Between Whipping and Slavery: Double Jeopardy against Mudejar Women in Medieval Spain

Abstract

Medieval Spain was a multicultural and multi-religious society. From the late eleventh to the thirteenth centuries, the Christian kingdoms of Spain embarked on an extensive military campaign which resulted in the conquest of most of the Iberian peninsula, except for the kingdom of Granada, in the southernmost part of Spain. As a consequence of this campaign, the Christian kingdoms acquired large geographical areas. After the territorial expansion, the Christian kingdoms faced the need for the settlement and economic exploitation of the conquered areas. Thus, in a manner similar to the Islamic dhimma, the Christians allowed the conquered Muslims, or Mudejars, to remain in situ to ensure the economic development of the newly acquired territory. In order to avoid religious contamination, however, Mudejars, Christians, and Jews were not supposed to have contact with each other. Consequently, medieval Spain included within its main society alternative societies in which Mudejars and Jews could, at least in theory, practice their religion, own property, and be governed by their own laws and by members of their own community.