When did the Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula?
A.D. 711
In A.D. 711, a group of North African Muslims led by the Berber general, Tariq ibn-Ziyad, captured the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal). Known as al-Andalus, the territory became a prosperous cultural and economic center where education and the arts and sciences flourished.
What did the Moors do in the Iberian Peninsula?
In 711 the Islamic Arabs and Moors of Berber descent in northern Africa crossed the Strait of Gibraltar onto the Iberian Peninsula, and in a series of raids they conquered Visigothic Christian Hispania. Their general, Tariq ibn Ziyad, brought most of Iberia under Islamic rule in an eight-year campaign.
How long did the Moors rule Iberia?
Many writers refer to Moorish rule over Spain spanning the 800 years from 711 to 1492 yet this is a misconception. The reality is that the Berber-Hispanic Muslims inhabited two-thirds of the peninsula for 375 years, about half of it for another 160 years and finally the kingdom of Granada for the remaining 244 years.
Why did the Moors invade Spain and Portugal?
Many were Islamic fanatics and wanted to expand the Muslim Caliphate into Spain and Portugal. The Invasion. The Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula in the year 711 and conquered it quickly, converting it to Islam and adapting it to a new language and culture.
How did the Iberian Peninsula become part of the Muslim empire?
The Iberian Peninsula became part of the Umayyad Caliphate, the largest Muslim empire in the world at the time. Moors were mostly Berber tribesmen but Arabs occupied most of the top positions. The years after Rahman came to power were prosperous and turned Al-Andalus into a powerful nation.
Why was King Matamoros called the Moor slayer?
He became known as Matamoros (The Moor Slayer) for defeating the Muslims in battle. The Reconquista was the Christian campaign to retake the Iberian Peninsula that lasted from the beginning of the invasion in 711 to 1492 when the Moors were driven out of the Iberian Peninsula at Granada.
What happened in the first 40 years of Moorish rule?
First 40 years of moorish rule was volatile and stability was achieved by Abd-er-Rahman who arrived in Granada in 755. Within a year he became Emir of Al-Andalus and in 32 years transformed Al-Andalus into an independent country which was the cultural light of the European continent.