Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain

The golden age of Jewish culture in Spain was a Muslim ruled era of Spain, with the state name of Al-Andalus, lasting 800 years, whose state lasted from 711 to 1492 A.D. This coincides with the Islamic Golden Age within Muslim ruled territories, while Christian Europe experienced the Middle Ages.

Under Muslim rule, Jews were labeled as "dhimmi", a term which literally means "protected people". This second-class citizen status afforded them limited religious freedom, certain measures of protection, exclusion from military service, and some but not all rights. Jews were variously persecuted and tolerated in the history of Muslim-ruled Spain, depending on the time period and locality. Despite frequent Muslim hostility, Jewish religious, cultural, and economic life persevered and often flourished in what has sometimes been labeled a "Golden Age".

The nature and length of this "Golden Age" has been debated, as there were at least three periods during which non-Muslims were oppressed. A few scholars give the start of the Golden Age as 711–718, the Muslim conquest of Iberia. Others date it from 912, during the rule of Abd al-Rahman III. The end of the age is variously given as 1031, when the Caliphate of Córdoba ended; 1066, the date of the Granada massacre; 1090, when the Almoravids invaded; or the mid-12th century, when the Almohads invaded.