Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr
Encyclopedia
Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr (أَبُو يُوسُف يَعقُوب الناصر abū yūsuf ya`qūb an-nāṣr) (died 13 May 1307) was a Marinid
ruler of Morocco
. Son of Abu Yusuf Ya'qub
, whom he succeeded in 1286. He was assassinated in 1307.
in March, 1286, shortly after the latter's expedition to Spain and peace treaty with Sancho IV
of Castile
. The accession was contested by several relatives, including his brother, some of whom were backed and shielded by the Abdalwadid
rulers of Tlemcen
. To concentrate on this threat, one of Abu Yaqub's first acts was to strike a fresh treaty with the Nasrid ruler Muhammad II
of Granada
, ceding all Marinid possessions in Spain, with the exception of Algeciras
, Tarifa
, Ronda
and Guadix
. (Guadix will however pass over to the Granada in 1288).
In November, 1288, Abu Yaqub's own son Abu Amir, hatched a conspiracy to depose him. The plot was soon nipped, but Abu Amir and his advisors took refuge in the court of the Abdalwadid
ruler Abu Said Othman of Tlemcen
. Abu Yaqub was soon reconciled with his son, but demanded that his fellow conspirators be handed over for justice. Othman refused to extradite them. A Marinid fleet blockaded Tlemcen through much of 1290, but to little effect.
In 1291, the truce with Sancho IV
of Castile
expired, hostilities in Spain renewed. While Abu Yaqub was busy against Tlemcen, Sancho IV
conspired with the Nasrid sultan Muhammad II
of Granada
to seize the three remaining Marinid citadels in Spain - Tarifa, Algeciras and Ronda - for themselves. With Granadine assistance, the Marinid citadel of Tarifa
fell to Sancho IV of Castile in October, 1292. But Sancho refused to honor his agreement to hand it over to Granada and instead decided to keep Tarifa for himself.
A repentant Muhammad II immediately tried to repair relations with the Marinids. At a meeting in Tangiers in early 1293, Abu Yaqub assented to assist Muhammad II recover Tarifa from Castile, but on the condition that Tarifa will be turned over to Marinids, in return for which the Marinids will write over their rights to Algeciras and Ronda to Granada. As part of the deal, Muhammad II handed over to the Abu Yaqub four valuable 7th C. copies of the Qur'an
, drafted by the Caliph Uthman himself, which the fleeing Umayyads had brought from Damascus to Cordoba
back in the 750s and had since been held by the royal treasury of Granada. The estranged Castilian prince Infante Don Juan (uncle of Sancho IV), then in exile, participated in this discussion and agreed to partake in the expedition.
Marinid sultan Abu Yaqub undertook his first crossing of the straits in 1293 (or 1294) to lay siege of Tarifa
. But the citadel, held by the Castilian noble Alonso Perez de Guzman (stem of the house of Medina-Sidonia) refused to fall. As legend has it, when Infante Don Juan threatened to kill Guzman's son which he was holding prisoner, Guzman only response was to toss a knife from the walls, and tell him to proceed.
Around 1294, while still in Spain, Abu Yaqub received word of the break out of a revolt among the Berber Wattasids of the Rif
, fomented by the Abdalwadid
s of Tlemcen
. Plans for the resumption of the siege of Tarifa were shelved, as Abu Yaqub spent much of the year dealing with the Rif uprising.
The failed siege of Tarifa persuaded the Marinid sultan Abu Yaqub to abandon his pretensions on the peninsula. In 1295, he formally handed over the last two remaining Marinid citadels, Algeciras
and Ronda
, to Muhammad II
of Granada
.
s of Tlemcen
in 1295. Marinid forces moved systematically and painfully along the coast, taking Taourirt
(1295), Oujda
(1296), Taount and Nedroma
(1297) before finally arriving at the suburbs of Tlemcen
in May, 1299. Settling down for a long siege, Abu Yaqub erected a siege camp which turned into a veritable city, known as al-Mahalla al-Mansura ('Camp of Victory'), with markets, public baths, palaces and mosques of its own. From here, he conducted the siege against Tlemcen, while dispatching detachments to seize the remaining coast of the Abdalwadid sultanate, all the way to Algiers
.
Nonetheless, the besieged city of Tlemcen refused to fall. The death of the Abdalwadid sultan Othman in 1303 prompted the city to contemplate capitulation, but his successor Abu Zayyan I rallied the resistance and ensured it continued to hold out.
