#al andalus. historical figures

[docpiplup]

As I promised, let's start with the bookscans:

Al-ANDALUS. PERSONAJES HISTÓRICOS

(Al Andalus. Historical figures)

Concepción Masiá

Summary

Introduction.................................. 9

The precursors of al-Andalus.....13

Count Don Julián....................13

Tarif ben Malluk. ....................15

Musa ben Nusayr and Tariq ben Ziyad: the conquerors of Spania...........16

Abd al-Aziz: a good governor with an unfortunate fate ..........................25

The Odyssey of Prince Abd al-Rahman the Immigrant......................................29

Abd al-Rahman was only twenty-five years old.........................................36

Sulayman ben Yaqzan ben al-Arabi: Charlemagne's deceived "deceiver" ........................... ...........41

Amrus ben Yusuf: the muladí of Huesca

.............................................................47

The “rabadies”: adventurous spirits.. ..............................................53

Ziryab: the singer of Baghdad........61 Tarub: the favorite of Abd al-Rahman II...............,...........................................67 Abbas ben Firnas: the first aviator............................ ......................73 Yahya ben Hakan al-Bakri: the miserly poet.....................................................77

Abd al Chabbar and Sulayman ben Martin: the rebels of Mérida..........................81 Eulogio and Álvaro de Córdoba: pursuing martyrdom..........................85 The Andalusian Vikings..................... 95 The emir Abd Allah distrust and death...............................….................... 101 Musa ben Musa ben Qasi: the third king of Spain.......................................................107 Ibn Hafsun: the unredeemed rebel.....115 Abu Alí al-Sarrach: the Andalusian missionary. ...........................................125 Ibn Masarra: a freethinker in Spanish Islam.......,...........,...................................131 Abd al-Rahman III: the first independent caliph of al-Andalus. ...........,................................137 Hasday ibn Shaprut: the Jewish doctor of Abd al-Rahman III............ ....... ...................... ................... 145 Andalusians in France: the “Moorish kingdom” of Fraxinetum....................... 151 Rabbi ben Zayd: Bishop Recemundo............................................. 157 Al-Hakam al-Mustansir bi-llah: passion for culture.................................. 161

Ibn Abd Rabbhi, the encyclopedist, and Ibn Futais, the collector.................. 167 Al-Mansur “the Victorious” ...................171 Hisham II and Sanchuelo: misrule. .......191

Abu Muhammad Ali ibn Hazm: The pigeon neackle................................209

Hisham III al-Mu'tadd: the end of the Umayyad caliphate...............................215

Ibn al-Wafid: the gardener doctor.....221

Avempace. The supreme good: wisdom...................................................225

Zaida: the Moorish Queen of Leon and Castile........................................................227

Ibn Tufayl of Guadix: the best disciple of Avempace................. ............................ .231 Averroes: the universal Andalusian....233 Moseh ben Maimon: Maimonides..... ..239 Abu Yusuf Yaqub: the winner of Alarcos......................................................243 Ibn Arabi: the Sufi mystic.....................249 Avenzoar: a long dynasty of doctors. ...................................................253 Al-Ahmar: Abenámar, Moor of the Morería. ...,...............................................255 The Abencerrajes. ..................................261 Boabdil the Younger: the last Moorish king ............................................................267 Aben Humeya: the last Muslim leader of Spain................ ..........................................275 Bibliography .............................................285

Note: The spelling of Muslim names is taken from the works of: Levy Provençal, Muslim Spain, and González Ferrín, General History of al-Andalus.

Introduction

In the long eight hundred years that the Muslims remained in Spain, there were many personalities who, in all the fields of knowledge, sciences, letters and arts, stood out unequivocal, marking a milestone not only in the culture of al-Andalus, but that had a relevant character in universal culture.

On the other hand, the almost constant struggle between Christians and Muslims would also generate a whole series of great warriors who, for example, the infante Don Juan Manuel considered the best gifted for the war of all those who existed in the East and the West of their time.

The date that we all know as the arrival of the Muslims to Gothic Spania dates back to the year 711. Its expansion throughout the territory was so rapid as had been the conquest of the Persian empire and its presencein large areas of Asia or North Africa, but from a cultural point of view, the 8th century was totally sterile. The new conquerors who arrived from beyond the Strait of Gibraltar, were men at arms, mostly illiterate, who could do little contribute to a Christian Spania whose culture continued to develop under the dictates of the wisdom of Saint Isidore of Seville. Still they were left on the Peninsula

many areas where Christianity had not taken root and its importance regarding the assimilation of Islam.

The first governors of al-Andalus, dependent on Caliphate of Damascus, during the first years of occupation had to face many enormous internal problems, originated by the different origins of their own people, Arabs and berebers, mostly, while cultural issues occupied a very secondary level. But, possibly for purely practical reasons, Arabic as a language was introduced into the Christian field. According to Juan Vernet, it is possible to find some codices from times as early as the 9th century, that in its margins appear apostilles or comments in Arabic, and it seems that this language was already rooted among the Mozarabs, that is, the Christians who continued to live and preserve their religion in Muslim-dominated territories, in times before Abd al-Rahman II.

But it will be Abd al-Rahman I the Immigrant, who arrived in al-Andalus from Syria as the only survivor of the exterminated Umayyad dynasty, the one who will be concerned with introducing the principles of oriental culture in Spain, limiting itself to the legal-religious sciences that, in those moments, were the most important for the newly Muslims arrived. It was during the time of Abd al-Rahman II that the first wise men, who can be called that, enrich the cultural landscape of al-Andalus.

Poets, doctors, philosophers, mathematicians, geographers, undefeated generals...All of them will give al-Andalus and Europe a series of works that, by their importance will be translated, searched, accepted and will serve as a basis for the western culture and Renaissance ideas, in such a way that many of the great sages of the Italian Renaissance considered that all knowledge of the time came from Muslim Spain, which all the wise men were of Andalusian origin. And when the political decline and the disintegration of the caliphate, will not stop birth, grow and develop distinguished minds that will continue to maintain,for a long time, the prestige of al-Andalus. Curiously, this situation will be repeated throughout the history of Spain, when the Arab occupation just be a memory. The Spanish Golden Age will coincide with decadence of the Austrias, when the country loses its pre-ponderance in Europe, and with the disaster of '98, with the loss for Spain of its last colonies, will produce a cultural and scientific renaissance that has been called the Silver age.

Through the pages of this book we want to highlight those figures who occupied a predominant place in the history of al-Andalus, although not all of them were necessarily Muslims, since that in that cultured and tolerant al-Andalus, many Jews and some other Christians showed their genius, and of those who, often, we know more about his works than about his biography. But whatever religion they had, they were all, after all, Andalusians, born and raised in the extensive lands of al-Andalus. As a matter of curiosity we will include some groups of characters anonymous people who, due to their surprising

actions, on occasions dictated by necessity, they reveal the ingenuity or character of the Andalusians. Such would be the case of the "rabadíes", of the Moors who, for a time, established a small kingdom in France, or those Normans who ended up becoming Andalusians and Muslims to save their lives.

Perhaps this way we will learn a little more about that crossbred Spain, in which despite so many years of struggle, truces and battles, mutual loves and hates, numerous characters belonging to the three cultures, Moors, Christians and Jews shared knowledge, affinities and forms of life, making al-Andalus the cultural beacon of the West.

