One of my favorite historical subjects to research is Al-Andalus, the Muslim-ruled realms of the Iberian peninsula that existed between the 8th and 15th centuries. A land where East met West, Al-Andalus represented a rare example of Islamic Arab rule of Western European territory, resulting in the blending of cultures, religion, knowledge, and languages that proved to be massively influential on the development of European civilization and human history as a whole. Even though it was swept out of Iberia by the Reconquista, the influence of Al-Andalus can still be felt today, through Hispanic language, culture, art, and cuisine. For example, there are many Arabic loanwords in the Spanish language, tacos have middle eastern roots, and I remember a story my grandfather would tell me about when he met Bedouin tribesmen while deployed as a U.S. Marine during the Gulf War, and while they could not understand the English language, they could understand his Spanish.
In the late 9th century, the once-Caliphs of the entire Muslim world, the Arab Umayyad dynasty, ruled over the vast majority of the Iberian peninsula from the prosperous city of Cordoba. Their rule would last for 300 years, but would not be without resistance. Although they comprised a small portion of the population, the ruling class of Al-Andalus was almost exclusively Arab. Mozarabs, local Iberians who remained Christian under Muslim rule, and Muladí, Iberians who had converted to Islam, resented the discriminatory racial and taxation policies of their Arab overlords, creating a degree of instability within Al-Andalus.
Born around 850, Umar ibn Hafsun was a prominent leader of Iberian resistance to Umayyad rule. Simultaneously described as being of both North African and Visigothic descent, the rogue-ish and opportunistic ibn Hafsun attracted a following of disaffected Mozarab and Muladí alike, and alongside fellow rebels such as ibn Marwan and the Banu Qasi clan, would contest Umayyad rule from his fortress, Bobastro. While he would experience much success early on, several defeats against the Umayyads, such as at the Battle of Poley in 891, as well as his conversion to Christianity in 899, in what appeared to be a bid to attract the support of the Christian King of Asturias, would weaken his following. He would fight to the very end, dying in 917, and his sons would continue his fight until 928, when Bobastro fell to Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III.
Umar ibn Hafsun remains somewhat of a tragic figure in Iberian history, but he also represents a glimpse into what could have been. Had he succeeded in supplanting the minority Arab ruling class with Mozarabs and Muladí, perhaps by winning battles such as the Battle of Poley, ibn Hafsun could have ensured the creation of a stronger, multicultural and multireligious Al-Andalus. This creates an interesting scenario for speculation. Could this alt-Andalus survive for longer, perhaps even to the present? What would the society of alt-Andalus look like? Would religious and ethnic differences eventually shatter this state, or would it strengthen it, combining the best of the Christian and Islamic worlds? Would alt-Andalus fall to neighboring Christian and Muslim invaders, or would it become one of the leading powers in Europe and the Mediterranean, an even greater conduit for the exchange of trade, knowledge, and culture than the Al-Andalus of OTL? And how would this alt-Andalus impact the development of Hispanic culture, and European and world history as a whole?
In the late 9th century, the once-Caliphs of the entire Muslim world, the Arab Umayyad dynasty, ruled over the vast majority of the Iberian peninsula from the prosperous city of Cordoba. Their rule would last for 300 years, but would not be without resistance. Although they comprised a small portion of the population, the ruling class of Al-Andalus was almost exclusively Arab. Mozarabs, local Iberians who remained Christian under Muslim rule, and Muladí, Iberians who had converted to Islam, resented the discriminatory racial and taxation policies of their Arab overlords, creating a degree of instability within Al-Andalus.
Born around 850, Umar ibn Hafsun was a prominent leader of Iberian resistance to Umayyad rule. Simultaneously described as being of both North African and Visigothic descent, the rogue-ish and opportunistic ibn Hafsun attracted a following of disaffected Mozarab and Muladí alike, and alongside fellow rebels such as ibn Marwan and the Banu Qasi clan, would contest Umayyad rule from his fortress, Bobastro. While he would experience much success early on, several defeats against the Umayyads, such as at the Battle of Poley in 891, as well as his conversion to Christianity in 899, in what appeared to be a bid to attract the support of the Christian King of Asturias, would weaken his following. He would fight to the very end, dying in 917, and his sons would continue his fight until 928, when Bobastro fell to Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III.
Umar ibn Hafsun remains somewhat of a tragic figure in Iberian history, but he also represents a glimpse into what could have been. Had he succeeded in supplanting the minority Arab ruling class with Mozarabs and Muladí, perhaps by winning battles such as the Battle of Poley, ibn Hafsun could have ensured the creation of a stronger, multicultural and multireligious Al-Andalus. This creates an interesting scenario for speculation. Could this alt-Andalus survive for longer, perhaps even to the present? What would the society of alt-Andalus look like? Would religious and ethnic differences eventually shatter this state, or would it strengthen it, combining the best of the Christian and Islamic worlds? Would alt-Andalus fall to neighboring Christian and Muslim invaders, or would it become one of the leading powers in Europe and the Mediterranean, an even greater conduit for the exchange of trade, knowledge, and culture than the Al-Andalus of OTL? And how would this alt-Andalus impact the development of Hispanic culture, and European and world history as a whole?
Last edited: