[gothic-l] Re: Counts of Coimbra ?

[faltin2001]

>
> > >
> > > That is well possible. However, as I mentioned also Moslem and
> Berber
> > > elites claimed decent from Witiza and there was intermarriage
> between
> > > Moslem and Christian (Visigothic) elites in the preceeding
period.
> >
> > Remember now- we are talking about two areas here, one in the
north,
> > where the Visigothic nobles retreated and began the Reconquista
> > (Asturias) never breached by the Moors and free of muslim
> influence -
>
>
>
> Don't foreget, it was probably a part of the Visigothic nobles who
> had invited the Moors to Spain in the first place. Apparently, it
was
> the heirs of Witiza's clan who sought Muslem support to regain the
> throne. Thus, many Visigothic nobles will not have had any reason
to
> flee let alone starting a Reconquista.
>
> The speed with which the Visigothic kingdom collapsed seems to
> support the view that a good deal of the old elite co-operated and
co-
> habitated nicely with the Moors. Certainly, taxes were easier under
> the Moors, percecutions of Jews stopped and the Moors were even
quite
> tolerant vis-a-vis the Catholics. The majority population and
> apparently a good deal of the nobles were not really prepared to
put
> up a long fight against the Muslems when they first arrived.
>

Hi again,

just to add to the above-said, I checked with J.M. Wallace-Hadrill's
book 'The Barbarian West...". The author confirms that the leading
Arab elites married into the royal Visigothic house. The author also
provides texts of peace treaties between Visigothic nobles and Arabs,
which show that the Visigoths by and large had no reason to flee the
country. In fact, many seemed to have welcomed the rather leniend
rule of the Arabs. Remember, that Recceswinth had killed a large part
of the Visigothic nobility (perhaps even the majority) in the mid 7th
century. Thus, the remaining nobility was rather weary of a close-by
Visigothic king.

Also, Wallace-Hadrill expresses the opinion that the later Spanish
identity with the Visigoths is more a perceived identity that
was 'created' in opposition to the Moslem conquerers rather than a
real biological decendence and/or uninterrupted tradition.


cheers,

Dirk




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