What Relationship Between Christian And Southern Islamic Taifas

The relationship between the northern Christian kingdoms and southern Islamic Taifas was complex and dynamic. Depending on the time and location, mutual respect and vicious warfare were the norm. While some regions such the city of Toledo under King Alphonso were prosperous and featured mutual respect between religions, other eras and locations such as the Reconquista or Almoravid rule were characterized by warfare and hostility between the two religions. If the Christian and Islamic kingdoms of Medieval Spain were to be considered siblings, the relationship could be considered friendly but not particularly close initially, followed by a falling out due to unreconcilable differences. The city of Toledo is an example of the good sibling analogy before its decline, with

One example of this is Al-Mutamid of Seville allying with his former foe, King Alphonso of Castile in an attempt to maintain power (Lowney, 106). While the inhabitants of the Islamic Taifas were able to overlook religious differences for self-preservation, the ruling Almoravids were unable to do so, and would cause deep religious divides that would ignite a Christian movement determined to expel Islam from Iberia, later known as the Reconquista. Many religious military orders, with the most notable being the Knights of Santiago, would play a significant role in the expulsion of Islam in Iberia. These orders were driven by religious ideals in their crusade to expel Islam from Iberia, and were ruthless in their reconquest. This ruthlessness is easily demonstrated by their motto “Rubet ensis sanguine Arabum” or “The sword runs red with the blood of the Arab” (Lowney 111), signifying the complete decline of the sibling