4º SESSION. QUETIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Who were the Visigoths?
Concept p. 22
2. How was it that they ended in Spain in the second half of the V century AD?
Romans made a treaty with them to help “cleaning” Spain of other barbarians.
3. There was, nonetheless, a barbarian group which could not be expelled. Which and where?
Suevians. Galicia. SEE MAP IN P. 22 DWN.
4. Visigoths dominated half of what is now France, why and when were they confined to Spain, with their capital city in Toledo?
They were defeated in 507 AD by other barbarians, the Franks.
5. The kingdom of Toledo achieved its territorial unification through the defeat of 4 foes. Name them:
Byzantium, Franks, Suevians and northern tribes (astures, vascones…).
6. What was the relevant factor which made the monarchy stronger?
It was elective but ended up being hereditary.
7. Unification also affected religion. How? Remember goths were already christians.
King Recared gave up Christian arianism and became a roman catholic, like almost every Spanish roman, acquiring thus the support of the church. IMAGE 23 UP).
8. And what about law?
Leovigild (IMAGE 22 CTER), authorized mixed marriages in the last quarter of the VI century AD, and a century after that, Recesvinth promulgated the Liber Iudiciorum (in Spanish Fuero Juzgo), which was to be the common law for Spanish romans and goths, and the base for law in medieval christian kingdoms (TEXT 23 CTER).
9. Kings and nobles ruled. Who else? Clue: note this was the beginning of a very long and complicated relationship.
The church: the clergy was present in the Aula Regia, and the Toledo church councils (concept p. 22), were lead by the king and they issued laws and decrees.
10. Name the internal political factor that made muslim conquest of Spain surprisingly easy in 711 AD.
Conflict about the succession.
11. Name social and economic consequences of the decadence of Rome and the arrival of the Goths.
Further ruralization, foreign control in trade, collapse in transport and communications, creation of a landed aristocracy which weakened the monarchy.
12. Rome and Christianity were the main references of visigothic culture. Name examples.
Latin as the cultivated language and the importance of monasteries for the preservation of culture. St Isidore.
13. For which two arts were Visigoths specially gifted?
Architecture and metal work. SEE IMG 23 DWN.
14. Which architectural innovation did they pass on to muslim Spain?
The Horseshoe arch.
15. Can you guess an economic difference between byzantine and visigothic territories in Spain? *
Open answer. I would talk about more trade in south and eastern byzantine zones (they contained the main roman sea ports).
2. AL- ANDALUS:

Why was it so easy for muslims to conquer Spain at the beginning of the VIII century AD?*
Political visigothic weakness because of a troubled succession and their racism towards jews, which ultimately threw these in the arms of the invaders.
What was the muslim dual strategy? Name examples.
Open war (Tarik defeated the last visigothic king, Roderick, and Musa continued the campaigns), and diplomacy with visigothic nobles (Tudmir in the Low Segura, in 713). SEE IMAGE 30 UP AND TEXT 31 UP.
Why does the book talk about a second phase in the conquest between 716 and 732?
War in the north and southern France was tougher, and ultimately Carolingian franks under Charles Martel utterly defeated and disbanded the muslim army. Northwestern muslim expansion had drawn to its end. SEE MAP P. 30-
What defensive measure did Carolingians take to prevent further muslim invasions?
Create the Spanish Mark in what is now Catalonia, taking advantage of hostile geographical surroundings.
How did the river Duero get to be a no man´s land and the frontier between muslims and Christians?
Berber peasants could not get used to the climate there.
20. Which racial factor is relevant in the history of Al Andalus??
The discrimination of berbers by arabs, who took the more fertile land.