Zirides of Granada

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Chronicle (small selection)
1008/09 Beginning of the fitna barbariyya ('Berber Civil War'), with Zāwī ibn Zīrī as leader
1013 Settlement of the Berbers in various cities in southern Spain under the Umayyad Sulaiman
1019 Zāwī ibn Zīrī leaves al-Andalus to settle in his homeland, his nephew Ḥabbus becomes the second king of Granada.
1079 Coria (Kingdom of Badajoz) falls to the Christians. First calls for help from the Andalusians to the Moroccan Almoravids
1085 Toledo is handed over to Castile by the Dhu-n-Nuniden al-Qadir in exchange with Valencia. The Andalusians call the Almoravids again for help
1086 The Almoravids come to the aid of the Andalusians against the handover of the 'abbādid base of Algeciras. Battle of Sagrajas / az-Zallāqa
1088 Siege of Aledo
1090 'Abdallāh and Tamīm ibn Buluggīn are the first small Andalusian kings to be overthrown by the Almoravids
1095 'Abdallāh writes his "memoirs"
1125 Alfonso I of Aragón, el Batallador , travels through Andalusia, which is ruled by the Almoravids, and takes several thousand Christians with him from the area around Granada.

The Zīrīden of Granada were a Berber dynasty of the Ṣinhāǧa in Andalusia (1012-1090).

Zāwī ibn Zīrī, from the Zīrīd dynasty of Ifrīqiya , came to the Caliphate of Córdoba as a Berber troop leader after he had failed to assert his claims to the throne in 995 against the descendants of his brother Buluggīn ibn Zīrī . With the decline of the caliphate since 1009 and the formation of the Taifa kingdoms , Zāwī ibn Zīrī made himself independent in Granada in 1012 and ruled until 1019. Under his successors Ḥabbus (1019-1038), Bādīs (1038-1073) and 'Abdallāh (1073– 1090) Granada rose to become the most important political center in al-Andalus , alongside Seville . 'Abdallāh's older brother Tamīm ibn Buluggīn ruled Malaga from 1073, which had been conquered from his grandfather Bādīs ; both brothers waged war against each other, whereby 'Abdallāh was able to prevail. In 1090 the Zīrīd dynasty was the first to be overthrown by the Almoravids .

Jews in Granada

Granada is also known as Ġarnāṭa al-Yahūd in Arabic historiography because the city was a Jewish settlement before the capital of the Kūra was moved from Ilbīra (the Arabic name for ancient Iliberris) to today's Granada. After the Zirids' move of the capital of the Kūra, which was elevated to a kingdom, from ancient Iliberris to Granada, which is more easily defended, the Jews living here played an important role in the politics of the kingdom. In particular, Samuel Ibn Naghrela was able to make a name for himself as a successful general and diplomat as Ḏū-l-wizaratayn ('owner of the two wezirates', the pen and the sword). At the same time he was the 'prince' of the Jewish community, which is why he carried the title ha-Nagid. After his death, his son Yehosef inherited him. According to 'Abdallāh, he is said to have poisoned the designated heir to the throne Buluggīn ibn Bādīs,' Abdallāh's father, in 1064 and to have agreed to the overthrow of the Zirid dynasty with the Almería-based Arab dynasty of the Banū Ṣumādiḥ. When the attempted coup became known in 1066, the Ṣinhāǧa Berbers launched a pogrom against the Jews of Granada , and the minister Yehosef was crucified.

Relationships with other taifas

The Zīrīden had different relationships with other small kingdoms (Spanish taifas after the Arabic term mulūk aṭ-ṭawā'if ). As Berbers, they were sometimes allied with other Berbers, sometimes as Ṣinhāǧa with the other Berbers from the Zanāta Confederation. In its early days as an Andalusian ruling dynasty, the changing alliances were determined by the preference of a particular candidate for the office of caliphate - but this reason ceased to exist in 1031 with the final abolition of the caliphate.

