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Ruled the Umayyad Caliphate as the first Umayyad Caliph after the death of Ali. He unified the Islamic world and remained in power until his death in 680 CE. After Mu’awiya's death, the Umayyad Caliphate continued on until 750 CE. -
He was a Muslim leader who lead the Umayyad's conquest of Visigothic Spain. Fought against the tyrant king, Roderic at the Battle of Guadalete; Tariq’s forces overcame nearly ten times their number and Roderic was killed. -
Musa was jealous of Tariq’s success in Iberia so he quickly invaded Iberia with his own troops, resembling Tariq’s invasion. Musa captured Seville and Mérida before meeting Tariq in Toledo. Prior to this, Musa struck Tariq across the head with a whip to remind Tariq who his superior was. This event helped contribute to growing inter-Muslim animosity that would come out after the culmination of the conquest. In the aftermath of Iberia’s conquest, Musa was awarded the best land to his Arab nobles. -
After the Abbasid Caliphate defeated the Umayyads in Iraq, they wanted to get rid of anyone from the Umayyad family who could challenge their rule. But Abd al-Rahman I managed to escape to North Africa and, with the help of Berbers who invaded Spain. He established his own rule in al-Andalus, with its capital in Córdoba. He was declared the leader, and his rule led to a thriving culture. -
He established internal peace by ending the disputes in Andalusian Iberia so outside Christian kingdoms could not cause as much disruption. He removed more of the laws and regulations around religious practices that had bothered the Christians. -
He ruled the kingdom of León in 1065 and then became ruler of Castile in 1072 after the death of his brother Sancho II. He conquered Toledo in 1085 with the help of Christian supporters who despised Al-Qadir. After waging war with Toledo he earned the name "Emperor of Toledo" and ruled the three kingdoms until his death in 1109. While in power, he allowed Muslims in his city to worship freely. Clark University -
Leader of the Almoravid dynasty in Morocco (Northern Africa) Yusuf and his army fought against King Alfonso VI and the Christians in the Battle of Sagrajas. Yusuf was asked by taifa kingdoms for help against Christian kingdoms. In Arabic, the battleground was later called az-Zallaqah or "slippery ground" because of the poor footing caused by the tremendous amount of bloodshed that day. The Almoravids were victorious which did not completely end Christian Reconquista but greatly slowed the pace. -
Grandson of Al-Mamun, who died in 1075, and ruler of Taifa of Toldeo until 1085. Qadir was an ineffectual leader compared to Al-Mamun and he ruled in a similar style to the late king Roderic. He was heavily resented by his Christian subjects who betrayed him and appealed to Alfonso VI to attack Toledo. After being overthrown he was sent to Valencia in 1086 where he became ruler and remained in power until his death. -
Rodrigo Díaz was a loyal warrior for Sancho II as well as military commander and standard-bearer. When Sancho died, Díaz served Alfonso VI. The two did not get along and Díaz was exiled in 1081. The next dozen years he worked as a mercenary captain and captured Valencia in 1094. Díaz was known as "El Cid" by Muslims and "El Campeador" by Christians because he defended both sides in separate battles.
Medievalist.net -
"Former King of Portugal", Henriques cleared a path for Portugal's expansion after having visions that inspired him and his forces to defeat the Almoravid in the Battle of Ourique (1139). Prior to this he defeated his mother in the Battle of São Mamede (1128) thereby earning his kingdom. -
The Aragonese Inquisitor who wrote the Directorium Inquisitorum in 1376. The Directorium Inquisitorum is a book outlining his thoughts on the treatment of Muslims during the medieval period. The book is well known as Eymerich talked about Islam more extensively than earlier writers of his time. Cambridge University Press -
During the rule of John I in Spain (1379-1390), Jewish courts were forbidden to give the death penalty, had to change their prayers, and were banned from converting to Judaism under threat of becoming the state's property. Anti-Semitic violence increased, and many Jews were beaten or killed. Jewish Virtual Library -
Married Isabella I of Castile in 1469. Established an agreement of parias, or regular tribute payments with Granada. Castile would receive payments from Granada that greatly benefitted the rulers of Castile and helped them gain increasingly centralized control over their lords and nobles. Alongside his wife, Ferdinand and Isabella created the Spanish Inquisition to minimize the risk of having opposing religions to their regime. -
Ferdinand and Isabella requested a "papal bull" (decree) to institute an Inquisition of those who were assumed threats to Catholicism. Pope Sixtus IV granted this request and by 1480 the Spanish Inquisition had begun. For the next 12 years, Jews and Muslims were persecuted and driven from Spain, culminating in the complete expulsion of both groups in 1492. Cedarville University -
The first Spanish auto de fe took place in Seville, Spain, in 1481. Six men and women that participated in the first religious ritual were later executed. Jewish Virtual Library -
Ended the Granada war (1482-1491) by guaranteeing a set of rights to the Muslims, including religious tolerance and fair treatment in return for their surrender and capitulation. The treaty also granted native Jews in the surrendered territories the choice of either converting to Christianity or migrating to North Africa within 3 years. Jewish Virtual Library -
In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella issued the Alhambra Decree, ordering the expulsion of all Jews from their kingdoms. Spanish Jews were required to emigrate or convert to Catholicism by the end of July the same year. People were given four months to vacate homes/businesses and liquidate property. Museum of Jewish Heritage -
Married Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1469, joining two powerful Catholic monarchs together thereby unifying Spain. Muslims were allowed to exist for a short time before, in 1502, Queen Isabella ordered compulsory conversion to Catholicism for all. Isabella and her husband reduced the influence of noble people and stopped fights between Christian groups in different regions. -
In 1517, a man named Martin Luther in Germany wrote 95 complaints about the Catholic Church because he didn't like how the church was selling forgiveness for money. He posted these complaints on a church door. This started something called the Protestant Reformation, which changed Christianity and Europe in many ways. The Library of Congress -
Established in 1542, by the Pope to control religious matters. People were required to follow Catholic church's rules and were forbidden to read certain books. By the end of the 17th century the Pope leader had created over 40 local courts. The Roman Inquisition was a secret in some parts of Italy because they were forbidden to work openly. This was not well documented like the Spanish Inquisition. Academia.edu