In an eye to relieve the siege, Abdalwadid agents persuaded the new Nasrid sultan Muhammad III
of Granada
to land a Marinid pretender, a certain Othman Ibn Idris, in Ceuta
in 1306. Othman landed with Granadan help and immediately proclaimed himself ruler of Morocco. But the Marinid emir Abu Yaqub, sensing his siege was finally having an effect, that Tlemcen was on the verge of falling, decided to ignore the threat in his rear and press on with the siege. Unchallenged, Othman ibn Idris's partisans added the neighboring towns of Asilah
, Larache
and much of the Ghomara
region to his cause.
In May, 1307, the Marinid sultan Abu Yaqub Yusuf was assassinated in the Tlemcen siege camp by a eunuch over an obscure harem affair. He was succeeded by his son (or grandson), Abu Thabit Amir
as Marinid
sultan of Morocco
, who opted to abandon the siege of Tlemcen and to confront Othman ibn Idris in Ceuta. Abu Yaqub's twelve-year war against Tlemcen ended up yielding no fruit.
Marinid
The Marinid dynasty or Benemerine dynasty was a Zenata Berber dynasty of Morocco. The Marinid dynasty overtook the Almohads in controlling Morocco in 1244. They controlled most of the Maghreb from the mid-14th century to the 15th century and supported the Kingdom of Granada in Al-Andalus in the...
ruler of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. Son of Abu Yusuf Ya'qub
Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd Al-Haqq
Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd al-Haqq was a Marinid ruler of Morocco. He was the fourth son of Marinid founder Abd al-Haqq, and succeeded his brother Abu Yahya in 1258. He died in 1286.-History:The Marinids had been fighting the Almohads for supremacy over Morocco since 1210s...
, whom he succeeded in 1286. He was assassinated in 1307.
History
Abu Yaqub Yusuf succeeded his father Abu Yusuf Ya'qubAbu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd Al-Haqq
Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd al-Haqq was a Marinid ruler of Morocco. He was the fourth son of Marinid founder Abd al-Haqq, and succeeded his brother Abu Yahya in 1258. He died in 1286.-History:The Marinids had been fighting the Almohads for supremacy over Morocco since 1210s...
in March, 1286, shortly after the latter's expedition to Spain and peace treaty with Sancho IV
Sancho IV of Castile
Sancho IV the Brave was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1284 to his death. He was the second son of Alfonso X and Yolanda, daughter of James I of Aragon.-Biography:...
of Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
. The accession was contested by several relatives, including his brother, some of whom were backed and shielded by the Abdalwadid
Abdalwadid
Zayyanids or Abd al-Wadids , or Banu Zayan, is the name of a Berber zenata dynasty in North Africa. The Zayyanids, whose capital was Tlemcen existed from 1235 to 1556...
rulers of Tlemcen
Tlemcen
Tlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
. To concentrate on this threat, one of Abu Yaqub's first acts was to strike a fresh treaty with the Nasrid ruler Muhammad II
Muhammed II al-Faqih, Sultan of Granada
Muhammed II al-Faqih was the son and heir of Mohammed ibn Alhamar and the second Nasrid ruler of the Moorish Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula....
of Granada
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada , also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada , was an emirate established in 1238 following the defeat of Muhammad an-Nasir of the Almohad dynasty by an alliance of Christian kingdoms at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212...
, ceding all Marinid possessions in Spain, with the exception of Algeciras
Algeciras
Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
, Tarifa
Tarifa
Tarifa is a small town in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, on the southernmost coast of Spain. The town is located on the Costa de la Luz and across the Straits of Gibraltar facing Morocco. The municipality includes Punta de Tarifa, the southernmost point in continental Europe. There are five...
, Ronda
Ronda
Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...
and Guadix
Guadix
Guadix, a city of southern Spain, in the province of Granada; on the left bank of the river Guadix, a sub-tributary of the Guadiana Menor, and on the Madrid-Valdepeñas-Almería railway...
. (Guadix will however pass over to the Granada in 1288).
In November, 1288, Abu Yaqub's own son Abu Amir, hatched a conspiracy to depose him. The plot was soon nipped, but Abu Amir and his advisors took refuge in the court of the Abdalwadid
Abdalwadid
Zayyanids or Abd al-Wadids , or Banu Zayan, is the name of a Berber zenata dynasty in North Africa. The Zayyanids, whose capital was Tlemcen existed from 1235 to 1556...
ruler Abu Said Othman of Tlemcen
Tlemcen
Tlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
. Abu Yaqub was soon reconciled with his son, but demanded that his fellow conspirators be handed over for justice. Othman refused to extradite them. A Marinid fleet blockaded Tlemcen through much of 1290, but to little effect.