The precursors of al-Andalus

Count Don Julián

The conquest of Morocco had been carried out quickly, but shallow. The Berbers were only subdued after a fierce resistance, defeated by an ambitious general who had just been appointed governor of Ifriqiya and Maghrib. His successes in these lands They would prepare the ground for him to be the one to set his eyes and, also his troops, over Gothic Spania. It was Musa ben Nusayr. Musa, with the help of one of his sons, took possession of Tangier, and demanded that the subjugated tribes hostage to educate them in the new faith, which in turn, became propagandists of Islam, leaving in the conquered Morocco Arab lieutenants, including General Tariq ben Ziyad, he turned to Ifriqiya. But it seems that the Ceuta square remained in the hands of a Christian, the so-called Count Don Julián, who would have a determining role in this entire story. We could consider it as a precursor of that al-Andalus that was about to be born.

[docpiplup]

@isadomna @asongofstarkandtargaryen @jackredfieldwasmyjacob @queenmiriamele @mortalsilence

New Learnt: Ziryab

[regulusrules]

Yo, I saw your post about orientalism in relation to the "hollywood middle-east" tiktok!

How can a rando and university dropout get into and learn more about? Any literature or other content to recommend?

Hi!! Wow, you have no idea how you just pressed a button. I'll unleash 5+ years on you. And I'll even add for you open-sourced works that you can access as much as I can!

1. Videos

I often find this is the best medium nowadays to learn anything! I'll share with you some of the best that deal with the topic in different frames

• This is a video of Edward Said talking about his book, Orientalism. Said is the Palestinian- American critic who first introduced the term Orientalism, and is the father of postcolonial studies as a critical literary theory. In this book, you’ll find an in-depth analysis of the concept and a deconstruction of western stereotypes. It’s very simple and he explains everything in a very easy manner.

• How Islam Saved Western Civilization. A more than brilliant lecture by Professor Roy Casagranda. This, in my opinion, is one of the best lectures that gives credit to this great civilization, and takes you on a journey to understand where did it all start from.

• What’s better than a well-researched, general overview Crash Course about Islam by John Green? This is not necessarily on orientalism but for people to know more about the fundamental basis of Islam and its pillars. I love the whole playlist that they have done about the religion, so definitely refer to it if you're looking to understand more about the historical background! Also, I can’t possibly mention this Crash Course series without mentioning ... ↓

• The Medieval Islamicate World. Arguably my favourite CC video of all times. Hank Green gives you a great thorough depiction of the Islamic civilization when it rose. He also discusses the scientific and literary advancements that happened in that age, which most people have no clue about! And honestly, just his excitement while explaining the astrolabe. These two truly enlightened so many people with the videos they've made. Thanks, @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog

2. Documentaries

• This is an AMAZING documentary called Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Villifies A People by the genius American media critic Jack Shaheen. He literally analysed more than 1000 movies and handpicked some to showcase the terribly false stereotypes in western depiction of Arab/Muslim cultures. It's the best way to go into the subject, because you'll find him analysing works you're familiar with like Aladdin and all sorts.

• Spain’s Islamic Legacy. I cannot let this opportunity go to waste since one of my main scopes is studying feminist Andalusian history. There are literal gems to be known about this period of time, when religious coexistence is documented to have actually existed. This documentary offers a needed break from eurocentric perspectives, a great bird-view of the Islamic civilization in Europe and its remaining legacy (that western history tries so hard to erase).

• When the Moors Ruled in Europe. This is one of the richest documentaries that covers most of the veiled history of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Bettany Hughes discusses some of the prominent rulers, the brilliance of architecture in the Arab Muslim world, their originality and contributions to poetry and music, their innovative inventions and scientific development, and lastly, La Reconquista; the eventual fall and erasure of this grand civilization by western rulers.

3. Books

• Rethinking Orientalism by Reina Lewis. Lewis brilliantly breaks the prevailing stereotype of the “Harem”, yk, this stupid thought westerns projected about arab women being shut inside one room, not allowed to go anywhere from it, enslaved and without liberty, just left there for the sexual desires of the male figures, subjugated and silenced. It's a great read because it also takes the account of five different women living in the middle east.

• Nocturnal Poetics by Ferial Ghazoul. A great comparative text to understand the influence and outreach of The Thousand and One Nights. She applies a modern critical methodology to explore this classic literary masterpiece.

• The Question of Palestine by Edward Said. Since it's absolutely relevant, this is a great book if you're looking to understand more about the Palestinian situation and a great way to actually see the perspective of Palestinians themselves, not what we think they think.

• Arab-American Women's Writing and Performance by S.S. Sabry. One of my favourite feminist dealings with the idea of the orient and how western depictions demeaned arab women by objectifying them and degrading them to objects of sexual desire, like Scheherazade's characterization: how she was made into a sensual seducer, but not the literate, brilliantly smart woman of wisdom she was in the eastern retellings. The book also discusses the idea of identity and people who live on the hyphen (between two cultures), which is a very crucial aspect to understand arabs who are born/living in western countries.

• The Story of the Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole. This is a great book if you're trying to understand the influence of Islamic culture on Europe. It debunks this idea that Muslims are senseless, barbaric people who needed "civilizing" and instead showcases their brilliant civilization that was much advanced than any of Europe in the time Europe was labelled by the Dark Ages. (btw, did you know that arabic was the language of knowledge at that time? Because anyone who was looking to study advanced sciences, maths, philosophy, astronomy etc, had to know arabic because arabic-speaking countries were the center of knowledge and scientific advancements. Insane, right!)

• Convivencia and Medieval Spain. This is a collection of essays that delve further into the idea of “Convivencia”, which is what we call for religious coexistence. There's one essay in particular that's great called Were Women Part of Convivencia? which debunks all false western stereotypical images of women being less in Islamic belief. It also highlights how arab women have always been extremely cultured and literate. (They practiced medicine, studied their desired subjects, were writers of poetry and prose when women in Europe couldn't even keep their surnames when they married.)

4. Novels / Epistolaries

• Granada by Radwa Ashour. This is one of my favourite novels of all time, because Ashour brilliantly showcases Andalusian history and documents the injustices and massacres that happened to Muslims then. It covers the cultural erasure of Granada, and is also a story of human connection and beautiful family dynamics that utterly touches your soul.

• Dreams of Trespass by Fatema Mernissi. This is wonderful short read written in autobiographical form. It deconstructs the idea of the Harem in a postcolonial feminist lens of the French colonization of Morocco.

• Scheherazade Goes West by Mernissi. Mernissi brilliantly showcases the sexualisation of female figures by western depictions. It's very telling, really, and a very important reference to understand how the west often depicts middle-eastern women by boxing them into either the erotic, sensual beings or the oppressed, black-veiled beings. It helps you understand the actual real image of arab women out there (who are not just muslims btw; christian, jew, atheist, etc women do exist, and they do count).

• Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is a feminist travel epistolary of a British woman which covers the misconceptions that western people, (specifically male travelers) had recorded and transmitted about the religion, traditions and treatment of women in Constantinople, Turkey. It is also a very insightful sapphic text that explores her own engagement with women there, which debunks the idea that there are no queer people in the middle east.

---------------------

With all of these, you'll get an insight about the real arab / islamic world. Not the one of fanaticism and barbarity that is often mediated, but the actual one that is based on the fundamental essences of peace, love, and acceptance.

[depleti]

Happy new year! I finished the cover for Chapter 23 (it's on Patreon) and felt compelled to collect all the previous covers together in one post.

The covers started off with the idea of mimicking the art styles often found on picture stones, being even more figurative and abstract than the style used in the comic itself. Over time they became less detailed but were always a fun departure that allowed me to play around with different layouts or design elements.

