an auxili ar ies by ,

the Berber s by ruthless mo bs o f its own c itizen s I t

, .

en dur ed al l the pr iv ation s o f a pr otracted siege all ,

the un speakable horror s o f f amin e an d pestilen c e .

While the c apit al w as in vested by the Berber s the ,

subur b o f Medin a al Zahr aw as t aken by these s ava ge

-

warr iors E very bein g w ithin its li mits w as slaugh

.

ter ed. The f av or ite se at o f the kh alifs on who s e ,

con st r u c ti on for for ty ye ar s the we alth o f the empi re

had bee n l avished by Abd al R ahman an d Al H akem

- - -
,
 MOORIS H E M P IRE IN E URO P E 75 9

w as utterly destroyed The tr easury w as empty an d

.
,

W ad hih the g overn or o f C or dov a un der H is chem

, ,

w ho had a gain been made kh al if —w as forc ed to sel l ,

the g r e ater portion r emain in g o f the libr ar y o f Al

H akem to Obta in mon ey to pay his tr oo ps At .

len gth the Ber bers took the c ity by ass ault The .

in h abit an ts de arly expiated the pr edilecti on for r evo lt

which they had so fr equen tly man ifested The .

butcher y w as frightful F ami lies c on spi cuous for

.

we alth wer e r educ ed in a few hour s to abj ec t po ver ty .

The gutter s r an with bloo d Hea ps o f un buried .

cor pses en cumbe r ed the str eets The famous s cholar s

.

w ho had been attra cted to S p a in fr om eve ry coun tr y

in the w or ld pe r ished almost to a man N o con sidera .

tion s o f merc y p oli cy or r eligion r estrain ed the

, ,

br utal in stin cts o f the vic tors Women an d children

.

wer e c u t dow n or trampled to death Cr owds o f .

tr embli n g supplian ts w ho had s ought r efuge in the

,

mo sques wer e mass ac r ed The s an c tity o f the h ar ems

, .

w as vi olated w ith eve ry atten d an t ci r cumst an c e o f lust

an d c r uelty P alac es er ected by the ambition o f a
.

pr oud an d o pulen t n obility wer e burn ed to ashes .

With the ac c es s ion o f S uleyman an edict co n fi scatin g ,

the pro per ty o f the c itizen s whom the publi c mi s for

tun es had least aff e cted an d b an ishin g the own er s
, ,

w as p r omulg ated an d the fe ro cio us Afr i c an s w ho

, ,

had de alt su ch a fat al blo w to the c iviliz ati on o f

E ur o pe an d in a few mon ths had o verturn ed a fab ri c
,

which the in telligen c e an d en er gy o f a lin e o f gr eat

pr in c es had h ardly been able to c omplete in tw o hu n
dr ed years appro pri ated the ser a glio s an d in stalled
, ,

themselves in the few r emain in g man sion s who se

luxur ious app oin tmen ts an d magn ific en t gar den s had
lon g been the boast o f the M oslem capit al .

The dismembermen t o f the empir e n ow pro gr essed

with app alli n g ra pidity The chiefs o f both faction s
.

c o n st an tly s oli c ite d the ai d o f the Ch r isti an s f or the

76 0 HIS T ORY OF TH E

destru ction o f their adver s ar ies F or a time their en

.

tr eaties wer e heeded but with e ach a pplic ation the

,

surr en der o f terr it or y who s e fortr esses con stituted

,

the se curity o f the fr on tier provin c es o f the kh alifate ,

w as r equir ed . With the in cr e asin g distr ess o f the

p arty whose n omin al he ad w as H ischem the deman ds ,

o f the Le on ese a n d C a stili an c hieft a in s be c ame mo r e

ex actin g At len gth the C ount o f C astile thr e atened

.

th at un less all the stron gholds taken an d fo rtified by

,

Al M an sur wer e delive r ed to him he would j o in the

-
,

Ber ber s with the en tir e forc e at his comman d The .

co w ar di c e o f the g ove rn me n t o f C o r d ov a impelled it

to make this disg r ac eful co n c essio n A gr e at nu mber.

o f for tified pl ac es w on by the v a l or o f Al M an su r s

’
-

veter an s we r e ev acuated by the S ar ac en garr is on s .

E n couraged by the ex ample o f S an c h o the petty ,

s over eign s o f Leon an d N av ar r e sen t similar mess ages

to C or d o v a. The in competen t W ad hi h w ho ex er ,

c i sed the r o y al p o we r in the n ame o f the Kh alif ter ,

r i fi ed by these empty me n a c es h asten ed to pu r c h ase

,

tempo rary immun ity for the capital by the s acr ific e
o f the r ema in in g bulwarks o f the fron tier I t w as .

n o t l on g bef or e the Ch r isti an p r i n c es with out str iki n g ,

a bl o w or givi n g a n y equiv alen t r e co ve r ed the ter r i

,

t ory whic h all the c ourage an d obstin acy o f their

f athers had n ot been able to r et ain .

The oc cupation o f C or dova by S uleyman w as far

from o bt ai n in g for him the submissi on o f the r emain
in g c ities o f the kh a lifate The ex c esses committed
.

by the Ber ber s an d the employmen t o f the h ated in

,

fi d el s o f C astile arrayed almo st the e n tir e p o pulatio n

,

a g a i n st him
. The stron gholds o f the N or th th rough ,

the pusill an imous c on duc t o f the impe r i al offi ci als ,

wer e irr etr iev ably lost The gove rn or s o f the e aster n
.

an d weste r n p ro vi n c es p roc l ai med thei r i n depen den c e .

Thous an ds o f pro sperous villages we r e destroyed ;

an d the plain s s o r ec en tly cover ed with luxur ian t