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Moorish Spain Paperback – May 5, 2006

by Richard Fletcher (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 175 ratings
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Beginning in the year 711 and continuing for nearly a thousand years, the Islamic presence survived in Spain, at times flourishing, and at other times dwindling into warring fiefdoms. But the culture and science thereby brought to Spain, including long-buried knowledge from Greece, largely forgotten during Europe’s Dark Ages, was to have an enduring impact on the country as it emerged into the modern era. In this gracefully written history, Richard Fletcher reveals the Moorish culture in all its fascinating disparity and gives us history at its best: here is vivid storytelling by a renowned scholar.
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  1. Print length
    206 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of California Press
  4. Publication date
    May 5, 2006
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0520248406
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0520248403
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Richard Fletcher is a distinguished historian and accomplished writer with the gift of making complex historical happenings comprehensible to his readers without losing a sense of their complexity." ― The Spectator

"Fletcher uses translations from Moorish poetry and historical anecdotes to illuminate a significant period in European history, arguing that Moorish Spain acted as a channel through which the philosophical and scientific works of the Islamic world passed to European Christendom. One example given by Fletcher is the development of Thomist philosophy, which sought to reconcile revelation and reason. The Moorish philosopher Averroes, whose treatises on Aristotle had attempted such a reconciliation of philosophy and religion in an Islamic context, was cited by St. Thomas Aquinas 503 times. . . . Recommended for public and academic libraries." ― Library Journal

About the Author

Richard Fletcher (1944-2005) was Professor of History at the University of York. He was the author of The Barbarian Conversion: From Paganism to Christianity.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of California Press; First Edition (May 5, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 206 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0520248406
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0520248403
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 175 ratings

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R. A. Fletcher

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
175 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

krebsman
5.0 out of 5 stars "Nostalgia is the enemy of historical understanding"
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2013
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This was one of several books used in a course on "Literature and Culture of Muslim Spain" that I took in 2009. As our professor pointed out, the period from 711 to 1492 is difficult because the Muslim culture flourished early in Iberia and then went into a centuries-long, anticlimactic decline. At the time I took the course I found this book difficult to absorb and much preferred the Maria Rosa Menocal's book on the same subject. However, post-graduation I've had time to read these two books separately and in their entirety. Fletcher's book has risen mightily in my esteem. While Menocal's very entertaining collection of essays does make it easy to relate to "Muslim Spain," Fletcher's task is far more difficult. He's trying to help the general reader make sense of a chaotic and scantily-documented period. His basic approach is chronological, but events often were affected by other events happening in the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond the Pyrenees, sometimes simultaneously, which often necessitates a little backtracking. Fletcher's writing is concise. It was often necessary for me to put the book down and think about what I'd read. However, by reading carefully the reader can learn a lot about the historian's tools. The book would be valuable to me for this reason, if for no other. "Nostalgia is the enemy of historical understanding," writes Fletcher in the final chapter of this book. As Ms. Menocal's book so aptly exemplifies, there is a tendency to romanticize al-Andalus. Fletcher romanticizes nothing. His agenda is historical understanding. I'd recommend, if possible, reading both Fletcher's and Menocal's books. They reinforce and support each other. Five stars for Fletcher, too.
38 people found this helpful
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Koen Wastijn
4.0 out of 5 stars Moorish Spain a reality check
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2020
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This book offers a well written historical insight in a unique but often romantisized part of one of the cultural hotspots of the world. I really appreciated the no-nonsense reality check approach of the author.
A must for whoever spends more than a week in Andalucia and who is a very demanding reader.
Entertaining and factual. A subtle balance.
5 people found this helpful
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Donald Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars A general history of Moorish Spain
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2013
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This is not a scholarly history but a "popular" account of Moors' dominion in Spain lasting almost seven hundred years. For the contemporary reader it explains the odd Christian-Muslim architecture one sees in Spain and finds exceptionally confusing. It evaluates the so-called compatibility between Jews, Christians, and Muslims alledged by amateur historians, and watches the languid plodding of European Christian efforts to settle Spain and convert it to a European country. A fine book for beginners in the study of a Spain often left out of European history.
2 people found this helpful
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M. Orbuch
5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best popular work on the topic
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2006
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Richard Fletcher's "Moorish Spain" is a refreshing tonic against the plethora of books on Islamic Spain idealizing the supposed 'Convivencia' (especially, "The Ornament of the World" by Maria Rosa Menocal). Fletcher avoids the tendency among many scholars who wish to find an apt, hopeful (albeit unrealistic) Christian-Islamic modus vivendi for Europe's present-day demographic predicament based on a romaticized model of medieval Spain. Presented in a well-researched, matter-of-fact fashion, the 'good' is presented in the context of the 'bad and the ugly'.
24 people found this helpful
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Larry N. Stout
4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and interesting
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2012
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I can't compare this book with other treatments of the Muslims in Spain, because it's the only one I've read. Being both compact and comprehensive, it can be very dense in places; nevertheless, it is both enlightening and readable. The book served to considerably augment my avocational, patchwork grasp of world history, and I enjoyed it. It should appeal to a wide audience.
3 people found this helpful
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demetrius egan
5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible work and marks the void and absence of ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2018
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An incredible work and marks the void and absence of such an important period in world history that has been relegated to the periphery of European history, and regarded in nostalgic terms with early Islamic history.
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Sean Tomlinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide to the history of southern Spain
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2014
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I bought and read this before my trip to southern Spain, and I'm so glad I did. I really enjoyed this book. It's fast, well done, and very informative about the sites to see. Exellent pick up.
3 people found this helpful
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SF
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2018
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the service was great I just had some issues about the book's content it is personal.
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Top reviews from other countries

