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Factbook: Andalus; The Islamic Sultanate of Iberia
Topic Started: Aug 28 2010, 12:03 AM (322 Views)
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Name: Andalus; the Islamic Sultanate of Iberia.
Area: 1,043,723 Sq km. Slightly less than modern Alaska. Includes all modern Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Population: 7,000,000. Based on figures for Spain in 1500, subtracting some, and adding Morocco.
Government Type: Despotic Monarchy (Sultanate).
Current Ruler: Mohammed XII Nasrid (Crowned 1482).
Religion: Sunni Islam with significant Christian minority in the north.
Language: Arabic with local dialects in Morocco, also Spanish, Catalan and Portuguese.
Currency: Dirham broken into smaller Zadir. The currency is predominantly silver.
Potential Military Strength: 350,000, though only a tiny permanent professional army exists, with the rest being mercenary and levy based.
Strengths:
 Stable political system with advanced financial and cultural backing.
 Access to resources of all Iberia and trading links into North Africa.
 No major enemy except France, which has easily defensible borders.
 Tolerant outlook promotes greater harmony then in real history’s xenophobic Christian rulers.
Weaknesses:
 Significant religious minorities in the north.
 Northern territories still under administered.
 Lack of organised standing armies.
 Relies on traditional weapons, with little use of gunpowder.

History: The Reconquest of Spain by Christians over Muslims was a process that begun in the 8th century and finished only in 1492 with the annexation of Granada, the last Islamic Kingdom. By this time Granada was a weak vassal of Castile, and the ensuing war was short and the result inevitable. However, this final conquest was a mere endnote to the conquest of Iberia which had begun three centuries before.
In 1180 the Alomhad Empire covered more than half of Iberia, as well as extensive territories in Northern Africa. Yet, within a single century, Muslim Spain had virtually ceased to exist.
The cause of this has a lot to do with a single battle in 1212 named Las Navas de Tolosa. This battle, in which 50,000 Christian soldiers routed and destroyed 200,000 Muslims was a key point in the Reconquest. After that point the decline of the Alomhads and the expulsion of Islam from Iberia was almost certain.
Through eight centuries of hindsight a reader must not think that such a result was inevitable, because it was not. In the East the Ottomans advanced to the gates of Vienna and to beyond Baghdad, rekindling the fires of Jihad after it’s decline. There is nothing to suggest that the victory of Christianity in Spain was either inevitable or even the most likely option.

Let us assume that the progress of the Christian army through the Despeñaperros Pass had been discovered, and on July 16th 1212 this army was attacked and defeated. The Christian forces were indeed of high quality, but they were also divided not only among the 3 kingdoms of Spain, but by foreign knights unused to the climate. It is not hard to think that in the heat of summer, outnumbered 4-to-1, that the Christian army might have broken. In the rout Alfonso of Castile and Pedro of Aragon fall, and their army disperses.
The reconquest of Spain by Islam was possible, but it would have taken longer and been significantly harder. However, the fact that the Christian states could never unite to defeat the Ottoman Empire indicates that Spain would be no different.

And so, after the Christian defeat at Las Navas de Tolosa Muhammad al-Nasir exploited the weakness of his enemies to march north. Lisbon was the first to be recaptured after only 60 years in Christian hands. In 1220, after a brief siege, Toledo fell.
Thereafter, the pace of conquest slowed as the Christian lands were reabsorbed. Problems in Africa led to the loss of most of the Magreb possessions. However, with Granada and Seville the main centres of Andalus this was not a major loss. In 1238 the last of the Alomhads died, and Muhammad Nasrid took control, creating a dynasty that is still in power in 1500.
The greatest ruler of this era was Abdul Yusuf, who ruled from 1281 to 1320. In this time, as well as the conquest of Zaragoza, the Balearics and Valladolid, he defeated a major Christian army from Galicia and abroad at Oporto in 1291.
After the death of Abdul Yusuf the tempo slowed, and some lands were even recaptured by Christian forces. However, in 1391 Muhammad VIII ascended the throne, and in two key battles at Burgos and Vittoria he defeated major crusading forces and reduced Christian Spain to Navarre and Galicia.
With France consumed with its own problems, and the Pyrenees providing a bulwark, Islamic Spain was almost complete. The remaining Christian lands were forced to pay tribute to the newly proclaimed Sultanate. The capital was moved in 1450 to Toledo, and all Iberia broken into distinct administrative regions.
In 1476, after a dispute over the Kingdom of Navarre, the Sultan marched his armies and conquered Pamplona, thus making the Pyrenees the border between France and Andalus.
The final end came in 1492 when Sultan Muhammad XII decided to annex Galicia. After a hard campaign Santiago de Compostela fell, and the last Christian ruler of Iberia threw himself into the sea rather than submit.

And so, as the 16th century begins all Iberia and part of North Africa is united under Islam. While a quarter of the population is Christian there is no organised enemy to face the Sultan. The border with France provides the only land connection, and this is easily defensible. Can and will the Sultan push on into lands never conquered by the crescent?

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Andalus Military Forces

The Sultanate of Andalus has a rather interesting combination of European and Arabic fighting methods, and over time has evolved into a considerable power.

Since the victory at Las Navas de Tolosa, the Andalus military has expanded and refined their tactics. Two and a half centuries of fighting to conquer all Spain has also bred a considerable martial spirit among the people of the Sultanate.

The only permanent and professional areas of the army are the personal bodyguard of the Sultan, the Mamluks. These were Christians raised at an early age, much like the Mamluks of Egypt had been. The key difference was that the Andalusian Mamluks are allowed to keep families, and are quartered in each of the regions of Andalus. Here they act as a regular army to put down rebellions, and also watch over the leaders of each region.
The Mamluks are usually split between a mounted and dismounted force, with the former acting as heavy cavalry, and the latter as reliable spearmen also armed with bows.

Beyond this, the army is composed of part time militia. What sets this militia apart from other European armies is that these troops are actually paid quite well, each according to rank. Though the sum is not princely, it provides compensation for having to leave their farms and go to war.
These militia infantry are well known for their crossbow and bow skills, and usually are also armed with spears or scimitars, with light armour. Frontier and hill militias usually fight as light infantry, with javelins, bows or swords.

From North Africa comes the famous Berber and Mahgreb cavalry. These raiders, lightly equipped with bows and swords, are fast and agile. However, their different ways mean that they were not always popular among the more 'civilised' Moors living in Spain.

Command and control is still largely traditional, based upon local areas, and ad hoc formations. Usually the troops will be formed into companies based on a collection of villages, and higher formations are not common.

The use of gunpowder was once a rarity, but after the final campaigns to overrun Navarre and Galicia, the Sultan had to begin to look at these new weapons. Handguns were still in their infancy, and so only a very few of the Mamluks have been issued these weapons. Further research has been hampered by the lack of trading with other nations who have these weapons.
Artillery meanwhile has become a more important part of warfare. While battlefield pieces are almost useless still, the use of artillery for sieges is vitally important. During the final campaigns in 1492, the Andalus army featured artillery purchased and directed by Turkish engineers, such as those who had broken Constantinople. The resulting fire helped level the old fortresses of Santiago de Compostela and Corunna.

The presence of large Christian minorities in the north of Spain necessitates the enforcement of permanent garrisons. This is effective for much of the year, though not during the harvest when the soldiers are forced to return to their homes. Additionally the passes of the Pyrenees are strongly guarded so as to resist incursions from France.
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