num_pages: 183
description: The period of Muslim occupation in Spain represents the only significant contact Islam &amp; Europe ever had on European soil. In this important as well as fascinating study, Watt traces Islam's influence upon Spain &amp; European civilization--from the collapse of the Visigoths in the 8th century to the fall of Granada in the 15th, &amp; considers Spain's importance as a part of the Islamic empire. Particular attention is given to the golden period of economic &amp; political stability achieved under the Umayyads. Without losing themselves in detail &amp; without sacrificing complexity, the authors discuss the political, social &amp; economic continuity in Islamic Spain, or al-Andalus, in light of its cultural &amp; intellectual effects upon the rest of Europe. Medieval Christianity found models of scholarship in the Islamic philosophers &amp; adapted the idea of holy war to its own purposes while the final reunification of Spain under the aegis of the Reconquista played a significant role in bringing Europe out of the Middle Ages. A survey essential to anyone seeking a more complete knowledge of European or Islamic history, the volume also includes sections on literature &amp; philology by Pierre Cachia.
language: English
title: A History of Islamic Spain
titlecomplete: A History of Islamic Spain
genres: Spain, History, Spanish History, Religion, European History, Islam, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 184
publisher: Routledge