What Up, Nerds?
So far I been trying to keep all my posts at least tangentially relevant to the first half of the OMG Hussites video (second half coming soon!). But today my wonderful brilliant beautiful fabulous girlfriend is in a pretty awesome place called Gibraltar. Gibraltar is the site of a story too fun not to tell, even if we're not 100% about all the details.
Everything in this story began with two very powerless people. One of those was the daughter of a Nobleman of Visigothic Spain. Her father was named Julian, count of Ceuta. The county that he ruled was the farthest flung part of Visigothic Spain. In fact the county was so far out there that it was actually in North Africa. Since Julian was so far from the rest of the nation he decided to send his rather powerless daughter from his backwater little county to the court of Visigothic Spanish King Roderic so that she'd get an education.
The other powerless person was a slave of mysterious origin. Some people thought he was Persian. Some people called him an Arab. Still others thought he must be a Berber. His name was Taareq ibn Zeeeaad. And he was enslaved in the house of Muusa bin NuSaeer, who was the second ever Islamic governor of North Africa in the brand new Muslim State.
Taareq did his job diligently and well. He rose in his master's household and in his master's regard. He rose so far that one day Muusa decided to free him. So the slave was freed, and he was made a general in the North African army. He did this job well. So Muusa appointed him the Governor of Tangier. So Taareq worked his way up to become the ruler of Tangier.
One day old count Julian of Ceuta came to Taareq. This was strange, since Muslim power had just exploded and christian kingdoms were not on talking terms with Muslims. But nevertheless Julian came. And he told Taareq that he had sent his daughter to King Roderic in Toledo, and she had come back pregnant.
Clearly, Roderic had raped his daughter. Now Julian wanted vengeance. Julian made a deal with Taareq so that if Julian would ferry Taareq's army across the straight to Spain then Taareq would help Julian topple the evil Visigothic King Roderic and replace him with a much better candidate, who was named Womba. Spain would have a better king, Taareq would have a king who owed him a favor, and everybody would come out better for it. Well, except for Roderic.
Taareq was intrigued.
But that wasn't the whole and real situation. You see King Roderic had not been born to be king. In fact he wasn't even in line to be king in any way at all. The old King had been a man named Wittiza. Wittiza had died unexpectedly, and people suspected Roderic. Many thought Wittiza's heir Womba should become king. But Roderic usurped the royal senate and was crowned instead. Those who thought Womba oughtta be king--the Wombatists--took over northeast Spain while Roderic owned the center and southwest.
Well Julian was supposed to have sent his daughter to Roderic's court in a show of trust. A show of trust that was necessary because he actually preferred Womba. Be he had to live under King Roderic because he was surrounded by Roderic country. It turns out we don't even know if he sent a daughter at all. Julian might have just been the mouthpiece for the Wombatists who wanted Taareq's help to clear out King Roderic and make room for Womba. And the daughter seemed like a plausible and sympathetic excuse.
Whatever Julian's motivation, the new governor of Tangier accepted his proposition.
And so in 711 AD Julian the Wombatist ferried Taareq's army into Spain in old trading ships. The army assembled at a coastal mountain they named the Taareq's Mountain, and then headed north to find Roderic. In 712 Taareq found King Roderic at the head of a united Spanish army at Guadalete. At the crucial moment the Wombatists all deserted Roderic and Roderic's army was eviscerated. Roderic was killed.
Well the Wombatists were very happy. Roderic was dead and gone and now Womba could be king. Except for one problem. The Muslims decided they liked Spain. So they kept it.
And so Spain became a part of the Umayyad Caliphate. Muslim states would dominate the peninsula until 1236. The last Muslim state will remain on the peninsula until 1492.
Oh, and remember that mountain called Taareq's Mountain? In Arabic it's pronounced Jebbel el-Taareq. That's sort of a mouthful, so the Spanish shortened the name into "Gibraltar."
So that is how Gibraltar got its name. Have a lovely time at Jebbel el-Taareq, wonderful lady!
