456 Years of History
From the fall of Granada to the wind turbines of Cap Bon
One civilization. Seven novels. One question.
About This Timeline
The Question
How do civilizations lose themselves — and what, if anything, remains? Each event on this timeline represents one step in a 456-year process of institutional dismantling.
The Pattern
Novel 1 shows the high-water mark: institutions work, networks hold.
Novels 2-5 track the progressive dismantling.
Novels 6-7 sit with the question: what remains?
Note: This timeline combines historical events with plot points from the seven novels. Historical events are grounded in research; novel events are fictional but historically plausible.
Fall of Granada
Granada, Spain
The Emirate of Granada falls to Castile. The Reconquista is complete. Muslim and Jewish populations face forced conversion or expulsion.
Forced Conversion
Spain
Islam is outlawed in Castile. Muslims must convert to Christianity or leave. The Morisco community is born — outwardly Christian, secretly Muslim.
Alpujarras Rebellion
Alpujarras, Spain
Moriscos revolt against prohibitions on their language, dress, and customs. The rebellion fails and leads to even harsher repression.
The Expulsion Decree
Baeza, Spain
Philip III signs the decree expelling all Moriscos from Spain. Over 300,000 people are given only three days to leave. Mustafa de Cárdenas, 17, watches his family's olive trees burn.
Read ChapterArrival in Tunis
Tunis, Tunisia
After three days at sea, Mustafa arrives in Tunis. The Ottoman reception policy restricts Morisco settlement to specific areas.
Read ChapterGrombalia Founded
Grombalia, Tunisia
Mustafa establishes Grombalia in Cap Bon. He plants thirty thousand olive trees using the waqf system — endowing them in God's name to protect them from confiscation.
Institutional Teaching
Grombalia, Tunisia
Sidi Abu al-Ghayth teaches Mustafa that institutions must become autonomous networks that outlive their founders. The waqf is not property — it is a trust.
Read ChapterConfiscation
Grombalia, Tunisia
Ḥammūda Bāšā Bey, son of a corsair, confiscates the olive grove. Peyssonnel's Law: "It is a very serious crime here to be too rich." The waqf protection fails.
Mustafa's Death
Annaba, Algeria
Mustafa de Cárdenas dies in exile in Annaba. The trees are still standing. "The root holds."
Read ChapterHusayn Dynasty Founded
Tunis, Tunisia
The Husaynid dynasty comes to power in Tunis. The Morisco descendants have become part of the Ottoman-Tunisian elite. The networks remain, but the moral center shifts.
The Last Waqf
Tunis, Tunisia
A descendant of Mustafa attempts to restore the family waqf. The legal structures remain, but the community memory has faded. Method without spirit.
Reform Efforts
Tunis, Tunisia
Khayr al-Din al-Tunisi attempts to modernize Tunisian institutions along European lines while preserving Islamic character. The tension: reform as strength or reform as surrender?
French Protectorate
Tunis, Tunisia
France establishes control over Tunisia. The reform project is co-opted. Institutions that might have strengthened from within are replaced by colonial administration.
The Destour Party
Tunis, Tunisia
Nationalist movement emerges, advocating for independence and constitutional government. The most intellectually sophisticated attempt yet at institutional renewal.
Neo-Destour Split
Tunis, Tunisia
The movement fractures. Habib Bourguiba breaks away, arguing that gradual reform is impossible. The networks that could have supported renewal are gone.
Independence
Tunis, Tunisia
Tunisia gains independence. But the institutions that might have anchored civil society have been dismantled. Power becomes concentrated in the state.
Republic Declared
Tunis, Tunisia
The Bey is removed. Tunisia becomes a republic. The old notional networks are finally dismantled. Civil society must now exist through the state or not at all.
Arab Spring
Tunis, Tunisia
The Jasmine Revolution. Protesters demand dignity and freedom. But without autonomous institutions, power simply shifts. The question: was there anything left to lose?
The Wind Project
Cap Bon, Tunisia
A Tayeb Damerji descendant proposes a wind farm at Cap Bon. Returning to the same land where Grombalia stood. Trying to build something that outlasts.
The Turbines
Cap Bon, Tunisia
The wind turbines turn at Cap Bon. What remains? The land remembers. The question is not answered.
The Six Eras
1491-1609: Spain
Foundation & Expulsion
From the fall of Granada to the forced conversions, the Morisco community lives under increasing pressure until the 1609 expulsion decree.
1609-1670: High Water Mark
Novel 1: The Andalusian
Mustafa builds institutions that work. The waqf system creates autonomous networks. This is the best version — what becomes possible.
1670-1810: Method Without Center
Novel 2: The Corsair
The institutional methods persist but the moral center erodes. Networks become tools of power rather than protection.
1810-1956: Reform & Colonial
Novels 3-4: The Reformist, The Scholar
Attempts at reform from within and through modernization. Both are defeated — one by hierarchy, one by the absence of networks.
1956-2011: Independence
Novel 5: The Diplomat
Tunisia gains independence, but civil society has been hollowed out. Power concentrates in the state. The final dismantling.
2011-2047: The Question
Novels 6-7: The Wind, Burj
The Arab Spring. A wind project at Cap Bon. What, if anything, remains? The answer is not promised.
Explore the Novels
Each novel explores one era in depth. Read them in order to experience the full 456-year journey.
View All Novels