Al-Andalus · 1085-1212

Toledo, Averroes and Maimonides

While kings fought over Spain, knowledge crossed the frontier. Students meet the translators of Toledo, the Muslim philosopher Ibn Rushd and the Jewish scholar Maimonides, both born in Córdoba.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
13–16
On the map
3 steps, AD 1085 to AD 1212
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

While kings fought over Spain, knowledge crossed the frontier. Students meet the translators of Toledo, the Muslim philosopher Ibn Rushd and the Jewish scholar Maimonides, both born in Córdoba.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why Toledo became a center of translation after 1085.
  • Describe the lives and work of Ibn Rushd (Averroes) and Maimonides.
  • Trace on the map how Greek and Arabic learning reached Latin Europe.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1085

Toledo changes hands

Open the map in 1085 and zoom in on central Spain. Toledo fell to Alfonso VI of Castile this year. Find it on the Tagus river. Why was it a key city between north and south?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1150

Two sons of Córdoba

Move to 1150 and turn on the Cities layer. Find Córdoba, the birthplace of both Ibn Rushd and Maimonides. How far is it from Toledo?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1212

A turning point

Move to 1212 and turn on Historical Events. Find the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. Who fought here, and what did the result mean for al-Andalus?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Why did Christian scholars from all over Europe travel to Toledo after 1085?
  2. Ibn Rushd wrote long explanations of Aristotle. Why would a Muslim judge care so much about a Greek philosopher?
  3. Maimonides, a Jewish scholar, wrote his best-known book of philosophy in Arabic. What does that tell us about al-Andalus?
  4. Both Ibn Rushd and Maimonides had to deal with rulers who distrusted them. What risks did scholars face?
  5. Did the translators of Toledo change Europe more than the battles of the Reconquista? Explain your view.
4

Game round

10 min

Play one round of Rule History as Saladin, who ruled Egypt while Maimonides worked as a court doctor in Cairo. Discuss: why did rulers like Saladin welcome doctors and scholars of other faiths at their courts?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.