Hilm
4.0 out of 5 stars The real GOT?
Reviewed in India on April 4, 2024
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The saga of Moorish Spain, a tale so often draped in the cloaks of exaggeration and oversimplification! Picture this: one group, let's call them Group A, paints it as a never-ending calamity akin to 9/11 happening on a daily basis with Hitler running the show. To counter this we have Group B, in their whimsical fervor, turns it into a mythical utopia filled with rainbows and unicorns.

BOTH GROUPS ARE WRONG!

Moorish Spain was more than a clash of religions; it was a vibrant mosaic of cultures, with its fair share of ups and downs. This book throws a gauntlet at the simplistic narrative, daring to dive into the nuanced reality.

Imagine a world where a fair-skinned Caliph with a Christian mother rubs shoulders with kings marrying across religious lines. Was Andalusia truly a battleground of faith, or was it a complex web of alliances and ambitions? This book dances around the conventional history lesson, bringing to life characters like Almanzor, the "scourge of God," and Ibn Tashfin, the rustic Saharan, in a drama that's Game of Thrones minus the dragons (and thankfully, the White Walkers).

Jewish viziers, anti-religious polemics, and alliances that would make Cersei Lannister blush—Moorish Spain was indeed a spectacle! So buckle up, because this book is not your average textbook. A milleniums worth of history, digested into this book. Simple & concise.
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jamie s
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2023
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Fantastic insights in to an under reported phase of Spanish history. Balanced, factual and well written. Highly recommend.
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Cliente Amazon
4.0 out of 5 stars Necessary
Reviewed in Spain on May 28, 2017
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I needed to read this book. Moorish Spain is a terrible sink for guilt-laden western fantasies and Fletcher does a good job of showing us how the Christian and Moorish worlds mirrored one another. Perhaps we can get beyond the Romanticism of Washington Irving with a little more history in this vein.
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S. Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars The Moorish impact
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2016
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There are today two conflicting and extreme views of Muslim Spain, one is that it was a multicultural paradise where different faiths were tolerated and a conduit for the transmission of classical Greek and Persian learning to Western Europe, the other that it was marked by religious and cultural repression and that its Arab and Berber rulers were incapable of appreciating or transmitting classical culture. Richard Fletcher does not subscribe to either view but gives a nuanced interpretation of almost eight centuries of contact between two different religious and cultural traditions, sometimes in conflict but often having to accommodate each other.

Fletcher explores the effect of the Muslim occupation of much of Spain on its language, arts ideas, and politics. While the greatest effect of what he terms the Moorish impact, because it mostly derived from North Africa, was during the Middle Ages, it continued to shape Spanish culture even after the fall of Granada. After a rapid conquest, by 1000 A.D. of most Christians had converted or emigrated, although Christian and Jewish minorities tried to preserve their faiths in some Muslim areas. Moorish innovations in agriculture, including irrigation and new crops, new industries and integrating Spain into international trade routes transformed the country.

Moorish Spain is an introductory summary which offers no new interpretations. However, Fletcher’s clear grasp of the subject based on a variety of sources and his readable writing style make this a valuable introduction. The lacks reference and footnotes is understandable but at least some readers would like to follow up some of the matters only briefly touched on.

Returning to the original conflicting views mentioned, Fletcher is clear that toleration of any deviation was at best limited and in the periods when North African fundamentalists ruled, almost non-existent. Christians, Jews, Berbers and even Muslims who did not follow the accepted conventions were more often persecuted that grudgingly accepted and the best that could be said is this was no worse than the situation in the Christian kingdoms. On the other hand, he is clear that Al-Andalus was the main conduit for Greek and Persian philosophical, scientific and medical knowledge translated first into Arabic then re-translated into Latin to reach and enrich Western Europe, rather than Sicily or the Crusader kingdoms.

In summary, “Moorish Spain” is a very readable introduction not only to Muslim Spain but towards an understanding of the history of Muslim influence on Europe.
18 people found this helpful
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Ampthill bookworm
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2013
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If you ever watched the film El-Cid and wondered how much was truth and how much Hollywood invention, this book is the answer. The author states that his aim is to inform those that are taking a trip to Spain and to provide enough detail to explain the events and what lay behind them. He does this supremely well with plenty of historical detail, yet told in a style that keeps the pages turning. Covers 800 years and provides everything you are likely to want to know about this fascinating period with parallels to today's difficult relationship with Islam.
4 people found this helpful
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