It was especially fun to bring in historic designs connected to cultures featured in the comic. Some specifics include:

Swirls inspired by Newgrange carvings for "The Thrall" and others that focus on Hedda/Saoirse.

Various Andalusian/Islamic design elements from the Mosque of Cordoba, the Madinat al-Zahra, and of course the Alhambra used in "Al Andalus" and "The Moor."

A magical stave is mixed with a hnefatafl board for the "Iceland" cover. The symbol is the Vegvísir stave meant to help someone find their way in rough weather. Arne also has a Helm of Awe on his chest in "The Skraeling." These staves would not have been used by Vikings (they're from the 17th century), but they look cool and that's reason enough to use them!

The "Homeward" cover features Arne split between a more Viking-like art style and one inspired by carvings from his birth culture, the Dorset.

Ogham inscription stones are the focus for "Freedom." They transliterate the Hail Mary prayer, which Hedda prays when we first meet her.

The ancient "red dancers" surround Angrboda's cave entrance in "Compensation." I already went into more detail about the red dancers in this post if you'd like to read more about them. They're really cool.

The cover for Chapter 23 also has a non-Viking inspired design to it, but it'll be a few weeks before it becomes public. If you'd like to see it now, and new pages as they're created, please consider joining my Patreon.

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my thought process and inspirations. History is full of amazing things and people have been creating art since they had time to do so. It's as close to time travel as we'll ever get.

[tamamita]

Out of curiosity, do you have any "theories" about who the Sabians were? I was learning about mixed/interfaith marriages during Al-Andalus and came across these, as described, "mysterious People of the Book".

It's a mysterious group in the Qur'an that is mentioned to be part of a the People of the Book, who affirmed the belief of monotheism. There isn't much information related to them, and historical texts do not confirm their identity. Maimonides suggests that they are a group of pagans that existed in the levant and were mostly concerned with agriculture. We do have hadiths, but even they are spurious regarding their identity. So we have several groups that fit the definition of Sabians:

Hanifs: A group of monotheists that affirm the Oneness of God, but does not have a religion. That is to say, they believe in the Abrahamic God, but has no religious framework.

People of Fitrah: People who, by natural consitution, affirm the existence of God.

A polytheistic religious group: According to the Nabaetean ibn Wahsshiya, they were a pagan group. The Jewish philosopher Maimonides supports this idea.

Noahides: Gentiles who affirmed and worshipped the God of Israel, but dedicated themselves to the Seven laws of Noah.

Mandaeans: A gnostic group that believe in a dualistic cosmology. They reject Jesus Christ as a misguided figure while revering John the Baptist. They exist in Iraq and certain parts of Iran & Europe.

There is no real historicity as to who they were, and many theories still exist. Historically, Muslim leaders were confused regarding certain monotheistic groups they encountered and often identified them as Sabians. However, due to their respective differences, these monotheists were instead referred to as the People of the Book.

[newhistorybooks]

"Abigail Krasner Balbale's valuable study of the ways Ibn Mardanīsh legitimated his rule in twelfth-century al-Andalus is particularly illuminating in its use of original sources, scholarship outside the Anglophone tradition, coinage, art, and material culture. Balbale successfully underscores the preconceptions and misconceptions about race, religion, and nation that surround discourse of complex historical figures like Ibn Mardanīsh."

[anatifery]

Writeblr Introduction

Who am I? I'm Anatifery, progenitor of ducks, and I figured I should probably do one of these in an attempt to appear neighborly. I don't expect anyone to really read or even see what I post; I've never been big on social media and have never successfully garnered an audience. Quite simply, I have never had the drive to achieve a following beyond fleeting "what-ifs" and "really-shoulds." I was on tumblr long ago when the Deep Magic was written and then vanished from the world. I arise again because I've been locked in a state of post-covid affliction wherein I have little energy to do much of anything physical. I can type most days and I can think some days though the latter do not always intersect with the former.

The beginning of my internet self pre-dates extant social media platforms. That was the time of monsters never using your real name and that habit stuck with me. To be fair though I have never and wouldn't publish under my real name either unless I have no other choice.

I am generally pretty proud of my writing upon completion if only for the sheer fact that it is completed. I do not, however, think I am all that good of writer. The Clarion workshop seems to agree as I am a rejected applicant. That is perfectly okay.

Oh, and I suppose I should speak to pronouns. I accept any barring "it" and I would prefer not neo-pronouns. I have no judgments against neo-pronouns but they somehow feel less "me" than the classics.

What do I write?

A little of a lot. Ideally I would have something for everyone but I can obviously make no guarantees. I don't normally write smut nor do I often include instances akin to it in wider works but that is not to say that it will never happen. The primary genres and tropes that come up the most I would wager are sci-fi, low-magic fantasy, historical fantasy, and nearly always something close to romance with a queer character if some romance is appropriate at all. Some of what I'm working on the larger picture: Working Name "Therewolf" - historical fantasy set in Al-Andalus in the 17th century, in a world where the Reconquista did not occur (though this isn't really important to the plot). Maryam is a werewolf hunter and makes her living protecting towns from them. There are, unknown to the common people, no real werewolves on the entire Iberian peninsula though; she is a charlatan but actually a decent real wolf hunter which helps sell the scam. She gets drawn into a deep conspiracy when she finds her employer dead, hanged inside his own home in an apparent suicide. Working Name "Neon Apogee" - relatively standard cyberpunk fare (very imaginative, I know), and not to be conflated with my short story of the same name (same world, though). This follows Cahaya, a non-binary 'net investigator intent on solving crimes perpetrated by the elite upon the lower classes; the sorts of crimes that the police would never look into. In fact, it seems like the police themselves are often their primary suspects. Working Name "The Real Monsters" - a post-apocalyptic humanity has pulled themselves more or less together. They have religious prohibitions against robots and many types of automation, and have chosen instead to uplift animals to serve as workers. The problem, however, was never AI; it was how humans treat those they deem beneath them. This summary doesn't sound that inventive and I apologize for that but I do think I actually am bringing a nice spin on the whole thing. What do I post?

If and when I post, it will be short stories that I create to procrastinate from work on real manuscripts which I have a hope of publishing. Excerpts from the above will probably not be posted. At some point I may delve back into fanfic, especially if my condition does not soon improve. Those I would be willing to share parts of. I will be on AO3; I've already signed up just in case we come to it.

Thank you

If you gotten this far then I salute you but I wonder why. Thank you for your interest up to this point, though. Please follow me if you have any inclination. Any interaction here to be honest would put a smile to my face and warmth in my heart.

[onethousandrbirds]

an excerpt from this essay that i found particularly interesting:

Read enough X-Men comics, and you’ll notice that the fundamental feature of the franchise—the idea of mutants as eternal stand-ins for Jews, or black people, or queer people—is its essential pessimism. In X-Men, minority life is wholly defined by oppression. No improvement can last; progress is always an illusion; as figures in an ongoing, eternal piece of intellectual property, mutants must always be hated and feared. This enforced, recursive Marvel-Time unwittingly echoes what we might call Jewish-Time: the idea that Jewish people were, are, and always will be oppressed by antisemitism, cast as the same villain in different costumes. Persia is Rome, Russia is Germany. Rather than discrete historical occurrences—contingent, contested, complex—they are foreordained, essential, and inescapable. There is only the pogrom, forever.

