Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Islands too, especially as Mallorca continued to be a major source of piracy that seriously
hindered Christian sea trade.
Jewish cartographers, led by the Mallorquin Cresques family, achieved the height of
fame for their extraordinary maps, which were used by adventurers from all over
Europe. Abraham Cresques (c 1325-87) and his son Jafuda (c 1350-1410) created one
of the best-known such maps in 1375 (now in the national library in Paris).
El Conqueridor
On 5 September 1229, 155 vessels bearing 1500 knights on horseback and 15,000 in-
fantry weighed anchor in the Catalan ports of Barcelona, Tarragona and Salou and set
sail for Mallorca. Jaume I (1208-76), the energetic 21-year-old king of Aragón and Cata-
lonia, vowed to take the Balearic Islands and end Muslim piracy in the process. Jaume I,
later dubbed El Conqueridor (The Conqueror), landed at Santa Ponça and, after two swift
skirmishes, marched on Medina Mayurka, to which he laid siege. Finally, on 31 Decem-
ber, Christian troops breached the defences and poured into the city, pillaging merci-
lessly. In the following months, Jaume I pursued enemy troops across the island but res-
istance was feeble.
With the conquest of Mallorca complete, Jaume I proceeded to divide it up among his
lieutenants and allies. The Arab
alqueries, rafals
(hamlets) and villages were handed
over to their new
senyors
(masters). Many changed name but a good number retained
their Arab nomenclature. Places beginning with Bini (Sons of) are Arab hangovers.
Many took on the names of their new lord, preceded by the possessive particle
son
or
sa
(loosely translated as 'that which is of…'). Jaume I codified this division of the spoils in
his
Llibre del Repartiment
.
Among Jaume's early priorities was a rapid program of church- building, Christianisa-
tion of the local populace and the sending of settlers from Catalonia (mostly from around
the city of Girona). For the first century after the conquest, Ciutat (the city) held the bulk
of the island's population. The Part Forana ('Part Outside' Ciutat) was divided into 14
districts but all power in Mallorca was concentrated in Ciutat. Beneath the king, day-to-
day government was carried out by six
jurats
(magistrates).
The Christian Catalan settlers basically imposed their religion, tongue and customs on
the island and the bulk of the Muslim population was reduced to slavery. Those that did
not flee or accept this destiny had only one real choice: to renounce Islam. The Jewish
population would also have a roller-coaster time of it.
