Ismail I of Granada
Ismail I | |
---|---|
Abu Sa'id Faraj | |
Mother | Fatima bint al-Ahmar |
Religion | Islam |
Abu'l-Walid Ismail I ibn Faraj (
He claimed the throne during the reign of his maternal uncle,
After an initial truce, Ismail followed up his victory with the capture of castles on the Castilian border in 1324 and 1325, including
Background
Abu'l-Walid Ismail ibn Faraj[1] was the son of Fatima bint al-Ahmar and Abu Said Faraj ibn Ismail. Ismail's mother Fatima was the daughter of Sultan Muhammad II (r. 1273–1302) and the sister of the sultans Muhammad III (r. 1302–1309) and Nasr (r. 1309–1314), the two immediate successors to and sons of Muhammad II. Ismail's father, Abu Said Faraj was also a member of the royal family, the son of Ismail ibn Nasr, who was a brother of the dynasty founder Muhammad I (r. 1238–1273). Therefore, Ismail was related to the ruling Nasrid dynasty in two ways: through his mother he was the grandson of Muhammad II and great-grandson of Muhammad I, while through his father he was a great-nephew of Muhammad I.[2] Abu Said married Fatima during the reign of her father, Muhammad II, for whom he was a trusted advisor as well as a cousin. Abu Said was also appointed governor of Málaga by Muhammad II.[2] Málaga was the second largest city of the Emirate of Granada after the capital, Granada, and its most important Mediterranean port, without which "Granada was no more than an isolated mountain-girt city," according to the historian L. P. Harvey.[3] Abu Said's father, Ismail ibn Nasr, had also served as its governor until he died in 1257.[4]
The emirate was the last Muslim state on the Iberian Peninsula, founded by Muhammad I in the 1230s.[5] Through a combination of diplomatic and military manoeuvres, the emirate succeeded in maintaining its independence, despite being located between two larger neighbours: the Christian Crown of Castile to the north and the Muslim Marinid Sultanate in Morocco. Granada intermittently entered into alliance or went to war with both these powers, or encouraged them to fight one another, in order to avoid being dominated by either.[6] From time to time, the sultans of Granada swore fealty and paid tributes to the kings of Castile, an important source of income for Castile.[7] From Castile's point of view, Granada was a royal vassal, while Muslim sources never described the relationship as such, and Muhammad I, for instance, on occasions declared his fealty to other Muslim sovereigns.[8]
Early life
Ismail was born on 3 March 1279 (17 Shawwal 677 AH), shortly after his father Abu Said was sent to Málaga as governor on 11 February. He was likely born in the Alhambra, the royal palace complex in Granada, because his mother was in late pregnancy at the time of Abu Said's departure, and the Nasrid rule in Málaga was still unstable because it had just been recaptured after a long rebellion by the Banu Ashqilula.[9] Ismail and his mother subsequently moved to Málaga, where his father served as an effective governor and a trusted advisor for Muhammad II and later Muhammad III.[10] Ismail had a younger brother, named Muhammad, whose birth date was unknown.[11] During his youth Ismail was said to be well-loved by his father and by his maternal grandfather, Muhammad II.[9][12] Biographers described him as a person who loved hunting and who had long, dark-red beard.[9]
Ismail's maternal uncle Sultan Nasr became unpopular at court in the last years of his reign.[1] The near-contemporary historian Ibn Khaldun wrote that this was due to his and his vizier's "tendencies towards violence and injustice", while Harvey rejects this explanation as propaganda and writes that "exactly why Naṣr fell is not clear."[13] The historian Antonio Fernández-Puertas links Nasr's unpopularity to his activities in science, especially astronomy, which were deemed excessive by his nobles. Furthermore, Nasr was suspected of being too pro-Christian, because of his education by his Christian mother and his good relationship with Ferdinand IV. His vizier, Ibn al-Hajj, was also unpopular as he was believed to have too much power over the Sultan. Compounding their image problem, they both often dressed in the Castilian manner.[14] Harvey also opines that Nasr was blamed "perhaps unfairly" for Granada's losses in the war that occurred during his reign against the Marinid Sultanate and the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon.[13] Initially, he faced an attempted coup to restore his predecessor, the dethroned Muhammad III, in November 1310.[15] That attempt failed, but Abu Said Faraj, encouraged by an anti-Nasr faction he met at court, started another rebellion the following year in the name of his son Ismail, who had a stronger claim to the throne thanks to the lineage of his mother.[14][16] According to Fernández-Puertas, Abu Said's decision was partly prompted by the drowning of Muhammad III at the order of Nasr after the failed coup,[14] but there are conflicting reports of when this assassination happened; other historians such as Francisco Vidal Castro considered the most likely date to be in February 1314, long after the start of Abu Said's rebellion.[17]
The pro-Ismail rebels, led by Abu Said, took
Rise to power
Fearing the sultan's vengeance, Abu Said sent his
Opposition to Nasr continued, and members of the anti-Nasr faction fled the court to Ismail's stronghold of Málaga.