In 1291, the truce with Sancho IV
Sancho IV of Castile
Sancho IV the Brave was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1284 to his death. He was the second son of Alfonso X and Yolanda, daughter of James I of Aragon.-Biography:...
of Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
expired, hostilities in Spain renewed. While Abu Yaqub was busy against Tlemcen, Sancho IV
Sancho IV of Castile
Sancho IV the Brave was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1284 to his death. He was the second son of Alfonso X and Yolanda, daughter of James I of Aragon.-Biography:...
conspired with the Nasrid sultan Muhammad II
Muhammed II al-Faqih, Sultan of Granada
Muhammed II al-Faqih was the son and heir of Mohammed ibn Alhamar and the second Nasrid ruler of the Moorish Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula....
of Granada
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada , also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada , was an emirate established in 1238 following the defeat of Muhammad an-Nasir of the Almohad dynasty by an alliance of Christian kingdoms at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212...
to seize the three remaining Marinid citadels in Spain - Tarifa, Algeciras and Ronda - for themselves. With Granadine assistance, the Marinid citadel of Tarifa
Tarifa
Tarifa is a small town in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, on the southernmost coast of Spain. The town is located on the Costa de la Luz and across the Straits of Gibraltar facing Morocco. The municipality includes Punta de Tarifa, the southernmost point in continental Europe. There are five...
fell to Sancho IV of Castile in October, 1292. But Sancho refused to honor his agreement to hand it over to Granada and instead decided to keep Tarifa for himself.
A repentant Muhammad II immediately tried to repair relations with the Marinids. At a meeting in Tangiers in early 1293, Abu Yaqub assented to assist Muhammad II recover Tarifa from Castile, but on the condition that Tarifa will be turned over to Marinids, in return for which the Marinids will write over their rights to Algeciras and Ronda to Granada. As part of the deal, Muhammad II handed over to the Abu Yaqub four valuable 7th C. copies of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, drafted by the Caliph Uthman himself, which the fleeing Umayyads had brought from Damascus to Cordoba
Caliphate of Córdoba
The Caliphate of Córdoba ruled the Iberian peninsula and part of North Africa, from the city of Córdoba, from 929 to 1031. This period was characterized by remarkable success in trade and culture; many of the masterpieces of Islamic Iberia were constructed in this period, including the famous...
back in the 750s and had since been held by the royal treasury of Granada. The estranged Castilian prince Infante Don Juan (uncle of Sancho IV), then in exile, participated in this discussion and agreed to partake in the expedition.
Marinid sultan Abu Yaqub undertook his first crossing of the straits in 1293 (or 1294) to lay siege of Tarifa
Tarifa
Tarifa is a small town in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, on the southernmost coast of Spain. The town is located on the Costa de la Luz and across the Straits of Gibraltar facing Morocco. The municipality includes Punta de Tarifa, the southernmost point in continental Europe. There are five...
. But the citadel, held by the Castilian noble Alonso Perez de Guzman (stem of the house of Medina-Sidonia) refused to fall. As legend has it, when Infante Don Juan threatened to kill Guzman's son which he was holding prisoner, Guzman only response was to toss a knife from the walls, and tell him to proceed.
Around 1294, while still in Spain, Abu Yaqub received word of the break out of a revolt among the Berber Wattasids of the Rif
Rif
The Rif or Riff is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, with some fertile plains, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Melwiyya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Wergha in the south.It is part of the...
, fomented by the Abdalwadid
Abdalwadid
Zayyanids or Abd al-Wadids , or Banu Zayan, is the name of a Berber zenata dynasty in North Africa. The Zayyanids, whose capital was Tlemcen existed from 1235 to 1556...
s of Tlemcen
Tlemcen
Tlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
. Plans for the resumption of the siege of Tarifa were shelved, as Abu Yaqub spent much of the year dealing with the Rif uprising.
The failed siege of Tarifa persuaded the Marinid sultan Abu Yaqub to abandon his pretensions on the peninsula. In 1295, he formally handed over the last two remaining Marinid citadels, Algeciras
Algeciras
Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
and Ronda
Ronda
Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...
, to Muhammad II
Muhammed II al-Faqih, Sultan of Granada
Muhammed II al-Faqih was the son and heir of Mohammed ibn Alhamar and the second Nasrid ruler of the Moorish Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula....
of Granada
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada , also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada , was an emirate established in 1238 following the defeat of Muhammad an-Nasir of the Almohad dynasty by an alliance of Christian kingdoms at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212...
