Farfanes (singular: farfan) were soldiers hailing mostly from the Christian Iberian kingdoms in the later Middle Ages who fought as mercenaries for various Muslim dynasties of the Western Mediterranean. They fought in the European fashion, in dense formations of either heavy cavalry or infantry, under the command of a Christian European officer known as the qadi. The phenomenon came to an end when Christian mercenaries were repatriated in the 15th century.
Etymology
The origin of the word farfan is unclear, but it may be cognate with the Arabic word farkhan, meaning "bird." One hypothesis is that this word was commonly given to vagabonds in the Maghreb who were regarded as migratory like birds. By extension, farkhan came to refer in the vernacular language to bastards, criminals, and outcasts. The patronym "Farfán" remains relatively common in 21st-century Spanish-speaking countries and may be linked to families that returned from the Maghreb.
Origins
The use of foreign mercenaries was widespread in the medieval Mediterranean world. Three main theories (not mutually exclusive) are proposed by historians for the origins of the farfanes:
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Continuation of Iberian alliances: Muslim leaders in 10th-century Iberia commonly used units lent by Christian allies or formed units with individuals exiled from Christian lands—a practice well known from the example of El Cid. This habit may have passed to North Africa in the 12th century.
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Christian slaves and prisoners of war: Farfan units in North Africa may have originally been Christian slaves and prisoners held by the Almoravid dynasty after its offensives in Iberia. The case of Reverter de La Guardia, a Catalan nobleman captured by the Almoravids in the 1120s, is one of the earliest examples supporting this scenario.
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Mozarab deportees: The mass deportation of Mozarab Christians from al-Andalus to North Africa in 1126 by the Almoravids may have forced these Christians to enlist as soldiers. This fits with the tribal designation Banu Farfan found in some sources. The surname "Farfán de los Godos" may indicate a Gothic origin.
Notable farfanes include Peter I, Count of Urgell; Pedro Ruiz de Azagra; Reverter de La Guardia; Álvaro Núñez de Lara; Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid); Alonso Pérez de Guzmán (el Bueno); Geraldo Sem-Pavor; and others from various Iberian, Italian, and French noble families.
