- Caliphs and Kings: Spain, 796–1031 by Roger Collins
From the introduction of Caliphs and Kings: Spain, 796–1031, Collins sets his work apart by dismantling the purported peaceful co-existence of the three Abrahamic religions theory in Al-Andalus. This contrasts with many authors who continue to perpetuate the convivencia framework no matter the period of medieval Spanish history. It is the insistence on setting himself opposite this prevalent analytical framework that gives the author a new method by which to examine religious relations in that period. Given that the book’s title posits caliphs first, the reader may assume that there is substantial information about Muslims. Collins recognizes that there was perhaps a short period of “tolerance” for a very specific timeframe of approximately “forty years or fewer in the mid-tenth century . . . that was strictly limited to the city of Córdoba” (1). The city was the exception rather than the rule in medieval Spain. It is perhaps the unique situation in Córdoba that has caused countless scholars to perpetuate the image of the medieval Spain as an example of convivencia.
The divisive relations between Christians and Muslims are concretized and specified via an episode delineated in chapter 3. The episode is in reference to a letter, written in 953 or 954, that was disrespectful to the Caliph Abd al-Rahman III (83–84). The letter was carried by a Frankish monk, John of Gorze, and written by the Frankish king’s (Otto I) brother, the Archbishop Bruno of Cologne. It was a follow-up letter to the Caliph’s emissary, who had caused offense at the Frankish court. John of Gorze was cautioned, first by the local bishop and then also at the Caliph’s court, to deliver gifts but not the letter, because the letter contained statements offensive to Islam, and it would have surely carried a death sentence for John of Gorze. Instead of heeding the warnings, John of Gorze welcomed the possibility of death as a Christian martyr. The idea of Christians engaging in circumcision of their male children and following halal dietary law were deplorable to John of Gorze, who refused to comprehend that, by adopting Islamic rituals, Christians could live in peace within Muslim territory. This in turn demonstrates the importance of Christian martyrdom during this period. [End Page 325]
The focus on Christian martyrdom is one of the book’s most interesting sections, since it demonstrates that Christianity was in an evolutionary period and Christians were as fervent as Muslims, if not more. The martyr movement of 850–859 is fascinating, particularly regarding the men and women of mixed marriages (Christian and Muslim) who chose to practice their mothers’ Christian faith, thus ensuring their death because of apostasy. The entire discussion of Christian martyrs calls to mind the letter in Los siete infantes de Lara and their death as martyrs at the hand of Muslims. Also, it evokes the episode of Gonzalo Gustioz as a prisoner of Almanzor, who begins to grow accustomed to Muslim tradition and becomes involved with Almanzor’s sister, with whom he has a son. His son, Mudarra, leaves his Muslim family to return to his Christian father and to his faith. After his conversion to Christianity, Mudarra avenges the death of his seven martyred brothers.
One of the issues during the period of 796–1031 is the paucity of sources for each of the three religious groups, as well as the geographical areas of medieval Spain chosen by Collins as his focus. The reiteration of the issue occurs throughout most of the chapters and this, in effect, weakens the text’s authority every time one is reminded of it by the author. The subsequent analyses provided from piecemeal documents give a fragmented picture of the history of the period, which will force researchers to focus elsewhere to reconstruct the information in order to gain a fuller picture.
Berbers, who constituted an integral part of the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, are mentioned in small sections throughout the book...