Granada 1492. The Twilight of Moorish Spain, on the last campaign between Christians and Moors on the Iberian Peninsula has the advantage of a limited period of time with relatively few changes in equipment and organisation. It rolls like a narrative of the campaigns, with good analysis of the strategic considerations on both sides.

The war was pretty one-sided due to the infighting among the Granadese pretenders, although the financial burden of the war would have set limits on the Spanish side had it lasted longer. On the other hand, the quick progress was probably a factor in the ability to gain new loans.

But it was not only the internal strife on the Granadese side that won the Spanish the war. This war was about raid and sieges. And while the Granadese gave as good as they received on the first count, the Spanish enjoyed a marked advantage in the latter department. Although there was some artillery in the forts, the Spanish had more and better. Most sieges against smaller towns were therefore resolved quickly. Only Malaga and Granada could put up prolonged resistance.

Having seen the terrain around Malaga and Ronda, I got the impression that the war in Al-Andalus was a struggle over valleys, with fortification providing control over the areas. This suited the Spanish well as fortifications could be taken at ease most of the time.

Looking at the long term, Granada’s long survival had only been obtained by bending its knees deeply to the Christian kingdoms, war among the Christians and support from North Africa. When these points were resolved in the late 15th century with the unification of Castile and Aragon, and the loss of connections to Muslim rulers across the Straits of Gibraltar, the days of a Muslim state on the Iberian peninsula were numbered.

Like its Osprey companions El Cid and the Reconquista and The Moors this is a well researched book, which draw its strength from David Nicolle´s good knowledge of Arabic sources and the beautiful paintings of Angus McBride. But there´s also a broad variety of photographs and maps that add to the text without overlap between the books.

good

moral value: umat muslim musti rukun bila menghadapi musuh yang sama.

Like all of the titles in the Osprey military campaign series, this edition is handsomely illustrated with photographs, paintings, and maps taking up perhaps half of the book. As such, it is a fairly quick read and will appeal to those wanting a good introduction to this decade-long war at the end of the 15th Century. Nicolle is a prolific author and has penned dozens of books on the Crusades and various military campaigns during the Middle Ages and beyond. As would be expected of a series focused on military campaigns, the bulk of the book is devoted to the campaign itself (around 46 of the 96 pages), with further introductory chapters on the origins of the conflict and the opposing commanders, forces and plans. Brief sections at the end entitled "Aftermath and reckoning" and "The battlefields today" seem simply tacked-on to round things off; a chronology, war gaming the fall of Granada and further reading sections are also included. If you are a military historian or enthusiast, this book probably does the job. For International Baccalaureate Diploma History teachers or students looking at the case study on the final stages of Muslim rule in Spain for Paper 1 in the current syllabus, however, it does not provide sufficient background on the political, social and economic context of Iberia and Al-Andalus in the late 15th Century, nor does it give enough information of the impact of the Catholic victory, the Spanish Inquisition, and the forced conversions and expulsions of conversos, marranos and mudejars. In summary, this is good for the course of the war (including key events and actors), but other sources needs to be consulted for those interested in understanding the context, motives, and impact of this conquest.

He podido leer la edición en español (2011) de este libro. Como siempre, es un placer meterse de lleno en un libro de Osprey con su detallada y clara exposición de los hechos militares. En este caso, sin embrago, creo que hubiese sido una buena opción dedicar más espacio a lo extramilitar al tratarse de una campaña muy extendida geográficamente y temporalmente: todo el Reino de Granada y su frontera durante la friolera de 11 años.

Esta versión tiene algunos fallos de edición. Aunque la mayoría son errores tipográficos y gramaticales hay alguno gordo como un mapa en la que la leyenda está al revés de lo descrito en el mapa. Afortunadamente solo pasa una vez. Otro punto flaco serían las fotos que muchas veces no tienen mucha calidad aunque es perdonable porque muchas son fotos hechas por el propio autor (hay una graciosísima donde sale una única mujer nítida en primer plano y en el centro de la composición) y aunque esta edición sea de 2011 el original es de los 90. Este percance se ve equilibrado por las siempre características ilustraciones de Angus McBride.

buku tipis tapi padat berisi dan tak jarang bikin mandek baca (ya ini sih faktor a yaa-- akunya yang cetek). layout bukunya cukup nggak membebani karena bentukannya kayak majalah. ada gambar-gambar dan skema perang juga (tapi buatku malah ribeut bacanya). it's not my cup of tea, but i enjoyed reading it.

219th - 2011

"Sedih" ... membaca buku ini, sedih hati tak terperi,...
Kejayaan Islam di Eropa khusus nya Spanyol, tak tersisa lagi jadi "Nol"
Masjid-masjid dihancurkan atau pun dijadikan Gereja, muslim yang tersisa dipaksa murtad, diusir atau dibunuh ...
Sedih.. sedih.. sedih.. namun itu menjadi suatu pelajaran bagi Muslim di seluruh dunia, bahwa kita musti rukun dan bersatu bila menghadapi musuh yang sama ...

A good overview of the last campaign to drive out the Muslims from Spain (rapidly followed by kicking out the Jews, and invading the Western Hemisphere).