Ingratitude Was the Reward of This Man Who Conquered Spain, and Died a Beggar
Tariq ibn Ziyad eventually fought a Visigoth army about three times bigger than his own, at the Battle of Guadalete in 712. He won a complete victory, in which the Visigoth king and much of the Visigoth nobility perished. Tariq then proceeded to capture the Visigoth capital city of Toledo. He then split his small army into smaller divisions, and conducted a lightning campaign against the demoralized Visigoths. It captured many of their major cities, such as Granada, Cordoba, and Guadalajara. Tariq then governed Hispania until the arrival of his master, Musa, a year later. Ingratitude was all he got. Musa was envious of his slave’s accomplishments, and rather than reward him, placed him in chains and had him tortured.
In 714, the Umayyad Caliph summoned Musa and Tariq to his capital, Damascus, to report on the conquest and address accusations of corruption. At the Caliph’s court, Musa sought to claim the lion’s share of the credit for the conquest. Tariq, however, refuted his master’s claims with evidence that Musa was in North Africa while Tariq was defeating and conquering the Visigoths. Discredited, Musa was convicted of corruption and imprisoned. Tariq avoided prison, but was stripped of all titles and ranks. Despite the immense riches his conquest had gained for the Umayyad Caliphate, Tariq died in dire poverty – reportedly reduced to begging for alms outside mosques.
