Hafsiden

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Hafsiden ( Arabic بنو حفص, DMG Banū Ḥafṣ , tamazight ⵉⵃⴰⴼⵙⵉⴻⵏ Iḥafsien ) were a ruling dynasty in Ifrīqiya from 1229 to 1574 , whose core area corresponds to today's Tunisia and which are among the longest ruling dynasties in the Maghreb . In 1229 they took over power from the Almohads (1147–1269) in the east of the Maghreb . In western Algeria , the Abdalwadids (1235–1554) ruled around the same time .

From 1212 the power of the Almohads ruling in Andalusia and the Maghreb was weakened because they lost battles against the Christian kingdoms of Spain and had internal rivalries for the throne. In the widening anarchy, the Arab Bedouins and other nomads became more important than the settled Berbers .

history

The eponymous progenitor of the family was Abu Hafs Umar (* 1090 , † 1175 in Salé ) Sheikh of the Berber tribe of the Hintata, who settled south of Marrakech as part of the Masmuda tribal federation . He was an early follower of Ibn Tumart , called the Mahdi , the founder of the Islamic reform movement of the Almohads , and was the highest-ranking leader of this movement after Abd al-Mumin .

The founder of the Hafsid dynasty was his grandson Abu Zakariyya Yahya I , governor of Gabès ( Arabic قابس, DMG Qābis ) (today a city on the Mediterranean coast of Tunisia ), who ruled Ifrīqiya (about today's Tunisia) from 1229 to 1249 after his defection from the Almohads . In his declaration of independence from the Caliphate of Marrakech in 1228, he appealed to the Mahdi, whose empire he wanted to continue and reunite. As ruler, Abu Zakariyya (Zacharias) reformed the administration in Ifriqiya and developed Tunis into its economic and cultural center. He took the title of emir but never allowed himself to be worshiped as caliph in Friday prayers.

Many Muslims from Andalusia who were on the run before the Reconquista in Castile and Aragon were taken in under him . 1231-1236 Ifriqiya concluded economic treaties with Italy's republics of Venice , Pisa and Genoa and oriented its trade there, which caused an economic upswing. Militarily, the Hafsids were soon on a par with the European armies, but science only reached a high level in theology (through the mysticism of Abu Madyan and errant scholars such as Abd Allah al-Tijani ). Zakariyya's successor Muhammad I al-Mustansir (1249-1277) officially accepted the title of caliph and promoted construction in particular. Little of the palaces, parks and hydraulic systems remained. A third madrasa (Islamic religious college ) was built in Tunis around 1295 .

In the 14th century there was a temporary decline of the empire. Although the Hafsids succeeded several times in subjugating the kingdom of the Abdalwadids of Tlemcen , theirs was conquered twice by the Merinids from Morocco between 1347 and 1357 . However, these could not prevail against the Bedouins , so that the Hafsiden could regain their empire. But since the plague epidemics led to a considerable decline in population, their rule was further weakened.

Under the Hafsids, piracy against Christian seafaring gained importance from the 14th century and was seen as a kind of revenge for the Spanish Reconquista. It experienced a great boom , especially under Abd al-Aziz II (1394–1434). The profits were used for extensive construction activities and the promotion of art and culture . However, piracy also provoked counter-actions by Aragon and Venice, which repeatedly attacked coastal cities in Tunisia . Under Utman (1435–1488) the Hafsids reached their last climax by promoting the caravan trade through the Sahara and with Egypt , as well as the sea trade with Venice and Aragon. After that, the cities of Ifriqiyas and the Bedouins gained extensive independence, so that the Hafsids only controlled Tunis and Constantine .

In the 16th century the dynasty got increasingly caught up in the power struggle between Spain and the corsairs supported by the Ottomans . The latter conquered Tunis in 1574 and overthrew the Hafsides, who had temporarily recognized Spanish sovereignty.

Important Hafsiden rulers

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ibn Khaldoun, “Histoire des Berbères et des dynasties musulmanes de l 'Afrique septentrionale”, traduite de l'Arabe par le Baron de Slane , Tome Second, page 284, Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner, Paris, 1927
  2. ^ Ibn Khaldoun, “Histoire des Berbères et des dynasties musulmanes de l 'Afrique septentrionale”, traduite de l'Arabe par le Baron de Slane, Tome Second, page 300, Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner, Paris, 1927

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 u. a. 1972, ISBN 3-7608-0138-2 .
  • Ibn Khaldoun, "Histoire des Berbères et des dynasties musulmanes de l 'Afrique septentrionale", traduite de l'Arabe par le Baron de Slane, Tome second, Librairie orientaliste Paul Geuthner , Paris, 1927.