THE MUDЕJARS OF CASTILЕ AND ARAGON AT THE CROSSROADS OF HISTORY (I part)

Abstract

The period from the XI to the XIII century marked a high point in the large-scale process of conquest and colonization of the Iberian Peninsula, known as the Reconquista. The Crowns of Castile and Aragon strengthened their expansive policies across al-Andalus territory, conquered vast territories, and settled them with Christians, pushing Muslims to the south. The contact between the two cultural, religious and linguistic communities – the indigenous Andalusian population, on the one hand, and the settlers from the north, on the other, trigger not only processes of acculturation, but also strategies for preserving their identity. The purpose of this study is to trace the development of the linguistic and cultural assimilation of four Mudеjar communities in medieval Spain: those in Huesca, Zaragoza, Seville and Murcia.