Resumen de Was the Christian conquest of al-Andalus irreversible?
The consideration of the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa as a turning point in history must necessarily be contemplated within the larger framework of the incapacity shown by Andalusi society to oppose the conquering dynamics manifested by the Iberian feudal aristocracies and monarchies since the conquest of Toledo (1085). This is a crucial matter that cannot be seen in isolation from the wider context of the expansion of Latin Christendom. In this regard, the present article suggests a comparison between the disparate fortunes of the Iberian kingdoms and the Latin principalities in the East through the critical assessment of three factors: (i) dissemination of, and role played by the ideology of jihād as a response against the Christian pressure, (ii) the emergence of professional military castes in the Muslim East, capable of confronting the powerful Frankish cavalry, and (iii) the characteristics of the colonization of conquered territory. This kind of analysis proves that the result of the battle was irrelevant in the general context of Christian expansion, as was the case with the previous Muslim victories at Zallāqa and Alarcos.