Actual Jewish history isn’t so clear-cut. Most of our communities have lived—indeed, still live—under the rule of multiethnic nations, and those experiences have profoundly shaped our culture and religion. In Babylon and Persia, Imperial Rome and Charlemagne’s France, in Al Andalus and the vast lands of the Ottomans and as far as western China, Jewish communities spread and prospered under the disinterested gaze of non-Jewish governments. Such minority communities—and in this, Jews are in no way unique—sometimes endured spasms of brutal violence. We remember the victims of those horrors, and are right to do so. But that is not the only story of Jewish life; it seems profoundly disrespectful to our history to forget the rest, or to subordinate it so profoundly to Jewish suffering.

[estrada-leonardo]

Ditches in Muslim Spain. MH 2/3

Ditches in Muslim Spain stand as a testament to the remarkable engineering and agricultural prowess of Al-Andalus. Constructed under the Umayyad Caliphate, these sophisticated irrigation systems transformed arid lands into fertile oases, fostering economic prosperity and cultural advancements. The key figures, including Umayyad rulers and skilled engineers, meticulously designed these ditches, channeling water from rivers and springs to create flourishing agricultural communities. Their historical significance resonates today, offering insights into sustainable water management practices. In the face of contemporary concerns about water scarcity and agricultural sustainability, the ingenious methods employed in Muslim Spain serve as a timeless lesson, emphasizing the importance of efficient water use and responsible environmental stewardship.

[amelia-putri-oktaviana]

Tighnari and al haitham Character from genshin impact

Tighnari and al haitham

I'm the first time to draw a character genshin impact I chose both new characters from sumeru

I'm curious about the character tighnari and al haitham it turns out that I searched Wikipedia turned out to be a character from genshin impact taking the name of a historical figure of a muslim scientist, Actually al tighnari Born in al-andalus in 1073, died in 1118 tighnari or also called al tighnari is an agronomist and Arabic botanist while al haitham Born July 1 in 965 in basra in Iraq , died March 6, 1040 cairo in Egypt al haitham an inventor of optical science as the father of optics

I'm about the historical figures of muslim scientists who are tighnari and al haitham

Sorry if there is a misrepresentation

I don't mean offended this is just education

[africanamericanhistory5]

A Brief African American History Family Records

There have been people of African American History descent living in Britain for a very long time. Many of these people came hundreds of years before the slave trade, and European colonization caused a lot of people to move around in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

When the Roman Empire was in power, black legionaries were sent to the Roman province of Britannia. The first African immigrants to Britain came during this time. They left in the 5th century AD, but some chose to stay.

During the Middle Ages, Viking ships brought people who had been conquered from the coasts of North Africa and Al-Andalus to Britain and Ireland, while a lot of African American History came to Spain from Islamic Iberia. Queen Elizabeth is said to have complained about the number of "blackamoores" in London as far back as 1556 when she lived in London.

By the time the SS Windrush docked in 1948, with the first postwar arrivals from the Caribbean, Britain had already had Black and Asian people living in it. Many parts of British life show that these early immigrants came to the country. They worked as servants in country homes, served in the military, married in parish churches, made art, and tried to change society.

Because Black and Asian people weren't always identified by their race, it may be hard to find records from your family. For example, descriptions of a soldier's skin tone in British Army Service Records may show if they are of African or Asian heritage, but this isn't always the case, and it's not always clear from these descriptions. There is no way to figure out how many Black and Asian people lived in Britain at the time because the first national census wasn't done until 1801.

In The 18th Century, There Was A Trade-In Slave.

While Africans have been in Britain since the Romans, the slave trade was undoubtedly the most important reason why Africans left their home country. It was by the 18th century that Britain had become a major player in the Atlantic slave trade. Each year, thousands of slaves were shipped to West Indian plantations to keep them running. Despite the fact that most of the slaves owned by the British were sent to other countries.

People who were free and people who were enslaved, as well as a lot of people who ran away, lived in London by the middle of the 18th century.

Among the rich and powerful, black servants were very popular. When people took family photos, they were often shown as symbols of wealth. They were also symbols of sophistication and rank because of how they looked. There were also a lot of Black people living in Liverpool, Bristol, Bath, and Lancaster, as well as smaller groups in rural areas all over the country.

As a group, Black people in the African American History and their masters or employers don't seem to have as simple a relationship as planters, and their slaves did back home. Some people who worked for black people left money in their wills. When one master died, he named his servant Mingo as the lighthouse keeper in his will. It was still a unique set of circumstances, but During this time, living was rough, and there were few chances for everyone in the working class.

In the late 18th century, the role of Black servants in Britain changed a lot. Having slaves in the United Kingdom became less common after 1772, and it was more likely to be punished by the law or excluded from society. The Somerset case of 1772 was the reason this changed.

The Somerset case: What happened in the Somerset case, and how?

His master was trying to get him back to the West Indies by suing him. Somerset, a freed African American History, did not like that. Lord Justice Mansfield decided that it would be illegal to move Somerset from the country against his will. This case helped enslaved Africans in Britain get some of their rights back and started a bigger fight against slavery. An event in a Westminster bar to celebrate this historic victory took place. Over 200 Black people are said to have attended. In the same year, Lord Mansfield thought there were 15,000 Africans living in the country at the time.

Some of the Africans who came to the country at the time were not slaves. Many free Africans worked as commercial seafarers or in the Royal Navy, and many of them also worked for the government. Many of these sailors will have lived and raised families in or near British ports before they set sail. African traders also did business with British traders.

The landmark Somerset decision also encouraged other Africans who had been enslaved to look for a place to live African American History. Parish records, especially baptisms, show that there has been a rise in the number of people. They were often baptized as adults when African American History were brought to Britain as slaves. As a result of being baptized as a Christian, they gained a new level of acceptance in British culture. There are a lot of references to "black," "negro," and "blackamoor" in parish records from the late 1800s.

[docpiplup]

9th part of the bookscans of Al Andalus. Historical Figures, here's the previous part

Eulogio and Álvaro de Córdoba: pursuing martyrdom

Under the reign of Abd al-Rahman II the Mozarabs of Córdoba, that is, the Christians who lived in Muslim lands, specifically those who lived in the emiral city, enjoyed prosperity and the tolerance typical of this emir. Anywhere in al-Andalus, from Córdoba to Mérida, from Seville to Zaragoza, the Christian churches were open for worship. The clergy could exercise his ministry, quietly, as long as he did not proselytize among the Muslims. There were convents of monks and nuns who lived without being bothered The Christian religion in Moorish lands had certain limitations such as the external manifestations, carrying out processions or ringing the bells. The Christian and Muslim communities lived together, without further ado, without problems... The clerics of both religions ignored each other, sure as were, in each faction, to be the possessors of the absolute truth. Now well, belittling religion in public, blaspheming, questioning dogmas of faith or apostatizing, carried within the Muslim religion the penalty of death, which was applied equally, depending on what crime it was, whether if the person was Moor or Christian.

Having made this exposition, it is worth highlighting that the Mozarabs of Cordoba had adopted many ways and fashions of the Muslims. Young Christians learned Arabic, studied and wrote poetry, just like the Islamic youth. Mixed marriages were not uncommon, after one of the spouses, usually the woman, converts to the other religion and it was also common for Christians, and very Christians, to maintain their own harem... It could not be denied that the brilliant Muslim civilization was conquering the Mozarabs, to the great displeasure of the priesthood class and some Christian religious fanatics.

