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Golden Age Research Paper

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In the 19th Century, The Jews Muslims and Christians living in Spain experienced a golden age. The golden age was a time of great peace and prosperity among the nations due to the Muslim’s acceptance, accommodation and peaceful relations with the Jews and Christians. This golden age began when the Muslims began conquering the Iberian Peninsula in 711. When Islam was first founded, it was only practiced within the borders of Arabia(modern day Saudi Arabia). However, the Muslims began converting large numbers of indigenous tribes, who resided across North Africa as well as in Asia, and in this way, Islam started to spread. The people of these indigenous tribes were known as pagans, someone who is not a Muslim, Christian nor a Jew. The Pagans …show more content…

For the first time since their exile from Jerusalem in the year 70CE, they had the opportunity to participate fully in society. The Muslims were tolerant rulers who wanted all their citizens, whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian to participate in the life of the new commonwealth they had founded. In wake of the new tolerant Muslim leaders, a “golden age” of Jewish immigration dawned in Al-Andalus. Middle Eastern as well as North African Jewish immigrants poured into Al-Andals by the thousands. At the Jewish population’s peak in the 10th century, Al-Andalus was by far the largest Jewish centre in all of Europe. Jews were very well integrated and had phenomenal access to the highest levels of power. The Jews were especially well integrated into economic and social life, regularly doing business and interacting with Muslims. Society was very open and Muslims rulers were not threatened by the minorities and were accommodating. Al-Andalus, once a mere outpost of the Islamic kingdom becomes a bustling centre of European trade. Viking ships from the North sea as well as merchants from the Islamic capital of Baghdad bring an influx of goods to Al-Andalus. The Jewish merchants brought treasures from far and wide and the honesty of the Muslims helped to regulate the market. This example demonstrates how coexistence lead to extremely notable achievements. Within 1 century, the Muslims and Jews built a civilization that exceeded every other European country. By the 8th century’s end, the land was the most productive, populated and diverse in all of Europe, staying so for many centuries. During this prosperous period, Al-Andalus was exporting and importing more than double the amount of goods than its neighbors. Trade with other European countries was unmatched and by the 11th century more than 40% of Europe’s freight was being produced in

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