The tribute of 100 virgins () is a Spanish

national myth A national myth is an inspiring narrative or anecdote about a nation's past. Such myths often serve as important national symbols and affirm a set of national values. A myth is entirely ficticious but it is often mixture with aspects of histori ...

as part of the ''

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

'' ideology. The legend rests on a narrative of annual

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state con ...

of one hundred

virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

maidens paid by the Christian

kingdom of Asturias The Kingdom of Asturias was a kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula founded by the nobleman Pelagius who traditionally has been described as being of Visigothic stock. Modern research is leaning towards the view that Pelagius was of Hispano-Roman ...

to the Muslim

emirate of Córdoba An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...

. The narrative also suggests that fifty were to be of noble birth and fifty commoners. The myth of tribute has been described "historically apocryphal but ideologically accurate" because it played important propaganda role in the formation and affirmation of the ''Reconquista'' ideology in the later

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, and it still figures prominently to this day in Spanish national cultural memory.

Myth's origin

The political and military frontier on the Iberian Peninsula of the time, dividing different religio-ethnic communities, was porous, among other, for inter-faith marriages and the political alliances. However, practices such as Mauregato's, who forged amicable relationships with the Moors, and who allowed intermarriages between the Moors and the Asturias, where these exogamous marriages served to create a "network of social affection" among different kinships, despite being in line with "fundamental role" of contemporary in the medieval world as "peaceweaving instruments" and Christian ideology, was never accepted by the Church. Thus, the origin of the myth of tribute is placed in the reign of Mauregatus the Usurper (783–789), who, according to a narrative, have usurped the throne rightfully belonging to his nephew

Alfonso II of Asturias Alfonso II of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias (842), nicknamed the Chaste (), was the king of Asturias during two different periods: first in the year 783 and later from 791 until his death in 842. Upon his death, Nepotian of Asturias, Nepotian ...

by using magic and by allying himself with the

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

. The legend does not appear until after the fabrication of the '' Privilegio del voto'' around 1150. This text, which describes the mythical

Battle of Clavijo A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

in 834, where Saint James saved the Asturians, claims that as a result the Spaniards owed annual tribute to the cathedral of Saint James in Compostela. Though propagation of the legend was not limited to chronicles,

Lucas of Tuy Lucas de Tui (or O Tudense) (died 1249) was a Kingdom of León, Leonese cleric and intellectual, remembered best as a historian. He was Bishop of Tui, Galicia, Tuy from 1239 until his death. Born in León, León, León, Lucas was a Canon (priest), ...

, writing in 1236 described how Mauregatus "gave many high-born and also low-born maidens o the Saracensin marriage due to an agreement with the Saracens so that he might be at peace with them," adding a "sinister spin" to the story through subsequent chapters.

Narrative

Basic narrative started evolving around King Mauregatus' amicable relationships with the Moors, who was assassinated by revolting counts Arias and Oveco in 788, in revenge for granting the Moors such a repulsive tribute. His successor, Bermudo I, tried to negotiate for a tribute of money instead. Bermudo was succeeded by Alfonso II, nicknamed "the Chaste", who fully rejected the tribute and had to deal with military consequences. He won the

Battle of Lutos The Battle of Lutos occurred in 794 when the Emir of Cordoba, Hisham I of Córdoba, Hisham I sent military incursions against the Kingdom of Asturias under the command of the brothers Abd al-Karim ibn Abd al-Walid ibn Mugaith and Abd al-Malik ib ...

and killed the Moorish Captain Mugait, thus achieving his goal: no more tribute. The next king, Ramiro I, with the help of

Bernardo del Carpio Bernardo del Carpio (also spelled Bernaldo del Carpio) is a legendary hero of the medieval Spain. Until the end of the nineteenth century and the labors of Ramón Menéndez Pidal, he, not El Cid, was considered to have been the chief hero of mediev ...

defeated the Moors at the (fictitious)

. The Moorish rulers were reportedly scared, by the growing military strength of the northern Christians, into giving up demands for the tribute.

Analysis

There is an implicit attack on the licentiousness of the Moors in this myth, specifically in that what is being demanded was ''virgins''. The Moors' sexual libertinism, or alleged sexual libertinism, was a key thread in Christian attacks on it and in motivation for the ''Reconquista''. One of Abd al-Rahman's successors,

Abd al-Rahman II Abd ar-Rahman II (; 792–852) was the fourth ''Umayyad'' Emir of Córdoba in al-Andalus from 822 until his death in 852. A vigorous and effective frontier warrior, he was also well known as a patron of the arts. Abd ar-Rahman was born in Toledo ...

, was rumored to have limited his sexual partners to virgins, i.e., he did not make love with the same woman twice, presumably because he preferred the variety. (See :es:Abderramán II#Familia e hijos.) The legend of the tribute of the 100 virgins did not begin during the reign of

Abd al-Rahman I Abd al-Rahman ibn Mu'awiya ibn Hisham (; 7 March 731 – 30 September 788), commonly known as Abd al-Rahman I, was the founder and first emir of the Emirate of Córdoba, ruling from 756 to 788. He established the Umayyad dynasty in al-Andalus, ...

, but much later.

References

{{Reflist Kingdom of Asturias Reconquista Crusades Spanish legends Origin myths Propaganda legends National mysticism Revenge Martyrdom Mythography Historiography of Spain Religious nationalism Spanish nationalism Spanish traditions Spanish folklore Christianity and Islam Slavery in al-Andalus

Myth's origin

Narrative

Analysis

See also

References