In Part 2 of my 4 part look at Medieval Lisbon, I explore the city’s oldest building: Sé de Lisbon, Lisbon Cathedral
Medieval Lisbon: Castelo de São Jorge
October 10, 2015 By
Above Lisbon’s skyline of colourful tiled houses and red roofs lies Castelo de São Jorge, a dominating, but beautiful, 11th century fortress in the heart of this vibrant city…
Christian Iberia: A Society Religiously Organized for War
February 15, 2014 By
Reconquista society in medieval Christian Spain is all too often considered through only economic and martial eyes. In this study of the prevelant cult of Santiago de Compostela (or St. James the Greater) I will demonstrate how medieval society meshed both war and religion.
El Cid, Cluny and the Medieval Spanish Reconquista
January 14, 2014 By
Rodrigo Díaz, better known by his title El Cid, has traditionally been portrayed as one of the great heroes of Spanish history, perhaps the perhaps the Spanish national hero par excellence.
Thieves of Pleasure: A vicious fraternal war rewards Alfonso VI with the artistic and poetic treasures of al-Andalus
February 19, 2013 By
As the balance of power began to shift from Muslim to Christian, a power struggle erupted among Christian rulers that would continue for generations, even as the light of Arabic poetry burned bright enough to influences centuries of Western verse.
Daily Life in the Spanish Reconquest: Scenes from Tenth-Century León
October 26, 2012 By
Built by the Romans to garrison to Seventh Legion, León may also have been the base of the legion’s military commander, who was sometimes fully empowered by the emperor to govern Asturias and Galicia.
The Difference A King Makes: Religion And National Unity In Spain
June 3, 2012 By
It is the end of the Roman period, however, that interests us most. What happened then is a model for the relationship between Church and state that has had an enduring and powerful influence.
“Mediterranean Falconry as a Cross-Cultural Bridge: Christian – Muslim Hunting Encounters”
April 8, 2012 By
Among the spectacular Eastern hunting techniques which could become the object of interest and envy of the Europeans, one easily adapted to the natural conditions of Europe was undoubtedly the falconry. In fact, it became not only a great fancy of medieval and renaissance Europe, but also a kind of cross-cultural bridge across ideological gaps.
Reconquista and convivencia: Post-conquest Valencia during the Reign of Jaime I, el Conquistador: Interaction between Christians and Muslims (1238-1276)
February 5, 2012 By
This study will focus on just one aspect of the transition from Muslim kingdom to medieval Christian state. In 1238, Ciudad de Valencia, the most important urban center in the Muslim kingdom of Valencia would fall to Jaime I, el conquistador, king of Christian Aragon and Catalonia, opening up a vast region to Christian influence.
The foundational rape tale in Medieval Iberia
December 28, 2011 By
When one reads Medieval historiographic texts—whether written in Latin, Arabic or Romance—it appears that both the Moorish invasion and the Christian Reconquest of Spain are linked to a rape episode.
MUSLIM AND JEWISH “OTHERNESS” IN THE SPANISH NATION-BUILDING PROCESS
August 4, 2011 By
MUSLIM AND JEWISH “OTHERNESS” IN THE SPANISH NATION-BUILDING PROCESS THROUGHOUT THE RECONQUISTA (1212-1614) TÜRKÇELİK, EVRİM M.A. Thesis (Science), Middle East Technical University, August (2003) Abstract In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs Isabel and Ferdinand conquered Granada, the last Muslim Kingdom in Spain, issued the edict of expulsion of Jews and charged Christopher Columbus to find out […]
From Islam to Christianity: Urban Changes in Medieval Portuguese Cities
August 2, 2011 By
From Islam to Christianity: Urban Changes in Medieval Portuguese Cities Trindade,Luísa Religion and Power in Europe : Conflict and Convergence (Pisa, 2007) Abstract Abstract Focusing on the Islamic urban pattern in the actual Portuguese territory, the present study underlines the confrontation with the Christian urban model in the period post- Reconquista. Emphasizing both the complexity […]
Christian kings and Jewish conversion in the medieval Crown of Aragon
August 1, 2011 By
As Christian monarchs in the age of crusade and reconquista, the kings of the medieval Crown of Aragon had no choice but to show public support for Jewish conversion to Christianity, issuing legislation meant to encourage conversion and granting favors to individual converts
Out of Many, One?: the voice(s) in the crusade ideology of Las Navas de Tolosa
May 18, 2011 By
Out of Many, One?: the voice(s) in the crusade ideology of Las Navas de Tolosa By Edward Lawrence Holt Honor’s Thesis, Duke University, 2010 Introduction: July 16, 1212. Poised on the plains near the city of Las Navas de Tolosa, two armies prepared to engage in battle. On one side stood three kings of Spain, […]
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