Moors And The Aztecs Essay

The Downfall of the Moors and the Aztecs In what are commonly regarded as two of the greatest conquests in early history, the Moors of Spain and the Aztec Empire were both dethroned by invading empires. The Moors by the White armies of the Goths and later the Spanish looking for revenge, and the Aztecs by the Spanish themselves, in search of riches in the new world. What began in 711 A.D. and lasted for over seven centuries can be described as the largest race war in history. The Moors had overrun Northern Africa up to the Straight of Gibraltar, and lay siege to the Spanish city of Ceuta, which lay on the southern coast of Spain. In less than a year, the Moors had gathered an army and conquered much of Spain. While small Gothic resistance remained, it was centered in the northern quarter of the country. These Spaniards were only able to maintain their sovereignty by a tribute of 100 white virgins per year to the Moorish leaders, with which they did as they pleased. After eighty long years of this, the Goth's finally gained enough strength to break free of their treaty. This was not enough for the Moors however, as they soon began their conquest of France, crossing the Pyrenees in 722 and in 732 launching a massive and brutal attack on Gothic France under the command of Abd arRahman.
Charles mounted one of the most impressive counter-attacks to date, meeting the Moors in southern France and stopping them cold. In a battle that lasted for seven days, Charles the Hammer and his forces were able to dispel the non-whites, sending them into retreat, back south into Spain. The Moors awaited a further push south by the Franks, but it did not come as the gathering of such a large army had exhausted the wealth of the Frankish