#moriscos

Previous parts:

Al Andalus I: The dawn of one of the world’s greatest civilizations.

Al Andalus II: One of the world’s greatest civilizations; Times of Glory, Part 1.

Al Andalus II: One of the world’s greatest civilizations; Times of Glory, Part 2.

Al Andalus III: One of the world’s greatest civilizations; The Downfall and end, Part 1.

Alhambra, Granada

II. The Nasaries.

The Nasaries.

The country was , as we said before, divided into 7 autonomies, which were; Seville (native Spanish Muslims), Granada (Berber), Córdoba (Arabs, beno Jahwar), Toledo (Berber), Valencia and the east of al Andalus (Arabs, Yemen ), Zaragoza (beni Hud ), Badajos (Berber).

The Nasaries soon realised that to assure their survival they needed a safe stronghold that could keep enemies out. Soon they found the perfect spot with the Sierra Nevada (mountains) on one side and a steep cliff on the other. Extremely difficult for enemies to reach! Here they built a hilltop fortress, with time every ruler came to contribute by building his part of the fortress until “Alhambra” became a palace complex with gardens, palaces, stables, etc.

Alhambra comes from Arabic and means “the red one” . The reason behind the name could be one of two or maybe both, as the earth where Alhambra stands is red, consequently the building itself has a reddish colour. The other reason is that the Berber tribe that ruled from Alhambra was called “al Ahmar”(meaning red in Arabic). The elevation of the palace complex is 738 meters above sea level and the total area is 88.02 km. The name Granada derives from Arabic “Karnata” or “Gharnatah” meaning “hill off strangers”.

Granada, Spain

Muhammad Yusef al Ahmar I.

When Muhammad I and the Nasaries arrived at the Sabina hill, there was already an old settlement there called Elibyrge, from the 5th century b.C.

Another reason this place was chosen was the confluence of four rivers the Darro, the Genil, the Monachil and the Beiro. Thus water in abundance! Alhamra is influenced by Almohad building style. Muhammad the first never saw his palace completed as he died before its finalazation, however his son Muhammad II concluded the construction.

In Muhammad I part of alhamra there are three towers; The broken tower, the Keep and the Watch tower. The Watchtower was used for receiving “mirror signals'' from nearby hills and mountains as an early warning if danger was approaching.

Yusef I.

The part of the palace complexes built by Yusef I is called “ the palace of Comares”. It is without any doubt the most beautiful part of alhamra, it was built to intimidate!

Here is where Yusef would receive Christian emissaries in the hall of ambassadors. What Yusef lacked in military strength he made up for it here intimidating, giving an impression of power.

Yusef's great architectural achievements came to an abrupt end when in October 1354 he was assassinated during his morning prayer, he was only 33 years old.

Court of the lions

Muhammad V.

Later on in the history of the Nasarids, Muhammad V constructed several amazing parts of al hamra but he is most famous for the “patio of the lions”.

He was extremely interested in architecture, as was his christian counterpart; Pedro I.

They had architectural competitions amongst themselves, they were best friends and as long as Pedro I was in power, the Nasarids had nothing to fear.

Nasaries summary:

One important reason the Nasaries cling to power for so long, was their ability to constantly come up with new and fresh strategies as alternatives to military power.

Their creativity reached from secret early warnings by mirror signals, intimidating and giving a false impression of power, to befriending the enemy and sharing their interests.

There were other strategies, not mentioned yet; were diplomatic strategies, confusing the enemies by giving the wrong impression, and possession of information etc.

A new country had emerged in Morocco called Beni Marine. They offered support to Granada in many different ways; military and economic support. This support was essential and prolonged their reign in Granada significantly.

But regrettably, Muhammad VI saw the fall of Alhambra and with it the collapse of the last refuge of the Moorish power in Spain.

The Castilla and Leóns conjugal duo; Isabella and Fernando, had claimed the entire country, and now we enter the aftermath of the fall of al andalus.