Almeria

Almería was first ruled by the Ṣaqāliba Ḫairān and, in his successor, Zuhayr. These were clients of the Āmirids and initially supported the caliph al-Murtada from the house of the Umayyads , who they dropped after a defeat against the Ṣinhāǧa led by the Zīrīds. The coalition attacked Granada because the Zīrīden were the strongest allies of the rival caliphs from the house of the Ḥammūdids . After Zuhayr's death in another battle between Almería and Granada's troops near al-Funt, identified with today's Alpuente, the residents of Almería swore allegiance to the King of Valencia, 'Abd al-Azīz, in 1038. This - a grandson of the Umayyad imperial administrator al-Manṣūr - sent his vizier Abū-l-Aḥwas Ibn Ṣumādiḥ to take over the administration of the city, but he soon declared himself independent. But it was only after the Zīrīden had relieved the besieged Lorca fortress that the Arab Banū Ṣumādiḥ were able to prevail in Almería with the tolerance of the rulers of Granada. Since then, however, they have always tried to escape from the hegemony of the Zīrīden. 'Abdallāh ibn Buluggīn reports of their participation in the conspiracy of the wezir Yehosef Ibn Naghrela against his grandfather Bādīs. In the course of this conspiracy, the Banū Ṣumādiḥ occupied some lands of the Zīrīden and the city of Guadix . After the Bādīs succeeded in retaking Guadix and other territories, al-Mu'taṣim ibn Ṣumādiḥ succeeded in reconciling with the Zīrīds, a scene which 'Abdallāh reproduces in a dramatic dialogue.

Carmona

The relationship between the Zīrīden and the Banū Birzāl, who held several small dominions in Carmona , Ronda , Medina Sidonia, etc., is ambivalent. The Birzālids of the Federation of Zanāta-Berbers had fled as vassals of the Umayyads before the progenitor of the Zīrīden Zīrī Ibn Manad as a vassal of the Fatimids from Africa to al-Andalus. Here they fought as mercenaries in the caliph's contingent. Zāwī Ibn Zīrī, who had fallen out with his brothers after the death of his father, also had to flee to al-Andalus and fought under the imperial administrators, the Amirids, initially together with the Birzālids against the enemies of the Umayyad caliphate. With the collapse of the caliphate, the Berbers fought together across the federations and agreed on common caliphs, first from the house of the Umayyads, later from the house of the Ḥammūdids. The Birzālids left this coalition to join forces with the Arab 'Abbādids of Seville. They were later murdered by the king al-Mu'tadid ibn 'Abbād. The sources report that he walled up the Berbers in the sweat bath and let the bath heat up properly.

Cordoba

The Cordovan Caliphate was after the fitna al-barbariyya 1008/09, the 'civil war of the Berbers', known as the events after the Andalusian historian Ibn Ḥayyān were not much more than a rump state remained. Depending on who of the Umayyads or Ḥammūdids held the caliphate and also held Córdoba, the Zīrīden were nominally on the side of the capital or not. After 1031, Córdoba became an Arab republic until the city finally came under the influence of the two great powers Seville and Toledo.

Málaga

Ceuta , Málaga and Algeciras were controlled by the Ḥammūdids (a branch of the Idrisid family ), an Arabized Berber dynasty . These were initially clients of the Umayyads, but after their overthrow they claimed the caliphate due to their descent from ' Ali ibn Abi Talib . Their actual power was based primarily on their fraternization with the Berbers who had resided in Andalusia since the late Umayyad period - such as the Zīrīds and the Birzalids - and their control of the flow of gold from the southern Sahara. Internal family disputes over the caliphate weakened the position of the individual candidates, with the Zīrīden mostly coming to terms with the Málaga-based pretender.