.
Siege of Tlemcen
The abandonment of Spain gave Marinid sultan Abu Yaqub a free hand to pursue a war against the AbdalwadidAbdalwadid
Zayyanids or Abd al-Wadids , or Banu Zayan, is the name of a Berber zenata dynasty in North Africa. The Zayyanids, whose capital was Tlemcen existed from 1235 to 1556...
s of Tlemcen
Tlemcen
Tlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
in 1295. Marinid forces moved systematically and painfully along the coast, taking Taourirt
Taourirt, Morocco
Taourirt is a town in Taourirt Province in the northern part of Morocco. Situated in the Oriental region about 100 km west to the city of Oujda....
(1295), Oujda
Oujda
Oujda is a city in eastern Morocco with an estimated population of 1 million. The city is located about 15 kilometers west of Algeria and about 60 kilometers south of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the Oriental Region of Morocco and the birthplace of the current Algerian president,...
(1296), Taount and Nedroma
Nedroma
Nedroma is a city in Tlemcen Province, Algeria. Once the capital of Trara, it was built on the ruins of a Berber city by Abd al-Mu'min The Almohad caliph, who himself was a native of the neighboring mountains.- World Heritage Status :...
(1297) before finally arriving at the suburbs of Tlemcen
Tlemcen
Tlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
in May, 1299. Settling down for a long siege, Abu Yaqub erected a siege camp which turned into a veritable city, known as al-Mahalla al-Mansura ('Camp of Victory'), with markets, public baths, palaces and mosques of its own. From here, he conducted the siege against Tlemcen, while dispatching detachments to seize the remaining coast of the Abdalwadid sultanate, all the way to Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
.
Nonetheless, the besieged city of Tlemcen refused to fall. The death of the Abdalwadid sultan Othman in 1303 prompted the city to contemplate capitulation, but his successor Abu Zayyan I rallied the resistance and ensured it continued to hold out.
In an eye to relieve the siege, Abdalwadid agents persuaded the new Nasrid sultan Muhammad III
Muhammed III, Sultan of Granada
Muhammed III was a son of Muhammed II al-Faqih and the third Nasrid ruler of the Moorish Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula....
of Granada
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada , also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada , was an emirate established in 1238 following the defeat of Muhammad an-Nasir of the Almohad dynasty by an alliance of Christian kingdoms at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212...
to land a Marinid pretender, a certain Othman Ibn Idris, in Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
in 1306. Othman landed with Granadan help and immediately proclaimed himself ruler of Morocco. But the Marinid emir Abu Yaqub, sensing his siege was finally having an effect, that Tlemcen was on the verge of falling, decided to ignore the threat in his rear and press on with the siege. Unchallenged, Othman ibn Idris's partisans added the neighboring towns of Asilah
Asilah
Asilah or Arzila is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about 31 km from Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact...
, Larache
Larache
Larache is an important harbour town in the region Tanger-Tétouan in northern Morocco. It was founded in the 7th century when a group of Muslim soldiers from Arabia extended their camp at Lixus onto the south bank of the Loukkos River.In 1471, the Portuguese settlers from Asilah and Tangier drove...
and much of the Ghomara
Ghomara
The Ghomara are an originally Berber group in northern Morocco, living between the rivers Oued Laou and Ouringa, north of Chefchaouen and south of Tetouan, just west of the Rif. The river Tiguisas runs through their territory...
region to his cause.
In May, 1307, the Marinid sultan Abu Yaqub Yusuf was assassinated in the Tlemcen siege camp by a eunuch over an obscure harem affair. He was succeeded by his son (or grandson), Abu Thabit Amir
Abu Thabit Amir
Abu Thabit Amir was a Marinid ruler of Morocco for around a year. Son or grandson of Abu Yaqub Yusuf, whom he succeeded in 1307.- History :...
as Marinid
Marinid
The Marinid dynasty or Benemerine dynasty was a Zenata Berber dynasty of Morocco. The Marinid dynasty overtook the Almohads in controlling Morocco in 1244. They controlled most of the Maghreb from the mid-14th century to the 15th century and supported the Kingdom of Granada in Al-Andalus in the...
sultan of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, who opted to abandon the siege of Tlemcen and to confront Othman ibn Idris in Ceuta. Abu Yaqub's twelve-year war against Tlemcen ended up yielding no fruit.
Sources
- Julien, Charles-André, Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord, des origines à 1830, édition originale 1931, réédition Payot, Paris, 1961