The Slavs in Al-Andalus. A history of Elite people in muslim medieval Spain.

[Cristiano viejo]

Elite people?? they were slaves of the Moors.

[Gaditanian]

More interesting would be were the muslim Moors who ruled in Spain during the Middle Ages Slavs themselves ?

As some historians say, there were Slavic kings in Al-Andalus, and the Slavic presence was very significant to even create their own kingdoms. The Slavs were always opposite to the Berbers, so it is possible that when the Almohad and Almoravid forces entered into the peninsula in the XI-XIII centuries, the Slavs decided to join the northern Christian kingdoms to fight this new berber forces, and finally mixing with these christians from the north of Iberia.

[Gaditanian]

Slavs and elite hahahahahahaga

[Cristiano viejo]

As some historians say, there were Slavic kings in Al-Andalus, and the Slavic presence was very significant to even create their own kingdoms. The Slavs were always opposite to the Berbers, so it is possible that when the Almohad and Almoravid forces entered into the peninsula in the XI-XIII centuries, the Slavs decided to join the northern Christian kingdoms to fight this new berber forces, and finally mixing with these christians from the north of Iberia.

Which Slavic kings are you talking?? Slavs were the slaves of the Moors. Men part of their armies and as slaves, women part of their harens.

[Gaditanian]

Which Slavic kings are you talking?? Slavs were the slaves of the Moors. Men part of their armies and as slaves, women part of their harens.

[B]
The Slavic Kingdoms in Al-Andalus



- Between 1011 and 1013 Muslim Spain disintegrates into approximately 30 states during an era of anarchy known as the Fitna; some of them seized the Slavs and ruled them.

- The rulers of these states that were established on the ruins of the caliphate of Cordoba were known in Arabic as muluk at-tawaif (kings of parties) or kings of taifa in Spanish (and hence the period of the taifa), because they often they were supported by the various parties that forged their own domains in Muslim Spain.

- This condition persisted until the early 1090s, when Muslim Spain is once again unified by the Almoravids. For example, a certain Slavic named Hayran, who was the leader of the Slavic party in the capital of Cordoba and a faithful follower of Caliph Hisham II (who reigned between 976 and 1009 and between 1010 and 1013), was also the governor of the province from Almeria where a state ruled by the Slavs was finally established.



- At the same time, another Slav named Vadih was the governor of a northern border province of the Cordoba caliphate.

- During the first part of the Taifa period a certain Slavic was the prince of Jaén, Baeza and Calatrava.

- In some cases even the same names of these Slavic governors identify them as Slavs; That was certainly the case with Khayrah al-Saqlabi, the Slavic governor of the Taifa of Jativa, and Labib al-Saqlabi, the Slavic governor of Tortosa.

All the states ruled by Slavs were of medium size compared to the other Taifa states

- They were always located on the east coast of Spain, where, in most of the coastline, the population density was relatively high, and therefore we must conclude that the native populations they ruled were also relatively large, comparatively speaking.

- The populations that lived there were - along with those in southern Spain, many of which were then under Berber rule - among the most racially heterogeneous in all of Iberia, which perhaps facilitated the seizure of power by the Slavs (and the Berbers ) in the areas where they established their respective States.

- The Slavs established more lasting states in Almeria, Denia-Balearic Islands (in the period of 1015-1016 even briefly extended to Sardinia), Murcia, Tortosa and Valencia. During the first stage of the taifa period they also ruled for shorter periods of time in Jaén, Baeza and Calatrava (the Slavic prince mentioned above), while in the border province of Badajoz a Slavic named Sabur initially held power.

The most successful Slavic ruler of the Taifa states was Mujahid al-Amiri

- Ruler of Denia (later Denia-Balearic Islands), the son of a Christian woman (most of the Slavic people were at that time part of Christendom), although a devout Muslim himself.

- He was also one of the brightest of all Taifa rulers in general.

- He established his State in Denia in 1011, during the beginning of the Fitna, which saw the collapse of the central authority of Córdoba and the simultaneous appearance of the Taifa States.

- Using the naval resources of his tiny state, and perhaps also employing "Slavic pirates turned into mercenaries," he soon extended his authority to the Balearic Islands.

- He even briefly conquered Sardinia, or part of it, in 1015, when he invaded it with a fleet of 120 ships carrying 1,000 cavalry soldiers. But the following year a combined Genoese-Pisan force expelled him from Sardinia, causing significant losses, including the capture of his women and daughters. The Genoese were at that time an important naval and mercantile power in the Mediterranean; it seems that they were afraid that Sardinia would become a main base for the expeditions of Muslim privateers against their territory, while the Pisans were perhaps more concerned with safeguarding their commercial interests. Mujahid was also a notable patron of the sciences: in his capital he established a Koranic school that became renowned in the entire Muslim world, and also attracted many cultured men to his court.

Another exceptional Slavic ruler of taifas was Khayran

- He dominated Orihuela, Murcia and Almería.

- In the latter he established his capital, fortifying and beautifying it during the process, in addition to building new buildings and a water supply system.

- Khayran made his brother Zuhayr governor of Murcia, and it was he who succeeded him on the throne.

- After his ascent, Zuhayr extended his domain from Almeria to almost reach Córdoba and Toledo as well as Jativa and Baeza; he also continued his brother's general policies.

- However, he suffered serious setbacks when fighting against the Badis of Granada, and was killed in a battle in 1038.

- The news of his untimely death caused immense dismay in Almeria, where he was soon replaced by Abd al-Aziz of Valencia, who arrived at the request of the inhabitants of Almeria.

[Gota_type_]

Quite dissapointing to find Slavs siding with the moros into killing Christian Spaniards. Despite some of them were slaves and some others were mercenaries, in both cases they took pride into killing Spaniards and helping the muslims. Blame on slavs for all of this. Happily we Spaniards could defeat both groups (in fact, many other groups since there were many people comming from NorthAfrica to try to kill us. They probably have not heared about our big cojones before. The same that made us conquer and dominate half of the world.

[Peterski]

One estimate says there were ca. 15,000 Slavs in Medieval Spain - http://slavicchronicles.com/history/...-spain-part-2/