HISP 225: Lecture 8 Culture and Politics in Christian Iberia

How did the name "Castile" originate, and what did Muslim chronicles call it?

It was first mentioned around 800 AD in the Chronicles of Alfonso III; Muslim chronicles called it "Al-Qila" ("the castled" region), referring to its many fortifications.

How did Castile rise from county to kingdom?

It started as a county under the Kingdom of León; Sancho III of Pamplona took control of it, and it became an independent kingdom in 1035 upon Sancho III's death.

How did Castile and León merge into the "Crown of Castile"?

Castile and León merged twice (1037 and 1230); by 1230 Castile was clearly the stronger partner, and their Cortes were combined into one, creating the "Crown of Castile" - the most powerful Christian kingdom in Spain, though still unable to conquer Portugal or Aragon by force.

How did centuries of Muslim rule shape Castile's wool economy?

Muslim rule turned Castile's central plateau into sheep pastures; many Spanish sheep-farming words derive from Arabic, and Muslims introduced advanced grazing techniques and sheep breeds.

How did Castile's wool industry rise to dominance in the 12th century?

Wool production became Castile's main industry; the high central plateau offered an ideal climate for merino sheep, and Castilian merino wool became Europe's finest - softer and stronger than its competitors.

Where did Castile mainly export its wool, and what economic/political power did this generate?

Mainly to Flanders (textiles) and England (cloth); wool exports generated enormous wealth, funded military campaigns and expansion, and made Castile one of Europe's wealthiest kingdoms, while the powerful Mesta (sheep-owners' guild) gained royal privileges and political influence.

What environmental impact did Castile's wool industry have?

Massive herds devastated forests, overgrazing prevented regeneration, and seasonal migration routes (cañadas) trampled agricultural land - transforming central Spain into a largely treeless landscape and causing long-term soil erosion.

What was Toledo before the Christian conquest, and what happened when it was conquered in 1085?

It was the former capital of the Visigothic kingdom and a major center of Muslim culture under Islamic rule; its Christian conquest in 1085 was a huge symbolic victory, and Muslims and Jews were allowed to remain in the city.

What was the School of Toledo, and what did it achieve?

Created by the mix of cultures in Toledo, it translated scientific and philosophical works from Arabic and Greek into Latin, spread Arabic numerals and mathematics to Europe, attracted European scholars to study there, and lasted over 200 years.

How did Toledo flourish under Alfonso X "the Wise" in the 13th century?

It became a major cultural and administrative center, exemplifying the idea of "Spain of the Three Cultures," in which Jews, Muslims, and Christians coexisted under Christian rule.

How was the University of Salamanca founded, and when was it formally recognized as a university?

Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, originally as a Cathedral School; it was formally recognized as a university by Pope Alexander IV in 1255 - the first university in Spain, and one of the oldest in Europe alongside Bologna, Oxford, and Paris.

How did Salamanca develop under Alfonso X, and what subjects did it cover by the 14th century?

Alfonso X supported its expansion in liberal arts, law, medicine, and theology, and it became a key center for canon law; by the 14th century it offered a broad curriculum of grammar, logic, philosophy, astronomy, and medicine, with advanced theology studies.

What two notable "firsts" is the University of Salamanca credited with?

It was one of the first European universities to admit female students (15th century), and it became a significant center for humanist scholarship, including philology and classical texts.

Per a later slide, what alternate founding date is given for Salamanca, and what title does the university claim?

Founded 1134, with a Royal charter granted by Alfonso IX in 1218; it is cited as the world's third-oldest university still in operation, and the oldest in the Hispanic world.

What was the medieval curriculum structure at Salamanca, based on the classical liberal arts?

The trivium (grammar, rhetoric, logic) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, music, geometry, astronomy).

What is the legend behind the Apostle James and Santiago de Compostela?

St. James, one of Jesus's 12 disciples, is said to have preached in Spain and the Holy Land; after his execution by Herod Agrippa, his body is said to have miraculously floated by sea to Galicia, where it was buried at what became Santiago de Compostela.

How were St. James's relics "rediscovered," and what did this create?

