The Visigoths were forced to surrender by Muslim governor, Mūsā, and his general Tāriq. Both were overseeing different geographical regions that the Islamic people were occupying, but when there was an opportunity to take over the Visigothic territory, they both met in the Iberian Peninsula to take it over. Tāriq took over the Visigoths capital at Toledo, while Mūsā took reinforcements and weakened the main Visigoth power. After this, they went to Toledo where the Visigothic Kingdom was forced to submit or flee. Abd al-Aziz, Mūsā’s son, was ordered to govern the new Al-Andalus rule. However, Abd al-Aziz was soon murdered and new governors were appointed. This newly founded Islamic Spain was ultimately under the control of the Umayyad caliphate, the governmental, spiritual, and military leaders of the Muslim nation. The place of Muslim occupation in Spain was named Al-Andalus, and their capital, by 716, was Córdoba. Their ruling men were referred to as governors and were appointed either by the governor in North Africa or caliph of Damascus. A year or two was usually the extent of the appointed governors’ rule. 

    In 756, a Umayyad prince, Abd al-Rahman I took over and made the territory an independent kingdom. Still, the most important thing to remember when looking at the Al-Andalus is that Muslim kingdoms functioned based off of religious principles. The line between secular law and religious law is even more blurred than that of Roman Catholic societies. As explained by Joseph O’Callaghan, “Islam was a community of believers governed by the laws of Allah, administered by the prophet, Muhammad, and his successors, the caliphs” (138). Abd al-Rahman did not acknowledge the eastern caliphate, and orchestrated a kingdom where he was acknowledged as the heir of Muhammad. Although it was not until Abd al-Rahman III that the king took the official title of caliphate in 929. By this action, sovereignty of the kings was reinforced. The kingship was hereditary, but he could appoint relative he pleased to be his successor. The law that ruled the people was primarily Koran, and living life against God was not tolerated. People were expected to follow traditions, behavior, and observances that were within their holy book. Individuals called jurists dealt with how apply principles of the Koran; however, the caliph was the ultimate juror. It is no surprise that they were at constant war with surrounding Catholic nations, and surrounding Catholic nations were at war with them. 

    Each king kept an administration and next in command to the king was the “doorkeeper” who overarched the entire civil administration and was at the right hand of the king or caliph. Under him there were individuals who handled the finances of the government, the law or injustices of the subjects, and concerned themselves with the boarder territory and those living there. Close to the king and elites were the house slave and workers. The kingdom was split in five areas and 21 provinces. Agriculture was the foundation of the economy for this kingdom as well as they produced plants such as weather and barley. 

    After a series of exchanges of power and the uprising of the Barbers the kingdom fell in the early 11th century. The Al-Andalus having ruled in what is now modern day Spain finds its influence in the world today in the fact that they brought Islamic peoples and their influence directly into Europe.