Sara al-Qutiyya

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Sara al-Qutiyya (

Arabic: سارة القوطية; Spanish: Sara la Goda) or Sara the Goth (fl. 8th century) was a Visigothic noblewoman, who was the grand-daughter of king Wittiza. After the death of her father she travelled to Damascus from al-Andalus and successfully petitioned the Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik to restore lands to her family that had been appropriated by her uncle. The historian Ibn al-Qutiyya
was her great-grandson.

Biography

Sara al-Qutiyya was born to a noble family; her father was Olmund [ca], a son of Wittiza the Visigothic king.[1] When he died, Sara, along with her two younger brothers, inherited the family's lands around Seville. However, Olmund's brother, Artobas, who had inherited land-holdings in Cordoba, appropriated Sara and her brother's inheritance.[2]

In order to challenge the occupation of her inherited lands in the Seville region, Sara al-Qutiyya had a ship constructed and travelled with her brothers to Damascus to petition the caliph, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik.[1] As a result of her petition, orders were sent to the governor of Al-Andalus, Abu'l-Khattar al-Husam ibn Darar al-Kalbi, to reinstate their Seville land-holdings to her and her brothers.[2]

Whilst at court, Sara met the future

Lakhmid dynasty. They had a son called Habib, whose son, Ibrahim bin Hajjaj al-Lakhmi, later became governor of Seville.[2]

Legacy

Sara al-Qutiyya's sons established several significant dynasties in the generations after her death.[4] The historian Ibn al-Qutiyya was one of her descendants, writing a history of the Umayyad caliphate and including his great-grandmother's life in it.[5][6][7][8]

In 2018, the Spanish-language broadcaster RTVE recorded a documentary on her.[9]

Historiography

The story of Sara al-Qutiyya appears in the History of the Conquest of al-Andalus by

Islamization of the Christian Visigothic elite of Al-Andalus.[11][12] However the medievalist Roger Collins regards Sara as a "mythical ancestor" rather than a historical individual.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c Aparicio, Javier Iglesia (21 January 2019). "Sara al-Qutiyya, la Goda". Historia del Condado de Castilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  2. ^
    JSTOR 20840132
    .
  3. ISBN 978-84-9761-153-4
    .
  4. ISBN 978-9968-936-96-5
    .
  5. ^ Córdoba, El Día de (29 August 2010). "El tataranieto de Sara La Goda, cronista y defensor de los omeyas". El Día de Córdoba (in European Spanish). Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  6. ISBN 978-84-95073-16-7
    .
  7. ISBN 978-84-362-7634-3
    .
  8. ISBN 978-84-321-5269-6
    .
  9. ^ "Sara al-Qutiyya (Sara la Goda) - Ángeles Caso - "Mujeres"". RTVE.es (in Spanish). 27 March 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  10. ISBN 9781136127380
    .
  11. ISBN 978-0-313-29481-5
    .
  12. ISBN 978-1-317-17950-4
    .
  13. ISBN 9780631181842
    .
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