Wondering what secrets lie atop this peak. Welcome to Muntanyol de na Pascuala. This mountain area was known by the old inhabitants as “Na Pascuala”. It seems to be a nickname disliked by the owners of Son Muntaner.
Palma is the capital and largest city of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It sits on Mallorca’s south coast. Palma was founded as a Roman camp. It later fell to Vandal raids. The Byzantine Empire then reconquered it. The Moors colonized it next. James I of Aragon conquered it in the 13th century.
The Moors called Palma “Medina Mayurqa”. This Arabic name means “City of Majorca”. They arrived in the 8th century. The population then developed self-sufficiency and piracy. Dominant groups took advantage of the Byzantine withdrawal. They reinforced their power. They gradually abandoned Imperial political structures.
In 707 a Muslim fleet stopped at the island. Abd Allah ibn Musa commanded it. He convinced the city powers to accept a peace treaty. This treaty required a tax. It also demanded respect for the social economic and political structures. It ensured the continuity of their religious beliefs.
After 707 Christians lived in the city. They were nominally loyal to the Umayyad Caliphate. But they enjoyed absolute autonomy. The city was an enclave. It sat between western Christian and Islamic territories. This attracted piracy. Sacking ships became a source of riches. Al-Andalus retaliated. They launched a naval fleet against the city and islands.
In 848 C\u00f3rdoba attacked. The authorities had to ratify the treaty from 707. The city was eccentric. It wasn’t immediately incorporated into Al-Andalus.
The Emirate of C\u00f3rdoba reinforced its influence. Al-Andalus increased its interest in the city. The treaty was substituted. The islands were incorporated into the Islamic state. Isam al-Jawlani commanded a squad. They disembarked in Mallorca. They destroyed resistance. They incorporated Mallorca into the C\u00f3rdoban state. Palma became its capital.
This incorporation created a new society. Commerce and manufacturing grew. Medina Mayurqa became a major port. It traded goods in and out of the Emirate of C\u00f3rdoba.
In the 11th century the Caliphate’s control waned. Provinces broke free. They became sovereign states called taifas. Palma was part of the taifa of D\u00e9nia. Muyahid ibn Yusuf ibn Ali founded this state. He gained control over D\u00e9nia. He then consolidated the Balearic Islands into their taifa in 1015.
Palma became the main port. Attacks on Christian vessels launched from here. A campaign against Sardinia launched from Palma. This caused the Pisans and Genoese forces to intervene. This intervention set the basis for Italian mercantile penetration of the city.
The Denian dominion lasted until 1087. The city and islands were peaceful. Their sea power was unrivaled. There were few external threats.
The Banu Hud conquered D\u00e9nia. This destroyed Muyahid’s legacy. The islands briefly gained independence. Medina Mayurqa was the capital.
The economy depended on agriculture and piracy. Christian commercial powers took the initiative at sea. Italians Catalans and Occitans took offensive action. Piracy diminished causing economic stress.
In 1115 Palma was sacked. Ramon Berenguer III commanded an expedition. It composed of Catalans Pisans and other Italians. Soldiers came from Provence Corsica and Sardinia. They struggled to end Almoravid control.
After this the Islands became part of the Almoravid dynasty. In the mid-12th century the Almoravids were displaced. Almoravid dominions restricted to the Balearic Islands. Palma was again the capital. Muhammad ibn Ganiya governed. Genoa and Pisans obtained commercial concessions.
The Banu Ganiya attacked Ifriqiya. The Almohad authorities encouraged anti-Almoravid revolts. The Almohads captured the city in 1203.
James I of Aragon reconquered the city on December 31 1229. It was renamed Ciutat de Mallorca. It became the capital of the Kingdom of Majorca.
Palma’s geographical location allowed commerce. It traded with Catalonia Valencia Provence and the Maghreb. It also traded with the Italian republics. It even had commerce with the Ottoman Empire. This heralded a golden age. It ended with Aragonese conquest in 1344.
Today Muntanyol de na Pascuala stands as a silent witness. It has seen centuries of shifting powers. It has watched the city below transform. It has been a refuge a vantage point and a silent keeper of Mallorca’s story.