Muhammad XI of Granada

(; –1533), known in Europe as Boabdil, was the 22nd and last Nasrid ruler of the Emirate of Granada in Iberia.

Sultan

thumb|[[Gold dinar of Muhammad XI]]

Muhammad XI was the son of Abu l-Hasan Ali, Sultan of the Emirate of Granada whom he succeeded in 1482, as a result of both court intrigue and unrest amongst the population at large.

Muhammad XI soon sought to gain prestige by invading Castile, but was taken prisoner at Lucena in 1483.

Muhammad obtained his freedom and Christian support to recover his throne in 1487, by consenting to hold Granada as a tributary kingdom under the Catholic monarchs.

thumb|right|[[The Surrender of Granada|The Capitulation of Granada by Francisco Pradilla Ortiz, 1882: Muhammad XI surrenders to Ferdinand and Isabella|329x329px]]

The Moorish King arrived where King Ferdinand was, and approaching him, he removed his turban and dismounted his horse as was agreed. He told King Ferdinand not to dismount. He approached him and kissed his arm, giving him two keys to the main gates of the Alhambra, and said to him in his own language: "God loves you very much; these, my lord, are the keys to this Paradise." Moving aside a little, he asked to whom the King and Queen had given the charge of the Alcazaba of the Alhambra, and telling him that it was the Count of Tendilla, he asked him to be summoned. Taking a gold ring from his finger with a turquoise stone on which were written these letters: Lei Lehe Ille Ali Lchu, Alan Tabilu Aben Abi Abdilchi; which translated into our Castilian read: There is no other God but the true God: and this is the seal of Aben Abi Abdilchi; he gave it to him, and said: With this ring Granada has been governed since it was ruled by the Moors, take it so that you may govern it with it: and may God make you happier than me...</blockquote>

Christopher Columbus seems to have been present; he refers to the surrender:

<blockquote>After your Highnesses ended the war of the Moors who reigned in Europe, and finished the war of the great city of Granada, where this present year 1492 on the 2nd January I saw the royal banners of Your Highnesses planted by force of arms on the towers of the Alhambra.</blockquote>

Exile and death

Exile

thumb|[[Boabdil's Farewell to Granada by Alfred Dehodencq (1822–1882).]]

thumb|upright|Sword of Boabdil, [[Musée de Cluny.]]

Legend has it that as Muhammad XI went into exile, he reached a rocky prominence which gave a last view of the city. Here he reined in his horse and viewed for the last time the Alhambra and the green valley that spread below. The place where this allegedly took place is today known as the Suspiro del Moro, "the Moor's sigh". Muhammad mourned his loss, and continued his journey to exile accompanied by his mother—who is supposed to have snapped, "Weep, weep like a woman, over what you couldn't defend like a man."

Muhammad XI was given an estate in Laujar de Andarax, Las Alpujarras, a mountainous area between the Sierra Nevada and the Mediterranean Sea. He crossed the Mediterranean in exile, departing in October 1493 from Adra and landing in Cazaza. He settled in Fes (present-day Morocco), which under Marinid rule. He was accompanied by an entourage of 1,130 courtiers and servants. Large numbers of the Muslim population of Granada had already fled to North Africa, taking advantage of a clause in the articles of surrender that permitted free passage.