MIDDLE AGES IN SPAIN: AL-ANDALUS
GENERAL BACKGROUND: THE MUSLIM INVASION
Middle Ages started with the Fall of the Roman Empire. This happened because people from North Europe conquered that Empire.
After the Fall of the Roman Empire, the Visigoths came to Spain. The Visigoths were christians.
In 711, the Muslims defeated the Visigoths and conquered most Iberian Peninsula, except one small territory in North Spain.
CHRISTIAN PART
MUSLIM PART
The Visigoths and the Muslims fought for more than 700 years.
At the beginning, the Muslims were stronger and they defeated the Christians. But at the end of Middle Ages, the Christians were stronger and started to reconquer Iberian Peninsula.
In 711, the Muslims defeated the Christians in Battle of Guadalete. Then, they called Iberian Peninsula Al-Andalus.
In 756, Abd al-Rahman III established the Caliphate of Cรณrdoba. Caliphate is a Muslim kingdom. The king was called caliph.
ECONOMY AND SOCIETY
QUESTIONS: What was society divided into? Where did people in Al-Andalus live? What is a medina? What is a zoco? What is a mosque? What is an alcรกzar? What is an alcazaba?
Society was divided into three groups: Muslims Christians Jews
People lived in towns and cities surrounded by walls.
MEDINA: It was the place where craftspeople lived.
ZOCO: It was the market place, where trade took place and people sold and bought things.
MOSQUE: It was the place where people prayed.
ALCĂ ZAR: It was a fortified place that was next to the alcazaba.