Internet Medieval Sourcebook
Selected Sources: Iberia
Contents
General
There is not enoughe material available in etext form, as yet, about medieval Spain and
Portugal.
Visigothic Spain
- Professions of Faith Extracted from Jews on Baptism,
Visigothic and Byzantine
- The Jews of Spain
and the Visigothic Code, 654-681
- The Visigothic Code (Forum iudicum) ed. and trans. by S.P. Scott PDF (Print edition: Boston
Book Company, 1910) [Also here at Internet Archive]. Also available in Latin [At MDZ]
- Isidore of Seville (c560-636): The Chronica Maiora of Isidore of Seville An introduction and translation by Sam Koon and Jamie Wood (2008), full text [At Open Editions] [Internet Archive version here]
- The Gallic Chronicle of 452: translation and commentary by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi [At Aymennjawad.org] [Internet Archive version here]
- The Gallic Chronicle of 511: translation and commentary by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi [At Aymennjawad.org] [Internet Archive version here]
- Isidore of Seville (c560-636): History of the Kings of the Goths, Vandals and Suevi trans.
by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, full text [At Aymennjawad.org] [Internet Archive version here]
- John of Biclaro (died.c 621): The Chronicle of John of Biclaro, translation and commentary
by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, full text [At Aymennjawad.org] [Internet Archive version here]
Covers the years 565-592, primarily Byzantine/Eastern Roman history and Visigothic history in Spain and parts of southern Gaul.
- The Forged Chronicle of Bishop Maximus of Zaragoza translation and overview
by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi [At Aymennjawad.org] [Internet Archive version here]
Although purporting to the 5th century, this was a forgery by Jerónimo Román de la Higuera (1538-1611)
- The Mozarabic Chronicle (754CE): full translation and analysis by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, full text [At Aymennjawad.org] [Internet Archive version here]
A contemporary Latin-language source on the Muslim invasion and conquest of Spain during the early eighth century.
- The Byzantine-Arabic Chronicle (8th century): full translation and analysis by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, full text [At Aymennjawad.org] [Internet Archive version here]
An early Latin language text that partly describes the rise of Islam and some of the early Muslim conquests. The original text is included in a collection of writings called Corpus Scriptorum Muzarabicorum ("Corpus of Mozarabic Writings") compiled by Juan Gil..
Al-Andulus: Moorish Spain
- WEB Transmediterrane Geschichte (Transmediterranean History) [Univ of Konstanz] [Internet Archive backup here]
"Transmediterranean History" is an anthology of sources, with comments, intended to facilitate access to transmediterranean topics and their source documentation for researchers, teachers and interested parties.
The database provides source excerpts in the original and in translation, structured epochally and arranged chronologically. The texts are in original language with side-by-side German translation. Progress is being made in providing English versions." Periods covered are: Before Arab-Islamic Expansion; Aran-Islamic Expansion (7th-9th centuries); New Neighbours (9th-11th centuries); Latin Christian Expansion (11-13th centuries).
-The site has shifted from a wiki format to a PDF format which supports more authoratative referencing. Although one cannot yet rely on AI translation, the results of Google Translation on the wiki version were quite satisfactory on this site, partly because the German translations are in uncomplicated German. This link takes you to the old wiki version, and this link to the Internet Archive of the wiki version.
- Ibn Abd-el-Hakem: The Islamic Conquest of Spain .
- Al Maggari: Tarik's Address to His Soldiers, 711 CE,
from The Breath of Perfumes
- The Poetry of the Spanish Moors, Selections
- Kenneth Baxter: Christian Martyrs in Muslim Spain (Cambridge University Press, 1988) [At Libro]
- Bibliography of Translated Texts from Medieval/Early Modern Iberia and North Africa [At Ballandalus][Internet Archive version here]
A non-exhaustive list of texts and documents from medieval/early modern Iberia and North Africa (covering roughly the period 500-1700) that have been translated into English. Maintained by Mohamad Ballan.