In 1047, Bādīs ended his support of the Ḥammūdids. Curiously, he had 1049 coins minted in the name of the last Ḥammūdid caliph. Allegedly the Zīrīde is said to have poisoned the Ḥammūdid Idrīs II. Ibn 'Alī, who had attached himself the title of Mahdi . But it was not until 1056 that he finally conquered Málaga, animated by al-Mu'tadid's military successes against the Ḥammūdids in Algeciras in 1055, in order to forestall it. Before his death, Bādīs installed his grandson Tamīm as governor of Malaga. When the younger, still underage 'Abdallāh was made king in Granada by his grandfather's advisers, Tamīm split off. The brothers waged war against each other, which 'Abdallāh was able to decide for himself. However, he did not succeed in conquering Malaga himself. Therefore he left the Christian villages west of Malaga to his brother, because he hoped to be able to at least keep Malaga as a buffer state against Seville. In both joint campaigns of the Andalusians with the Almoravids, Tamīm took the opportunity to point out to their emir Yūsuf ibn Tāšufīn of his rightful rule over Granada.

Seville

The Arab ' Abbādids were the greatest enemies of the Zīrīds. The dynasty that came to the government of Seville in 1023 initially ruled for decades in the name of the dead caliph Hišām II. The doppelganger, a craftsman from a village near Toledo, was rarely presented to the people, the 'Abbādids claimed he was sensitive to the sun. It was not until 1042 that they declared the caliphs dead. The claim of the false caliph Hišām naturally collided with the claim of the Ḥammūdids to the caliphate and put the protective powers under corresponding pressure. But the two hegemonic powers also fought each other beyond the support of various caliphs. In the thirty years that Samuel Ibn Naghrela went to war as general of the Zīrīden, it was almost every year against the 'Abbdādids. It was not until 'Abdallāh and al-Mu'tamid made peace with each other, and only under the increasing pressure of Alfonso's demands for tribute.

Toledo

In Toledo (Arabic Ṭulayṭula) ruled the long-established Berber dynasty of the Banū Ḏū-n-Nūn , which was considered Arabized . In the Muḏakkirāt , 'Abdallāh mentions al-Maʾmūn Ibn Ḏū-n-Nūn in particular. At first he appeared as an ally from the point of view of the small kingdom of Granada. After Granada lost some castles and cities through the conspiracy of Yehosef ibn Naghrela with the Banū Ṣumādiḥ of Almería, al-Maʾmūn 'Abdallāh's grandfather helped Bādīs to recapture the city of Guadix, which was occupied by the troops of the Banū Ṣumādiḥ . In return he asked for the Baza fortress to be handed over. The handover of this fortress, important for Granada, was made sweeter by the fact that he later conquered more territories than he had previously lost. When 'Abdallāh's uncle Māksan ibn Bādīs tried to establish a rule independent of his father in Jaén and was defeated by his vizier an-Nāya, Māksan fled for some time to al-Maʾmūn in Toledo, where the zīrīde received a post in the army. Al-Maʾmūn Ibn Ḏū-n-Nūn subsequently appeared as a false friend of Granada and an ally of Castile. When Castilian troops occupied Belillos Castle in the middle of the Kingdom of Granada, he intervened as a mediator in the hope of being able to make a profit at Granada's expense.

Relations with the Castilian-Leonese Kingdom

Although the Zirid kingdom never shared borders with any of the Christian kingdoms, its last ruler, 'Abdallāh, had to defend himself against tribute payments ( old Spanish parias ) and raids. Ultimately, the tribute payments and the resulting tax burdens on the subjects were a reason for the fall of the small kingdoms into the hands of the Almoravids.

Pedro Ansúrez / Belillos

The first direct negotiations between the Kingdom of the Zīrīden and the Kingdom of Castile-León were conducted by Alfonsos VI's confidante, Pedro Ansúrez . Since 'Abdallāh saw no danger for Granada due to the lack of common borders, he refused to give in to the tribute demands placed on him. At that time he could not have imagined that "anyone could ally themselves with a Christian against a Muslim". 'Ibn Ammār , the vizier al-Mu'tamids of Seville, intercepted Pedro Ansúrez on his way back from Granada and suggested a deal: he wanted to give him 50,000 dinars instead of the 20,000 required, and Castile should help him to conquer Granada . A minister expelled from Granada - Ibn Adha - showed the allied troops of Castile and Seville the castle of Belillos, which had been left open, which was expanded and occupied. During the work, the armies of Castile and Seville camped nearby, after their departure 'Abdallāh did not succeed in conquering the castle. Instead, the occupation devastated the immediate vicinity of Granada. The King of Toledo al-Maʾmūn Ibn Ḏū-n-Nūn tried to gain from the situation as a mediator.