King Alfonso II (791-842) and Bishop Theodemir found the remains, creating a pilgrimage route in the 9th century and a shrine at Santiago; the Way of St. James became one of Christianity's most important pilgrimage routes, with multiple paths across Western Europe converging through northern Spain, and St. James became Spain's patron saint.

How connected was Christian Iberia to the rest of Latin Christendom before the 11th century?

Largely isolated, except for Catalonia (which had trans-Pyrenean contacts as part of the Frankish empire); the Iberian Church had no contact with the papacy, and Iberia used its own Visigothic liturgy and monastic rule rather than the Roman rite or Benedictine rule.

What three connected forces "Europeanized" Christian Iberia?

1. The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

2. The papal reform movement, spread by Cluny

3. French military and settler migration - together replacing Iberia's distinctive Visigothic religious culture with mainstream European

When and where was St. James's tomb "discovered," and who backed the cult?

Between 818 and 842 Galicia; it was backed by local clergy and the Leonese monarchy, with foreign pilgrims beginning to arrive from the mid-10th century.

What were the four French starting points of the Camino, and where did the routes converge?

Tours, Vézelay, Le Puy, and St. Gilles du Gard; the routes converged at Puente la Reina, continuing across northern Spain via the Camino francés (Burgos → León → Astorga → Compostela).

What economic effects did the pilgrimage have? What could be built thereafter?

It generated wealth and spurred the building of better roads, bridges, hostels, and hospitals.

Who were the key reforming popes, and what were their reform goals?

Alexander II and Gregory VII goals:

• A Church entirely independent of lay/secular powers

• Universal recognition of Rome's authority

• A uniform ritual across Christendom

What made the monastery of Cluny special, and where was it strongest in Iberia?

Its monks took a vow of obedience to the papacy; Cluny was strongest in Navarre and León, and Ferdinand I and Alfonso VI honoured it with annual payments of Muslim gold.

Who was Bernard of Sédirac, and what role did the Cistercians play from the 1140s?

A Cluniac monk who became abbot of Sahagún and then archbishop of Toledo

the Cistercians arrived in the 1140s and played a key role in founding monasteries and in colonization and repopulation.

When did the Roman rite replace the Visigothic (Mozarabic) rite, and what other reforms came with it?

Between 1071 and 1080; other changes included adopting the Benedictine rule, new canon law, Carolingian minuscule script (replacing the Visigothic script), and the decline of Mozarabic illumination.

How did Compostela become an archbishopric?

Diego Gelmírez lobbied the papal court in 1120 to secure the elevation.

Besides piety, why did French nobles come to Iberia, and what came of the 1064 and 1087 campaigns?

For plunder (parias) and family ties; in 1064 French help captured Barbastro, while an inconclusive campaign took place near Tudela in 1087.

What marriage alliances linked French nobles to Alfonso VI's daughters?

Raymond of Amous and Henry of Châlon were betrothed to Urraca and Teresa, Alfonso VI's daughters.

Where did French settlers establish themselves, and what privileges did they receive?

Around Toledo (1085) and Zaragoza (1118); in Estella (1090), French settlers received a fuero (charter) from Sancho Ramírez I.

What architectural styles mark this period's cultural legacy, and where do they appear?

Romanesque features (thick walls, round arches, square or octagonal bell towers), followed by Gothic features (pointed arches, late 12th century) - seen in the cathedrals of Burgos (1222) and Toledo (1226).

What was the main problem facing Christian frontier colonization (c.1050-1250), and how did rulers address it?

A shortage of manpower; rulers offered charters (fueros) with generous incentives to attract settlers, producing a militarized frontier society.

What was Alfonso VI's resettlement zone, and which four towns did he found there?

The area between the Duero and Tagus rivers; he founded Sepúlveda, Ávila, Segovia, and Salamanca, which served a dual role as administrative centres and military bases.

Who built Ávila's walls, and what perks did the 1139 Oreja fuero offer settlers?

Count Raymond of Burgundy built Ávila's walls in the 1090s; the Oreja fuero (1139) offered a house, land, toll exemption, and immunity for past crimes.

Which were the most influential fueros, and what did they emphasize?

Cuenca (Castile) and Teruel (Aragon); they stressed warfare - military service, sharing of booty, and compensation for the wounded.

Who administered the deep south (between the Tagus and Guadalquivir), and what followed the "Great Reconquest" of the 1230s-40s?