- A Hispano-Muslim Embassy to the Vikings in 845: An Account of al-Ghazal’s Journey to the North, 845, trans Mohammed Ballan [At Ballandalus] [Internet Archive version here]
- ‘Abd Allah bin Buluggin, Emir of Granada 1073-90: Warfare in Eleventh-Century Spain (Al-Andalus), according to The Tibyan, trans translated by Amin T Tibi [At De Re Militari] [Internet Archive version here]
- ‘Abd al-Wahid al Marrakushi (13th Century): The Battle of Zallaqa, 1086 [At De Re Militari] [Internet Archive version here]
- Zirid Emir Abdullah ibn Buluggin (d. 1090): On the Reputation of Dynasties, trans Mohammed Ballan [At Ballandalus] [Internet Archive version here]
- Abu al-Walid ibn al-Hajj (d. 1318): The Reign of Ibn Hud (r. 1228-1238), trans Mohammed Ballan [At Ballandalus] [Internet Archive version here]
The reign of Abū’Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf ibn Hūd al-Judhamī (r. 625–635/1228–1238), an Andalusi emir who controlled much of al-Andalus in the early 13th century following the weakening of the Almohads.
- The Poetry of the Spanish Moors, Selections
- Mawlid Poetry from the Morisco Period of al-Andalus (Commemorating the Birth of Mohammad), trans Mohammed Ballan [At Ballandalus] [Internet Archive version here]
- Muslim accounts of warfare in al-Andalus [At De Re Militari] [Internet Archive version here]
- ‘Abd Allah bin Buluggin, Emir of Granada 1073-90: Warfare in Eleventh-Century Spain (Al-Andalus), according to The Tibyan, trans translated by Amin T Tibi [At De Re Militari] [Internet Archive version here]
- ‘Abd al-Wahid al Marrakushi (13th Century): The Battle of Zallaqa, 1086 [At De Re Militari] [Internet Archive version here]
- Ismā‘īl ibn al-Aḥmar (d. 1407): The Expulsion of Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi (d. 1148) from Seville, trans Mohammed Ballan [At Ballandalus] [Internet Archive version here]
- 27 Prominent Medieval Andalusi Women, trans Mohammed Ballan [At Ballandalus] [Internet Archive version here]
Biographies of medieval Andalusi women are drawn from the Kitāb al-Ṣilah of Ibn Bashkuwal (d. 1183), the Takmilat Kitāb al-Ṣilah by Ibn al-Abbar (d. 1260), and the Kitāb Ṣilat al-Ṣila by Ibn al-Zubayr (d. 1308).
- Ibn Bashkuwal (d. 1183): Prominent Andalusi Muslim Women: A Short List from Kitab al-Silla, trans Mohammed Ballan [At Ballandalus] [Internet Archive version here]
- Lisān al-Dīn Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Khaṭīb al-Salmānī (d. 1374): The Commemoration of the Martyrdom of al-Husayn b. Ali (d. 680) in al-Andalus, trans Mohammed Ballan [At Ballandalus] [Internet Archive version here]
The "Reconquista"
-
795, March: a diploma of Charlemagne in favour of one John, granting property in the Spanish March. [At Salutemmundo] [Internet Archive backup of index page here]
- Extracts from the Chronicle of Moissac concerning affairs in al-Andalus. 820, approximately: [At Salutemmundo] [Internet Archive backup of index page here]
- James Goodman: Ransoming Captives in
Crusader Spain: The Order of Merced on the Christian-Islamic Frontier, (Philadelphia:
University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986), complete text [At Libro]
- Crónica de Alfonso III (late 9th or early 10th centures. Text in Spanish translation and Latin. [At a blogsite] [Archive version here]
Pelayo and his rebellion against the Saracen foreign rulers of the Iberian Peninsula. Pelayo, as the chronicle describes it, led a small group of Asturians in the pathless mountains in the North of the Iberian Peninsula.
