Muslim Jihad and takeover of Christian Spain

By 709 A.D. Musa bin Nasyr the Ummayid governor, had conquered all of North Africa.  Christian and Berber civilisation was effaced.  The Berbers en-masse converted to the Meccan cult and under their chieftain ‘Tarek’ of Tangiers, would lead the invasion of Christian Spain which was one of the richest areas in the Mediterranean basin a fact confirmed by the amazed Muslim chroniclers as they conquered the peninsula.  The Christian Visigoths viewed the Muslimified Berbers for what they were – uneducated, uncivilised, quite pagan in their practices, brutal, deceitful, vicious. 

Raids against Spain proceeded during 709 and 710.  By 711, Tarek had assembled enough information on the riches and allures of Spain, both human and inanimate, and had trained and provisioned at least 12.000 mostly Berber (non-White) Muslims for the invasion.  The fleet put in at Gibraltar or ‘Tarek’s hill’ and the boats were burnt, the villagers raped and killed and some eaten.  Survivors were sent to the mainland to terrify the Christian population with stories of Muslim savagery.

Visigothic King Roderick was based in Toledo and was soon warned of the invasion.  Rousing his nobles and army, he proceeded south and met the Muslims near the Guadalete river.  The Muslims were energised and emboldened by Tarek’s tale of endless physical pleasures with beautiful Christian sex slaves should the Muslim’s win victory, along with rich plunder.  If killed in battle the Muslim ghazi Jihadi would enjoy the sexual delights of the nubile houris or big breasted virgins and young boys.  It was always a win-win for the Jihadis. 

Tarek directly attacked King Roderick, whose men nearby scattered, indicating treason or abject cowardice.  He was slain and the battle was a rout.  Most of the Christian army was slaughtered, units retreated back to their districts and the standard bearer of Roderick one Don Pelagius or Pelayo, retreated with a handful of men to the north of Spain to carry on the fight.  Post Gaudalete the Muslims began to penetrate deep in Spain, with terror, rape and slaughter in the vanguard.  A second large battle with the remnants of the original Christian army under Roderick was fought at Ecija ending in another Muslim victory.  Resistance began to collapse across the peninsula.  The Muslims in Africa when fed news of these victories, began to cross the strait and join the Jihad in their many thousands.  Christians continued to fight, using castles and fortresses to great effect to try and slow the Jihad.  Muslim sources detail the valour and resolution of the Christian defence.  In Cordoba the leading Christian Visigoths were forced to retreat into a Cathedral.  The Muslims promised them safe passage if they surrendered.  Knowing this was a lie they instead fought on and all were burnt to death as the Muslims set the Cathedral on fire. 

The catastrophic destruction and takeover of Spain in just a few years is difficult to understand given the wealth and power of the Christian kingdom.  Terror and trickery were certainly important in the Muslim conquest.  The speed of the Muslim armies, lightly armed, with light calvary probably took the Christian military leaders, whose men and calvary were more heavily armed and who relied on overwhelming power at the point of impact, by surprise.  Jews also aided the Muslim invasion often opening up city gates to the Muslim forces, and providing troops to garrison towns taken by the Jihad.

From 711 to 717 the Muslims conquered Christian Spain, a peninsula with over 5 million inhabitants.  The dead, wounded and forcibly converted are almost impossible to calculate, but in the region of some 500.000 were killed or murdered, some 1 million enslaved and the rest broken under the Dhimmi-Jizya system of subjugation, with a large minority converting over time to the cult of Muhammad, categorised as Mooriscoes to those who were once Christian but were now for various reasons, part of the Muhammadan cult.