«Do not cry as a woman what you did not know how to defend as a man«. They say of this phrase that it was pronounced by Aisha, Boabdil’s mother when he surrendered grenade. It was three in the afternoon on January 2, 1492 when Boabdil, left the Alhambra through the door closest to the Genil. There broken by pain, the emir got down from his horse and bowing before the King Ferdinand of Aragon and all his entourage of nobles tried to kiss his hand as he handed over the keys to the city. The King, supporting him, incorporated him to avoid dishonor and took the keys to the Alhambra, gave them to Elizabeth, the Queenand this in turn prince john, who passed them on to the Alhambra’s governor, the Count of Tendilla. But how Granada was achieved, what consequences it had, we will answer all these questions in this article dedicated to The Surrender of Granada.
The Surrender of Granada | Background
The Surrender of Granada put an end to a historical process called Reconquestin which the Christian kingdoms that inhabited the Iberian Peninsula began a campaign to expel the Muslim kingdoms that had dominated it since the year 722 . On January 2, 1492, the date on which the last Nasrid King left Granada.
We could say that the expulsion of the Muslims It was a slow process since each conquered territory needed a period of stabilization. Different Christian kingdoms fought with a common goal, but not all kingdoms advanced at the same rate, everything went through achieving the right pacts.
The Christian kingdoms managed to unite thanks to the alliances generated, sometimes political and sometimes matrimonial. Thanks to the union and the common desire to return Christianity to the Iberian Peninsula, together with the desire for power, they managed to reconquer the entire peninsulaall except the Emirate of Granada.
The Emirate of Granada It had a strategic location, its mountainous character helped its defense, as well as a practically impregnable fortress network, well distributed along its borders. The North African support and the constant crises in the kingdom of Castile, made the Emirate of Grenada remained practically unchanged.
But the Iberian Peninsula would not be Christian until the last Nasrid King would have left the territory of what it would be from then on, a country unified in a single crown, the Kingdom of Spain.
The Surrender of Granada | The last battle
We can say that the Grenada War it began ten years earlier in 1482, divided into three phases. A first phase began with the reconquest of the westernmost territories of the kingdom, a second stage in which the attacks were further intensified, by the eastern territories and a third and last phase with the direct attack on the City of Granada.
This last phase of the war focused more on siege operations, wipe out the city’s supplies, so that it finally surrenders. This siege was directed from the city of Santa Fe, 11 km from the city of Granada and it was from there that the Catholic Monarchs They demanded that Boabdil el Chico hand over the city of Granada.
Abû ʿAbd Al·lâh, was the last king of Granada, belonging to the Nasrid dynasty who reigned under the name Muhammad XIIbut known among Christians as Boabdil the boypossibly due to the pronunciation of its name by the Bu Abdil-lah people of Granada.
He was the son of Muley Hacén and Aixa, in 1482 he revolted against his own father with the help of the sultana Aixa, his mother and the support of the abencerrajes, thus gaining power and the throne. To stay in power he had to fight both his father and his uncle, who also claimed rights.
El Zagal, brother of Muley Hacén, he shared half of the kingdom with him, when Boabdil revolted and took the kingdom from his father, the two brothers joined forces to fight against Boabdil, but with practically no support. When the armies of Kings Isabel and Fernando, they captured Boabdil in Lucena, They put a single condition for his release, the territories that had belonged to his uncle El Zagal. Boabdil was released.
With the territories of El Zagal in the hands of the Catholic Monarchs, the entry into the City of Granada and the completion of the Reconquest was a matter of a short time.
The Surrender of Granada | The Surrender of Granada
On November 25, 1491, It was the end of a historical period that had lasted more than 800 years, the last Muslim emir, Boabdil met with King Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon, to sign the surrender of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada in favor of the Christian kings. This surrender was made through a capitulation, the Capitulations of Granada or Treaty of Granada.
