With the rise of Roderic to the throne of the Visigoths in Hispania, and with the death in 710 CE of the previous king, Wittiza, the relatives and partisans of the latter fled to Ceuta (Septa), the Pillar of Hercules in North Africa on the northern shore of the Maghreb. In Ceuta, Visigothic rivals of Roderic gathered along with Arians and Jews fleeing forced conversions at the hands of the Catholic bishops who controlled the Visigothic monarchy. The surrounding area of the Maghreb had recently been conquered by Musa Ibn Nosseyr, who established his governor, Tariq ibn Ziyad, at Tangier with a Moorish army of 1,700 men. Roderic (Roderick; Rodrigo in Spanish and Portuguese, see Rurik for etymology), is reputed to be the last king of the Visigoths (709—711). ... Jump to: navigation, search The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. ... Jump to: navigation, search Roman aqueduct in Segovia Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar) and to two provinces created there in the period of the Roman Republic: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. ... Events End of the Asuka period, the second and last part of the Yamato period and beginning of the Nara period in Japan. ... Jump to: navigation, search Wittiza (Witiza) was son of Ergica, king of the Visigoths in Hispania, and ruled jointly with him from 693 to 701 CE. In the latter year Ergica died and Wittiza became sole ruler. ... Jump to: navigation, search Eastern Ceuta, as photographed from Morocco. ... Near Gades/Gadeira (modern Cádiz, just beyond the strait) was the westernmost temple of Tyrian Heracles (Melqart), near the eastern shore of the island (Strabo 3. ... Jump to: navigation, search (see also North Africa, Tamazgha, Arab Maghreb Union, Mashreq) The Maghreb (المغرب العربي ; sometimes also rendered Moghreb), meaning western in Arabic, is the region of the continent of Africa north of the Sahara desert and west of the Nile - specifically, the modern countries of Morocco, Western Sahara (annexed... Jump to: navigation, search Arianism was a Christological view held by followers of Arius, a Christian priest who lived and taught in Alexandria, Egypt, in the early 4th century. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... Jump to: navigation, search A monarchy, (from the Greek monos, one, and archein, to rule) is a form of government that has a monarch as Head of State. ... Musa bin Nusair (640 - 716) was a Yemeni Muslim governor and general under the Umayyads. ... Tariq ibn Ziyad (d. ... Jump to: navigation, search View toward the Mediterranean Tangier, or Tangiers (Tanja طنچة in Berber and Arabic, Tánger in Spanish, and Tanger in French), is a city of northern Morocco with a population of 350,000, or 550,000 including suburbs. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including the present day Spain and Portugal) and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called Moorish. Juba II king of Mauretania // Origins of the name The name derives from the old Berber (barbarian...

Julian, count of Ceuta, whom the Muslims called Ilyan, was Roderic's vassal but also on increasingly good terms with Tariq and the family of Wittiza. The Egyptian historian of the Arab conquest, Ibn Abd-el-Hakem, writing a century and a half after the events, relates that Julian had sent one of his daughters to the Visigothic court at Toledo for education (and as a gauge for Julian's loyalty, no doubt) and that Roderic had made her pregnant. Later ballads and chronicles inflated this tale — she was known in Spanish as la Cava Rumía (from Arabic words for "the Christian whore" ^[1]) — and attributed Julian's enmity to Roderick's poor treatment of his daughter. A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... A vassal or liege, in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of medieval Europe, is one who enters into mutual obligations with a lord, usually of military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain guarantees, which came to include the terrain held as a fief. ... Jump to: navigation, search A historian is a person who studies history. ... Ibn Abd-el-Hakem (d. ... A hostage is an entity which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act or refrain from acting in a particular way. ... Rüm, also Roum or Rhum (in Arabic ar-Rum), is a very indefinite term used at different times in the Islamic world for Europeans generally and for the Byzantine Empire in particular, for the Seljuk Sultanate of Rüm in Asia Minor, and for Greeks inhabiting Ottoman territory. ...

However, personal power politics were more likely at play as both Julian and Wittiza's family sought power in the Visgothic kingdom. In exchange for lands in al-Andalus (the Arab name for the area the Visigoths still called by its Roman name, Hispania), Julian provided ships to carry Tariq's troops. Al-Andalus is the Arabic name given the Iberian Peninsula by its Muslim conquerors; it refers to both the Caliphate proper and the general period of Muslim rule (711–1492). ... Jump to: navigation, search The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus). ... Jump to: navigation, search Roman aqueduct in Segovia Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar) and to two provinces created there in the period of the Roman Republic: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. ...

