Parias

For the son of Philomelus in Greek mythology, see Parias (mythology).

Map (in Spanish) of the taifa kingdoms and the Christians states at the time of the breakup of the Caliphate (1031).

In medieval Spain, parias (from medieval Latin pariāre, "to make equal [an account]", i.e. pay)[1] were a form of tribute paid by the taifas of al-Andalus to the Christian kingdoms of the north.[2] Parias dominated relations between the Islamic and the Christian states in the years following the disintegration of the Caliphate of Córdoba (1031) until the reunification of Islamic Spain under the Almoravid dynasty (beginning in 1086).[3] The parias were a form of protection money established by treaty. The payee owed the tributary military protection against foes both Islamic and Christian. Usually the original exaction was forced, either by a large razzia or the threat of one, or as the cost of supporting one Islamic party against another.[4] (The word "taifa" means "party [kingdom]" and refers to the prevalence of factionalism in Islamic Spain during the taifas era.)[5]

  1. ^ "parias." Diccionario de la Lengua Española, 22nd ed. (online).
  2. ^ According to Catlos, 83, Arabic authors referred to the parias as a jizya, the equivalent of the Islamic head tax on non-believers.
  3. ^ Fletcher, 7–8.
  4. ^ Reilly, 9.
  5. ^ "Taifa." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. From Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 8 August 2009.