The Moor’s Last Stand

The Moor’s Last Stand recounts the life of Muhammad XII of Granada, known in Spanish tradition as Boabdil, during the dynastic civil war and the Catholic Monarchs’ final campaign against the Nasrid emirate. His struggle involved not only Ferdinand and Isabella but also his father Abu al-Hasan Ali, his uncle al-Zagal, his politically formidable mother Aixa and competing factions within Granada.

Drayson follows Muhammad XII through rebellion, capture, negotiation, divided sovereignty, surrender and exile, placing the famous scenes associated with the fall of Granada against the surviving evidence. The book challenges the image of a cowardly ruler who simply betrayed his kingdom, presenting instead a constrained statesman who used diplomacy to preserve lives and secure terms when continued military resistance offered diminishing prospects.