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Diari Valencià

The Pact of Tudmir: A Historic Legacy in Orihuela's Culture

The capitulation of the Visigothic nobleman Teodomiro in 713 AD remains a key point for Orihuela's cultural identity and its tourism promotion.

Generic image of an ancient manuscript with calligraphy, in a historic library.
IA

Generic image of an ancient manuscript with calligraphy, in a historic library.

On April 5, 713 AD, the Visigothic nobleman Teodomiro negotiated the capitulation of his province with Abd al-Aziz, a representative of the Umayyad Caliphate, a historical event that still resonates in Orihuela's culture and tourism.

The territorial invasion of the Umayyad Caliphate in the Iberian Peninsula, which began in 711 AD, marked a turning point in history. In this context, in the southeast of the peninsular Levant, a significant peaceful agreement took place. Abd al-Aziz, on behalf of the Caliphate, negotiated the capitulation with the Visigothic nobleman Teodomiro (known as Tudmir in Arabic) in the province with its capital in Aurariola, today's Orihuela, on April 5, 713 AD.
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"In the name of Allah (God), the Clement, the Merciful. Writing (edict) of Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa (son of Musa) ibn Nusair to Tudmir ibn Abdush (Teodomiro, son of the Goths) by virtue of which it is agreed and sworn and promised by Allah (God) and his Prophet that: both he and any of his people will be left in the same state as they are with respect to the free dominion of their goods; they will not be killed or reduced to slavery, nor separated from their children or their wives, they will be allowed the worship of their religion and their churches will not be burned or deprived of their properties. All this provided that he faithfully observes and fulfills everything we agree with him: peace is granted with the capitulation of the cities of Uryula (Orihuela), Baltana, Lakant (Alicante), Mula, Villena, Lawraka (Lorca) and that; he will not give hospitality to those who flee from us, nor to those who are hostile to us, nor will he bother those who are loyal to us or are under our protection, nor will he hide from us any news he has of our enemies; and that he and his people will pay annually each person one denarius, four admuds (measures) of wheat, four of barley, four of wine, four of vinegar, two of honey and two of olive oil; for the servants only one measure. Given in the month of Rayab, year 94 of the Hegira (713 AD). As witnesses, Uzman ibn Abi Abda, Habib ibn Abi Ubaida, Idrís ibn Maisara and Abul Qasim al-Mazáli."

This manuscript, of unique patrimonial value in Hispanic historiography, is preserved in the El Escorial Library. Its transcription reveals a peaceful agreement that allowed the preservation of goods and freedom of worship for the Visigoths, in exchange for their loyalty and the payment of a tribute. Cities such as Orihuela, Alicante, Mula, Villena, and Lorca were included in this pact.
The importance of this historical event remains alive in local culture. In the Moors and Christians festivities of Villena, the Pact of Tudmir is read, while in Orihuela, its capital status and the deeds of Teodomiro and the heroine Armengola are commemorated annually. Local playwright Atanasio Die Marín contributes to this commemoration with a theatrical performance during the Reconquista and El Oriol festivities on July 17.
Orihuela's Andalusian legacy is a focus of study and promotion. A research article on 'The Andalusian legacy in Orihuela,' highlighting the Pact of Tudmir and the Wizara Isamiyya as a political and cultural enclave, was published by a collaborator of the Association of Journalists of the Province of Alicante (APPA). This expert, a doctor in Law and a graduate in Journalism, Labor Sciences, and Political Sciences, has been a promoter and director of the Miguel Hernández Cultural Foundation and will soon receive the distinction as an academic of the Royal Academy of Valencian Culture.
Furthermore, a project is being promoted to include the Palmeral de Orihuela in the European Route of Historic Gardens (IEJH), a cultural tourism route of the Council of Europe. Among future projects, the creation of a tourist and cultural route about the Viking invasion in Orihuela in the year 858 is being considered, a historical event that, according to the chronicles of the Muslim historian Ibn Hayyan, caused destruction in the capital of the Tudmir cora. This initiative seeks to generate employment and well-being through cultural tourism, taking advantage of the growing interest in historical heritage.

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