on 2 april 1243, the city of murcia surrendered to "infante" alfonso (future alfonso x), after which it became a semi-independent vassal of castile. jerez, one of the remaining muslim enclaves in andalusia, surrendered in 1261 after a month long siege. alfonso x had ascended to the throne in 1252 by which time, according to historian l. p. harvey, muslim subjects could be broadly classified into two groups: those from old and new castile, who had lived for several centuries under stable castilian rule, in well-established communities, and had rights that were enshrined in the charters of their home towns or cities, and those from areas conquered in the thirteenth century, who suffered from political instability. many were relocated by their christian conquerors or had migrated to muslim-ruled granada and, in some rare cases, to north africa. the relocation policies were considered oppressive by the muslim population and led to a protest being presented to the pope. these policies were a major factor in the outbreak of the rebellion.