The Arab Conquest of Spain - (History of Spain) by Roger Collins (Paperback)

About the Book

First published in paperback 1994. Reprinted 1998.

Book Synopsis

This book, now available in paperback, is a challenging and controversial account of the history of Spain in the eighth century. In it Roger Collins assesses the political and cultural impact on Spain of the first hundred years of Arab rule, focusing upon aspects of continuity and discontinuity with Visigoth Spain.

From the Back Cover

This book, now available in paperback, is a challenging and controversial account of the history of Spain in the eighth century. In it Roger Collins assesses the political and cultural impact on Spain of the first hundred years of Arab rule, focusing upon aspects of continuity and discontinuity with Visigoth Spain. He begins with a consideration of the background to Arab invasion, and explains how the Arab military occupation of Spain and the restoration of order was achieved. Throughout, events in Spain are set within the wider context of developments in France, North Africa and the Near East.

Review Quotes

"Collins has composed a spirited and challenging survey of the century; the helpful footnotes on almost every page testify to his extensive erudition ... he writes with the confident air of someone pioneering an invigorating, modern approach to a drab and largely forgotten era, and he deserves a discriminating readership." Times Higher Education Supplement

"A challenging picture of eighth-century Spain which gives the kaleidoscope a good shake, allowing students a glimpse of events and trends in that shadowy century in a new light." Muslim World Book Review

About the Author

Roger Collins was formerly Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Liverpool, and also a Leverhulme Research Fellow. He is the author of The Basques (Blackwell Publishers, second paperback edition 1990).