SER Historia – "El pacto de Tudmir"

Date: September 11, 2024
Host: SER Podcast
Guest: Manuel Culiáñez (Doctor en Historia Medieval)
Location: Teatro Circo, Orihuela, Alicante

Overview: Main Theme

This episode explores the significance and historical context of the Pacto de Tudmir (Treaty of Tudmir/Teodomiro) signed in 713 AD, shortly after the Muslim conquest of much of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. Through engaging conversation, host and guest delve into the treaty’s origins, implications for Orihuela and its region, and how it shaped local identity and everyday life during and after the early Middle Ages. Special attention is given to how history, through objects, places, and documents, shapes present-day Orihuela.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Historical Backdrop of the Pact

• Fragment from Documentary (00:08): The episode opens with a narrative that recounts how Teodomiro, realizing his forces were insufficient to defend Orihuela, resorted to a strategic display involving women and then negotiated with the Muslim conqueror Abdel Aziz. The resulting treaty was unexpectedly generous toward the locals.
• Manuel Culiáñez contextualizes: The early 8th century was marked by a fragmented Visigothic realm, where local nobles like Teodomiro wielded significant autonomous power, which made the region susceptible to outside conquest (03:34).
• The arrival of the Umayyad Muslim forces was facilitated by Visigothic internal dissensions, enabling rapid expansion into the peninsula.

2. The Terms and Nature of the Treaty (05:30)

• Culiáñez: The Pacto de Tudmir is the earliest recorded act of Islamic law (derecho islámico) in Iberia. It granted local elites, including Teodomiro, religious freedom and privileges in exchange for tribute (in wheat, honey, etc.), and recognized the ongoing presence of servitude and slavery in the social hierarchy.

  "Es el primer acto de derecho islámico en la península ibérica... se respeta la religión y se establece una serie de tributos en trigo, en miel y otra serie de elementos." (05:30)

• Not all cities referenced in the pact are clearly identifiable today, reflecting evolving regional geopolitics.

3. Continuity and Transformation

• Longevity of the Pact: The agreement was respected for decades, allowing the local Christian elite to maintain authority under Muslim rule.
• Over time, powers shifted:
  • As Muslim control consolidated, the process of Islamization deepened (12:15).
  • Murcia supplanted Orihuela as a regional power center as Islamization intensified.
  • By the 10th century, Orihuela was a fully Islamicized city, evidenced by both written and material culture.

4. Comparison with Later Treaties

• Culiáñez draws parallels to the Treaty of Alcaraz (1243), highlighting the pattern of negotiated coexistence (convivencia) between conquerors and locals, which eventually deteriorated into stricter controls and diminished privileges for Christian and later Muslim minorities (07:15, 08:20).

5. Sources, Authenticity, and Challenges (09:28)

• The earliest extant copy of the treaty dates to the 11th century, with four known surviving versions up to the 14th century. Variations exist, but the core principles remain constant.

  "La esencia, la misma. Lo importante del pacto es que... esa es la originalidad del pacto de Teodomiro. En una zona además, donde luego posteriormente se establece lo que llaman las fuentes musulmanas, yundíes, gente de Egipto..." (10:06)

• Muslims who settled the region found the Rio Segura reminiscent of the Nile, facilitating cultural transplantation and agricultural adaptation.

6. Orihuela's Frontier Character

• Orihuela was shaped as a frontier space, often caught between competing powers—Visigothic, Muslim, Castilian, and Aragonese. This layered identity is visible in local toponymy (e.g., “Tudmir” everywhere) and cultural heritage (16:18).

7. Everyday Life, Material Culture, and the Slave Trade

• Material evidence: Archaeological finds such as funerary stelae and municipal clocks tell of Orihuela's economic and cultural vibrancy, especially during the late Middle Ages (19:15, 16:57).
• The region was a nexus for the medieval slave trade—both as captor and captive. Local nobles, farmers, and corsairs alike participated in raiding and ransoming across the Mediterranean and even Europe (14:38, 19:49).

  "Aquí se dedica todo el mundo, desde el conseller...hasta el labrador...a sueldo de una banda de almogávares que va a Granada a cautivar..." (19:49)

8. Memorable Anecdotes: Signals and Cinema

• Medieval Orihuela used smoke signals ("ahumadas" and "alimaras") to warn of approaching raiders, evoking imagery akin to cowboy movies:

  "Pues aquí se hacían igual. Ahumadas, se llamaban ahumadas y alimaras..." (22:44)

• The guest jests about filmmaker Sergio Leone missing a narrative opportunity by not basing his Westerns on Orihuela’s vibrant, action-filled past (23:26).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the value and endurance of treaties:

  "Lo pactado era pactado. El pacto de Teodomiro se mantendría durante años." – Narrator (00:08)

• On coexistence:

  "Los pactos y las conquistas... uno no se levanta visigodo y al día siguiente es musulmán, sino que tiene un proceso de revolución." – Manuel Culiáñez (08:20)

• On documentary challenges:

  "La esencia, la misma. Lo importante del pacto es que... esa es la originalidad del pacto de Teodomiro." – Manuel Culiáñez (10:06)

• On daily life and trade:

  "Es ya una Europa del dinero. Y aquí se ve porque están utilizando a esa serie de personas. Pero cuidado, al revés igual." – Manuel Culiáñez (19:49)

• Cultural cross-pollination:

  "Aquí en Orihuela tenemos un patrimonio medioambiental maravilloso que es el Palmeral, que es un palmeral de origen árabe..." – Manuel Culiáñez (11:20)

• Anecdotal:

  "Sergio Leone se equivocó, tendría que haber venido Orihuela." – Host (23:26)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [00:08] – Dramatic retelling of the negotiation and signing of the Pacto de Tudmir
• [03:34] – Historical situation: Visigothic decentralization, Umayyad conquest
• [05:30] – Analysis of treaty content and its legal/religious framework
• [07:15] – Parallels to later medieval treaties; the process of Islamization and assimilation
• [09:28] – Discussion on the authenticity and preservation of the document
• [12:15] – Social evolution under Islamic rule; material and written evidence
• [14:38] – The medieval slave trade and economic patterns
• [16:57] – Orihuela’s transformation into a key medieval city
• [19:49] – Material culture, lived experience, and the economics of captivity
• [22:44] – Defense mechanisms: medieval smoke signals, popular culture references

Tone and Language

The tone throughout is both scholarly and approachable, blending rigorous historical detail with passionate storytelling and humor—a hallmark of SER Historia. Manuel Culiáñez’s explanations are clear, vivid, and often colored by anecdotes, while the host steers the conversation with curiosity and lightness.

Conclusion

The Pacto de Tudmir emerges as a crucial episode that shaped not just Orihuela’s medieval fate, but also broader patterns of coexistence, negotiation, and cultural transformation in early medieval Spain. Its legacy, visible in both documentation and enduring local traditions, stands as a testament to the pragmatism and adaptability of societies at historical crossroads.