Arabs cross the straits of Gibraltar

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.6.2-3: The Literatures and Cultures of the Iberian Peninsula, 477-present.
Vol. editors: Stuart Green (University of Leeds), Duncan Wheeler (University of Leeds)

Domains

Colonialism and colonisation

Dates

Date of occurrence 711

Places

Portugal (Location)
Spain (Location)

Resources

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The Arab invasion of the Iberian peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal) was extraordinarily rapid. By 714 they had occupied most of the peninsula. The invasion is thought to have been precipitated by the kidnapping by Roderic, the King of the Visigoths, of the daughter of the Governor of Ceuta. He appealed to Musa ibn Nusayr, the Governor of North Africa, for assistance and it was Musa’s lieutenant Tariq ibn Ziyad, the governor of Tangiers, who led the army of around 12,000 men across the straits. The following year, Musa led a second army into the region in order to capitalise upon Tariq’s victory. The Visigothic kingdom, which then occupied most of Iberia, had already been considerably weakened by infighting and civil war, and the Arab armies encountered little resistance. They…

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173 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Arabs cross the straits of Gibraltar". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 November 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1637, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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