REVERTER ET SON FILS, DEUX OFFICIERS CATALANS AU SERVICE DES SULTANS DE MARRAKECH

AbstractSome individuals who decided or had to move from Christian Spain to Muslim Maghrib during the Middle Ages succeeded in having a second start in their new country, whether they converted to Islam or not. As most of these men were soldiers, this study recalls first how Moroccan sovereigns got into the habit of recruiting Christian militia as a kind of personal bodyguard, then it focuses on the careers of Reverter and his son 'Alī. The former was a senior officer of Catalan origin, and he reached a high rank in the Almoravid army, although preserving his Christian faith. The latter, who converted to Islam, loyally served under the Almohad sultan, while never forgetting his roots, as it would seem from his attitude towards the Christian renegades and captives he cooperated with during a mission in Majorca.