The Moor’s Last Stand

Name: The Moor’s Last Stand
Rating: 4.1 (88 reviews)

by Elizabeth Drayson

First published 2017

Amazon

3.9(88)

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.

Historical Periods

Fall of Granada1492 CE Nasrid Emirate of Granada1232–1492 Granada War1482–1492

Genres

Court & Political Fiction

Historical people

Ferdinand II of Aragon1452–1516 Isabella I of Castile1451–1504 Muhammad XII of Granada1459–1533 Abu al-Hasan Ali, Sultan of Granadac. 1436–1485 Muhammad XIII of Granadac. 1440–c. 1494 Aixafl. 1450s–1493