Military orders (via encomiendas), using Muslim labourers; the Great Reconquest was followed by repartimiento (distribution of conquered land), which mainly benefited the king, nobles, the Church, and military orders.

What was the settler shortfall in Valencia under James I, and why did many settlers leave?

Only about 30,000 settlers arrived versus the roughly 100,000 needed; many who did come left because landlords blocked their exodus, so instead many sold up and went home - leaving large numbers of Muslims still concentrated in central and southern Valencia.

What drove agricultural growth in the Christian north during this period?

Population growth, climate, new technology (irrigation, ploughs, mills, iron tools), and land clearance.

What is "seigneurialization," and how did parias (tribute payments) affect it?

The process by which peasants sold their land and commended themselves to lords; parias fueled a property market boom that encouraged this shift.

How did landlord-peasant relations change in the late 12th century, and what was the exception?

Lords began offering better terms to stop peasants from fleeing to the frontier; the exception was Aragon and Catalonia, where malos usos (peasant burdens) and remença (a payment required to leave the land) persisted.

What crops dominated different regions of Christian Iberia, and which crop grew markedly?

Cereals on the meseta, olives and fruit in the south, rice around Tortosa, and citrus in Valencia; vineyards grew markedly in Rioja, Navarre, and Catalonia.

Why did livestock farming grow, and what was the Mesta?

Due to manpower shortages and rising wool demand; the Mesta (established in the 1260s) was the Castilian council that regulated flock movements and settled disputes.

What signs point to commercial growth in this period, and what was the main stimulus in the north?

Less reliance on barter and the spread of silver coinage (under Sancho Ramírez I and Alfonso VI); the main stimulus in the north was the Santiago pilgrimage, with Jaca becoming a major France-Iberia trade conduit.

What happened at Sahagún in 1110, and how did it end?

Merchants, artisans, and peasants revolted against their lords; by 1117 the rebels had submitted, and commerce along the camino slowed as a result.

What goods moved through northern ports like Santander, Fuenterrabía, and San Vicente?

Basque iron and Castilian wool, exported to England and Flanders; Castile had established a trading colony in Bruges by 1267.

Where were the major regional fairs, and what happened in Barcelona after 1140?

Valladolid (1152), Cáceres (1229), Seville (1254), and Córdoba (1284); in Barcelona after 1140, patricians invested heavily in property, manufacturing, finance, and commerce.

What were Catalonia's three main trade routes, and what did each carry?

1. North Africa (gold, ivory, slaves) 2. France, Sardinia, and Sicily (grain) 3. The eastern Mediterranean (spices, cotton)

What were the Consulat del Mar and its Llibre, and what did James I do in 1274?

The Consulat del Mar (1257) was Barcelona's merchant court, and the Llibre (1283) was its maritime law book; in 1274 James I lobbied the Pope to cancel a planned Tunis crusade because it threatened trade.

Which cities exported textiles in the 13th century, and what was a key growth industry?

Zamora, Ávila, Segovia, and Soria exported textiles (notably to Portugal); shipbuilding was a key growth industry, and guilds formed in the first half of the 12th century.

Where were Mozarabs (Christians under Muslim rule) most numerous, and what charter did they receive in 1101?

Toledo; in 1101 Alfonso VI granted them their own charter of privileges.

Why did many Mozarabs flee north in the early 1100s, and what happened after Alfonso I of Aragón's 1125-26 raid?

Due to Almoravid persecution; after Alfonso I of Aragón raided south to Granada that winter, Mozarabs joined him and settled in the Ebro valley, though the Almoravids retaliated by deporting other Mozarabs to Morocco. The Almoravid empire collapsed in 1147.

How is Christian policy toward Mudejars (Muslims under Christian rule) described, and why?

"Contradictory and muddled" - Mudejars were kept because their labour was indispensable given manpower shortages, but feared as potential "fifth columnists" (a security risk).

Which cities expelled their Mudejars for security reasons, and what happened in Majorca by 1231?

Toledo, Valencia, and Seville expelled Mudejars; in Majorca (1231), only about one-tenth of the Muslim population remained.

What happened in the Mudejar uprising of 1264-66, and on Minorca and Ibiza in 1287?

