page_title: Conquest of Majorca
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Conquest of Majorca / Background
caption_attribution_description: Català: Geografia política de les Illes Balears durant el periode musulmà. Fonts consultades: Atles de les Illes Balears, Diafora, 1979, Atles geogràfic i històric de les Illes Balears, Govern de les Illes Balears, 2008 i Mallorca Musulmana, Guillem Rosselló, UIB 2008.
context_page_description: The Conquest of the island of Majorca on behalf of the Christian kingdoms was carried out by King James I of Aragon between 1229 and 1231. The pact to carry out the invasion, concluded between James I and the ecclesiastical and secular leaders, was ratified in Tarragona on August 28, 1229. It was open and promised conditions of parity for all who wished to participate.
  James I reached an agreement regarding the arrival of the Christian troops with a local chief in the Port de Pollença, but the strong mistral winds forced the king to divert to the southern part of the island. He landed at midnight on September 10, 1229, on the coast where there is now the tourist resort of Santa Ponsa, the population centre of the Calviá municipality. Although the city of Madina Mayurqa fell within the first year of the conquest, the Muslim resistance in the mountains lasted for three years.
  After the conquest, James I divided the land among the nobles who accompanied him on the campaign, per the Llibre del Repartiment. Later, he also conquered Ibiza, whose campaign ended in 1235, while Menorca had already surrendered to him in 1231.
context_section_description: Majorca's geographical location was conducive to trade. The island had become a meeting point for traders from various Mediterranean coastal areas, including Perpignan, Maghreb, Genoa, Granada, Valencia and Catalonia. Eventually, a conglomerate was formed by Jewish, Christian, and Muslim merchants who transported and sold a variety of goods.
  Majorca was located in the boundary zone between Christian and Muslim areas, at a nautical intersection close to Spain, southern France, Italy and North Africa. The island served primarily as a trade interchange and transit point, and as a result the island's economy was inextricably linked with international trade traffic. It developed an active market, monitored by the Consulate of the Sea.
  In 707, the eldest son of Musa ibn Nusair, governor of the Umayyad caliphate in North Africa, landed on Majorca and plundered the island. In 903, the island was conquered by Issam al-Khawlani, ruler of the same caliphate, who took advantage of the destabilisation of the island population caused by a series of raids launched out of Normandy. After this conquest, the city of Palma, then still partially under control by the Roman Empire, became part of the Emirate of Córdoba in al-Andalus. The last governor rebuilt it and named it Madina Mayurqa. From then on, Majorca experienced substantial growth which led to the Muslim-controlled Balearic islands becoming a haven for Saracens pirates, besides serving as a base for the Berbers who used to attack Christian ships in the western Mediterranean, hindering trade among Pisa, Genoa, Barcelona and Marseille. The local economy was supported by a combination of stolen goods from raids on Christian territories, naval trade, and taxes levied on Majorcan farmers.
caption: Map showing the territorial division of the Balearic Archipelago during the period known as the Oriental Islands of al-Ándalus.
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