Reign
Defending the throne
The first years of Ismail's reign were marked by conflict with the deposed Nasr, who called himself "King of Guadix" and ruled the city independently.[9] He accused Ismail of violating his guarantee of Nasr's security and enlisted the help of his relatives and servants to attempt to regain the throne.[9] He was also supported by the exiled North African princes Abd al-Haqq ibn Uthman and Hammu ibn Abd al-Haqq, who followed him to Guadix.[13] Ismail put his border regions on alert to anticipate Castilian interventions in favour of Nasr, whom the Castilian king considered to be his vassal.[23] He also appointed Uthman ibn al-Ula as the commander of the western section of the jund (regular army), in charge of facing the Castilian threat, in addition to his post as the commander of the Volunteers of the Faith.[24]
Ismail laid siege to Guadix in May 1315 but left unsuccessfully after 45 days.
Peter invaded Granada again in 1317, pillaging the countryside in the plain of Granada in July, and then captured
The ensuing Battle of the Vega of Granada resulted in a complete Muslim victory. Peter fell from his horse, either struck down by blows while trying to lead his troops[26] or entangled when charging a Granadan horseman on his own,[33] and immediately died. John suddenly became incapacitated, "neither dead or alive", when he was trying to rally his troops after hearing the news about Peter; he would die later at night.[33] Demoralized at Peter's death and John's incapacitation, the remaining Castilian commanders began a disorderly retreat.[34] The Granadan forces, thinking the Castilians were preparing for battle, attacked their camp, killing and capturing many Castilians and looting their camp. Authors from both sides considered this outcome a judgement from God, with Ibn Khaldun declaring it "one of the most marvelous of God's interventions in favor of the true faith".[35][36]
Consolidation
The death of the two Castilian regents at the Battle of the Vega and the thorough defeat of their forces effectively ended the Castilian threat to Ismail's throne. With Castile's court in disarray, the
Despite the treaty at Baena, some other truces between Granada and Castile expired, and conflict restarted. A Castilian fleet under Alfonso Jofré Tenorio defeated Granada in a naval battle, and according to Christian records captured 1,200 Muslims who were shipped to Seville. Meanwhile, emboldened by the end of the threat from Nasr and the lack of leadership in the Castilian court, Ismail crossed the land border with Castile in order to strengthen his control over the frontiers and recapture border fortresses. In July 1324 he recaptured Baza, near Guadix. In either 1324 or 1325,[a] he took Orce, Huéscar, and Galera, and used cannons during one of the sieges (see below). [9][39][40] Ismail ordered the rebuilding of defences in the conquered places, and worked on the moat of Huéscar with his own hands.[9] Poems celebrating some of Ismail's military accomplishments were written in the Dar al-Mamlaka al-Saida (Happy House of the Kingdom) in the Generalife of the Alhambra.[41] Ismail's last campaign was the siege of Martos, from 22 June to 6 July 1325. During the assault Ismail lost control of his troops, who proceeded to sack the city and massacred its inhabitants. The resulting atrocities were roundly condemned by Muslim chroniclers.[9]
Reported use of cannons
Historians report the use of cannons at one of Ismail's sieges in 1324 or 1325, which would be the weapon's first-ever use on the Iberian peninsula, but there are differing details and interpretation. Both Joseph F. O'Callaghan (2011) and Francisco Vidal Castro unequivocally write that cannons were in fact used, in Galera according to O'Callaghan or in Huéscar according to Vidal Castro.