Battle of Cabra

The Battle of Cabra is an event that is documented by the Historia Roderici . In this, the author, who was very keen on the Cid, reports that the Castilian Count García Ordóñez attacked Seville with a few other Castilian nobles and the ruler of Granada, 'Abdallāh. The cid made by Alfonso VI. had the order to pick up the tributes of Seville, is said to have written letters to the Christian embassy in Granada, which had the same order, to refrain from the attack. Eventually the two armies met at Cabra and Rodrigo Díaz managed to capture his four opponents. The story also went into the Cantar de Mio Cid , but here the beginning was lost and only in the third cantar does the Cid talk about it again when he holds Count García Ordóñez's beard hair, which he cut off on this occasion. The truthfulness of the report of the Historia Roderici is doubtful, however, since Cabra is always mentioned as Ziridian territory in the memoirs of 'Abdallāh, who withholds this battle. Accordingly, al-Mu'tamid's army must have advanced into Ziridian territory, not the army of 'Abdallāh into' Abbadian territory.

Sisnando Davídiz

Sisnando Davídiz was a Mozarab who was initially in the service of the 'Abbādiden al-Mu'tadids, later rose to governor Coimbra under Ferdinand I. Under Ferdinand's son Alfons VI. he was sent on diplomatic missions, including to Granada, in 1085 he became Alfonso's governor in Toledo. The Mozarab tells' Abdallāh of the Reconquista thought.

"Al-Andalus - he said to me in an animated voice - initially belonged to the Christians, until the Arabs defeated them and crowded them into Galicia , the area least favored by nature. That is why they now want that where they can to get back what has been snatched from them; a thing which they can only achieve if they weaken you and in the course of time, if you have no more money and no more soldiers, we will take over the land without any effort. "

Battle of Sagrajas

Since the fall of Coria ( belonging to the Afṭasid kingdom of Badajoz (Arabic: Baṭalyaus)) in 1079, the petty kings tried to support the Almoravids. In particular, al-Mu'tamid supported the Almoravids with ships in the conquest of Ceuta, in 1086 he gave them - not entirely voluntarily - the port of Algeciras . But only after the conquest of Toledo in 1086 by Alfonso VI. the Almoravids first intervened in the fate of the Andalusians. Alfonso was besieging Saragossa when he received the news that the united armies of the Andalusian minor kings and the Almoravids were gathering near Badajoz: To recapture Toledo, as historians suspect. The armies of the ' Abbādids , the Afṭasids, the Banū Ṣumādiḥ were involved (' Abdallāh mentions, however, that al-Mutasim apologized for his age and the presence of Castilians in the castle of Aledo and sent his son to Badajoz with a small army) as well as the two Andalusian Zirid kingdoms. Later Arabic sources painted the course of the battle of az-Zallāqa / Sagrajas in bright colors. First of all, the Muslim armies camped outside the walls of Badajoz, but Alfonso asked them to leave the protection of the city. Then the warring parties agreed on a day for battle - the later Arab sources claim it was a Saturday or Monday, since Friday is the holy day of the Muslims, Sunday the holy day of the Christians, the source names Monday Saturday as the holy day of the Jews. Ibn al-Qaṣīra, al-Mu'tamid's court clerk, dated a letter on Saturday, 13th Raǧab 479 (= October 30, 1086 of the Gregorian calendar ) on the day following the battle . Throughout - beginning with the actor 'Abdallāh ibn Buluggīn - the Arabic sources report that Alfonso VI. broke the agreement with the Muslims and attacked on Friday. Nevertheless, the Muslims - especially the elite units of the Almoravids - were able to inflict a severe defeat on the Castilians, so severely that it was initially unclear to the Muslims whether Alfonso had survived the battle or not.

