Francisco Núñez Muley, Memorial (Granada, 1566)

The Edict of 1567, or Anti-Morisco Edict, was promulgated by Spanish King Philip II on January 1, after being approved in Madrid on November 17, 1566. Its purpose was to eliminate specific Morisco customs, such as their language, dress, and dances. Núñez Muley’s Petition is an attempt to persuade Christian authorities to delay enforcing the 1567 Edict. The author lists each of the prohibitions and refutes their effectiveness. He compares Morisco customs to those of other Christian and Muslim communities in the Mediterranean and argues that the prohibitions will not eradicate any putative Islamic practices but instead erase Morisco cultural identity. Moriscos, he claims, are sincere Christians and loyal subjects who support the king’s decisions.

This unit, edited by Lisette Balabarca Fataccioli, has two versions, one with the introduction, notes, and original text in Spanish (for use in contexts where the language of instruction is Spanish), another with the introduction and notes in English, and the original Spanish text with facing English translation.

[Spanish] [English]

ʿAlī ibn Ḥazm, Risāla fī rithāʼ madīnat Qurṭuba (A Treatise on Lamenting the City of Cordova) (Cordova, 1031)

This unit contains an English translation of an Arabic treatise composed by ʿAlī ibn Ḥazm (d. 1063) to lament the capital of the province of Córdoba, a city in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia. This treatise was composed during the civil war (fitna) that started in 1009 and ended in 1031 with the collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba. The importance of this treatise is that, in addition to being written by the well-known Andalusian philosopher, theologian, jurist, historian and poet Ibn Ḥazm, it depicts the devastated city of Cordova during a critical period in the history of the Muslim-ruled Iberian Peninsula.

This unit includes two sections: the first one consists of a brief introduction to the historical context of the treatise and its composer, in general, and the civil war (1009-1031), in particular. The second section of the unit includes an English or Spanish translation of the treatise in addition to the original Arabic text, and a short bibliography. Types of courses where the unit might be useful: Literature, history of medieval Spain, al-Andalus, Maghreb, translation, elegies, Arabic poetry.

[English version]

[Spanish version]