Infante don Fernando de Bugía, vassal of the emperor

Abstract

On January 5th 1510, Pedro Navarro, Count of Olivetto, conquered Bugía, in North Africa, taking advantage of the squabblings for the succession of King Abdulaziz. At the time, the kingdom was embroiled in internal quarrels between the deceased king’s son, Moulay Abdállah, and his uncle Abd-Er-Rahman. The Catholic Kings’ policy fostered a friendly relationship with the former and the enmity of the latter, drawing support of one of the sides in their territorial settlement strategy. In later years, it was easy for the Spanish to conquer the remaining territories, with both emirs eventually becoming Christians and moving to the peninsula with the same name of don Hernando, infante of Buxía. This work analyses the lives of both rulers who ended their lives as Christians, as well as the lives of their descendants. This is further proof of the Spanish assimilation policy towards Muslim rulers.