This "Islamization", even if it was superficial, of the Christians aroused the suspicions of the abundant Christian clerics and Orthodox laymen, of way that a, let's say, Mozarabic opposition party emerged in Córdoba, led by the priest Eulogio and his faithful friend and biographer, Álvaro. Eulogio belonged to a rich Mozarabic family and one of his brothers was official in the Umayyad administration; two others were merchants prosperous, and his sister Anulona had become a nun. Eulogius himself had been ordained a priest in Córdoba, without much problem, and had his charge of the parish of San Zoilo. He had met his soul friend, Alvaro in the courses taught by Abbot Spera-in-Deo. As we can see, It can be not said that Christians suffered type of coercion to practice their religion, but in all faiths there is always the seed of fanaticism. Furthermore, an unfortunate incident was going to cause a crisis of great proportions.

The clergyman Perfecto, from the Cordoban church of San Acisclo, one day began to argue with some Muslims about

of the goodness of Jesus Christ and Muhammad, about which of the two had more merits. At first the discussion was on friendly terms, but later tempers were heating up and it seems that the Christian ended up insulting Muhammad. Momentarily nothing happened but someone ended up reporting Perfecto to the the cadi who ordered him to be arrested and sentenced to death. On April 18, 850, day of great holiday in Islam because that year was the date of the Breaking of the Fast, it was beheaded before the plebs who always enjoyed these barbaric spectacles.

Eulogio and Álvaro already had a martyr for the faith and began their propaganda among the Mozarabs of Cordoba, telling them about the torture suffered by the clergyman executed, opposing the Umayyad regime, raising spirits in such a way that every day the number of discontented Christians inclined to the ideas of Álvaro and Eulogio. On the other hand, the Córdoba police were more active than never against the Mozarabs. And suddenly a wave of mysticism, unknown until moment, took over the Christians of Cordoba, eager to suffer the martyrdom and achieving sainthood in the quickest way possible, which was achieved easily insulting Allah, cursing Muhammad and reviling Islam. That madness seemed unstoppable...six monks from the Tábanos monastery, a priest named Sisnando, a certain Isaac, also from the Tábanos monastery, a guard palatine named Sancho, the monk Teodomiro, the deacon Pablo... they all went to insulting Muhammad before the qadi and even inside the main mosque. The madness of martyrdom had taken hold of them like a malignant fever that spread before the

amazed eyes of the Muslims. In less than two months they had been eleven Mozarabs executed. Even two nuns, Flora and María, were executed on November 24, 851, after the Muslim authorities tried to convince them to recant to avoid the death sentence, but there was no way to achieve it. In prison Eulogio found Flora and was fascinated. It seemed like a angel and, perhaps without reaching him, he fell in love with that woman. When knew that she had been beheaded, he celebrated her death with a greater passion typical of a lover than of a clergyman who was insistently seeking, the martyrdom.

Abd al-Rahman II could have drowned this revolt in Mozarabic blood, but, so different from his father, he preferred to tackle it by another sensiblebway. Not all the Mozarabs, both clerics and laymen of Córdoba and from other places in al-Andalus, agreed with the extremists led by Eulogio and Álvaro. They feared that, in the end, the emir's reaction or the town, ended up attacking all of them and, as in so many sometimes, the righteous paid for sinners. So they approached Abd al-Rahman and proposed holding a council, presided over by Recafredo, metropolitan of Seville. The emir accepted this council to which, in addition, the bishops of all the Andalusian dioceses attended, the Umayyad government itself being represented by a Christian official, Gómez.

The Council opened in the year 852. Gómez, the official representative of the Government, exposed the futility of that sacrifice of lives that occurred by the exalted, asking the ecclesiastical authorities to disavow that non-

sense. Saúl, bishop of Córdoba, was the only one who defended martyrdom and the martyrs that had already occurred. The rest closed ranks with Recafredo who ruled that, from now on, the Christians of al-Andalus were prohibited from voluntarily seek martyrdom. This was considered suicide and as such he would be condemned by the Church. The leaders of the Mozarabic opposition party were arrested, among them Eulogio and the bishop of Córdoba, and imprisoned. It seemed that the waters were returning to their channel, but there was still some irreducibles who continued uttering blasphemies against Islam in the mosques in order to ensure martyrdom, and there were new convicts who were executed in the month of September 852. Six days later the emir died, unexpectedly, and the Christian extremists considered that the death was due to divine punishment.

When Abd al-Rahman II's son, Muhammad, acceded to the throne, Eulogius was released and left Córdoba. He visited Pamplona and lived for some time in Toledo, always recounting the "sufferings" of his life and his fanatical theses. When he returned to Córdoba he was met with the bitter disappointment that, even his most fervent supporters had opted for the peaceful route or, for the most part, were willing to abandon that intransigence that had only caused inconvenience and death. That's not why Eulogio let himself be discouraged. Him and his friend Álvaro, they returned to their preachings and the Mozarabic spirits stirred again... but Muhammad was not like his father. Faced with this situation, he ordered the demolition of the Tábanos monastery, which he considered the center of all unrest and possibly it was like that. Furthermore, the matter was becoming complicated because the Toledoan

Mozarabs who had listened to the sermons of the fanatic Eulogio, were also beginning to appear agitated and restless, choosing Eulogio as metropolitan of the city. The emir, of course, did not ratified this election.

Between the years 853 and 858 there were at least fourteen other martyrs volunteers, but Eulogio couldn't get them to finish him off. For more abundance, in those days, two French monks arrived in Córdoba, Usuard and Odilard, from the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Près, to request the remains of the martyrs from the emir and take them with them to France.

These two monks, at first, came to Spain, by order of their superior, Hildouin II, to collect the remains of S. Vicente de Zaragoza, patron of his abbey, but, having arrived in Barcelona, they had news that the saint's body was no longer in Valencia, where it was led, and that the hopes of being able to find him were zero. However, if they wanted to take advantage of the trip, they could go to Córdoba, where they found the relics of the Mozarabic martyrs who had been executed only a few years ago. This is what our French monks did. They arrived in the Umayyad capital and lived there for about two months, taking steps to allow them to take the relics of Jorge, Aurelio and Natalia, who had achieved martyrdom in July 852, what they achieved after quite a bit of effort. They started the journey back with his goal almost accomplished. They did not have S. Vicente, but they did returned with the remains of three martyrs, but when they arrived in France they found themselves with the unpleasant surprise that their community was refugee in

Esmans, since Paris was occupied by the Normans. A few years later, the monk Usuard received the commission from the monarch Charles the Bald to prepare a martyrology, and in it he included some references to those Andalusian martyrs, so that the Spanish saints passed to the French saints.

Muhammad's patience was wearing thin. In 859 Eulogio was imprisoned, and if we follow the great Dozy, the event occurred in the following way.

In Córdoba there lived a young woman, Leocricia, daughter of Muslims, but through a nun in the family, had converted to Christianity. She ended up confessing it to his parents who tried to get her to return to the bosom of the Mohammedan religion, but since they could not obtain it, they began to mistreat her. Leocricia was afraid that in the end her conversion would become public and asked Eulogio and his sister Anulona for help. Maybe Eulogio saw in Leocricia many of the traits of the already martyred Flora, who had so much shocked in his heart, and he promised that he would be by his side unconditionally.

Leocricia pretended to return to the faith of her elders and her parents trusted again in it, so they found it natural that one day, it would come out richly dressed and jeweled to go, as she said, to a wedding. But where she went to Eulogio and Anulona's house so they could take her to the house of one of her coreligionists and hid her.

