OR, THE SIEGE OF GRANADA
First published in 1838, this novel is set during the Middle Ages, at the end of the Granada War that occurred between 1482 and 1492. The conflict was part of a much longer, centuries spanning struggle, between the Moors and various Christian Kingdoms of Europe. The Granada War was a series of battles and military campaigns between the Spanish monarchs Isabelle I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, and the Abu’ Abdallah Muhammad XII from the Nasrid dynasty’s Emirate of Granada. The unification of the two Christian kingdoms, in contrast to the internal frictions and divides that characterised the situation of their opponents, greatly helped to strengthen their position and bolster their chances of victory. The Emirate of Granada was the only Muslim territory still held in Iberia, otherwise known as An-Andalus, by the time of the war and thus represented the final throes of a dying power in the area.
The aftermath defeat of the Nasrid dynasty was significant in a few respects, one of which was that the previous religious tolerance in the area was no longer continued. The peace treaty initially allowed Muslims to retain their faith and have the freedom to travel. However, as time progressed Castile began to impose stricter measures, causing a Muslim revolt and resulting in the royal decree in 1501, which stated Muslims were either to convert to Christianity or be exiled. In 1492 the Alhambra Decree was passed; it was an edict of expulsion for the Jewish population from the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Bulwer-Lytton attempts to interweave the historical battles with the story of a Jewish master of magic called Almamen and his daughter Leila. The author highlights the impossible position of Jews during this period and the story of the Christianisation of Granada is mirrored by Almamen inadvertently delivering his daughter into the care and authority of the Christian rulers.