Emir Abd al-Rahman III inherited a fragmented kingdom plagued by rebels and in just five years he had already reimposed Umayyad authority over most core provinces of the Emirate of Córdoba. How was this possible? I explain how he ended the fitna, the rise of the Fatimid Caliphate in the Maghreb, and the unpunished offensives of the sons of Alfonso III of Asturias in this episode on the political history of Iberia in the 910s.

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Spanish show 'La Historia de España-Memorias Hispánicas': https://www.youtube.com/@lahistoriaespana

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Hook
00:24 The Accession of Abd al-Rahman III
02:41 Who Was Abd al-Rahman III of Córdoba?
05:42 How Was It Possible to End the Fitna of the Emirate?
11:02 The First Reconquest Campaigns of Abd al-Rahman III
16:44 Danger in the Maghreb: The Founding of the Fatimid Caliphate
23:13 The Last Years of Umar ibn Hafsun
26:29 The Reign of the Sons of Alfonso III of Asturias
32:19 The Verdict: Separating the Political Figure from the Personal One
33:16 Outro

In episode 39, I explain the origins of Catalonia, the end of the Carolingian Empire, and the independence of the counties of the Spanish March. We explore figures such as Count Ramon of Ribagorza and Pallars, Sunyer II of Empúries, and Delà of Girona, and Wifred the Hairy himself, a much-mythologized figure. Here, I attempt to separate fact from fiction. I discuss the succession of Wifred the Hairy without the intervention of the Frankish king.

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Spanish show 'La Historia de España-Memorias Hispánicas': https://www.youtube.com/@lahistoriaespana

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Hook
00:31 When Was Catalonia Born?
04:07 The End of the Carolingian Empire
08:45 The Last Appointed Counts of the Spanish March
11:40 The lesser-known counts: Delà of Girona and Sunyer II of Empúries
14:42 The Independence of the Counties of Ribagorza and Pallars
17:29 The Ecclesiastical Conflict of Esclua
20:27 Wifred the Hairy: Between Myth and History
25:32 The Deeds of Wifred the Hairy's Rule
29:54 The Hereditary Succession of Wifred the Hairy
34:19 The Verdict: The Gray Scale of Independence and Sovereignty
35:56 Outro

The Kingdom of Asturias greatly expanded its borders under King Alfonso III of Asturias (866-910), nicknamed the Great. Episode 38 covers most aspects of his reign and the final years of his father, Ordoño, including the origins of Castile and Portugal as counties, the society of comital Castile, and the tragic story of the end of Alfonso's reign with the revolt of his sons and the division of the Kingdom of Asturias.

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Spotify (video version): https://open.spotify.com/show/2OFZ00DSgMAEle9vngg537
Spanish show 'La Historia de España-Memorias Hispánicas': https://www.youtube.com/@lahistoriaespana

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Hook
00:22 The End of Musa ibn Musa
03:41 The Conditions of Asturian Expansion
06:17 The Birth of the County of Castile
12:24 Settlement and Power in Comital Castile
16:45 Alfonso the Great, King in Asturias
21:03 Expansion on the Western Flank: The Counties of Portugal and Coimbra
24:57 Ibn al-Qitt and the Day of Zamora
29:10 Revolts and Conspiracies. The Division of the Kingdom of Asturias
33:04 The Verdict: Alfonso the Not So Great
34:14 Outro