Seeing that she did not return, the parents and the Córdoba police began the search of the girl, but they could not find her. It was his friendship with Anulona that cause of her perdi-

tion because she spent a day with her, and the servant who was to pick her up to return to her hiding place, she did not arrive until dawn. Fearing to be recognized if she went out at that time, she decided to stay one more day with her friend, until nightfall. But a spy or simply someone who knew where the fugitive was, told the cadi who sent soldiers to arrest Leocricia and Eulogio, who at that time was reaching his sister's house.

Brought before the cadi, Eulogio declared that he had taken care of instruct the young woman in Christianity in the same way as he would with the Muslim leader if he asked. Leocricia, confessed of apostasy, was sentenced to death, but Eulogio was only sentenced to be whipped.

Perhaps out of pride, Eulogio did not settle for the punishment of whipping. Everyone died before him! All his life preaching martyrdom, martyrdom that many of his supporters had suffered with joy, and he I was going to be less holy than them! It was something he couldn't consent. He was taken to the council room where one of the dignitaries who knew him since he was young, he asked him why he had such a desire to die, if there was no something in his life worth keeping. If he retracted of his continued blasphemies against Muhammad and Islam, he would be forgiven immediately.

The cultured Muslim society felt more pity than hatred for the fanatics and they also felt that they had to proceed to shed blood with those who seemed to have gone crazy. But for Eulogio there was no longer a possible retreat. If he had retracted, the contempt of his people would be even worse than death. So he stood firm

and he bravely climbed into the scaffold, prayed briefly and placed his head on the slash that was severed with a well-aimed blow. It was March 11, 859. Four days later Leocricia suffered the same fate.

His death caused a great impact in Christian Spain and immediately, Eulogio became a saint, a multitude of miracles were attributed to him everywhere.

Some years later, Alfonso, king of León, in a truce signed between him and the emir Muhammad, stipulated that one of the conditions was that the remains of S. Leocricia and S. Eulogio would be handed over, something that Muslims gave them a thousand loves.

Deprived of their most fiery champion, the Mozarabs of Córdoba were calming down on their own. Practically all types of opposition ceased and only on rare occasions there was the case of a new martyrdom.

[rotzaprachim]

Thoughts on a person from history you want the old guard to have interacted with?

OH MY GOSH SO! A QUESTION and also i’ll have to give multiple answers lol 

One of the ideas I love most that i think is hinted at is if they interact famous historical people from history it’s two or three generations earlier like it has these ambiguous implications of either a) some kind of divine mission which i LOVE or else b) the whole theme of you get helped up and then you help someone else up we are not meant to be alone circa Celeste the French Shop Clerk... but writ super large anyway this is to say i think most of the time it’s the grandparents of famous people they meet? but i digress. anyway on my list of Famous People from history i want them to have interacted with i’m leaning more towards artist/ and scientist types from what copley’s said, some of the coolest (female) ones maybe include Alice Ball  a Black female scientist who at the age of 24 found the first effective treatment for Hansen’s disease/leprosy until antibiotics were invented, Dr. Rita Levi Montalcini, an Italian Jewish neurobiologist who won a Nobel prize for groundbreaking work on nerve factors, and Dr. Flossie Wong-Staal, the Chinese-American scientist whose work on HIV helped ID it as cause of AIDS among other things. Moving on to artists... just a personal fave but on my personal canon of “Nicky likes to play guitar” i totally think there’s a time when Copley’s cleaning out his wife’s record collection and like. realises Nicky’s been on the cover of one of her vinyls of Joan Baez’s recording sessions as a backup guitarist. but she was super cool and probably my favorite 20th century folk singer both for her original work and covers , as well as a Latina woman and dedicated supporter of civil rights and left-wing causes. 

that got america centric but moving deeper into history! Andy and Quynh and Lykon are just so... UNIMAGINABLY OLD and it’s wild to think that the birth of writing would have only happened like. a good chunk of the way into their lives. SO- 𒂗𒃶𒌌𒀭𒈾, Enheduanna,  the first writer in history whose work we can attach to a name! Cool as hell. (Also it would be fun if they’d gotten cheated by that one sketchy ancient grain dealer tumblr looses their shit over periodically but i don’t know anything about him.) 

As for medieval figures i really want Yusuf to have met- Samuel HaNagid! COOL AS HELL AND SOOO interesting! a medieval Jewish polymath from Al-Andalus who was variously a poor spice merchant, statesman, vizier to the caliph, Hebrew and Arabic language poet, Arabic calligrapher, grammarian, Talmudic Scholar and commentator, warrior, and supporter of literature and learning. (Also due to how much of a pleasure seeker the caliph he was vizier for was- arguably ruled as caliph himself, at least in running things and military battle) you can read some of his poetry here, just gonna throw out to all fic writers that he literally wrote the lines “ Make me drunk with the blood of the foe on the day of war And satisfy me with his flesh on the night of redemption.” (haven’t found the og hebrew so can’t testify how accurate this is BUT) (ALso pretty sure some of his love poetry was about men but i can’t find it right now) 

ANyway this is just some TOP figures, others i kind of have... squirrelled away to use in fics! hope this was roughly what you were looking for and also i tried hard but am ya know an undergrad with google rather than a trained historian so hopefully this is broadly free of historical mistakes! 

[asitrita]

Personal rant

This is a personal rant about Spain’s history and some people’s interpertation of it, mostly regarding some of the “nations”, or “ethnic groups” that are sometimes considered Spain’s parents. If you think it can affect you personally, don’t continue reading.

