Joseph F. O'CallaghanCritiques

This book is not indexed, and the time could have been well spent. the text in English is clear, and the footnotes provide a lot of biographical information. The genealogical tables are extremely useful. So, it is a useful addition to libraries on the reconquest.½

Throughout history monarchs have used their powers over the laws of their realms to define their will and the rules they set for their subjects. Yet very few of them have undertaken the long and detailed task of drawing up a formal legal code that establishes an entire system of laws. One of the few who did so was Alfonso X, whose Siete Partidas was the most comprehensive legal code established in the medieval West, and which continues to influence laws on three continents down to the present day. In this book, the eminent historian Joseph O'Callaghan details the various parts of the code and the contexts for their provisions. Not only does this help explain the motivations behind many of its measures, but it also shows how the code can inform our understanding of Alfonso's concerns and the broader world of 13th century Castile more generally. The result is a book that students of both medieval and legal history will find rewarding reading, both for the insights it provides into life in medieval Spain and for its demonstration of just how much we owe today to Alfonso's enduring legal labors.

This is amazingly encyclopedic account of the history of the Iberian peninsula from Visigothic times to the end of the 15th century. While it may be getting a little dated, its narrative of the development of the kingdoms, societies and cultures of the region holds together thanks to Joseph O'Callaghan's clarity and his command of the sources. This is a book from which a reader can profit either by reading it cover-to-cover or by dipping into its clearly-delineated chapters, each of which can stand alone as a mini-essay on their topic. If you're looking for a book on Spain during the Middle Ages, this is definitely an excellent place to start.

Covering the central period of the Reconquista - approximately 1050-1250 - O'Callaghan's book is a narrative history followed up with thematic chapters on military organization, war finance, and the ideology of crusade. It's all rather academic and dry.

O'Callaghan eventually followed this up with The Gibraltar Crusade covering the succeeding century. I read that book first, and liked it better, largely because it has more detail about individual campaigns and battles, making for less dry recital of dates. The reason for the difference, I think, is the sparser historical record for the earlier period rather than any difference in O'Callaghan's goals - just within this book, it's obvious how the narrative becomes more detailed later in the period.

O'Callaghan strongly stresses the crusading character of the Reconquista. The number of times he says something along the lines of it being reasonable to suppose that this king took a crusading vow before that campaign is rather alarming, and one suspects he's overstating his case, but that the religious angle was important cannot sensibly be denied (contra some politically correct accounts I've had the displeasure to read), nor the practical importance of popes allowing ecclesiastical incomes to be diverted towards the war effort.

The emphasis is very much on the Christian side, with internal Muslim developments dealt with only cursorily. Muslim chroniclers are often cited, but generally for what they said about their enemies rather than about their co-religionists. This is a bit disappointing since a big part of the story of the period is how the Peninsular Muslims twice called in Moroccan support to defend them against the Christians only to find themselves annexed by the successive Moroccan empires of the Almoravids and the Almohads. Still, O'Callaghan set out to write the story of Iberian crusade, not of jihad, so this has to be accepted as simply not what the book is about.

Solid rather than exciting, a book to be read to learn about Reconquista history rather than for reading enjoyment.

In the first half of the 13th century, the heartland of Muslim Spain, the Guadalquivir valley, fell into Castilian hands, culminating with the conquest of Seville in 1248. Only a coastal strip, from Tarifa to Almanzora, remained in Muslim hands, as the kingdom of Granada. This book is about the the following century, as the Castilian kings repeatedly tried to carry on the Reconquista, and especially to wrest control over the the Strait of Gibraltar, while the Granadine rulers tried to resist them, playing a dangerous game of inviting their Moroccan co-religionists to help keep the Christians at bay while avoiding the fate of earlier Andalusian rulers who had found themselves annexed by previous Moroccan saviours. After the Black Death, both Reconquista ardour and the prospect of Moroccan invasion faded, until the joint Spanish monarchy rediscovered the former in the late 15th century.

On the map, there was not much to show from this century of wars - routinely sanctified as crusades by the papacy and on the Muslim side seen as jihad -, with Tarifa the only permanent Castilian gain of significance, and the Moroccan Marinids eventually handing back to Granada their peninsular outposts to pursue internecine struggles. But it cemented a shift in power: the Marinids were the last Moroccan invaders of the Iberian peninsula, and they were defeated, unlike their Almoravid and Almohad precedessors, who had conquered the southern half of it in the 11th and 12th centuries respectively. In the future, it would be Iberian powers invading Morocco rather than vice versa.

O'Callaghan's book is a strict politico-military history, a chronological narrative with some thematic remarks about military organization, war finance, the ideologies of crusade and jihad, etc. tacked on at the end. Requires some concentration to keep all the people and places mentioned straight, and a tolerably profound interest in the subject to appreciate.

Joseph O’Callaghan’s book Reconquest and Crusade in Medieval Spain provides readers with an overview of military action in the Iberian Peninsula from 1063-1248. He outlined the constant struggle between Islam and Christianity for dominion of the area and successfully showed the complexities and difficulties faced by the Christian kings and nobles. As in the Levant, occasionally a Christian king would ally with a Muslim leader if it was temporarily beneficial. Many truces and treaties were signed between enemies in attempts to stall war, they were not always honored.

The main theme of the book seemed to be that the reconquest was not just secular leaders trying to expand territory, but that it was very crusade based. Many crusade bulls are mentioned, and O'Callaghan really stresses the penitential aspect of crusade. He focused more on why the Iberian crusades were fought and successful, rather than on actual military engagements.

O’Callaghan made a differentiation between Reconquest and crusade. Reconquest efforts occurred by the Christian kings for centuries as they fought to regain lands that were under Muslim control. Officially crusades only occurred when there was clerical support and backing which granted the crusaders specific rewards. Crusade activity generally was considered Reconquest activity, but not all Reconquest activity had crusade status. To the Christian kings, the exact status might not have mattered; they were fighting for the sake of Christianity to defeat the Muslims and enlarge their kingdoms. To O'Callaghan crusading started in Spain, not in the Holy Land. He really wants the Spanish to get all the glory.

The genealogical tables for both the Christian and Muslim leaders provided in the book were a very good resource to have. O’Callaghan mentioned so many names, and the tables provided assistance in knowing who was who and when they ruled. Without the tables the reader is likely to get lost. The maps provided a good visual representation of where boundaries were and showed when territory changed hands.

O’Callaghan provides several chapters on general crusading issues as they related to the Iberian campaigns including warfare and tactics, the difficulty of financing crusades, and the involvement of the Church. The chapters provide an overview of the crusading process and would benefit readers new to the crusade era. However, more experienced readers may find these sections repetitive of other works. O’Callaghan closes each chapter with a brief summary, this seemed like a good way to pull the chapter together, restate the main themes, and prepare for the next chapter.

The final Muslim kingdom, Granada, fell in 1492. With its fall the Reconquest in Spain was finished and further expansion ideas were beyond Crusade goals. No new bulls were issued, but the Spanish and Portuguese still had strong Crusade mindsets. The peninsular Christians had spent 400 years fighting Muslims but finally were successful. In the Levant the Crusader kingdoms fell after a couple hundred years. In the end, the Iberian crusades proved to have brought about permanent changes and to have had the only lasting positive advances for Christendom.

Overall a bit tough to read, but full of good information. I got confused between the kings, but the family trees helped clarify. He has several chapters on general crusade history which would be good for readers new to the field. O'Callaghan helps shine some light on a topic which most other English speaking historians tend to avoid. It's a solid contribution to the crusade field.