Strangers in their homelands. An assessment and comparison of two moorish rebellions in the Kingdom of Granada in the sixteenth century.

After the conquest of Granada by the Catholic Kings in 1492, the original Muslim population revolted twice against their Christian rulers: first in 1499-1500 and a second time in 1568-71. In this paper, both revolts are analysed and compared. Why did the Muslims of Granada revolt twice against the Christian authorities? What caused and sparked these revolts? Who were the rebels, and what were their goals? How did the local authorities react, and how did the Spanish kings react? In this paper, it becomes clear that the revolts were very different in nature, when it comes to their roots, the international environment, their organisation and their development. The first revolt started as a result of rapid changes that caused instability and an identity crisis among the Moors. The second revolt had, due to the development of a Morisco identity in the decades between the two rebellions, much more the characteristics of a true war. The priorities of the Catholic authorities had changed...Show moreAfter the conquest of Granada by the Catholic Kings in 1492, the original Muslim population revolted twice against their Christian rulers: first in 1499-1500 and a second time in 1568-71. In this paper, both revolts are analysed and compared. Why did the Muslims of Granada revolt twice against the Christian authorities? What caused and sparked these revolts? Who were the rebels, and what were their goals? How did the local authorities react, and how did the Spanish kings react? In this paper, it becomes clear that the revolts were very different in nature, when it comes to their roots, the international environment, their organisation and their development. The first revolt started as a result of rapid changes that caused instability and an identity crisis among the Moors. The second revolt had, due to the development of a Morisco identity in the decades between the two rebellions, much more the characteristics of a true war. The priorities of the Catholic authorities had changed too. Whereas the first rebellion had been about religion and conversion, the second rebellion was about identity and assimilation. The comparison between the two revolts showed that the problems that developed were not just caused by changes in policy of the rulers of the peninsula, but by an interaction between the different developments – cultural, political, religious and social – that made the original inhabitants of the Kingdom of Granada strangers in their homelands.Show less

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Strangers in their homelands. An assessment and comparison of two moorish rebellions in the Kingdom of Granada in the sixteenth century.