I really do not understand people who consider Spain’s father figure anyone other than Rome. Like... literally, no one makes any sense other than Rome. I could buy Visigoth acting as Spain’s father figure, or as his “tutor”, and I could even understand (though in no way share) the idea of Castile and Aragon being Spain’s “parents”. Though, again, I would not share that hc either, because even if the current nation-estate of Spain is “younger” than the many different medieval kingdoms, the notion, the “idea”, the “identity” to some extent, of Spain is way older than any of those medieval kingdoms which, technically, were not nations nor modern estates either, so acting as if Spain came to be out of the blue in the 15th century, as if there had not been already a clear Spanish identity and notion of unity and nation prior the 15th/16th centuries is just... ignoring all the evidence. What I trully do not understand is when people have Al-Ándalus, Umayyad, or even Carthage, as Spain’s father figures. It is true that history can be interpreted in many different ways, more so when it comes to Hetalia, but there are some interpretations that... they just make no sense. Not from a historical point of view, at least. Guess you can have whatever headcanons you want, but historically speaking, they may make no sense whatsoever. And that is exactly the case with these interpretations. For Al-Ándalus and Umayyad the reason why it is utter nonsense for any of them to be Spain’s father figure is that they are literally everything Spain is not (and did not want to be). In the first years of our lives, until we become adults, we all build our identity against the others. Something similar happens with the different nations. They build their identity partially based on not being like the neighbour next door. We could say that Spain built itself against precisely these two guys up there, Al-Ándalus and Umayyad. One could think, “okay, but as we all know, in many cases, the first ones we try to build our identity against is our parents, so that could further emphasise the role of those two as Spain’s paternal figures”. Well, no, and here’s why. Maybe it all comes to what I understand as a father figure, but to me, in the case of nations, the father figure, or the “father” or “mother” of a nation should be the one the nation receives more influences from. It should be to some extent the “origin” of most, or a big significant part of the nation’s culture, identity, and overall, idiosyncrasy. Either that, or it should have left a very deep impact and long lasting effect in the character and identity of that nation. And what I mean is that the nation must have adopted transcedental aspects from that “father nation” that are now rooted deep in its character. Otherwise, a deep impact could be a traumatic event like a war that people from the nation have built their national pride upon, but that’s not what I mean. I mean that the nation has actively acquired, integrated, and assimilated, deep and transcendental elements and aspects of its “father nation” culture and identity, so the “father nation” identity has, to some extent, become the identity of the “new nation”. Examples of some of these transcedental elements could be religion (and overall, spirituality), sense of justice, moral values, or even lexicon related to abstract concepts and emotions such as love, passion, fear, desire, hate, regret, etc. So here’s the thing. Neither Al-Ándalus nor Umayyad did, in any way, affect Spain in this respect. Mind, I am not saying they didn’t leave any influence in Spain at all, what I am saying is that they did not have a transcedental influence in Spain’s identity. Or they did, but just in the opposite way. Spain takes its culture, society, values, and spirituality from Rome, and builds itself against Al-Ándalus and Umayyad (quite honestly, Spain’s relationship with these two is more similar to the “traumatic” event some nations have built their national pride upon I mentioned earlier than to any father-son type of relationship). If anything, they only helped to exacerbate Spain’s loyalty to its “indigenous hispanoroman” identity. Again, not saying they left no influence, for example, some architecture in southern Spain (though, tbh, it’s more like a couple buildings people visit while ignoring the hundreds of christians and roman buildings lol), some cities, some influences in the food and some traditional dishes, some new agricultural and destillation techniques, etc. And it is well known that up to 8% of the Spanish vocabulary is of Arab origin, even though, to be honest, much of that percentage are toponyms and half of the lexicon is no longer used in Spanish today (most people don’t even know half of these words, and some have their Latin counterpart). However, none of these influences affects Spain’s psique and identity to a transcendental level. Not only that, but the people who identified as Spaniards and all its old variants (derivatives of Latin’s hispanus/hispanicus) were the Northern Christian people, never the Muslims who lived in Al-Ándalus under Umayyad rule. It was northern Christians who talked about Spain, who considered Spain their “lost” nation, and who identified with a Spanish identity, not the people nor the rulers of Al-Ándalus (for a short time, Northern Christians would actually refer to Christians living under Muslim rule in Al-Andalus as Spaniards, to distinguish them from the Muslims). And in no way am I justifying the following, I’m just stating a fact, which is that Muslims were expelled. All of them. Which means that Spain, as a nation, as the people it represents, literally has almost no link whatsoever with the people of Al-Ándalus, Arabs, nor Muslims, other than its people, the “Spanish people” fought them for centuries. Obviously, they lived in the same piece of land, though borders were never an easy place to live in, they were not 24/7 killing each other (impossible to do that nonstop for almost 8 century), they often traded, and there were Christians living in Muslim territories who adopted some Arab or generally Middle Eastern/Oriental traditions and practices that they preserved even under Christian rule (they were called Moriscos), hence the influences. But these influences are so superficial and “materialistic”, they affected so little the Spanish way of understanding the world, that I trully think it is unrealistic to make any of these two Spain’s father figure. It is almost a bad joke when you get the Northern Kingdoms singing to Spain and identifying as Spanish, getting ripped of their representation and identity, and instead, associating this identity and representation (their identity and representation) to those who never identified as Spanish and fought those who did with the intention of conquering and subduing them. And I guess you could argue that most of “Spain” (the land) was under Muslim (Umayyad) control, but as I understand Hetalia, and modern states today, it is not about land, but about nations and ethnic groups, and the people they represent, and it just makes no sense to make Spain’s father figure neither Al-Ándalus nor Umayyad, because given history, they would have probably tried to kill Spain had they got the chance, and the same goes for Spain, as it certainly would try to kill them as well. Plus, friendly reminder that the muslim territory of Spain was, for the most part, independent from the Umayyad Empire, so even if members of the Umayyad dinasty ruled over Al-Ándalus, it was not part of its empire (again, for the most part, there was a short time it did belonged to the empire). Plus  Al-Ándalus was cut into pieces during the 11th century and the Arab “Umayyad” elite expelled from the Peninsula. I mean, neither the Umayyad dinasty nor Al-Ándalus lasted for 7 centuries. The Arab rulling elite (Umayyad) were expelled, and Al-Ándalus destroyed, by the end of the 11th century. So it is not true Spain received direct influence from these particular people for almost 800 years, that’s an extreme oversimplification of Medieval Spain, as Arab rule in part of Spain, as well as the existance of Al-Ándals, in reality, lasted for around 350 years, as opposed to Roman presence in Spain, which lasted for over 600 years, plus, they were never expelled and their identity completely permeated the indegenous inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula.

About Carthage... what can I say? This just makes no sense. It may not be as ironic (and almost offensive) as the other two choices, but in some way, it makes even less sense, if that’s even possible. Not much to say about this one, I just can’t even think of one thing Spain has inherited from this guy, can’t think of any influence from Carthaginean culture or whatever in Spain. The little I can think of slightly related to Carthage is actually Phoenitian so... I mean, Cartagena, in Murcia, is a great city, but... can anyone think of any significant influence, any significant link Spain as a nation, or Spaniards as an ethnic group, have with Carthage? I’m sure people from Murcia may come up with something but... in general, I really don’t think we have anything to do with Carthagineans, as much as I like Carthage. I’m sorry, but I trully can’t think of anything Spaniards, Hispanics, even Portuguese if you want (though I’m no expert on Portuguese history so I may be wrong on this one) have “inherited” from Carthage (guess you could link the Portuguese Empire based on trade with Carthage, but realistically speaking, there’s no historical corelation there either). I guess they may have introduced some new techniques and whatnot, but, really, that happens all the time, that does not affect the identity of a group nor their way of looking at the world greatly, unless it supposes a radical change in their way of life, which did not happen, since Carthage barelly controled some strategic cities. Yes, it got to the northern part of Spain, but did not have actual control over all that territory, and there was no cohesive rule nor anything I can think of... In any case, I’m no expert on Carthage either, but I trully cannot think of any Carthaginean influence in Spain at all. In conclusion, a nation’s “father figure” is the one that has, to some extent, “built the nation”, or “mould it”. Just like if we were talking about a human being, we should ask “how does it behave? how does it think? how does it see the world? how does it communicate? what are its values? what are its traditions?” Then ask about the origin of all those answers. And there you get the “father figure”. Spaniards speak a Latin-based language/s (but the Basques and some people from Navarra who speak a pre-Roman language), they are Christians, Roman Cahotlics to be more precise, and Spanish justice is based on Visigothic and Roman laws. Spanish culture is overwhelmingly based on Roman culture, as is its society, values, etc. The way Spanish interact with the world and others is based on a Roman perception of the world. They may be others who have influenced Spain, I’m not denying that, but none of them has, not by a long shot, defined Spanish identity as much as Rome has. The only event in history that had a significant importance in defining Spain’s identity other than Rome and getting to America, is the war against the Muslims, which includes the two listed above. But they never “added” to the Spanish identity on significant levels, for the most part they just reinforced it by acting as its antagonists, which is not exactly what I would represent as “parenthood”. Carthage... I don’t even know how that happened. And that’s it. This is not a personal attack to anyone who has any of these headcanons, it may seem like it is, but it is not. If anything, it is an “attack” to these ideas, simply because I don’t think they accurately portray Spain’s history at all, on the contrary, they distort Spanish history based on 18th and 19th century foreigner’s ignorant and orientalist crazy theories and assumption (and anti-Catholic propaganda, tbh), and Hetalia, at the end of the day, is about history. If any one has these headcanons,you do you, go with it, but please be aware that they are not historically accurate, that’s it.