In the spring of 711 Roderic was campaigning against the Basques and Franks near the north Iberian town of Pamplona. Tariq, briefed by Julian, whom he left behind among the merchants, crossed the Strait of Hercules with a reconnaissance force of some 1,700 men, sailing by night and keeping their force inconspicuous. Ibn Abd-el-Hakem reports that "the people of Andalus did not observe them, thinking that the vessels crossing and recrossing were similar to the trading vessels which for their benefit plied backwards and forwards." Tariq and his men marched up as far as Cartagena on the coast. See also: phone number 711. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Jump to: navigation, search Hi my name is Bob what is yours dear lady. ... Iberia can mean: The Iberian peninsula of southwest Europe; That part of it inhabited by the Iberians, speaking the Iberian language. ... Jump to: navigation, search Pamplona (Basque: Irunea / Iruñea / Iruña) is the capital city of Navarre, Spain. ... The Strait of Gibraltar as seen from space. ... For other places of the same name, see Cartagena. ...

Roderic marched his forces south and met Tariq's men at the Battle of the Rio Barbate or the Battle of Guadalete in the Province of Cadiz. The battle occurred on July 19, 711. Roderic's army of around 25,000 men was defeated by Tariq's force of approxamately 7,000, largely due to a reversal of fortune when the wings commanded by Roderic's relatives Sisbert and Osbert deserted or switched sides—which legend would later attribute to a deliberate plan developed by Julian. The Battle of Guadalete took place July 19, 711, at the Guadalete River (or La Janda Lake) in the southern extreme of the Iberian peninsula. ... Cádiz province Cádiz is a province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ...

Roderic is believed to have died in the battle, though his exact fate is unknown. The great majority of Roderic's court was also believed killed in the battle. In any case, this defeat left the Visigoths disorganized and leaderless as the survivors fled north to Écija near Seville. The resulting power vacuum is believed to have helped make possible the Muslim conquest of Iberia. A royal or noble court as an instrument of government broader than a monarchical court of justice comprises an extended household centered on a patron who may hold imperial, royal, grand ducal, electoral or other rank. ... Écija is a city belonging to the province of Seville, Spain. ... Sevilla province Sevilla is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. ... The Muslim Conquest of Iberia (711—718) commenced when the Moors (mostly Berbers with some Yemenis) invaded Visigothic Christian Iberia in the year 711 CE. Under their Berber leader, Tariq ibn-Ziyad, they landed at Gibraltar on April 30 and proceeded to bring most of the Iberian Peninsula under Islamic...

Afterwards, in Spanish lore, Julian would be regarded as a traitor to his country, having sold out Spain to the Muslims.

Popular culture

The English writers Walter Scott, Walter Savage Landor, and Robert Southey had handled the legends associated with these events poetically: Scott in "The Vision of Don Roderick" in 1811, Landor in his tragedy Count Julian in 1812, and Southey in Roderick, the Last of the Goths in 1814. Sir Walter Scott, Bart. ... Walter Savage Landor (January 30, 1775 - September 17, 1864), English writer, eldest son of Walter Landor and his wife Elizabeth Savage, was born at Warwick. ... Robert Southey, English poet Robert Southey (August 12, 1774 – March 21, 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic school, and one of the so-called Lake Poets. Although his fame tends to be eclipsed by that of his contemporaries such as William Wordsworth, Southeys verse enjoys enduring popularity. ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

The American writer Washington Irving retells the legends in his 1835 Legends of the Conquest of Spain, mostly written while living in that country. These consist of "Legend of Don Roderick," "Legend of the Subjugation of Spain," and "Legend of Count Julian and His Family." Jump to: navigation, search Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American author of the early 19th century. ... 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Notes

• ^  Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, I, chapter 41. Spanish text

Jump to: navigation, search This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Jump to: navigation, search Statues of Don Quixote (left) and Sancho Panza (right) This page is about the fictional character and novel. ...

External links

• Ibn Abd-el-Hakem, Medieval Sourcebook: The Islamic Conquest of Spain
• Edward Gibbon, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 51
• Spanish traditional versions of the romance of the seduction of La Cava.
• Leyenda y nacionalismo: alegorías de la derrota en La Malinche y Florinda "La Cava", Spanish-language article by Juan F. Maura comparing La Cava and Mexican Malinche.