Alhambra, Spain

Times of Terror

With the christian advances the Muslims were gradually forced to the south of the country, eventually ending up in Granada. The Christians gave two choices to the Muslims and the Jews in their newly claimed territories, to be killed, or to be exiled. The Nasaries had made many agreements with the Christians, however, each time, the Christians broke their promises and agreements.

At one point, Beni Marine and Beni Ahmar merged their armies, and claimed back a few cities, such as Seville. Unfortunately, these advancements quickly came to an abrupt halt. It was not all futile however, as Yousef Beni Marine took back, and in turn, preserved many of the books in Córdoba, which can be found in a library in Morocco till this day.

The 2nd of February 1492, however, Granada capitulated. Shortly after, the Jews and the Muslims that originated from other countries were exiled; after 800 years they were now considered strangers in their own countries. Many Berber families that returned to Morocco, still have the keys to their forefathers' houses in al Andalus till this day. Their properties and wealth were taken from them.

Alhambra, Granada

The fate of the Moriscos

During the 801 years of Muslim rule, an enormous amount of native Christians had converted to Islam. Their fate was even darker, they were now called “moriscos”; a kind of second degree citizens. As they had nowhere else to go, exile was not an option, leaving them with only death.

A secret police force was set up, similar to Hitlers Gestapo. Their function was to secretly search for any Spanish people that were morisco. The people that were discovered were tortured to death.

They were burned, thrown in boiling water/oil alive, hammered with rusted nails, buried alive, or kept in a black cellar until they got blind, or got their tongues cut out.

Years later, when Napoleon’s army occupied Spain, they said that they were appalled to see how the Spaniards had tortured and killed their own people in such a horrifying way.

As the native Spanish Muslims had nowhere to go, they tried to hide from the secret police.

The terror they must have felt, trying to hide from the secret police in an attempt to avoid being discovered, tortured and killed must have been indescribable.

Many of these moriscos changed their names to “blend in” while trying to escape the horror.

Ex. someone called haddad (arabic for blacksmith), would have called himself Herrero (Castillian spanish for blacksmith). If he were in danger again, he would once more change his name to Ferrer (Catalan for blacksmith). Some of the moriscos that succeeded in escaping retribution, would hide their properties, such as books and identifiable items.

Some of these items have been discovered, while reconstructing old buildings in modern times. As was the case of a lady in Toledo a few years back.

Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, Spain

Reflection:

The doors of collectivism and mutual respect had now closed. These doors opened with the arrival of the Moorish 801 years ago.

The doors of a multicultural society with tolerance and acceptance of others. 801 years later, these doors were closed perpetually. Left was mono-cultural, mono-ethnic country. With acceptance of only one religion, a country full of fears with all the limitations brought with it.

The new Spain was looking to finance itself by taxes from the inside, and colonization from the outside. Al Andalus was now dead and Spain crippled.

Nasarís of Granada:

Muhammad I: Muhhamad Yusuf al Ahmar I, Died at 80 years old

(1231-1272)

Muhammed II

(1272-1303)

Isma’il I

(1313-1324)

Yusuf I: died at 33 years old

(1333-1354)

Muhammed V

(1354-1390)

Muhammed VI

(???? -1492)

Fed up with this “enemy within,” the Spanish crown finally decreed in 1501 that all Muslims had two choices: convert to Christianity or leave Spain. The motivation was less religious and more political; it was less about making Muslims “good Christians” and more about making them “good citizens.” . . .

Spain’s entire Muslim population—hundreds of thousands of Muslims—responded by openly embracing Christianity while remaining crypto-Muslims, in keeping with the Muslim doctrine of taqiyya. It teaches that, whenever Muslims find themselves under infidel authority, they may say and do almost anything—denounce Muhammad, receive baptism and communion, venerate the cross—as long as their hearts remain true to Islam.  So, in public, these newly converted “Christians” went to church and baptized their children; at home, they recited the Koran, preached undying hate for the infidel, and plotted how to destroy Christian Spain.