- The Chronicle of Alfonso III: The Kingdom of Asturias and the Beginnings of the Reconquista
translation and commentary by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi [At Aymennjawad.org] [Internet Archive version here]
- The Capture of Almeria and Tortosa, by Caffaro, 1153, 1157, trans. by G.A. Loud, PDF [At Leeds IMS] [Internet Archive backup here]
- Three Sources on the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 [At De Re Militari] [Internet Archive version here]
- The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, 1212, trans. by G.A. Loud, PDF [At Leeds IMS] [Internet Archive backup here]
Innocent III's Crusade Indulgence; Letter of Arnaud-Amaury; Letter Berenguela to Blanche Primera Cronica General: The Battle of Jerez in 1231 [At De Re Militari] [Internet Archive version here]
- The Siege of Burriana (1233), according to the Chronicle of James the Conqueror [At De Re Militari] [Internet Archive version here]
- James I (the Conqueror), King of Aragon (1208-1276): Chronicle, trans. John Foster, full text PDF [At In Paremtheses] [Internet Archive version here]
- Laws concerning warfare and the military, from Las Siete Partidas 1265[At De Re Militari] [Internet Archive version here]
- The Royal Edict of Expulsion (1609) and the Last Andalusi Muslims (“Moriscos”) of Spain 1609, trans Mohammed Ballan [At Ballandalus] [Internet Archive version here]
Leon and Castile
County of Barcelona and Aragon
- James I of Aragon: The Barcelona Navigation Act,
1227
- James I of Aragon: Grant of Trade Privileges to
Barcelona, 1232
- James I of Aragon: Improvement of Harbor Facilities
in Barcelona, 1243
- James I of Aragon: The Barcelona Maritime Code,
1258
-
Rule of the Lady
Hospitallers of the Royal Monastery of Sigena, 1188, in Latin, [Was at Kansas, now Internet Archive]
The Royal Monastery of Sigena was an institution of Lady Hospitallers and enjoyed a great
deal of independence and influence. It would appear that its Rule was the work of Sancha,
Queen of Aragon.
- Ramon Llull (c.1232-13/15/16): Blanquerna (1283-1285), full text, trans. E. Allison Peers 1925 PDF
A novel which chronicles the life of its eponymous hero and the the first major work of literature written in Catalan. [Wikipedia article]
- Ramon Llull (c.1232-13/15/16): The Book of the Lover and the Beloved (Llibre d'Amic e Amat), part of Blanquerna (1283-1285), trans. E. Allison Peers 1923 [At Project Gutenberg]
- Ramon Llull (c.1232-13/15/16): The Book of the Lover and the Beloved facsimilie, transcription, and translation into German of Chap 24 [En qual manera Natana fo eleta a abadessa (about 1283; from Cod.Hisp.67, f.32v-34r)] [At Internet Archive]
Portugal
- Osbernus: De expugnatione Lyxbonensi [The Capture of
Lisbon], 1147.
- Osbernus: De expugnatione Lyxbonensi [The Capture of
Lisbon], 1147.
The first, and most lasting, military encounter of the Second Crusade was the Capture of
Lisbon.
