711: Ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam on Julian’s Collaboration with the Muslims during their Invasion of the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

This article deals with an early Arabic-Islamic description of the Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 711. It focuses on a narrative relating to a certain Visigoth named Julian, whose historical existence cannot be proven with any degree of certainty. The primary source presents his desire for revenge against the Visigoth king, Roderic, as the decisive factor in the invasion’s success. This explanation is contrasted with other Arabic-Islamic and Latin-Christian attempts to explain the Muslim conquest.