Negotiating exile. An unpublished Arabic letter of Boabdil before his departure (1493)

Abstract

The article analyzes, edits, and translates an Arabic document from 1493 sent by the last Nasrid emir, Muḥammad XI (Boabdil), to the Catholic Monarchs from Andarax, in which he negotiated his departure from the Iberian Peninsula. The document’s purpose was to inform the monarchs of the authority granted to Abū l-Qāsim al-Mulīh to act as his representative before them and to seek confirmation of the agreement regarding his departure that had been previously negotiated in Granada. The study provides the historical and chancery context of the 1493 capitulations, an analysis of the letter within the framework of official epistolary literature, and a linguistic examination of the text. The edition, translation, and commentary are carried out with reference to official Nasrid letters, particularly those associated with Boabdil. The document proves especially valuable for its originality, as it offers a rare glimpse of Boabdil’s own voice in the negotiations over his exile. Its content preserves official formulas of authority, yet without the emir’s formal autograph (ʻalāma), since he was no longer sovereign, nor even the reduced personal autograph limited to his name. The text also displays Andalusi dialectal features, despite the refined chancery style of the scribe, reflecting Boabdil’s reliance on secretaries who had served during the Nasrid period. At the same time, it incorporates formulas typical of late fifteenth-century official correspondence.