al-Hassan ibn Ziri

Al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Ziri ( Arabic الحسن بن علي بن زيري) († 1168 ) was the eighth and last ruler of the Zirids in Ifrīqiya .

He was still a minor when he succeeded his deceased father Ali ibn Ziri (r. 1116–1121) in 1121 and initially had little influence on government affairs. Under him piracy initially gained great importance for the economy of the Zirid Empire. However, this put a strain on the relationship with the Christian sea powers.

In 1122 the Normans of Sicily undertook an expedition against al-Mahdiya , which could only fight back after heavy fighting. In 1135, al-Hassan was only able to withstand an attack by the Hammadids on al-Mahdiya thanks to a Norman fleet, who were rewarded for their weapon aid with ample privileges. In the period that followed, he became increasingly dependent on the Normans, as they ensured that the cities were supplied with Sicilian grain. So z. B. the customs revenues in the cities are pledged to the Normans. The weakened Zirid Empire and the coastal cities in Ifriqiya were conquered by the Normans between 1146 and 1148, which meant the de facto end of the dynasty.

Al-Hassan had to flee and ended up in exile in Algiers via Annaba and Bejaia . He lived there until the city was conquered by the Almohads in 1152 . The Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu'min treated him generously and even installed him as governor in al-Mahdiya when the Almohads had conquered the city in 1160. Abd al-Mu'min later called him back to Morocco, where he died in 1168.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} G. Yver: al-Ḥasan. In: EJ Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913–1936. Volume 3, p. 273.
2. ^ Ulrich Haarmann: History of the Arab World. P. 287.

literature

• Ulrich Haarmann : History of the Arab World . Ed .: Heinz Halm . 4th edition. CH Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-47486-1 .
• Stephan Ronart, Nandy Ronart: Lexicon of the Arab World. A historical-political reference work . Artemis, Zurich et al. 1972, ISBN 3-7608-0138-2 .
• G. Yver: al-Ḥasan . In: M. Th. Houtsma, TW Arnold, R. Basset, R. Hartmann (eds.): EJ Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913–1936 . tape 3 : E-I'timād al-Dawla . EJ Brill, Leiden 1987, ISBN 90-04-08265-4 , pp. 273 , doi : 10.1163 / 2214-871X_ei1_SIM_2726 .