The Moors, in plain words
Moor, I am.
Who the Moors were, what they built in Spain and Portugal over nearly eight centuries, and how one word came to mean so many people. With a source on every fact, and honest notes where historians disagree.
Where to begin
First, the word
-
Where the word comes from
“Moor” comes from the Latin word Maurus. The Romans used it for people from their province of Mauretania, which covered parts of today’s Algeria and Morocco (not the modern country of Mauritania).
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Moor”
-
Middle Ages to 1600s
A loose label, not an ethnicity
Britannica says the word is of little use for describing anyone’s ethnicity. From the Middle Ages into the 1600s, Europeans pictured Moors as black, “swarthy,” or “tawny,” and called Muslims of other complexions “white Moors.”
Where sources differ: Online claims go both ways (“the Moors were Black” vs. “the Moors weren’t Black”). The sources here agree the label was used loosely: for Amazigh and Arab North Africans, for Iberian Muslims, and in the Renaissance for dark-skinned people generally (Britannica; National Geographic).
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Moor”
Four dates to know
-
711
Tariq ibn Ziyad crosses into Spain
In 711 the Berber general Tariq ibn Ziyad landed at Gibraltar with an army Britannica describes as mostly Berbers, Syrians, and Yemenis, starting the Muslim conquest of Spain. Gibraltar is named for him: Jabal Tariq, “Mount of Tariq.”
Where sources differ: Exact dates differ by source: Britannica’s Tariq entry says he landed in May 711, while The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline essay says the army landed July 19, 711.
-
929 to 1031
The Caliphate of Córdoba
In 929 Abd al-Rahman III declared himself caliph. The Met calls caliphal Córdoba perhaps the greatest intellectual center in Europe, with celebrated libraries and schools.
Source: The Met, Heilbrunn Timeline, “The Art of the Umayyad Period in Spain (711 to 1031)”
-
1238 to 1492
Nasrid Granada and the fall of 1492
The Nasrids, the last Muslim dynasty in Spain, ruled the kingdom of Granada from 1238. Their first ruler, a tributary vassal of Castile, began building the Alhambra. The Christian conquest of Granada in 1492 ended Nasrid rule.
Where sources differ: 1492 didn’t end the Muslim presence in Spain. Britannica’s Morisco entry says surrendering Muslim communities, including Granada’s in 1492, were usually promised freedom of religion by treaty, and many stayed until forced conversions began.
-
1609 to 1614
The expulsion of the Moriscos
A royal order in September 1609 began the expulsion of the Moriscos, and it was finished about five years later. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced out, most resettling in Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.
Where sources differ: Numbers vary even within Britannica: its Morisco entry estimates about 300,000 resettled in North Africa, while its Spain history article says some 275,000 had been forced to leave by 1614.
A little history, once a month
One story from the record, one book, one place. No hype.
The list isn't hooked up yet, so this won't send.