- The Conquest of Lisbon - De Expugnatione Lyxbonensi, trans. Charles Wendell David, full text, (Columbia UP, 1936) PDF full text [marked as public domain by Google books]
- Sir Jean Froissart: John of Gaunt in Portugal,
1385
- Luís de Camões (c.1524-1579/1580): Os Lusiadas, The Portuguese national
epic, in Portuguese, [At Project Gutenberg]
- Luís de Camões (c.1524-1579/1580): The Lusiad; Or, The Discovery of the India, The Portuguese national
epic trans William Julius Mickle [At Project Gutenberg]
The Life of Christian Spain
-
Arxiu, Capitular of Vic,
Various translated texts.[At Libro]
- Leyenda de Santiago (translated by William Granger Ryan).[At UCLA] This version of the Legend of Santiago
is taken from The Golden Legend, by Jacobus de Voragine. The page contains
links to other legends about medieval Spanish pilgrimage centers [In Spanish.][Was At UCLA, now Internet Archive]
-
Spill: A Fictional Pilgrimage from Valencia to Santiago in the Fifteenth Century, From the Spill or Book of Women by the fifteenth-century Valencian medical doctor, Jaume Roig.[Was At
UCLA, now Internet Archive]
-
Indulgences granted to
the Confraternity of Belchite, 1136. [At Libro]
- available 10/24/2000
- Robert Southey: The Chronicle of the
Cid, 1637, full text, but not entirely a translation of any one Spanish text [At
Project Gutenberg]. See also
Catholic Encyclopedia: EL CID
- The Lay of the Cid (Translation:
R.Selden Rose& L. Bacon) [OMACL 30]
- Diaz de Gamez, Gutierre, ca. 1379-ca. 1450. The unconquered knight; a chronicle of the deeds of Don Pero Nino, count of Buelna, (London, G. Routledge & sons, ltd.,
1928), full text [At York] [Internet Archive version here]
Seferad: Jewish Spain
- Álvaro of Córdoba: Exchange of Letters with Eleazar the Jew trans
by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, from Annales Bertiniani 839 CE. [At Aymennjawad.org] [Internet Archive version here]
Eleazar was a convert to Judaism, and he was originally a Catholic clergyman of Germanic origin called Bodo.
- Benjamin of Tudela (1160-1173): The Itinerary of Benjamin of
Tudela Critical Text, Translation and Commentary by Marcus Nathan Adler. [At Traveling
to Jerusalem/U Sth Colorado]
- Maimonides (1138-1204): Letter to Obadiah the Proselyte [Internet Archive]
- Royal Grants to the Jewish Community of Barcelona,
1241-1271, trans. Elka Klein
- Barcelona Jewish Court Documents: A Jewish Widow and
her Daughter, 1261-1262, trans. Elka Klein
- Barcelona Jewish Court Documents: A Daughter's
Inheritance, 1293, trans. Elka Klein
- Jewish Community of Barcelona: The Book of
Document Forms, 13th century, trans. Elka Klein
- Jewish Views of Royal Monetary
Policy in Aragon, 13th Century, trans. Elka Klein.
- The Siete Partidas: Concerning Jews,
1265.
- Judah Ha-Levi (ca 1075-1141): The Kuzari, also known as The Book of Argument and Proof in Defense of the Despised Faith (Kitab al
Khazari). Or here [Wikisource]
The entire first book of the Kuzari, a philosophical treatise written by the
Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet, Judah Ha-Levi. It is written in the form of a
dialogue, purportedly between the king of the Khazars and the representatives of various
belief systems, culminating with a rabbi.
- Jews and Christians in Teruel: The Fuero of Teruel,
1176 CE, trans. Elka Klein
Excerpts from the Fuero, or urban ordinance.
- A Business Partnership between a Jew and
Christian in Barcelona, 1235-1242 CE
Documents on exploitation of royal mills by Jews and Christians in Barcelona.
- Ordinance of the Jews of the Crown of
Aragon, 1354 CE
This ordinance or takkanah was the product of an increased sense of Jewish
vulnerability in the years after the Black Death (1348).
- Synod of Castilian Jews, 1432
Ordinances from assembly of the Jews of the kingdom of Castile at Valladolid in
1432.
- Sentencia-Estatuto de Toledo, 1449, trans Kenneth Baxter Wolf [At Canilup] [Internet Archive version here]
This text, from Toledo in 1449, is the earliest known reference to Jewish blood , as opposed to Jewish beliefs and rituals (judaizing), being held against Christian conversos in Spain. It marks the formalisation of the theoru of purity of blood, or limpieza de sangre.
- The Expulsion from
Spain, 1492
Account by an Italian Jew.
NOTES: copyrighted means the text is not available for free distribution. Links to files at other site are indicated by [At some indication of the site name or
location]. No indication means that the text file is local. WEB indicates a link to one of
small number of high quality web sites which provide either more texts or an especially
valuable overview.
The Internet Medieval Sourcebook is part of the Internet History Sourcebooks Project. The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of Fordham University, New York. The Internet
Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at
the Fordham University Center
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© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 4 October 2024 [CV]
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