Moorish Stimulus To European Renaissance

Résumé

The middle Ages, as the precursor of Modern Times, were not totally dark and witnessed some great achievements essential to Renaissance philosophical thought. The Classical and Scientific Renaissance in Europe did not occur overnight but were the fruit of manifold contributions. Making the link between the two ages will help revisit the Moorish stimulus to European Renaissance and highlight its impact on subsequent European enterprises. This article examines how the Moors stimulated European Renaissance. It attempts to show the impact they had on European literature, and most importantly the scientific inheritance they left, which was so significant that it even triggered European expansion. It is in this scientific context that Columbus’s idea to sail west to reach the East took shape. This article also endeavors to rehabilitate the role of the Moors in the making of European Renaissance. The Moors were not mere transmitters of the Greek heritage, but rather refiners and creators, who considerably contributed to the foundations of Western Science. Moorish scholarship was disseminated to the West through the Iberian Peninsula. The crusades and the schools of translation are portrayed as outstanding means through which Europeans became aware of the Moorish scientific genius that was an impetus to the subsequent European Renaissance.