Re: Early Amerind assimilation (Was: Re: Romans in the New World?)

R. Gaenssmantel (rg10003@cus.cam.ac.uk)
15 Aug 1996 11:27:06 GMT

Thomas L. Billings (itsd1@teleport.com) wrote:
: In article <4uq8fk$fjh@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk>, rg10003@cus.cam.ac.uk (R.
: Gaenssmantel) wrote:

: > There were no Germanic people involved in the reconquista.

: Not quite true. There were many "crusaders" who joined from France, and
: elsewhere, especially under the spanish "Military Orders" the Church and
: the Crown established after crusading became popular from 1096 onwards.
: But the directing policy was given by the Kings of Leon and Castile. They
: claimed descent from the old aristocracy of the pre-islamic Visigothic
: Kings of Hispania, the successors to roman rule. Visigoths were one of
: the germanic tribes that comprised the "folkwanderung" at the end of the
: westen roman empire.

Sorry, there was a couple of mistakes. I meant to write Germanic peoples (as in
whole tribes) and was thinking in terms of them coming over to help. I had
completely forgotten about the Visigoths. To the best of my knowledge they
mixed with the locals though - apart from the royals though, who'd stay among
themselves in the clique of European aristocracy.

: The declared aim
: > of the reconquista was to make Spain catholic again. Hence the pope
: officially
: > gave the royal couple (Isabella and ??) who finished off the reconquista (by
: > taking Granada [more prcicely the Alhambra in Granada] ) the byname 'the
: > catholic kings' (los reyos catholicos).

: I believe that this title (catholic meaning "united") was actually given
: when Ferdinand and Isabella successfully united Castile with Aragon, just
: before they started the final advance against Granada, in 1482, or
: thereabouts. Lots of long sieges till 1492.

: None of this proves that sub-saharan african peoples participated in the
: rule of Europe. Just a few points for clarity in the discussion.

: By the way! How did we get from Amerind assimilation to Spain, Africans
: and Islam?

Good question, but it's definitely interesting - a new thread??

Ralf

: Regards,

: Tom Billings

: --
: Institute for Teleoperated Space Development
: itsd1@teleport.com(Tom Billings)
: ITSD's web site is at, http://www.teleport.com/~itsd1/index.html

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