i8 GRANADA 



Christians with severe loss. The King of Aragon 

 narrowly escaped with his life, and was compelled 

 to beat a retreat. Abu-1-Hassan swept the 

 country as far as the Rio Frio. 



Such a success, if it had been followed up, might 

 have turned the scale in favour of the Moors. 

 But at Granada, treason always followed closely 

 on the heels of victory. Years before, a beautiful 

 Christian captive, Doiia Isabel de Solis, daughter 

 of the Governor of Martos, had been added to the 

 Sultan's harem. Under the name of Zoraya, 

 in the course of time, she bore him a son, Abu 

 Abdullah, and rose to the rank of favourite 

 Sultana.* Now, jealous, it is said, of a Greek 

 slave, or perhaps antagonised by the first Sultana, 

 Ayesha, she fomented a conspiracy against her 

 aged lord, and was imprisoned with her son in 

 theAlhambra. Thence they contrived to escape, 

 and, exciting the populace in their favour, obliged 

 Abu-1-Hassan to seek refuge at Malaga. Abu 

 Abdullah, better known as Boabdil, or el Chico 

 (the little), reigned in his stead, but Baza, Guadix, 

 and other eastern towns remained faithful to their 

 old allegiance. 



These dissensions among the Moors, though 

 ultimately benefiting the Spaniards, contributed 



* I adopt Mr. U. R. Burke's statement of the relationship 

 between Abu-1-Hassan, Zoraya, and Boabdil. (Burke, " His- 

 tory of Spain," II. p. 98.) 



