l that
time, had continued to be but little known to the Christians of the
Continent.

These states were divided between several sovereigns, the principal of
whom was Benhoud, a descendant of the ancient kings of Saragossa, a
sagacious monarch and a great commander, who by his genius and courage
had obtained dominion over all the southeastern part of Spain. Next to
Benhoud in rank, the most important of these Mohammedan princes were
the kings of Seville and Valentia. The barbarian who reigned at
Majorca was a mere piratical chief, whose enmity was formidable only to
the inhabitants of the neighbouring coast of Catalonia.

Such was the condition of Moorish Spain, {111} when two young heroes
seated themselves, nearly at the same time, on the thrones of the two
principal Christian states; and, after having allayed the commotions
created during the period of their minority, directed their
concentrated efforts against the Mussulmans, A.D. 1224, Heg. 621.

These princes, who were mutually desirous to emulate each other in
fame, but were never rivals in interest, both consecrated their lives
to the extirpation of the inflexible enemies of their native land. One
of these sovereigns was Jacques I., king of Aragon (a son of the Peter
of Aragon who distinguished himself on the field of Toloza), who united
to the courage, grace, and energy of his father, a greater degree of
genius and success than fell to the lot of that sovereign. The other
was Ferdinand III., king of Castile and Leon, a discerning, courageous,
and enterprising monarch, whom the Romish Church has numbered with its
saints, and history ranks among its great men.

This prince was the nephew of Blanche of Castile, queen of France, and
cousin-german of St. Lewis,[8] whom he nearly resembled in his {112}
piety, his bravery, and the wise laws he framed for the benefit of his
subjects.

Ferdinand carried his arms first into Andalusia. When he entered the
territories of the infidels, he received the homage of several Moorish
princes, who came to acknowledge themselves his vassals. As he
proceeded, he seized upon a great number of places, and, among others,
the town of Alhambra, whose frightened inhabitants retired to Grenada,
and established themselves in a portion of that city, which thus
obtained the name by which it was afterward so much celebrated.

Jacques of Aragon, on his part, set sail with an army for the Balearic
Isles. Though impeded in his progres