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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Al-Tābisī and His Descendants: The Failed Integration of a Military Andalusi Family into the Christian Society of the Kingdom of Valencia (1238–1283)

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Although the life of al-Tābisi is shrouded in mystery, the evidence suggests that he was the descendant of one of the Andalusi military lineages that abandoned the Lower Ebro after the Catalonian occupation in the mid-twelfth century. During the Conquest of Valencia, al-Tābisi collaborated with the King of Aragon (probably as a member of the entourage of the sayyid Abū Zayd), with whom he participated in the siege of the city of Valencia (1238) and the subsequent war against al-Azraq (1258). His services were rewarded with land in the Huerta of Valencia, as well as several castles in the southern frontier of the kingdom. His descendants converted to Christianity, preserving references to their Andalusi origin in their onomastics; however, their attempts at integrating into Christian society failed dramatically.