Caliphate of Cordoue

the Califat of Cordoue was the Western Califat in which the branch of the Omeyyades reigned known as of the Omeyyades de Cordoue, competitor of the Abbassides in the Islamic Civilization then with its apogee. Its maximum extension reaches more than 80% of the Iberian peninsula, and made following the Moslem invasions of Western Europe.

The name Western Caliphate correspondent with Cordoue, is opposed to the Abbasid Califat , located at Baghdad, for the period of their coexistence.

Dating

The Moslem Conquête of Spain was done in 711, the grounds are then made up in an emirate omeyyade which follows the obedience of Damas. Omeyyades are then détrônés in 750 by the Abbassides, which found their own dynasty. Almost all the family members are massacred, but the prince Abd Al-Rahman Ier, succeeds in fleeing, gaining Spain and establishing there a new dynasty with Cordoue. In 756, the country becomes a emirate independent under the reign of the Omeyyades de Cordoue. It transforms into Caliphate as from 929 until in 1031.

The caliphs Omeyyades enjoy a bad reputation in Moslem historiography, and titrates it of Caliph (successor of the prophet) their is refused with almost all, for the more secular title of Melik, king.

Important characters

the founder: Abd Al-Rahman III, going down from the last survivor of the Omeyyades of Damas, Abd Al-Rahman Ier.
Large the Vizier and war leader Mohammed ibn-Abi Amir, known as Al-Mansur or el-Mansour, (Almanzor for its Castilian adversaries), “the victorious one” towards 938 - 1002

See also: List of the Al-Andalus#Califat sovereigns of Cordoue, Caliphs de Cordoue

Foundation

The January 16th 929 Abd Al-Rahman III is freed from the political authority and nun from Baghdad by allotting the titles from Caliph. It will transform and embellish Cordoue and will fix its residence at Madinat Al-Zahra, city created for its favorite Zahra with eight kilometers of Cordoue. Under its reign and that of its successor Al-Hakam II, Al-Andalus knows prosperity.

History

In 932, Tolède fall to the hands from Omeyyades de Cordoue after a seat which inflicted a terrible famine with the inhabitants. The caliphate enters during one time of peace and prosperity. Towards 950, Abd Al-Rahman III carries its authority on the the Maghreb of Tangier to Algiers. It runs up against the attacks of the Fatimides.

In 955, the diplomat Hasdaï Ben Shatprut is sent in company of another emissary to negotiate a peace treaty with the king Ordoño III of the Asturies. The duke of Castille accepts in his turn an peace agreement. With died of Ordoño III (winter 956 - spring 957), his/her brother the king of León Sanche Ier the Fat refuses to honor the peace treaty. The war begins again between Christians and Moslems. Reversed by Ordoño IV in 958, Sanche obtains the assistance of the caliph de Cordoue to regain his throne, two years later, and renews peace.

Under the reign of Al-Hakam II starting from 961, the caliphate is with its apogee. Its successor Hicham II, because of his young age, reigns under the supervision of the vizier of the palate Ibn Abî' Amir (Almanzor). This one manages to overcome the Arabs who had rebelled after his takeover by force while being based on Berber new arrivals. Almanzor is victorious of Ramire III of León in 978. It starts again the holy war starting from 980. In Al-Andalus, he maltreats and persecutes the Mozarabes. Jews and Christians take refuge towards north. It launches raids against the Catalogne and the Asturies. Barcelona is destroyed in 985, its inhabitants are made prisoners without the king of the Francs not answering their call. The Jews of the city are massacred. In 997 it takes Saint-Jacob de Compostelle whose sanctuary is destroyed.

Collapse

With died of Almanzor in 1002, the caliphate of Cordoue starts its fall while the army names and relieves the caliphs. The civil war bursts with dead of his/her son Abd Al-Malik Al-Muzaffar in 1008. The Berber ones, the Arabs, the Slavic ones and the Spaniards clash for the capacity. Cordoue is ransacked by the Christians in 1009. Madinat Al-Zahra, the residence of the caliph close to Cordoue, is destroyed by the Berber ones in 1013. As of 1023, Abbad Ier, Qadi (judge) of Seville is declared independent and founded the kingdom `Abbadide which it increases before his death. In 1027, the Cordovans make lock up the last caliph omeyyade in a part with his/her daughter whom he adored. They miss dying of hunger before being slackened. Following its bursting starting from 1031, the Caliphate is divided enters 23 independent kinglets ( Reyes of taifas , muluk tawaif At ). Their governors proclaim emirs and bind diplomatic relations with the Christian kingdoms.

Economy

Agriculture remains traditional (cereals, olive-tree, vine) but the Arabs improved the systems of irrigation in the littoral valleys and zones and developed the cultures of the fig tree, the Canne to sugar, the lemon tree, the banana tree, the date palm (Elche), of the plants aromatic and coloring (saffron, garance, coriandre, henné) and textiles (flax and cotton).

Spain produces ores: however (Lérida, Grenade), money (Murcie, Béja), iron (Guadalquivir), copper (Tolède, Elvira), lead, white marble (Sierra Morena), onyx (Grenade), invaluable stones. It manufactures weapons (Tolède), works glass and leather (Cordoue). It sells oil and fabrics to buy corn. Slaves, from Eastern Europe by Verdun, forward there to be sent in the East.

Cordoue is with Baghdad and Constantinople one of the three plus big city of the world, with close to 250 000 inhabitants.

Culture

The official language of Al-Andalus is the Arab and all the subjects bear Arab names whatever their confessions. The Juifs remain faithful to the Hebrew and the Mozarabes to the Latin . The Jews which travel to Constantinople and with Alexandria know also the Greek .

Abd Al-Rahman III maintains positive ratios with the Jews and the Christians. It has for advising and friendly Recemundo, bishop of Cordoue, “Rabbi Ben Zaïd”. The caliph takes in heart to convene itself the councils. Its doctor is the Jew séfarade Hasdaï Ben Shatprut, at the same time philosophical and poet, who translates into Arabic materia medica , a manuscript of the Greek doctor Dioscoride (of Arnazarbe), sent by the Byzantine emperor Constantin VII Porphyrogénète. Hasdaï supports other Jewish intellectuals, poets and exégètes, whose manuscript thus reached us (Jacob Al-Turtusi, Jeuda Ben Sheshet, Dunash Ben Labrat, Menahem Ben Saruq, Moïse Ben Hanoch, etc). They communicate with the rabbinical center of Babylon where the final version Talmud under the aegis of Saadia Gaon develops.

Al-Hakam II joins together a library of more than 400 000 volumes. It sends its agents in the world in the search of rare works. This work will allow the transmission of the legacy gréco-Roman the Occident. Almanzor creates a school of poetry in Cordoue, but expurge the Al-Hakam library of the works which he considers suspect heresy.

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