So far I been trying to keep all my posts at least tangentially relevant to the first half of the OMG Hussites video (second half coming soon!). But today my wonderful brilliant beautiful fabulous girlfriend is in a pretty awesome place called Gibraltar. Gibraltar is the site of a story too fun not to tell, even if we're not 100% about all the details.
Everything in this story began with two very powerless people. One of those was the daughter of a Nobleman of Visigothic Spain. Her father was named Julian, count of Ceuta. The county that he ruled was the farthest flung part of Visigothic Spain. In fact the county was so far out there that it was actually in North Africa. Since Julian was so far from the rest of the nation he decided to send his rather powerless daughter from his backwater little county to the court of Visigothic Spanish King Roderic so that she'd get an education.
The other powerless person was a slave of mysterious origin. Some people thought he was Persian. Some people called him an Arab. Still others thought he must be a Berber. His name was Taareq ibn Zeeeaad. And he was enslaved in the house of Muusa bin NuSaeer, who was the second ever Islamic governor of North Africa in the brand new Muslim State.
Taareq did his job diligently and well. He rose in his master's household and in his master's regard. He rose so far that one day Muusa decided to free him. So the slave was freed, and he was made a general in the North African army. He did this job well. So Muusa appointed him the Governor of Tangier. So Taareq worked his way up to become the ruler of Tangier.
One day old count Julian of Ceuta came to Taareq. This was strange, since Muslim power had just exploded and christian kingdoms were not on talking terms with Muslims. But nevertheless Julian came. And he told Taareq that he had sent his daughter to King Roderic in Toledo, and she had come back pregnant.
Clearly, Roderic had raped his daughter. Now Julian wanted vengeance. Julian made a deal with Taareq so that if Julian would ferry Taareq's army across the straight to Spain then Taareq would help Julian topple the evil Visigothic King Roderic and replace him with a much better candidate, who was named Womba. Spain would have a better king, Taareq would have a king who owed him a favor, and everybody would come out better for it. Well, except for Roderic.
Taareq was intrigued.
But that wasn't the whole and real situation. You see King Roderic had not been born to be king. In fact he wasn't even in line to be king in any way at all. The old King had been a man named Wittiza. Wittiza had died unexpectedly, and people suspected Roderic. Many thought Wittiza's heir Womba should become king. But Roderic usurped the royal senate and was crowned instead. Those who thought Womba oughtta be king--the Wombatists--took over northeast Spain while Roderic owned the center and southwest.
Well Julian was supposed to have sent his daughter to Roderic's court in a show of trust. A show of trust that was necessary because he actually preferred Womba. Be he had to live under King Roderic because he was surrounded by Roderic country. It turns out we don't even know if he sent a daughter at all. Julian might have just been the mouthpiece for the Wombatists who wanted Taareq's help to clear out King Roderic and make room for Womba. And the daughter seemed like a plausible and sympathetic excuse.
Whatever Julian's motivation, the new governor of Tangier accepted his proposition.
And so in 711 AD Julian the Wombatist ferried Taareq's army into Spain in old trading ships. The army assembled at a coastal mountain they named the Taareq's Mountain, and then headed north to find Roderic. In 712 Taareq found King Roderic at the head of a united Spanish army at Guadalete. At the crucial moment the Wombatists all deserted Roderic and Roderic's army was eviscerated. Roderic was killed.
Well the Wombatists were very happy. Roderic was dead and gone and now Womba could be king. Except for one problem. The Muslims decided they liked Spain. So they kept it.
And so Spain became a part of the Umayyad Caliphate. Muslim states would dominate the peninsula until 1236. The last Muslim state will remain on the peninsula until 1492.
Oh, and remember that mountain called Taareq's Mountain? In Arabic it's pronounced Jebbel el-Taareq. That's sort of a mouthful, so the Spanish shortened the name into "Gibraltar."
So that is how Gibraltar got its name. Have a lovely time at Jebbel el-Taareq, wonderful lady!
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