The Treaty of Granada consisted of a series of agreements signed by both parties that ended the war, the renunciation of sovereignty over the kingdom of Granada by the Nasrid kingdom and the delivery of the keys to the city to the Catholic Monarchs.
For your part Boabdil, also put a series of conditions, how were the tolerance towards the Muslim religion, since in the city of Granada the Muslim population was the majority. Another requirement was that the Muslim population not be seen persecuted, respecting their property, laws, culture, traditions and of course their life.
The Catholic Monarchs, accustomed to Boabdil’s strategies and thinking that he might not comply with what was signed in the capitulations, made one last request, 600 Nasrids chosen among the children of the Notable Nasrids of Granadathat once Boabdil had left the Kingdom of Granada on his way to exile, they would be released.
Boabdil was granted a lordship in the Alpujarra, though broken by grief, he decided to return to the lands of his ancestors, returning to Fez, where died in 1533.
A period of 2 months was agreed for the departure of Boabdilsetting the deadline for January 6, 1492. Boabdil kept his word ahead of time and on January 2, 1492, Boabdil handed over the keys to the City, as well as its defensive positions to the Catholic Monarchs.
However, before leaving, the King Boabdil ordered the construction of the Royal Cemetery of the Alhambra, called The Rauda. Boabdil did not want his ancestors to remain in Christian lands, he moved the remains from the Alhambra to Mondujarwhere he ordered the construction of a new royal cemetery that to this day is still hidden.
Legend has it that while Boabdil mounted on the back of his horse was heading towards his new fiefdoms, from a nearby hill he stopped.
He wanted to look back to take one last look at his lost and desolate kingdom, he cried like a child. Behind his back, it was Sultana Aixa, his mother, who, seeing him cry so disconsolately, said “Don’t cry like a woman for what you didn’t know how to defend like a man.” The Hill is called Suspiro del Moro.
The Surrender of Granada | The Taking of Granada
On January 2, 1492, the Christian troops entered the city, the detachments begin to take up positions taking the fortresses and the towers. While, inside the Alhambra, the transfer of power was taking place. Room Comares, was the room chosen by Boabdil to deliver the keys to the city to the representatives of Queen Elizabeth. Outside the City, the Kings of Castile and Aragon waited impatiently.
When the Catholic Monarchs entered Granada, they were amazed by the beauty of the city, so much so that they decided to be buried in the city. Since they entered the wonderful Alhambra palacebecame aware of the beauty it contained, so they devoted all their efforts to maintaining the palace.
The kings after the conquest of Granada made a series of decisions that would be transcendental for the history of a newly born Kingdom of Spain. The decision was made to expel the Jews, on March 30, 1492 and the support for Columbus to start his trip to the Indies, this happened on April 17, 1942.
The Catholic Monarchs tried to maintain the essence of the palace, impressed with so much beauty but the need to return Christian to a city that had been Muslim for 800 years, led them to the duality of preserving the beautiful Muslim buildings and creating their own Christian ones, thus was born the Granada Cathedral. A cathedral that would have a very special chapel, since here was the place desired by the Kings for their remains to rest eternally. And his wishes were fulfilled, the remains of the The Catholic Monarchs are buried in the Cathedral of Granada.
When news of Granada’s surrender reached Rome, Pope Innocent VIII, officiated in the Holy City a mass for the glory of God. From this moment, The Kings Isabel and Fernando they will show off the title of catholics and as Catholic kings forced to fight against Islam.
After the first christian mass inside the Alhambra, they headed towards the Torre de la Vela, and there, at last, they raised the Cross, which became visible from the entire city.
The entire Albaicin mourned the loss. Granada shouted and cried out for the capitulation of her Moorish city. There were a few revolts, desperate for the end of an entire kingdom, but finally, Granada, the Nasrid, was surrendered.
«The Sun of Al-Andalus disappeared… may the will of Allah be fulfilled… may each unfortunate shut himself up with his sadness…» (Al-Maqqarí).
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