Description:
A comprehensive survey of Muslim Spain from 711-1502.
This introduction to Muslim Spain covers the period from 711 to1502, giving readers a substantial overview of what it was that made it a unique and successful society, and of its powerful legacy in the formation of modern Spain.
Using a chronological framework and pushing the main historical developments to the forefront, the author keeps in view the shifting social patterns caused by the changing balance between town and country, major and minor dynasties, foreign groupings and repeated invasions from North Africa. He also includes discussion of topics such as inter-faith relations, multi-ethnic competing groups, and how intellectual life was enriched by pluralism and influence from abroad.
Brief description: Richard Hitchcock is a emeritus professor at the University of Exeter. He is author or editor of several books including The Kharjas (Boydell & Brewer), Studies on the Muwassah and the Kharja (Ithaca Press), Mozarebs in Medieval and Early Modern Spain (Ashgate) and The Arab Influence in Medieval Europe (Ithaca Press).
Review Quotes:
'Both students and scholars of Andalusi history will find this work refreshing, instructive, and valuable in several respects. Hitchcock directs the reader to tensions between city and village and between center and frontier as central themes in the early history of al-Andalus; he assesses the impact of natural disasters such as droughts and earthquakes on socioeconomic and political history and inclines toward understanding people's movement and behaviors through the lens of political and economic motivation as opposed to religious considerations.'
- Ross Brann, Speculum 89/4 (October 2014)
--Ross Brann, Cornell University "Speculum 89/4 "