Siege of Aledo

Aledo, a threat to southeastern Andalusia, is besieged by a joint army of the minor kings and the Almoravids.

List of the Zirides of Granada

literature

  • Thomas Freller: Granada. Kingdom between Orient and Occident. Thorbecke, Ostfildern 2009, ISBN 978-3-7995-0825-4 .
  • Arnold Hottinger : The Moors. Arabic culture in Spain . Fink, Munich 1995, ISBN 3-7705-3075-6 .
  • Ralf Ohlhoff: From unity to discord? The history of Islamic Spain in the 11th century by Ibn Bassām . ( Arabic texts and studies 13) Olms, Hildesheim et al. 1999, ISBN 3-487-11037-7 (also: Göttingen, Univ., Diss., 1997).
  • David J. Wasserstein: The Caliphate in the West. An Islamic Political Institucion in the Iberian Peninsula . Clarendon Press, Oxford 1993, ISBN 0-19-820301-2 .
  • Évariste Lévi-Provençal : Emilio García Gómez: El siglo XI en primera persona. Las "memorias" de 'Abd Allâh, último rey zirí de Granada, destronado por los almorávides (1090) . ( Alianza tres ) Alianza, Madrid 1980.
  • Bilal Sarr: La Granada Zirí. [1013-1090] . Alhulia, Granada 2011, ISBN 978-84-92593-78-1 . ( Dissertation from 2009 online )
  • Amin T. Tibi: The Tibyân. Memoirs of 'Abd Allâh b. Buluggîn, last Zîrid Âmir of Granada. ( Medieval Iberian peninsula 5) Brill, Leiden 1986, ISBN 90-04-07669-7 ( limited preview in Google book search).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Halm, Heinz: The Empire of the Mahdi. The Rise of the Fatimids. Leiden 1996.
  2. ↑ Gonzalo Maeso, David: Ġarnāṭa al-Yahūd. Granada de los Judíos. Reprint Granada 1990.
  3. ↑ a b 'Abdallāh, Cap. IV, § 27, fol. 24 a.
  4. ↑ Ibn 'Iḏārī, Bayān al-Mugrib , Spanish translation after Felipe Maíllo Salgado, p. 182.
  5. ^ Wasserstein, David: The Caliphate in the West. An Islamic Political Institucion in the Iberian Peninsula. Oxford 1993, p. 87.
  6. ↑ 'Abdallāh presents this a little differently in his memoirs. According to him, he himself was the rightful ruler and his brother's claims illegitimate.
  7. ↑ 'Abdallāh, Cap. IV, § 30, fol. 25 b / 26 a.
  8. ↑ a b 'Abdallāh, Cap. V, § 34, fol. 29 a / b.
  9. ↑ 'Abdallāh, Cap. III, § 22, fol. 18 b; Cap. IV, § 32, fol. 26 b; § 33, fol 27 b.
  10. ↑ 'Abdallāh, Cap. V, § 36, fol. 20 b.
  11. ↑ 'Abdallāh, Cap. VII, § 48, fol. 42 b.
  12. ↑ "If we had won, everything would have been good, and if not, we would have had a sanctuary and a fortress behind us in which we could seek refuge," said the Zirid King 'Abdallāh ibn Buluggīn in his' Memories', Cap . VII, § 49, fol. 43 a.
  13. ↑ 'Abdallāh, Cap. VII, § 49, fol. 43 a.
  14. ↑ Ibn al-Qaṣīra: "I am writing on the morning of Saturday, the 13th Rağab; God [...] helped the Muslims to succeed and granted them [...] a clear triumph [...] for what God did in his Yesterday made possible [...] namely the defeat of Alfonso Ibn Fernando - God roast him in hellfire if he should have perished, or by no means withhold a miserable life from him if he received a delay. " Quoted from Ohlhoff, Ralf: From unity to discord? The history of Islamic Spain in the 11th century by Ibn Bassām . Hildesheim, Zurich, New York, Olms, 1999, p. 200.