How 700 years of Muslim rule in came to an end By The Conversation, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.03.19 Word Count 930 Level 1210L

Image 1. "The Capitulation of ," painted by Francisco Pradilla Ortiz in 1882. Photo courtesy of the Senate of Spain, public domain

It was the moment which set Spain on a course to become the greatest power in early modern Europe. Abdallah Muhammad bin Ali, or Muhammad XII, known as Boabdil, was the last Moorish sultan of Granada and head of the Nasrid dynasty. The Moors were Muslim inhabitants of Northern Africa, Spain, and Italy. On January 2, 1492, the Islamic leader surrendered his city and handed over the keys of the Alhambra palace to the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and . The Christian rulers had approached Granada accompanied by the cardinal of Spain, Francisco Cisneros. They came with a brilliant group of courtiers and noblemen, among whom was Christopher Columbus.

Muslim-Christian Conflict

All the Christian royalty and knighthood wore Moorish dress, brocade and silk tunics and the waist sash, or marlota, in a gesture of apparent respect to Spain's Muslim leaders. The clothing was a visual statement to appease, reassure and suggest something in common between them. In reality, it was an aggressive act of claiming Moorish traditions in the name of the enemy. It was a

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. gesture that summed up the hostile ethos of the Reconquest. The Reconquest was a nearly 800- year period on the Iberian Peninsula, which today includes Spain and Portugal. During the Reconquest, Christians fought to recapture land from Muslim rulers. The conflict manifested itself in a hidden desire to take over and eliminate the Moorish culture and religion. That desire finally became a reality in 1609, when all Moriscos, or converted Muslims, were expelled from Spain.

Boabdil rode out to meet them, departing from the Gate of Seven Floors at the Alhambra, down steep slopes offering magnificent views of the city he was about to leave forever. At this official, public surrender of Granada to the Christian enemy, Boabdil handed the keys of his city to Ferdinand, and was recorded as saying in Arabic: "God loves you greatly. Sir, these are the keys of this paradise. I and those inside it are yours."

Ten Years Of War

This moment of surrender has captured the imagination of writers and artists up to the present day. First it was remembered as a moment of supreme conquest, and later it was remarkable for the extreme sadness of that ceremony of transition and loss. It marked a crucial encounter in a centuries-old clash between two great religions and cultures and symbolized the major transition of the kingdom of Granada from an Islamic state to a Christian territory.

In the 10 years before 1492, the kingdom of Granada had one of the most significant wars in European history. The Nasrid sultan's territory was the last Spanish stronghold of a great Muslim empire which had originally stretched beyond the Iberian Peninsula. At its peak it included northern Spanish cities such as Barcelona and Pamplona. The fall of Granada was the culmination of that ancient battle between two major and opposing civilizations, which not only settled the cultural fate of a large part of Europe but also established the basis for the European exploration of the Americas.

Young, Inexperienced Sultan

Before the war, sultan Boabdil was just 20 years old and had barely left the confines of the Alhambra palace. He had no experience of the world outside his dysfunctional family. He rose to the throne in 1482 as the 23rd ruler of the Nasrid dynasty of Granada. In that last decade of Muslim rule in Spain from 1482 to 1492, he fended off the attacks of the powerful Christian army with courage. He maintained his dignity even as he bore the inescapable loss of his Islamic kingdom and was kicked out of Spain by its new rulers. Boabdil broke the mold of previous Muslim rulers in preferring negotiation over violence and peace with the Christians over war. He strove to find a way for the Muslims of his kingdom to maintain their religion and customs alongside their Christian counterparts.

The last Muslim sultan in Spain has become a powerful symbol of resistance against repression, and of the forces of rebellion. He was a moral hero in his own right whose life matters today because he sought to save his kingdom and way of life through the path of negotiation and diplomacy.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Mixing Of Three Cultures

The year 1492 is generally seen as a beginning, whether of modern Spain or the European discovery of the New World. However, what had ended was equally significant. For nearly 800 years, since 711, the Spanish peninsula had been home to a group of people who came as invaders and stayed to create a unique and sophisticated civilization which gave to Spain a lasting cultural heritage. One thing that was lost was the fertile cross-cultural creativity and renewal born out of the Muslim conquest.

The sometimes uneasy coexistence of Christians, Muslims and Jews had been a significant part of medieval Spanish life. It was replaced by the serious confrontations and conflicts leading to the forced removal of the Moriscos in 1609. Instead of a society where members of three different religions lived together, Spain after 1492 became a society with a sole religion and language. It became a closed, suspicious place that repressed and eliminated difference.

The story of Boabdil and the fall of Granada represents a last stand against religious intolerance and cultural ignorance. Issues of violence, tension and prejudice between Muslims and Christians were as pressing then as they are now.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.