Much of the Muslim population of Andalusia and Murcia was expelled after the uprising; in 1287 on Minorca and Ibiza, many Muslims were sold into slavery.

Where did Mudejars make up over half the population, and what did surrender terms usually guarantee?

Tudela (Navarre), and an even higher share in Valencia; surrender terms usually guaranteed property, civil, and religious rights.

Who among the Mudejars tended to emigrate versus stay, and what rights did those who stayed have?

The rich emigrated to Granada or North Africa, while poor farmers and artisans tended to stay; those who stayed had royal protection, freedom of movement, the right to buy and sell, and could serve in town militias (e.g., Ávila, Cuenca).

What signs of cultural mixing existed between Mudejars and Christians, alongside what discrimination?

Mudejars attended Mass and minstrels performed in churches, and Arabic loanwords entered Castilian and Portuguese; discrimination included aljamas (separate quarters), exclusion from public office, biased courts, heavier taxes (one-quarter of produce in Navarre), and bathhouse segregation.

What was the penalty for Christian-Mudejar or Christian-Jewish sexual relations, and what did Alfonso X do in Murcia?

Burning or stoning; Alfonso X ("King of the Three Religions") had a wall built to separate Mudejars in Murcia. Anti-Mudejar riots also broke out in the Valencia region in 1276-91.

How did the Almoravids and Almohads treat Jews, and what roles did Jews play under Christian rulers?

They brought greater persecution, causing many Jews to emigrate north; under Christian rulers, Jews served as tax collectors, diplomats, physicians, translators, financiers, and merchants.

What was the Jewish population of Castile by the end of the 13th century, and how did Iberian kings respond to Lateran Council demands?

About 3,600 families (Aragon's population was probably higher); though the Lateran Councils of 1179 and 1215 demanded segregation of Christians and non-Christians, Iberian kings were notably reluctant to enforce it.

What missionary efforts targeted Muslims and Jews in the 13th century, and how successful were they?

• Franciscans preached in Seville in 1219 before going to Morocco, where they were martyred

• the Dominican Ramon de Penyafort set up Arabic schools in Tunis (1250) and Murcia (1266)

• Ramon Llull and James II of Majorca founded a missionary training college in 1276

• a public Christian-Jewish debate was held in Barcelona in 1263 before James I.

• Alfonso X favoured kind words over force, but overall these efforts won very few converts.

How did the Kingdom of Aragon begin in the 9th century?

As a small mountain county around Jaca in the Pyrenees, part of Charlemagne's border defenses and originally ruled by Frankish counts under Navarre's authority.

How did Aragon gain independence and grow (1035-1134)?

Ramiro I declared independence from Navarre in 1035 and conquered neighboring mountain regions

Alfonso I "the Battler" expanded south, conquering the Ebro Valley including Zaragoza (1118); by 1134 Aragon controlled territory from the Pyrenees to the Ebro River.

How did the Catalan Counties originate as a Frankish buffer zone?

Counties like Barcelona were created in the 8th-9th centuries to defend against Muslim raids; Barcelona, captured in 801, became the most important coastal city.

How did the Catalan Counties break free from Frankish control?

Wilfred the Hairy (878-897) made the counties hereditary, ending direct Frankish control; Ramon Berenguer III later unified most of the counties and gained Provence through marriage (1112); by 1137, Barcelona controlled counties on both sides of the Pyrenees.

What crisis followed Alfonso I of Aragon's death in 1134, and how was it resolved?

He died childless, so the Aragonese nobility forced the monk Ramiro II to become king and arranged a marriage alliance between his daughter Petronilla and Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona to prevent Castilian domination.

What did Aragon and Barcelona each bring to the 1137 marriage alliance (Petronilla/Ramon Berenguer IV)?

Aragon brought the royal title, military strength, and the Ebro Valley territories; Barcelona brought maritime trade, the Pyrenean counties, and administrative expertise.

What was the lasting result of the Aragon-Barcelona union?

Both kept their own laws and institutions, but combined military power with commercial networks, becoming the foundation for Mediterranean expansion and one of medieval Europe's most successful dynastic unions.

How did the Crown of Aragon expand territorially in the western Mediterranean?

It became a major naval power, fighting Genoa and Venice

1. annexed Sardinia from the Pisans (1324-1420) through progressive campaigns

2. took Sicily (1282) via the Sicilian Vespers rebellion

3. secured the Kingdom of Naples (1442) under Alfonso V (uniting it with Sicily)

4. briefly controlled Athens and Neopatras (1311-1388) through Aragonese mercenaries.

What made the Crown of Aragon wealthy through Mediterranean trade?

Major ports - Barcelona, Valencia, Palma - connected it to North Africa, Italy, and the Levant, trading textiles, grains, spices, and slaves; the Consolat de Mar was established as a code of maritime trade law.

How was the Crown of Aragon politically structured, and what was the Corts Catalanes?

It was a loose union of regions (Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Mallorca, Sicily), each keeping its own laws, government, and customs under a shared king

the Corts Catalanes (started 11th century) was one of Europe's first parliaments - made up of nobles, clergy, and city merchants - which had to approve new taxes and could influence laws.

What was the Generalitat de Catalunya (1359), and what did the Usatges of Barcelona do?

The Generalitat was a permanent government body that started as a tax office and grew to handle defense, diplomacy, and law enforcement

the Usatges of Barcelona was an 11th-century collection of laws setting out mutual obligations between the king and Catalan nobles.

What was the Council of One Hundred in Barcelona?

A city government created in the 13th century that managed Barcelona's defense, finances, and trade, giving merchants and citizens real political power and making Barcelona largely self-governing.

What role did Zaragoza play in the Crown of Aragon?

It was the political/administrative capital of the Kingdom of Aragon, seat of the Aragonese Corts and site of royal coronations, with a multicultural society of Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

What role did Barcelona and Valencia play in the Crown of Aragon?

Barcelona was the headquarters of the Corts Catalanes and Consell de Cent

• a major Mediterranean port and center of scholarly/artistic life

Valencia, capital of its own kingdom, had fertile lands (silk, citrus, rice)

• an important port, the Silk Exchange (La Lonja de la Seda)

• and by the 15th century was a center of literature and art (the Valencian Golden Age).

What role did Palma de Mallorca play in the Crown of Aragon?

A crossroads of Mediterranean trade routes and a key naval/commercial hub, serving as a military base for the Crown of Aragon's Mediterranean campaigns.

How did the County of Portugal originate?

It was created during the Reconquista by Vímara Peres, a noble serving the King of Asturias.

How did Portugal become independent through rebellion (1096-1139)?

Henry of Burgundy, a French crusader, married Alfonso VI's daughter and received the County of Portugal as her dowry; when his wife was later disinherited, Henry rebelled against Castile and León. His son, Afonso Henriques, continued the fight and declared himself King of Portugal after the Battle of Ourique (1139).

What role did the Knights Templar play in securing Portugal's independence?

They were essential to Portugal's success, securing victories like the conquest of Santarém (1147), receiving extensive lands in central Portugal, and building a fortress headquarters at Tomar - helping transform Portugal into a consolidated independent kingdom.

How was Portugal's independence internationally recognized, and how were its borders set?

The Treaty of Zamora (1143) with León recognized Portuguese independence; the Treaty of Alcañices (1297) with Castile established Portugal's borders, which remain virtually unchanged today.

What are the Cantigas de Santa María, and who commissioned them?

A collection of monodic songs in the Galician language and mensural notation honouring the Virgin Mary, written during the rule of Alfonso X "El Sabio" (1221-1284); they were sung at church festivities, proclaiming Mary's virtues and recounting miracles attributed to her intercession.

What did the Cantigas' narratives draw on, and what does Cantiga 156 describe?

They drew on facts about Alfonso X and his family as well as local legends; Cantiga 156 tells of a priest whose tongue was cut out by heretics and was miraculously restored by the Virgin at Cluny.

Did the political collapse of 1009 end Muslim cultural life in al-Andalus?

No - taifa rulers tried to emulate the Umayyads, showing status through splendid courts, prestigious building projects, and lavish patronage (e.g., the Aljafería palace, built in Zaragoza by al-Muqtadir).

What cultural achievements are associated with the Taifa period?

