An Islamic dynasty, the Umayyad Caliphate, began to settle in the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century, a reign that would last over 700 years, and remarkably influence culture and architecture in Spain. Dr. Brian Catlos joins the show to discuss how the hegemony started. Dr. Catlos is Professor, Religious Studies, University of Colorado Boulder, and Research Associate in Humanities, University of California, Santa Cruz. Professor Catlos is also a co-founder of The Mediterranean Seminar.
Some topics explored
- The Umayyad Caliphate
- How much intercontinental territory the Umayyad Caliphate controlled during their reign
- The incumbent ruling party in the Iberia prior to the Umayyad Caliphate, the Visigoths, and the dynamics at play from a religious and political perspective
- The Caliphate gaining hegemony in the Iberian Peninsula (using modern-day terminology, predominantly Portugal and Spain)
- The caliphate’s foreign policy
- The caliphate’s stance on religious tolerance in the lands they annexed
- How far the invasion went in geographic scope
- What stopped the invasion from expanding
- Internal dynamics at play within the Umayyad Caliphate
- Considerations and contemplation about the ambitions the caliphate may have had in expanding into the Iberian Peninsula, and parts of southern France for a period of time
Listen to the episode
The episode can be streamed below and is also available on major podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Show Notes
Professor Brian Catlos is the author of a number of publications including the books Muslims of Medieval Latin Christendom, ca. 1050-1614 (Cambridge University Press) and Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain (Basic Books)
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