Administration
Compared to other sultans, Ismail enforced a stricter and more orthodox implementation of
Among his ministers were Abu Fath al-Fihri and Abu al-Hasan ibn Mas'ud al-Muharibi, who shared the function of the vizier (chief minister).[45] Ismail named the renowned poet Ibn al-Jayyab as his royal secretary,[9] and Muhammad ibn al-Mahruq as officer in charge of his finances, titled the wakil.[46] Ibn al-Mahruq would go on to become vizier during the reign of Muhammad IV, replacing Ibn Mas'ud who died of the wounds received during the attack against Ismail.[46][47] Ismail appointed Abu Nu'aym Ridwan, a Castilian-Catalan convert to Islam, as tutor of the prince Muhammad. When the young Muhammad ascended the throne, Abu Nu'aym maintained his influence over him and would be named hajib (chamberlain), a post he continued to occupy under Yusuf I and during the early period of Muhammad V's reign.[48] In political matters, Ismail was also assisted by his mother Fatima, despite his falling out with his father. According to historian María Jesús Rubiera Mata, in this she was "as gifted with great qualities" as her husband.[49] In the judiciary, Ismail appointed the judge Yahya ibn Mas'ud ibn Ali as qadi al-jama'a (chief judge), replacing Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Farkun who had served under Muhammad III and Nasr.[50]
Family
Ismail I had at least three
Death
Ismail was assassinated on 8 July 1325 (Monday 26 Rajab 725 AH) by a relative, Muhammad ibn Ismail, son of the Sultan's cousin (also named Ismail) known as the sahib al-Jazira (Lord of Algeciras).[9][51] Historian Ibn al-Khatib – who was eleven years old and lived in Granada at the time of the murder[52] – wrote that the Sultan had previously censured Muhammad due to an unspecified act of negligence, and that the rebuke wounded him so much he decided to murder Ismail. Christian sources reported another motive for the assassination: according to the Chronicles of Alfonso XI, Muhammad ibn Ismail captured a Christian woman at Martos, whom Ismail wanted to be given to him. When Muhammad refused, the sultan spoke in a manner Muhammad considered disrespectful. Muhammad then discussed this with Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula, who agreed to join the plot to kill Ismail.[53][54] Harvey cautions that an outsider's account with such colourful details on "what went on behind closed doors" might not be reliable, especially as it differs from other sources.[55]
The assassination took place in broad daylight in the Alhambra, in front of the public as well as Granadan high officials.
Ismail was buried in the royal cemetery (rawda) of the Alhambra, where his grandfather Muhammad II had also been buried. Centuries later with the
Legacy
A cultured and refined man, during his life Ismail significantly added to the Alhambra complex and the palace of Generalife.
Ismail I was succeeded by his son Muhammad IV (r. 1315–1333), a boy of ten.[62] Another son of Ismail succeeded Muhammad IV as Yusuf I (r. 1333–1354).[2] The lineage of sultans beginning with Ismail is now called al-dawla al-isma'iliyya al-nasriyya, "the Nasrid dynasty of Ismail", in contrast to al-dawla al-ghalibiyya al-nasriyya, "the Nasrid dynasty of al-Ghalib", named after Muhammad I's nickname al-Ghalib billah ("The Victor by the Grace of God") and to which the first four sultans belonged.[65] The Nasrid dynasty did not have a specific rule of succession, but Ismail I was the first of the few rulers who descended matrilineally from the royal line. The other instance happened in 1432 with the accession of Yusuf IV.[49]
O'Callaghan called him "one of the most effective kings of Granada",[39] while Vidal Castro characterised his reign as "very active and belligerent, which brought al-Andalus to a stronger position against its enemies".[9] The historian Hugh N. Kennedy called him "a vigorous and effective ruler" who "might have achieved much more had he not been assassinated".[66] Similarly, Harvey writes that he "seemed [...] destined to enjoy a long and successful reign" after his success in the Battle of the Vega, if not for his early death.[40]
Notes
Explanatory
- ^ Sources differ on the dates of the conquests: Vidal Castro: Ismail I writes all three were captured in 1324, while Latham & Fernández-Puertas (1993), p. 1023 gives 1325 as the date of these conquests. Harvey (1992), p. 184 specified that Huescar was captured in 1324, but did not give the date of the other sieges.
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h Latham & Fernández-Puertas 1993, p. 1023.
- ^ a b c Fernández-Puertas 1997, p. 2.
- ^ Harvey 1992, p. 158.
- ^ Fernández-Puertas 1997, p. 1.
- ^ Harvey 1992, pp. 9, 40.
- ^ Harvey 1992, pp. 160, 165.
- ^ O'Callaghan 2013, p. 456.
- ^ Harvey 1992, pp. 26–28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Vidal Castro: Ismail I.
- ^ Boloix Gallardo 2016, pp. 276–277.
- ^ Boloix Gallardo 2016, p. 276.
- ^ Boloix Gallardo 2016, p. 279.
- ^ a b c Harvey 1992, p. 180.
- ^ a b c d e f Fernández-Puertas 1997, p. 4.
- ^ Vidal Castro 2004, p. 361.
- ^ Rubiera Mata 1975, pp. 131–132.
- ^ Vidal Castro 2004, pp. 361–363.
- ^ a b Rubiera Mata 1975, p. 132.
- ^ a b O'Callaghan 2011, p. 134.
- ^ a b Fernández-Puertas 1997, pp. 4–5.
