Abu Abdullah Muhammad XII and the Fall of Granada: Between Betrayal Narratives and Structural Collapse

This study examines the role of King Abu Abdullah Muhammad XII, the last ruler of Granada of the Nasrid dynasty, in the fall of Granada in 897 AH / 1492 CE, through a critical reanalysis of historical narratives that attribute direct responsibility for the end of the Islamic presence in al-Andalus to him. The study proceeds from the premise that such narratives reflect a flawed form of historical reductionism, relying on a moralised interpretation of defeat while disregarding the long-term structural trajectory of political, military, and economic decline that had preceded his reign by decades. The study employs an analytical historical method and discourse analysis, alongside a structural approach that links individual action to its historical conditions. It concludes that Abu Abdullah was a politically constrained actor who operated within a narrow margin of choices imposed by internal divisions, strategic isolation, and Castilian superiority, and that the Treaty of Granada constituted a forced option within the context of a prolonged collapse rather than a deliberate act of betrayal. The study underscores the need to reconsider the concept of historical responsibility when examining moments of political collapse.