Today I’m announcing the cancellation of The History of Spain Podcast, and instead I’m making […]

This is episode 46 called al-Hakam II, the cultivated caliph, and in this episode you […]

This is episode 45 called Umayyad interventions and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - A brief overview of the history of Catalonia of the 950s and 960s - Muslim expeditions against the Kingdom of León during the reign of Ordoño III - The Umayyad interventions in North Africa and Umayyad-Fatimid conflict in the 950s - Civil war during the reign of Ordoño III of León and its aftermath - The coup d’état against Sancho the Fat - The trip of Toda of Pamplona and Sancho the Fat to Córdoba to ask for the help of Abd al-Rahman III - The Umayyad-Christian coalition to depose Ordoño IV of León - The legacy of Abd al-Rahman III - The humiliating audience of Ordoño IV with al-Hakam II of Córdoba - The failed Christian anti-Cordoban coalition and the succession of Sancho the Fat - A reflection about why the fact that Christian rulers declared themselves vassals of the Caliphate of Córdoba is often forgotten

This is episode 44 called Slavery and Jews of al-Andalus and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - Introduction to slavery in the Islamic world and al-Andalus - What’s the difference between a captive and a slave - Captivity for women and the social problem that captivity supposed - Which were the occupations and jobs performed by slaves in al-Andalus - Captivity and slavery in the context of the campaigns of Almanzor - What determined the price of a slave and how were auctions and transactions done - Jews under early Umayyad rule and the case of Eleazar of Zaragoza - Why Jews in al-Andalus were Arabized but not Islamized - A brief biography of the great foreign minister and physician Hasdai ibn Shaprut - Jews under the Taifa kingdoms, the case of Samuel HaNagrid, and the Golden Age of Jewish culture - The end of the Jewish golden age in al-Andalus, with the 1066 Granada Massacre and the arrival of the Almoravids - The expulsion and forced conversions of Christians and Jews under the Almohads - Why Jews were sometimes tolerated and sometimes suffered repression, understanding the political and economic logic behind it - A reflection on the lives of captives and enslaved people

This is episode 43 called Fernán González, Count of Castile, and in this episode you […]

This is episode 42 called Battle of Simancas and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - Who Ramiro II of León was - The pompous parade of departure of the campaign of Osma of 934 - The first revolt of Muhammad ibn Hashim of the Banu Tujib clan and the tactical declaration of the Kingdom of Pamplona as vassal of the Caliphate - The campaign of Osma itself - The rebellion of Muhammad ibn Hashim, the offensives of the Christians, and the submission of Zaragoza - The treaty of submission of Zaragoza and its implications - The preparation of the campaign of the Omnipotence - The Battle of Simancas-Alhándega and why the Caliphal forces were defeated - Public execution of the traitors of Simancas at Medina Azahara and the Umayyad social contract - The long-lasting consequences of the Battle of Simancas - The immediate aftermath of the battle

This is episode 41 called Caliphal Córdoba and Medina Azahara and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - An introduction to Caliphal Córdoba - How Córdoba evolved over time, from being a Roman foundation to the Caliphal era - Key elements of Córdoba and areas of expansion - Why the Andalusi capital grew to become a great metropolitan city during the 10th century - What did the Emirs and Caliphs of Córdoba build to expand Córdoba and improve the living conditions of its inhabitants - The construction of the palace-city of Medina Azahara, when did works begin and how much it costed - The legendary story of why Medina Azahara was built and its meaning, and a description of its magnificence - Court ceremonies and protocol during the Caliphate of Córdoba - The caliph’s private residence and the family of Abd al-Rahman III - The second and third terrace of Medina Azahara, and the messages that the complex intended to send - A reflection about the destruction, preservation and restoration of heritage

This is episode 40 called Economy of al-Andalus and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - European and Islamic context of the Medieval economy - Two misconceptions related to the economy of al-Andalus: the static image of al-Andalus and the image of al-Andalus as an urban and commercial economy - Muslim contributions to the agriculture of Spain and Europe, and the development of agriculture as a necessary condition to develop other sectors - Brief overview of how the Arabs and Berbers settled in the Iberian Peninsula and how were the Andalusi lands exploited - Which agricultural products were produced in al-Andalus, and the limitations of the “prosperity” of a pre-industrial economy - Stockbreeding in al-Andalus - Mining in al-Andalus - Brief overview of the fiscal system of Umayyad Spain and the first Taifa period - The growth and development of cities in Muslim Spain, including the estimated population of several Andalusi cities - Manufactured products of al-Andalus - Lengthy discussion about commerce and international trade, including town markets, the role of al-Andalus as a bridge between the East and the West, and the main exports and imports of al-Andalus - The economic and commercial importance of Almería, and brief summary of the key points of the episode - A comparison between the economy of Roman Hispania and al-Andalus

This is episode 39 called Towards the Caliphate of Córdoba and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - The victorious Cordoban campaign of Muez as a punitive expedition against León and Pamplona - The Pamplonese conquest of La Rioja in 923, including Nájera, along the incorporation of the County of Aragon - The destructive punitive campaign of 924 against Pamplona (and to extend Umayyad authority in al-Andalus) and how Sancho Garcés I of Pamplona minimized the potential damage - Why Abd al-Rahman III’s campaigns against the Christian north didn’t involve conquests and colonizations - The death of Ordoño II and the brief succession of Fruela II, followed by a succession crisis and civil war in the Kingdom of León - The death of Sancho Garcés I of Pamplona, first ruler of the Jimena dynasty, and his successor and six-year-old son García Sánchez - The brutal Umayyad campaigns against the Hafsunids and the fall of Bobastro, representing the near end of the fitna of the Emirate of Córdoba - The external and domestic reasons that explain the proclamation of the Caliphate of Córdoba in 929 - The surrender of Mérida, Badajoz and Toledo, leaving only Zaragoza as the last city that had yet to really submit to Abd al-Rahman III’s authority - The Umayyad-Fatimid rivalry and the Umayyad intervention in North Africa between the 920s and the 950s - The abdication of Alfonso IV of León, followed by a civil war between Ramiro II of León and other members of the royal dynasty - A reflection on the nature of the proclamation of the Caliphate of Córdoba

This is episode 38 called Umayyad Resurgence and in this episode you will learn: SHOW NOTES - Who Abd al-Rahman III was and the difficult situation that he faced in 912 - How could the Emir suppress the revolts that plagued al-Andalus, including his political strategy and the recruitment of mercenaries and slaves - An example of the diplomatic approach of Abd al-Rahman - The bitter Monteleón campaign against Umar ibn Hafsun and the reconquest of Seville - The sudden and tragic end of Alfonso III’s reign and his legacy - The transition from the Kingdom of Asturias to the Kingdom of León - The brief reign of García I and the first campaigns of King Ordoño II of León - The 915 famine and the surrender of the old Umar ibn Hafsun, as well as other victorious Umayyad campaigns - The first jihad of Abd al-Rahman III against the Kingdom of León, ending up in the disastrous Battle of San Esteban de Gormaz for the Umayyads - A comparison between Abd al-Rahman I and Abd al-Rahman III