The Treaty of Granada (1491 A.D / 897 AH) and the Question of Legal Deception: A Historical-Legal Analysis

Abstract

The surrender of Granada to the Spanish Catholic Monarchs (Ferdinand and Isabella) was not an event that would go unrecorded in the annals of history. The fall of Granada and the defeat of its leader, Abu Abdullah al-Saghir (Boabdil), did not mark the end of efforts to defend the last stronghold of Islam in Al-Andalus. This study examines the attempts by Granada’s last king, Abu Abdullah al-Saghir, to secure written guarantees from the Catholic Monarchs to ensure the survival of Muslims in Spain, allowing them to retain their property, lives, and religion without persecution or harassment. This episode represents the final chapter in the resistance against the sweeping Christian offensive that overran Islamic cities in Spain one after another, culminating in the subjugation of the last bastion: Granada. Consequently, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella signed the famous Treaty of Granada with King Abu Abdullah al-Saghir on 12 Muharram 897 AH (November 25, 1491 A.D).

Additionally, the study addresses the fate of King Abdullah al-Saghir, who left the destiny of Muslims in the hands of the Catholic armies, supported by the Pope. Muslims were forced to sell their properties at a paltry price and were expelled to Morocco. As for the remaining Muslims in Granada, they lived under the weight of cruelty and oppression by the Spanish under Ferdinand and Isabella. In 1501, the monarchs issued a royal decree mandating the forced conversion of Muslims to Christianity, alongside campaigns to eliminate the remnants of Islam in Spain by killing Muslims and their scholars and burning their books.