Andalusian Diplomatic Relations with Western Europe

This book is a study of an aspect of Andalusian diplomatic relations with Europe hitherto unexamined in any depth. It is a thorough and detailed study of Andalusian diplomacy during the early years of Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula. It deals mainly with the nature of diplomatic relations between Andalusia and Western Europe during the Umayyad period, concentrating on the historical aspect rather than on the protocol of diplomacy. In addition to this, it describes the manner and method of conducting the business of political negotiations, and shows that the traditions of diplomacy developed by the Muslims in Europe reached a very high level of sophistication. This book represents the published version of Dr. El-Hajji’s PhD thesis at Cambridge University.