Rodrigo Ximenez de Rada's Minor Histories - (Manchester Medieval Sources) by Aymenn Al-Tamimi (Hardcover)

About the Book

An English translation and study of the 'Minor Histories' of Toledo's archbishop Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada, including his important work History of the Arabs.

Book Synopsis

This work provides the first complete English translation of works by Toledan archbishop Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada (1170-1247 CE), whose 'Minor Histories' are sequels to his larger 'Gothic History' and thus round off his grand history of Spain project that he began at the request of King Ferdinand III. The 'Minor Histories' include Rodrigo's 'History of the Arabs' that can be considered the first surviving Western monograph focused on Arab and Islamic history and thus occupies a unique position in the medieval Latin corpus of writings.

In addition to the translation, this book provides a thorough and accessible introduction to the life and works of Rodrigo, making sense of the context in which he wrote and his historical method. The translations are thoroughly annotated including cross-references to other Latin and Arabic sources for comparison.

From the Back Cover

This book provides the first complete English translation of works by the Toledan archbishop Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada (1170-1247 CE). The 'Minor Histories', serving as supplements to Rodrigo's much larger 'Gothic History', covered the Romans, Huns, Vandals, Alans, Suevi, Ostrogoths and Arabs, explaining how these peoples contributed to what he saw as Spain's tragic history of calamities. The last work in the series - his 'History of the Arabs' - can be regarded as the first surviving Western monograph on Arab and Islamic history, and as such is an essential source for topics of Christian-Muslim relations and Western depictions of Islam, Muslims and Arabs.

In addition to the translation of the 'Minor Histories' that is complete with annotations, this work includes a thorough and accessible introduction to the life and works of Rodrigo, who was an important figure in a crucial transition period of Spain's history that saw the balance of power in the Iberian Peninsula shift decisively to the Christian kingdoms. Besides his biography, the introduction provides an in-depth assessment of Rodrigo's historiography and as such serves as a useful discussion of the use of sources by medieval historical writers.

About the Author

Dr. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, a graduate of Oxford University and Swansea University, is a Milstein Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum and an Arabic translator and editor. He has published Arabic translations and studies of medieval Latin texts in Jordan as well as English translations of modern Arabic texts. He is most recently the author of an English translation and study of the medieval Arabic work 'The Conquest of al-Andalus' (Fat?al-Andalus), published by Routledge.