That these “Moriscos”—that is, self-professed Muslim converts to Christianity who were still “Moorish,” or Islamic, as they came to be known—went to great lengths to foist their deception cannot be doubted, as explained by one historian:

For a Morisco to pass as a good Christian took more than a simple statement to that effect. It required a sustained performance involving hundreds of individual statements and actions of different types, many of which might have little to do with expressions of belief or ritual per se. Dissimulation [taqiyya] was an institutionalized practice in Morisco communities that involved regular patterns of behaviour passed on from one generation to the next.

Despite this elaborate masquerade, Christians increasingly caught on: “With the permission and license that their accursed sect accorded them,” a frustrated Spaniard remarked, “they could feign any religion outwardly and without sinning, as long as they kept their hearts nevertheless devoted to their false impostor of a prophet. We saw so many of them who died while worshipping the Cross and speaking well of our Catholic Religion yet who were inwardly excellent Muslims.”

Christians initially tried to reason with the Moriscos; they reminded them how they became Muslim in the first place: “Your ancestor was a Christian, although he made himself a Muslim” to avoid persecution or elevate his social status; so now “you also must become a Christian.” When that failed, Korans were confiscated and burned; then Arabic, the language of Islam, was banned. When that too failed, more extreme measures were taken; it reached the point that a Morisco could “not even possess a pocketknife for eating with that did not have a rounded point, lest he savage a Christian with it.” . . .

Such are the origins of the Spanish Inquisition (which, contrary to popular belief, targeted more Muslims than Jews). For no matter how much the Moriscos “might present the appearance of a most peaceful submission,” a nineteenth century historian wrote, “they remained nevertheless fundamental Musulmans, watching for a favourable opportunity and patiently awaiting the hour of revenge, promised by their prophecies.”

Thus, when a rumor arose in 1568 that the Ottoman Turks had finally arrived, Spain’s crypto-Muslim fifth column, “believing that the days under Christian rule were over, went berserk. Priests all over the countryside were attacked, mutilated, or murdered; some were burned alive; one was sewed inside a pig and barbequed; the pretty Christian girls were assiduously raped, some sent off to join the harems of Moroccan and Algerian potentates.”

In the end, if Muslims could never be loyal to infidel authority—constantly colluding and subverting, including with foreign Muslims—and if conversion to Christianity was no solution, then only one solution remained: between 1609 and 1614, all Moriscos were expelled from the Peninsula to Africa, whence Islam had first invaded Spain nearly a millennium earlier.

This decision was not taken lightly.  Many Christians in Spain—and the pope in Rome—deemed it too harsh; some suggested the castration of all Morisco males as an alternative.  Yet, in the end, the monarchy concluded that there was no other guarantee against the constant subversions and sporadic bouts of terrorism than the complete elimination of Islam from Spain.

The point here is that Spain did everything humanly possible to get its Muslim population to assimilate and forsake their hate for Christian “infidels”—including by forcing them to convert to, and their children to be born in, Christianity, and monitoring their commitment—and even that was not enough, thanks to the dispensation of taqiyya, which still informs much of Europe’s Muslim population.

9 April 1609: Expulsion of the Moriscos

On this day in 1608, the Expulsion of the Moriscos was decreed by Felipe III, King of Spain. The Moriscos were the descendants of Spain’s Muslim population that had converted to Christianity by coercion or by Royal Decree in the early 16th century. As the Spanish were threatened by Turkish raids along the Spanish coast and by two Morisco revolts in the century since Islam was outlawed in Spain, it is likely that the expulsions were a reaction to a potential threat within the heart of the overstretched Spanish Empire. 

Between 1609 through 1614, the Crown systematically expelled Moriscos through a number of decrees affecting Spain's various kingdoms, meeting varying levels of success. Although initial estimates of the number expelled range between 275,000 and 300,000 Moriscos (or 4% of the total Spanish population), the extent and actual success of the expulsion order in purging Spain of its Moriscos has been increasingly challenged by modern historians.