Abu Zakariya Yahya I.

Abu Zakariya Yahya I. ibn Hafs ( Arabic أبو زكريا يحيى بن حفص, DMG Abū Zakariyā Yaḥyā b. Ḥafṣ , also al-Hafsi  /الحفصي / al-Ḥafṣī ; * 1203 ; † 1249 ) was ruler of the Hafsids in Ifrīqiya (1229-1249).

Abu Zakariya Yahya I was a descendant of Abu Hafs Umar , who was one of the earliest followers of Ibn Tumart and the first Almohad caliphs . His descendants also occupied important positions within the empire. Abu Muhammad ibn Abi Hafs Umar, the father of Yahya I, was governor in Ifrīqiya after 1200 . As such, he had successfully fought Yahya ibn Ishaq ibn Ghaniya (see: Almohads). This enabled the Hafsids to gain influence in Ifriqiya.

The reason for the establishment of a separate empire in Ifriqiya around 1229 was the condemnation of the Almohadic doctrine by the Almohad caliph Idris I al-Mamun (1227–1232). Yahya I used this to present himself as the keeper of the Almohad tradition. In fact, many Almohad institutions were taken over, in which the old ruling class could continue to exert their influence. Since the Almohads were weakened by internal power struggles, Yahya I initially managed to expand his rule. So he conquered Constantine in 1230 , Algiers in 1235 and expelled the Abdalwadids from Tlemcen in 1242 . Even the Merinids temporarily recognized the suzerainty of the Hafsids in Morocco in 1245.

In addition to military expansion, Yahya I promoted trade by establishing diplomatic relations with Emperor Frederick II in Italy and Aragon , as well as concluding trade agreements with Venice , Pisa and Genoa . With the boom in sea trade, Tunis became the economic and cultural center of the empire. This was also favored by the settlement of Muslim refugees from Andalusia . The first madrasah was built in Tunis under Abu Zakariya Yahya I. After the death of Abu Zakariya Yahya I, his son Muhammad I al-Mustansir (1249-1277) succeeded him to the throne.

literature

• Ulrich Haarmann : History of the Arab World. Edited by Heinz Halm. 4th revised and expanded edition. CH Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-47486-1 ( Beck's historical library ).
• Stephan Ronart, Nandy Ronart: Lexicon of the Arab World. A historical-political reference work. Artemis Verlag, Zurich et al. 1972, ISBN 3-7608-0138-2 .