In an article I wrote, Everywhere is Not here I mentioned the fact that what you know as ‘true’ or ‘factual’, may not apply to other parts of the world.
The word ‘Moor’, for example, is known by most people in America as in Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’. Even those who read it, don’t seem to catch the fact that Europeans hired an extremely powerful general; and that general was an African, referred to as a Moor.
Moors were conquerors, more feared than Tamerlane.
The term ‘Moor’ was a catch basket for African at the time, so anyone with dark skin was assumed to come from Morocco.
These Africans invaded Spain and remained there for Eight Hundred Years.
Compare this to the Spanish who invaded Mexico were tossed out in 300 years. The English Empire didn’t last 200 years.
During this 800 year period there were many wars fought and often lost by the Europeans.
It was not until 1490 the Moors were driven out of the Iberian peninsula . Once out, they took to the sea and became the most dangerous Pirates. They attacked ships, captured the crew, enslaved them.
The Moors invaded villages along the sea coasts. Corsairs, as the pirates were called, would come ashore, capture the people who lived there, and carry them off into slavery. This is why so many European capitals are in land.
The Moors went as far as Iceland and captured over Four Hundred People which they carted away and enslaved. As those in Iceland were poor, the attack and invasion was a one off as there was no ransom to get.
Most European countries paid ‘tribute’ to the Caliph, and like buying a license, they were allowed to trade.
There was a fad for blonde European women and the Moors went into what is today is Ukraine but then was called ‘Circassia’, (from the Caucus Mountains). There was a time having a Circassian slave was like having a BMW today.
Over time, the price dropped very low as there were so many Circassian slaves available.
The Moors, however, preferred to get the ransom. They tried to capture Nobles or High ranking Catholic Church officials, or Jews, because the ransom would be paid quickly, in full, such as that paid for Richard The Lionhearted.
The ‘poor box’ one will find in many churches was there to collect money to pay ransoms.
The Moors began to attack ships coming from the new nation of the United States as it was no longer flying the British Flag, (the Brits paid the tribute to the Caliph).
This led to the Tripolitan War which was interrupted by the War of 1812, then resumed afterwards.
America seems to forget that war. It is mentioned in the Marine Corps hymn…”to the shores of Tripoli”…their first battle.
Napoleon ended the power of the Moors. His attack happened during internal disputes in the Caliphate.
Without the a strong government behind them, the Corsairs lost their power. Napoleon took control of the Mediterranean.
Few people know the power of the Moors, the fear they caused, and how the world viewed them.
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Well I did know something about the Moors and did know they were powerful at one time in history. But this is the first time that I've ever read such a neat and concise history. You hit upon the highlights very well and you're right about the Americans. We don't (or rarely) mention anything about Tripoli except for in that line in the song sung by the Marines. :)
Once the U.S. took Independence from the U.K. and were no longer flying the Union Jack, they were fair game. The Corsairs attacked, captured the sailors, and the Tripolitan War was to rescue the Captives. That was the first battle the US Marines ever did. The Mexican War, (Montezuma) came after.
No wonder the Marines are such a respected branch of our military forces. :)
The Marines have been on the 'front line' before the war of 1812.
The term Moors refers to the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, and Malta during the Middle Ages, who initially were Berber and Arab peoples from North Africa.
The Spanish occupation by the Moors began in 711 AD when an African army, under their leader Tariq ibn-Ziyad, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from northern Africa and invaded the Iberian peninsula ‘Andalus' (Spain under the Visigoths).
The Moors, who ruled Spain for 800 years, introduced new scientific techniques to Europe, such as an astrolabe, a device for measuring the position of the stars and planets. Scientific progress in Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Geography and Philosophy flourished in Moorish Spain
The Great Mosque of Córdoba (La Mezquita) is still one of the architectural wonders of the world in spite of later Spanish disfigurements. Its low scarlet and gold roof, supported by 1,000 columns of marble, jasper and and porphyry, was lit by thousands of brass and silver lamps which burned perfumed oil.
Education was universal in Moorish Spain, available to all, while in Christian Europe ninety-nine percent of the population were illiterate, and even kings could neither read nor write. At that time, Europe had only two universities, the Moors had seventeen great universities! These were located in Almeria, Cordova, Granada, Juen, Malaga, Seville, and Toledo.
The Moorish rulers lived in sumptuous palaces, while the monarchs of Germany, France, and England dwelt in big barns, with no windows and no chimneys, and with only a hole in the roof for the exit of smoke. One such Moorish palace ‘Alhambra' (literally "the red one") in Granada is one of Spain's architectural masterpieces. Alhambra was the seat of Muslim rulers from the 13th century to the end of the 15th century.
The Moors ruled and occupied Lisbon (named "Lashbuna" by the Moors) and the rest of the country until well into the twelfth century. They were finally defeated and driven out by the forces of King Alfonso Henriques. The scene of this battle was the Castelo de Sao Jorge or the 'Castle of St. George.'