Abu Yahya Abu Bakr

Abu Yahya Abu Bakr ibn Abdalhaqq ( Arabic أبو يحيى أبو بكر بن عبد الحق, DMG Abū Yaḥyā Abū Bakr b. ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq ; † 1258 ) was the first sultan of the Merinids in Morocco (1244–1258).

After the Merinids had collided with the Almohads since the beginning of the 13th century , the decline of the Almohad empire made them an important power factor in Morocco . At first the Merinids let themselves be used as mercenaries by the Almohads against the Abdalwadids , but under Abu Yahya Abu Bakr (1244–1258) after the death of the Almohad caliph Ali Abul-Hasan as-Said (1242–1248), this cooperation came to an end .

Meknes fell into the hands of the Merinids as early as 1245 , while Fès was conquered three years later (1248) and made the capital of the new dynasty. The Almohad empire was thus limited to southern Morocco. In order to strengthen the legitimacy of the new dynasty, Abu Yahya Abu Bakr first recognized the Hafsid caliphate in Ifrīqiya . In the conquered areas, Abu Yahya Abu Bakr installed his sons and other relatives as governors.

After his death there was therefore a power struggle within the Merinidenclan. In these the governor of Fez, Abu Yusuf Yaqub (1258–1286) asserts himself as the new ruler.

literature

• Ulrich Haarmann: History of the Arab World. CH Beck Munich, 2001 ISBN 3-406-38113-8
• Stephan and Nandy Ronart: Lexicon of the Arab World. Artemis Verlag Düsseldorf, 1972 ISBN 3-7608-0138-2