al-Musta'in I. (Saragossa)

The Taifa Kingdoms in 1037

al-Mustain I. ( Arabic المستعين, DMG al-musta'īn ; died 1047 ) was the founder and first emir of the Hudid dynasty . He ruled in the Taifa of Saragossa from 1039 to 1047.

etymology

al-Mustain I's real name was Sulaiman ibn Muhammad , in Arabic سليمان بن محمد, DMG sulaimān bin muḥamad , or completelyأبو أيوب سليمان بن محمد بن هود الجذامي المستعين / abū-ayyūb sulaimān bin muḥamad bin hūd al-ǧuḏāmi al-musta'īn . The honorary title al-Musta'in means in Arabic who implores God .

biography

al-Mustain I began his career under the young Umayyad caliph Hisham II , who was still under the tutelage of his uncle and vizier Almansor . During the civil wars that shook the Caliphate of Cordoba towards the end of the 10th century , he fought alongside Hisham II. Out of gratitude, he was appointed Governor of Zaragoza .

Hisham II died in 1018, which led to an open conflict between Abd al-Rahman IV and Ali ibn Hammud al-Nasir . al Mustai'in I sided with the Umayyad Abd ar-Rahmans. Together they marched to Cordoba and defeated Ali ibn Hammud. However, their two armies were not strong enough to withstand al-Qasim al-Ma'mun , the brother of Ali ibn Hammud. So they backed away and tried to take Granada . Here Abd ar-Rahman IV suffered a disastrous defeat and was killed in the process. Later al-Mustain I received from Hisham III. , the last Umayyad caliph, was awarded to Lérida between 1027 and 1030 because of his proven allegiance .

Establishing a dynasty

In 1031 the Umayyad Caliphate came to an end. The deposed Hisham III. had to flee to Lérida, where he was taken in by al-Musta'in I. Hisham then stayed in Lérida until his death in 1036. Despite the turmoil, al-Musta'in was able to assert himself as Qādī or Governor of Lérida and Tudela .

al-Mustain I. initially had to face the attacks of Sancho III. , the king of Pamplona and Aragon , who threatened the northern border of his territories. He also got into trouble with the Saragossa Taifa , to which he had to pay tribute (parias) as a sign of his inferiority. In 1038 he was able to conquer Zaragoza and oust the usurper Abd Allah ben Hakam from the city. With this he founded the Hudid dynasty in Saragossa.

al Musta'in I. then tried to incorporate the region of Guadalajara , which was dependent on the Toledo Taifa . In the complicated game of changing alliances between Christian and Muslim principalities al-Musta'in received support from Ferdinand I of Castile against the Taifa of Toledo, who in turn with Garcia III. , the king in Pamplona. Ultimately, al-Musta'in I had to pay tribute to all three in order to establish and maintain a fragile balance.

Towards the end of his reign, al-Musta'in I divided his domain among his five sons as follows: Yusuf al-Muzaffar Sayyif al-Dawla got Lérida, Lubb ibn Sulaiman Huesca , Mundir al-Hajjib al-Zafir Nasir al-Dawla Tudela , Muhammad al-Hajjib Adud al-Dawla Calatayud and in Saragossa he installed his son Ahmad I. al-Muqtadir . As early as 1046 (during his lifetime) each of his sons tried to become independent. When al-Muqtadir died in 1047, all of the sons declared themselves kings and had coins minted as a token of their sovereignty.

literature

• Cervera Fras, Maria José: El reino de Saraqusta . CAI, Saragossa 1999, ISBN 84-88305-93-1 .
• Corral, José Luis: Historia de Zaragoza. Zaragoza musulmana (714-1118) . Ayto. de Zaragoza and CAI, Saragossa 1998, ISBN 84-8069-155-7 .
• Viguera Molins, Maria Jesús: Aragón musulmán . Mira editores, Saragossa 1988, ISBN 84-86778-06-9 .
• Viguera Molins, Maria Jesús: El islam en Aragón . CAI, (Col. "Mariano de Pano y Ruata", nº 9), Saragossa 1995, ISBN 84-88305-27-3 .

predecessor	Office	successor
Abd Allah ben Hakam	Emir of Saragossa 1037-1046	Ahmad I. al-Muqtadir
Abd Allah ben Hakam	Emir of Calatayud 1037-1046	Muhammad al-Hajjib Adud al-Dawla
Hisham III.	Emir of Lérida 1039-1046	Yusuf al-Muzaffar Sayyif al-Dawla