[isadomna]

Alfonso VI of León & Urraca of Zamora

The two siblings were children of Fernando I "El Magno" and Sancha of León.  After the death of their father, Alfonso inherited the Kingdom of León and Urraca the city of Zamora, and the Infantazgo, that is, "the patronage and income of all the monasteries belonging to the royal patrimony" on the condition that she remained unmarried. The figure of doña Urraca is one of the most powerful of medieval Iberia. She is the pious and devout daughter, sister, and co-ruler recorded in the Latin historical chronicles, as well as the passionate and cruel temptress in vernacular chronicles and in the ballad tradition. Undoubtedly the wildest rumor surrounding Urraca is that of an incestuous relationship and even marriage with her own brother. Urraca and Alfonso's mutual admiration was well known in their day and alluded to in contemporary documents. Alfonso governed jointly with Urraca: "Adefonsus Serenissimus rex, una cum consensu sororis mee Urraka". Alfonso refers to her with the conventional but certainly true formulation "dilectissima adque amantissima sóror mea".

The earliest known written allegation of Urraca and Alfonso's incest appears in a work by the mid twelfth century Granadine historiographer Abu Bakr ibn al-Sayrafi. The second known early reference to Urraca's incest with Alfonso appears in Fray Juan Gil de Zamora's historical tract De praeconibus Hispaniae (c. 1278-1282). As in the Arabic version, Fray Juan alleges that the incestuous acts took place following the siege of Zamora and their brother Sancho's murder. Whatever motives Ibn al-Sayrafi and Fray Juan had in reporting the allegation, their testimony affirms the existence of early peninsula-wide epic poems containing narratives of an incestuous marriage between Urraca and her brother Alfonso VI. The original source of this report is impossible to ascertain. Lévi Provençal and Menéndez Pidal considered the incest accusation plausible. Catalán agrees, noting that incest was part of eleventh century reality. Alfonso VI's biographer, Bernard F. Reilly, doubts the incest charge. He sees "nothing innately surprising or sinister" in Urraca's sisterly preference for Alfonso and finds neither the Muslim source nor Gil de Zamora to be "convincing".

Urraca was a woman of status and power in a world of ruthless dynastic imperatives. Alfonso was what we would now call a warlord, constantly on the offensive, leading his nomadic court, intent on securing borders, keeping rebellious nobles under control, and fighting to reconquer al-Andalus. During their brother's long reign (1065-1109), both Urraca and Elvira exercised power equivalent to or greater than all of Alfonso's queens. Like their mother Sancha, Urraca and Elvira, had they married, would have been transmitters of lineage. From this point of view, the brother-sister marriage would have been a possible strategy to consolidate inheritance. With all other heirs defeated, the brother-sister liaison would have unified the previously dispersed paternal territories. Urraca did not need a royal marriage to exert influence: her privileged position as a member of the royal family and daughter of Fernando and Sancha and her own ability to use that position guaranteed her more prestige and authority than any matrimonial alliance. The Chronica Seminensis enthusiastically describes Urraca's fervent love for Alfonso, her maternal care for him, and her rejection of husbands and carnal relationships: 

Indeed, from childhood on, Urraca loved Allonso with a heartfelt fraternal love, more than the others. Since she was older, she raised him as a mother, and dressed him. She was distinguished by her wise counsel and probity. We affirm this not from rumors, but from our own experience, in that she disdained carnal relationships and the fleeting adornments of matrimony.

Subsequent Latin chronicles follow the Seminensis in characterizing the nature of Urraca's and Alfonso's relationship as that of mother and son.   

Because Urraca was very noble in her ways, Alfonso was commended to her by their mother and father, for she loved him more than the other children. At the time that King Alfonso conquered the Kingdom of León, he obeyed his sister Urraca as he would a mother.

The evolution of the scandalous Urraca persona was part of the jongleuresque anti-Alfonso discourse. Hostility to Alfonso, explicit in Islamic historiography and exemplified in Ibn al-Sayrafi's accusation, is summarized in the famous verse referring to him in the Poema del Mio Cid: " iDios qué buen vasallo / si oviesse buen señor!". In the epics of the Castilian juglares, in the chronicles which rephrased them, and in popular balladry, Urraca was the narrative scapegoat and sexual libel was the weapon of choice. The open and intense personal-political complicity between the two was translated into intense sexual complicity. The specific incest charge was certainly a serious attack, breaching, as it does, a nearly universal taboo, but in the end its narrative buttress was fragile. It never became as widely disseminated as the accusations of Urraca's fratricide/regicide, prostitution, and promiscuity. The exact nature of the relationship between Urraca and Alfonso, whether maternal, fraternal, carnal or platonic, can never be definitively reconstructed. Historical reality, as always, slips through our fingers.

Source:

Doña Urraca and her Brother Alfonso VI: Incest as Politics by Teresa Catarella. Published by La corónica: A Journal of Medieval Hispanic Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Volume 35, Number 2, Spring 2007, pp. 39-67 (Article)  

[izartn]

Headcanon on Captive Prince:

When I first started reading the books, and I reached the Veres part, I thought all the way until almost the end, when I started interacting with fandom and viewing the fanarts, that Veres was supposed to be an islamic country styled after Al-Andalus or some other caliphate. Maybe Byzantium, if not (even if anything Akielos is obviously Byzantium) I supposed this is my own bias, being andalusian and all that, but all the descriptions of the palace, the intricate not figurative decorations, the baths, the importance of culture... the sex thing was weird, but not too much, and when the clothes were described I imagined complicated and beautiful golden age muslim tunics. I didn’t get the French-baroque impression of Vere is what I’m saying. I thought; well this is quite a bit of orientalism, and the names thing is weird but the french had a large presence in north africa during colonialism and maybe the author is shit like that? Blond and blue-eyed Laurent was easier; I have some vague knowledge there are some people in Morocco that are like that in appearance and it doesn’t make them less Moroccan. So I just went along because I was enjoying the books and I didn’t take them seriously. Then, to my incredulity and disappointment, and well a little of embarrassment because all the clues were there and I was deluding myself, I realized Vere was supposed to be Alt!France. Which, you know, if Akielos wasn’t so blatantly Alt!AncientGreece-Rome I would have bought much earlier. But my first impression was that it had to be more or less on the same temporal continuum without realizing that as fantasy land author could do whatever she wanted, and my mind went to just after the disintegration of the Roman Empire and well. Vere is clearly just nextdoor of Akielos and facing the Mediterranean were I’m concerned I jumped conclusions xD (And the author clearly knew what she was doing, which was pleasant to know, i felt relieved xD)

So well, to this day the impression I have of Vere is much more this (all images from the Reales Alcázares de Sevilla) :

Or even this:

That anything French relating to the Sun King. 

Geez. I would love to see a fic take this direction with the story. It’s like an itch of mine that never got fulfilled and now I want that fic. It’d need a lot more of historical research and everything but it would be fascinating how the cultures of alt!whatevsmoreconvenientCaliphate (my knowledge is severely lacking I’m sorry, high school didn’t teach us beyond al-andalus and a bit on the muslim empire) and Alt!notsoAncientGreece would interact ;_; (given actual history it could have been... difficult and tense, but well. it could’ve been amazing)