- ^ Catlos 2018, p. 343.
- ^ a b c Fernández-Puertas 1997, p. 5.
- ^ a b Arié 1973, p. 93.
- ^ Arié 1973, p. 94.
- ^ a b O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 138–139.
- ^ a b c d Harvey 1992, p. 181.
- ^ a b c O'Callaghan 2011, p. 139.
- ^ a b O'Callaghan 2011, p. 141.
- ^ O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 142–143.
- ^ O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 139–143.
- ^ a b O'Callaghan 2011, p. 143.
- ^ Al-Zahrani 2009, p. 357.
- ^ a b c d e O'Callaghan 2011, p. 144.
- ^ O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 144–145.
- ^ Harvey 1992, p. 182.
- ^ O'Callaghan 2011, p. 145.
- ^ a b O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 147–148.
- ^ a b O'Callaghan 2011, p. 147.
- ^ a b c O'Callaghan 2011, p. 149.
- ^ a b c d Harvey 1992, p. 184.
- ^ Fernández-Puertas 1997, p. 6.
- ^ Harvey 1992, pp. 199, 230.
- ^ O'Callaghan 2011, p. 195.
- ^ Arié 1973, p. 215.
- ^ Arié 1973, p. 206, also note 7.
- ^ a b Arié 1973, p. 214.
- ^ a b c d Vidal Castro: Muhammad IV.
- ^ Arié 1973, p. 264.
- ^ a b Boloix Gallardo 2016, p. 281.
- ^ Arié 1973, pp. 279–280.
- ^ Vidal Castro 2004, pp. 371–372.
- ^ Vidal Castro 2004, p. 374.
- ^ Vidal Castro 2004, p. 375.
- ^ Harvey 1992, p. 185.
- ^ Harvey 1992, pp. 185, 187.
- ^ a b Vidal Castro 2004, p. 377.
- ^ Vidal Castro 2004, pp. 375–376.
- ^ a b Vidal Castro 2004, p. 376.
- ^ Vidal Castro 2004, pp. 379–380.
- ^ a b Catlos 2018, p. 344.
- ^ Arié 1973, p. 198.
- ^ a b c Fernández-Puertas 1997, p. 7.
- ^ Harvey 1992, pp. 199–201, 230.
- ^ Harvey 1992, pp. 230–232.
- ^ Fernández-Puertas 1997, pp. 1, 5.
- ^ Kennedy 2014, p. 287.
References
- Al-Zahrani, Saleh Eazah (2009). "Revisiones y nuevos datos sobre la batalla de la Vega de Granada (719/1319) a través de las fuentes árabes". MEAH. Sección Arabe-Islam (in Spanish). 58. Granada: ISSN 2341-0906.
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- Boloix Gallardo, Bárbara (2016). "Mujer y poder en el Reino Nazarí de Granada: Fatima bint al-Ahmar, la perla central del collar de la dinastía (siglo XIV)". Anuario de Estudios Medievales (in Spanish). 46 (1). Madrid: .
- Catlos, Brian A. (2018). Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain. London: ISBN 978-17-8738-003-5.
- Fernández-Puertas, Antonio (April 1997). "The Three Great Sultans of al-Dawla al-Ismā'īliyya al-Naṣriyya Who Built the Fourteenth-Century Alhambra: Ismā'īl I, Yūsuf I, Muḥammad V (713–793/1314–1391)". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. Third Series. 7 (1). London: S2CID 154717811.
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- ISBN 978-1317870418.
- Latham, J.D. & Fernández-Puertas, A. (1993). "Naṣrids". In ISBN 978-90-04-09419-2.
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- O'Callaghan, Joseph F. (2013). A History of Medieval Spain. Ithaca, New York: ISBN 978-0-8014-6872-8.
- Rubiera Mata, María Jesús (1975). "El Arráez Abu Sa'id Faray B. Isma'il B. Nasr, gobernador de Málaga y epónimo de la segunda dinastía Nasari de Granada" (PDF). Boletín de la Asociación Española de Orientalistas (in Spanish). Madrid: ISSN 0571-3692.
- Vidal Castro, Francisco. "Ismail I". Diccionario Biográfico electrónico (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Academia de la Historia.
- Vidal Castro, Francisco. "Muhammad IV". Diccionario Biográfico electrónico (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Academia de la Historia.
- Vidal Castro, Francisco (2004). "El asesinato político en al-Andalus: la muerte violenta del emir en la dinastía nazarí". In María Isabel Fierro (ed.). De muerte violenta: política, religión y violencia en Al-Andalus (in Spanish). Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. pp. 349–398. ISBN 978-84-00-08268-0.