Alhamar established his court in Granada; he was the first of the
illustrious line of Nasar that sat upon a throne. He took immediate
measures to put his little kingdom in a posture of defence against the
assaults to be expected from his Christian neighbors, repairing and
strengthening the frontier posts and fortifying the capital. Not
content with the provisions of the Moslem law, by which every man is
made a soldier, he raised a regular army to garrison his strong-holds,
allowing every soldier stationed on the frontier a portion of land for
the support of himself, his horse, and his family; thus interesting
him in the defence of the soil in which he had a property. These
wise precautions were justified by events. The Christians, profiting
by the dismemberment of the Moslem power, were rapidly regaining their
ancient territories. James the Conqueror had subjected all Valencia,
and Ferdinand the Saint sat down in person before Jaen, the bulwark of
Granada. Alhamar ventured to oppose him in open field, but met with
a signal defeat, and retired discomfited to his capital. Jaen still
held out, and kept the enemy at bay during an entire winter, but
Ferdinand swore not to raise his camp until he had gained possession
of the place. Alhamar found it impossible to throw reinforcements into
the besieged city; he saw that its fall must be followed by the
investment of his capital, and was conscious of the insufficiency of
his means to cope with the potent sovereign of Castile.
Pages:
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96