The Moors: The Islamic West 7th–15th Centuries AD

David Nicolle
Paperback, 48 pages
9781855329645

The high point of medieval Islamic expansion was the 700-year presence of the 'Moors' in Spain and Portugal. The Arab and Berber conquest was followed by the establishment of a richly distinct culture in Andalusia, where for a while Muslim and Christian co-operated as often as they fought. The rise and fall of successive Islamic dynasties brought new invaders, fragmentation and disunity; and the growing Christian kingdoms to the north eventually doomed the amirate of Granada, the last Moorish bastion, which fell to the Castilians in 1492. The colourful armies of Western Islam are described and illustrated here in fascinating detail.

Contents:
The Arab Conquest
The Armies of European Islam
Umayyad navies in the Mediterranean and Atlantic
The Reconquista Begins
The Almoravids
Berber armies and the saving of Andalusia
The Moorish Collapse
Granada: The Last Bastion