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Chapter 32: Tamazgha and Hispania
The Hispanic peninsula was by the early ninth century culturally closer to the Barbary coast. The larger part of the peninsula was united as the Kingdom of Hispania; to the north there was a handful of petty kingdoms in Galicia, Asturia, Gothia, Navarre, and the so-called Hispanic March.
Hispania, deprived of contacts across the Pyrennees by hostile realms would focus southwards as major ports would be along the Mediterranean, mainly Valentia and Cartagena, but also cities in Bética. Overall, trade would flow across the Mediterranean.
As for Hispanic society, the royal authority was gradually weakening throughout the course of the century. The kingdom was relatively large, and communication was difficult. The power of nobles had increased dramatically, and villages would be relatively far apart in the Meseta.
However, Hispania was also home to a number of important cities. Hispania was more urbanized, than, for example Francia. For example, Valentia, Cartagena, Ispal, Gadiz and Corduba. Not to forget the royal capital, Toletu.
The cities of Hispania were one of the places, where Roman lore was preserved. They also had a sizeable Jewish minority, which adopted a variant of the local language, which they would call Ladino, but outsiders called it Sephardic, as was the name of the whole community. (1)
Forther northwards, in the hilly belt from Galicia to the place where the Pyrennees descend into the Mediterranean, was another universe. The people would inhabit smaller villages not that far apart. The hillmen would not throw away all their tribal bonds just yet. This area would gravitate more northwards to Francia across the Pyrenees; for there they would receive a guarantee of their independence.
The Hispanic march was bound between the Pyrennees and the Ebro river; it was a collection of counties ruled from the city of Tolosa. These areas were populated by Basques in the west, Romanized Basque speakers (2), ancient Iberian in Cerdania, and Taraconese (3)
As for Tamazgha one can witness a process of political consolidation. The city of Carthage a reassumed its ancient role as the center of trade. The exarchs of Carthage, who also wileded control over Sicily and southern Italy have wage a series of wars upon Numidia to reclaim the coastal areas : Tibwitana and Kabylia, which becomes a duchy with a Berber Duke. Carthage becomes a major trading hub in the central Mediterranean, controlling commerce along the entire Tamazgfhan coast and as well as in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
South of the Pillars of Heracles (4), the Kingdom of Mawrtaňa as doing good. Contact across the the Strait was common, and the people of Tizi and Išeftu knew more about Isbala (5) and Gades than those in Toletu or Cartagena. However, the decline of royal authority in Hispania meant that the threat from the north was not that large; and therefore the Mawrtaňan kings could concentrate on pushing their borders westwards, that is, conquering the former kingdom of Altava, now held by the Mauri. This would move their boerders to Fortuzibni (6) by 845.
Thus by the mid-9th century, we can see a strong Exarchate of Africa controlling the coast from Lebtimana to Kabyle; a growing Mawrtaňan kingdom consolidating the western Tamazgha and a series of Berber kingdoms:
On the Saharan side of the Atlas Mountains, lay he chiefdom of Sijilmassa. They profited greatly from the Trans-Saharan caravan trade, extending control to the desert oasies of Tamentit and Taghaza
This meant also a spread of Donatism into the region, to places like Araouane, Timbuktu, Tadmekka and Oualata.
(1) Without the antagonism between Al-Andalus and the Reconquista states, Spanish culture would be less shaped by religious zealotry; and any reconquista will likely fail.
(2) The origin of Aragonese language
(3) ATL Catalan
(4) Strait of Gibraltar
(5) Seville
(6) Portus Divini, modern Mers el Kébir
(7) To OTL Western Sahara
Hispania, deprived of contacts across the Pyrennees by hostile realms would focus southwards as major ports would be along the Mediterranean, mainly Valentia and Cartagena, but also cities in Bética. Overall, trade would flow across the Mediterranean.
As for Hispanic society, the royal authority was gradually weakening throughout the course of the century. The kingdom was relatively large, and communication was difficult. The power of nobles had increased dramatically, and villages would be relatively far apart in the Meseta.
However, Hispania was also home to a number of important cities. Hispania was more urbanized, than, for example Francia. For example, Valentia, Cartagena, Ispal, Gadiz and Corduba. Not to forget the royal capital, Toletu.
The cities of Hispania were one of the places, where Roman lore was preserved. They also had a sizeable Jewish minority, which adopted a variant of the local language, which they would call Ladino, but outsiders called it Sephardic, as was the name of the whole community. (1)
Forther northwards, in the hilly belt from Galicia to the place where the Pyrennees descend into the Mediterranean, was another universe. The people would inhabit smaller villages not that far apart. The hillmen would not throw away all their tribal bonds just yet. This area would gravitate more northwards to Francia across the Pyrenees; for there they would receive a guarantee of their independence.
The Hispanic march was bound between the Pyrennees and the Ebro river; it was a collection of counties ruled from the city of Tolosa. These areas were populated by Basques in the west, Romanized Basque speakers (2), ancient Iberian in Cerdania, and Taraconese (3)
As for Tamazgha one can witness a process of political consolidation. The city of Carthage a reassumed its ancient role as the center of trade. The exarchs of Carthage, who also wileded control over Sicily and southern Italy have wage a series of wars upon Numidia to reclaim the coastal areas : Tibwitana and Kabylia, which becomes a duchy with a Berber Duke. Carthage becomes a major trading hub in the central Mediterranean, controlling commerce along the entire Tamazgfhan coast and as well as in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
South of the Pillars of Heracles (4), the Kingdom of Mawrtaňa as doing good. Contact across the the Strait was common, and the people of Tizi and Išeftu knew more about Isbala (5) and Gades than those in Toletu or Cartagena. However, the decline of royal authority in Hispania meant that the threat from the north was not that large; and therefore the Mawrtaňan kings could concentrate on pushing their borders westwards, that is, conquering the former kingdom of Altava, now held by the Mauri. This would move their boerders to Fortuzibni (6) by 845.
Thus by the mid-9th century, we can see a strong Exarchate of Africa controlling the coast from Lebtimana to Kabyle; a growing Mawrtaňan kingdom consolidating the western Tamazgha and a series of Berber kingdoms:
- Warsenis controlling the central part of Tamazgha, known as Kešreš , and remains Donatist
- Numida , now controlling inland Numidia and Išfeši
- Fazan independent yet again
On the Saharan side of the Atlas Mountains, lay he chiefdom of Sijilmassa. They profited greatly from the Trans-Saharan caravan trade, extending control to the desert oasies of Tamentit and Taghaza
This meant also a spread of Donatism into the region, to places like Araouane, Timbuktu, Tadmekka and Oualata.
(1) Without the antagonism between Al-Andalus and the Reconquista states, Spanish culture would be less shaped by religious zealotry; and any reconquista will likely fail.
(2) The origin of Aragonese language
(3) ATL Catalan
(4) Strait of Gibraltar
(5) Seville
(6) Portus Divini, modern Mers el Kébir
(7) To OTL Western Sahara
- Tomislav Addai
- Word Count: 700