I have long been wanting to write on the Moors. Most people have heard the word "Moor" and some relate it to character created by William Shakespeare in his play Othello. Who were the Moors? The Moors were Muslim tribesmen who hailed from North Africa, though the majority hailed from the area now known as Morocco, hence the name Moors.

The Moors have a special place in History and right from the time of Mohammed (6th century) till Napoleon broke their power in the early 19th century, the Moors have a niche for them in world history. This is a long time period and covers almost 1100 years.

In the late 6th century the Moors invaded Spain. In a series of swift battles, the Christians were defeated and the entire Iberian peninsula was captured by the Muslim Moors. They were fanatical fighters  and one must give them due credit as soldiers.  They claimed they were the soldiers of "allah" and this fanatical zeal took them from victory to victory. Earlier the army of Mohammed had conquered the entire North Africa.  At the end of 6th century the Moors crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and conquered Iberia (now Spain). Perhaps readers will be surprised to know that the Moors ruled Iberia for 800 years. It is the longest reigning empire in world history. One can examine in contrast that the British empire lasted 250 years and the Spanish empire 300 years.

In 1490, the Christians rallied and drove the Moors out of Spain.  To eradicate remnants of Islam and reconvert the populace back to Christianity, the Inquisition was imposed and in a 100 years Iberia became Christian again.  The Christian army however could not proceed to North Africa. Perhaps they attempted, but were defeated.

The Moors now took to piracy and are known as the Corsairs. They were the most dreaded of pirates and they ruled the Mediterranean  Sea. For the next 315 years, the Moors kidnapped Christians from Europe and either made them work as slaves on galleys and ships or the women were incorporated into Muslims harems. The slave trade is one of the facts of history. The Moors captured thousands of girls from Ukraine and they were taken to the harems of the Caliphs and the nobles. This is one of the reasons that the Muslims are not liked in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

The Corsairs also captured rich noblemen and leaders of the Christian world and held them for ransom. This was lucrative business and perhaps not many know that King Richard was also kidnapped by the Corsairs and released only when a ransom was paid for him. King Richard had proceeded to fight the Muslims in the wars of the Crusades. 

The Corsairs now ruled the roost and many government paid them a tribute to let their ships sail unharmed and free. The British paid them tribute and the pirates spared ships flying the British flag. The Moorish power was now at its zenith. They raided the coasts of Europe and villages alongside and captured both slaves and women.

The man who broke the power of the Corsairs was Napoleon. Once he seized power in France he also occupied Libya and Egypt. The Mediterranean Sea became a French controlled area and in a series of engagements the Corsairs were wiped out. By 1812, the power of the Corsairs was broken. It must be mentioned  that the Corsairs were greatly encouraged by the Ottoman empire which itself suffered a great naval defeat at the hands of the  European powers in the mid 19th century. 

The rise of the Moors and the Corsairs and their ultimate defeat is a lesson for the India and the Hindus. It must be remembered that nothing is won by chanting "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" but an iron will and brute force. The Indian leadership must realize this.