Ivory carving flourished under the Dhu'l-Nunids of Toledo; the astronomer Ibn al-Zarqali (d. 1100) had works that circulated in Western Europe; Ibn Hazm of Córdoba wrote The Ring of the Dove (on love) and a treatise on comparative religion; poet-rulers included al-Muzaffar of Badajoz and al-Mu'tadid and al-Mu'tamid of Seville.

What cultural shift did Almohad rule bring in the 12th century, and who were its leading intellectual figures?

Closer contact with Middle Eastern philosophy and science, previously largely forbidden under the Umayyads and taifas; Ibn Tufayl (d. 1185) wrote Alive, Son of the Awake, a classic of Arabic literature, and Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 1198) wrote influential commentaries on Aristotle.

What happened to Muslim intellectual life after the Almohads disintegrated in the 1220s?

Many scholars fled to the Maghrib and beyond, and literary output declined; the leading intellectual figure in Nasrid Granada afterward was Ibn al-Khaṭīb (d. 1374), a poet, physician, and historian.

Which Jewish scholars and poets flourished in this period, and who was the most celebrated?

• Shelomo Ibn Gabirol (d. c.1056, The Fountain of Life),

• Moses b. Ezra (d. 1138

• Yehuda Halevi (d. 1141)

• the most celebrated was Maimonides (d. 1204), who reconciled Judaism with Aristotelian philosophy, was exiled by the Almohads, and died in Egypt.

What role did Jewish scholars play in the translation movement under Alfonso X?

They were prominent in translating Arabic texts into Latin and Castilian.

What characterized Christian literary culture in the north before the 13th century, and who wrote early "general histories"?

It was dominated by an ecclesiastical elite writing mostly in Latin; two authors of general histories were Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada (Toledo) and Lucas of Túy.

What major vernacular works appeared from the 13th century onward?

• The Cantar de mio Cid (a Castilian epic, c.1207)

• lyric poetry in Provençal, Galician-Portuguese, and Castilian

• Alfonso X's General Estoria and Estoria de Espanna

• the Cantigas de Santa María (400 songs in Galician-Portuguese)

• James I of Aragon's autobiographical account of his reign, written in Catalan.

Which Catalan historians and writers are notable from this period?

Bernat Desclot (d. 1288) and Ramon Muntaner (d. 1336) as historians; Arnau de Vilanova (d. 1311), a physician and Catalan writer; and Ramon Llull, who wrote up to 250 works in Catalan, Latin, and Arabic covering religion, philosophy, and poetry.

What is the Book of Good Love, and what are Tirant lo Blanch and Curial and Guelfa?

The Book of Good Love was written by Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita (d. 1351), mocking clerical corruption; Tirant lo Blanch and Curial and Guelfa were 14th-15th century Catalan chivalric tales.

What intensified cultural contacts between Christians and Muslims after 1085, and what are two examples of resulting art?

The fall of Toledo;

1. Chapel of La Asunción at Las Huelgas near Burgos (late 12th century), built by Muslim craftsmen in Almohad style

2. 14th-century frescoes in the Sala de los Reyes at the Alhambra, possibly painted by Christian artists under Nasrid patronage.

Who was Hugo of Santalla, and what did he say about Arab scholarship?

An early translator (fl. 1145) who argued Christians should imitate the Arabs, calling them their "teachers."

Which cities were early translation centres, and which became the most important?

Barcelona, Tarazona, and Tudela were early centres, but Toledo became the most important, home to translators like Domingo González, Gerard of Cremona, Avendaut (a converted Jew), and John of Seville.

What was the impact of the Toledo translation movement, and what did Alfonso X commission?

It brought Aristotle, Euclid, Ptolemy, and Arabic/Jewish scholarship to the Latin West; Alfonso X commissioned Castilian translations, including works on magic and chess.

Which early Iberian universities were founded, and how successful were they?

Palencia (c.1200, under Alfonso VIII) did not prosper; Salamanca (royal privileges 1218, under Alfonso IX) became one of the best in Christendom; Lisbon was founded in 1290 and relocated to Coimbra in 1308; other universities followed at Lérida (1300), Valladolid (1346), and Huesca (1354).

What did these universities teach, and what became of Alfonso X's plan for a university in Seville?

Law, philosophy, rhetoric, logic, grammar, and medicine; Alfonso X's plan for a Seville university teaching Arabic and Latin never progressed.