sovereigns and slaves 57
To all men of whatever frontier location of our land: Because Mahomet el Vi-
ello, our jenet, and others, both Christian and Saracen associates of the afore-
mentioned Mahomet, have gone to conduct jenet raids (vadunt ad jenetiam) by
our mandate, they must travel to frontier regions in order to defend our land
and also inflict damage on our enemies.^28Mahomet el Viello was not unique in this regard. For their part, the
jenet commanders Mahomet Abenadalil and al- ‘Abbās b. Raḥḥū both
either led or fought alongside Christian soldiers, including, in the latter
case, heavily armed Templar knights: men who, like the Ghuzāh, were
devoted to holy war.^29 Another captain, Moxarref Abenhalbet, who came
from Castile, brought Christian troops with him, suggesting not only that
the jenets collaborated with Christian soldiers of their own accord but also
that these interreligious mercenary associations existed independently
of the Christian and Muslim rulers of the Iberian Peninsula.^30 We also
know that two jenets, who operated alongside Christian soldiers in the
Aragonese navy, named Machamet Almenochoxi and Athame Benbrahi,
also went by the names George (Georgius) and Peter (Petrus).^31 Noth-
ing indicates that George and Peter were converts. Thus, perhaps, these
names give us a glimpse at the sorts of accommodations, camaraderie, or
even good humor that resided among these companies as they fought side
by side.
figure 3. Alfonso X, Cantigas de Santa Maria (no. 181 ) (ca. 1284 ) (detail, middle- left and
- right panels). Christian militias, Marrakesh, North Africa. Monasterio- Biblioteca- Colección,
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid. Photograph: Album / Art Resource, New York.