Muhammad IV of Granada

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Muhammad IV
Sultan of Granada
Reign8 July 1325 – 25 August 1333
PredecessorIsmail I
SuccessorYusuf I
Born14 April 1315
Granada
Died25 August 1333(1333-08-25) (aged 18)
DynastyNasrid
FatherIsmail I
ReligionIslam

Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail (

Arabic: أبو عبد الله محمد الرابع), known as Muhammad IV, (14 April 1315 – 25 August 1333) was the ruler of the Emirate of Granada on the Iberian Peninsula from 1325 to 1333. He was the sixth sultan of the Nasrid dynasty, succeeding to the throne at ten years old when his father, Ismail I
(r. 1314–1325), was assassinated.

The initial years of his reign were marked by conflict among his ministers, who vied for control of the young sultan's government. This escalated into a civil war between the party of the

Abu Nuaym Ridwan
as the hajib (chamberlain), outranking his other ministers; this was the first time the title appeared in the Emirate of Granada.

In 1328 and 1329, Alfonso XI formed an anti-Granada alliance with another Iberian monarch,

in turn besieged by Alfonso XI. Muhammad raided Castile in a diversionary attack before marching to relieve Gibraltar. This resulted in a stalemate that ended with a truce on 24 August 1333 that lifted the siege of Gibraltar and restored the 1331 treaty. One day later, Muhammad was assassinated (aged 18) on the orders of the sons of Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula (who had died in 1330), who resented either the sultan's alliance with the Marinids or his friendliness with Castile. He was succeeded by his brother Yusuf I
(r. 1333–1354).

Background

Colored map of the Iberian Peninsula and Western North Africa
The Emirate of Granada and the surrounding kingdoms in 1360

Founded by

a siege in 1309), allowing it to interfere with traffic into the nearby Algeciras, while Granadan control of Algeciras similarly impeded traffic into Gibraltar from the Castilian-held Tarifa and elsewhere.[7] Another Christian power in the peninsula, the Crown of Aragon was at peace with Granada following the 1321 treaty between the two kingdoms, which included a provision for free movement for Aragonese Muslim subjects who wished to emigrate to Muslim lands.[8][9]

Early life

Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail was born in the city of

sufis, ulama, grammarians, and secretaries of the chancery.[16] Muhammad's paternal grandmother, Fatima bint al-Ahmar, lent crucial support to his accession, and provided additional legitimacy because it was through her that Muhammad IV descended from previous sultans of Granada, while his grandfather Abu Said Faraj did not belong to the lineage of sultans.[12][17]

Reign

The young sultan and his ministers

A map of the Emirate of Granada, depicting relevant towns and cities

Due to his youth, he was subject to the influence of his court ministers and his grandmother. At first Ibn Mas'ud continued to serve as vizier, but he died from infections of his wounds a month after Muhammad's accession. He was replaced by the

Abu Nuaym Ridwan, and his grandmother, both of whom also participated in government.[17][19]

Soon, Uthman's despotic behaviour alienated the other ministers, as he deprived them of authority and appropriated the state funds almost exclusively for the payment of the Volunteers. This led Ibn al-Mahruq to fear that the ambitious Uthman was planning a coup to seize power for himself. An open rivalry emerged between the two, which climaxed in December 1326, when Uthman's troops occupied the city and forced Ibn al-Mahruq and his followers to confine themselves to the Alhambra palace, while Ibn al-Mahruq appointed Yahya ibn Umar ibn Rahhu, Uthman's son-in-law and a member of the Banu Rahhu clan, as a rival commander of the Volunteers. This led the Volunteer troops to abandon Uthman, who was left with his own family and their followers, numbering only 1,000 men.[8][20]

Civil war

Uthman and his followers marched to

laqab (regnal honorific) al-Qaim bi-amr Allah ("He who carries out God's orders"). Uthman and Abu Abdullah won the allegiance of the people of the nearby fortress of Andarax on 4 April. Uthman turned it into his stronghold for the struggle against Muhammad's ministers. The surrounding areas soon also recognised his authority, throwing Granada into an open civil war.[8][20]

Uthman made contact with the Castilians to support him in the war.

Abu Said Uthman II sent troops to the peninsula in 1327 and 1328 to help Muhammad.[21] Meanwhile, Muhammad, now 13 years old, began to exercise effective control of his government.[21] The losses inflicted by the civil war caused him to change course: in July/August 1328, he effected a reconciliation with Uthman ibn al-Ula, who settled in Guadix.[8][22] On 6 November 1328 Muhammad ordered his household slaves to assassinate Ibn al-Mahruq.[8][23] Muhammad reappointed Uthman as shaykh al-ghuzat, a post that he held until his death in 1330.[22] Uthman, back in his previous position of power, sent the pretender Abu Abdullah to North Africa, definitively ending the civil war.[8]

Political developments up to 1329

Alfonso XI had been proclaimed to have reached

Agreda in 1328, and of Tarazona on 6 February 1329, aiming at a joint attack against Granada.[8][21][25] Alfonso IV also married the Castilian king's sister, Eleanor.[26] He cancelled the Aragon–Granada treaty in March 1329, citing persistent Muslim attacks, and instead declared war on Granada.[25] Against the Aragon–Castile alliance, the Granadan military in 1329 included 4,000 horsemen, including 3,000 North African and 1,000 Andalusians. Among these, 1,000 North Africans and 600 Andalusians were deployed to garrison the capital.[27]

On 17 May 1329 (17 Rajab 729), Muhammad appointed his former tutor Abu Nuaym Ridwan as hajib (chamberlain). This was the first time the office of hajib appeared in the history of the Nasrids. The office was modeled after the hajib of the 10th century Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba:[28] the hajib acted as a sort of prime minister, outranked the vizier and the other ministers and had command of the army in the absence of the sultan. Ridwan, a Castilian-Catalan convert to Islam who rose through the ranks during the reign of Ismail I,[29] would continue to hold the post during the reign of Muhammad's successor Yusuf I and the first reign (1354–1359) of Muhammad V, except for a brief pause during Yusuf's rule.[30][31]

Countering Christian invasion

The Battle of Teba, in which Muhammad IV's forces were defeated by Alfonso XI

After Pope John XXII declared the war against Granada a crusade in February 1330, Alfonso IV sent 500 knights to invade Granada's border areas, while Alfonso XI personally led his troops from Córdoba in July 1330.[32] Castilian forces laid siege to the fortress of Teba on 7 August, and were confronted by the 6,000-strong Granadan army led by Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula. The Granadan forces were defeated, and the fortress surrendered on 30 August.[33] Uthman died in the same year at Málaga, and was replaced by his son Abu Thabit Amir as commander of the Volunteers.[34] Crusading forces operating independently from Alfonso XI ravaged the Granadan countryside, causing severe food shortages and leading Muhammad to sue for peace. A peace treaty was agreed on 19 February 1331 in Seville, which was to last for four years. Muhammad agreed to pay tribute to Castile and to send his representative to pay homage to Alfonso XI annually. As part of the peace treaty, Castile agreed to export wheat and livestock to alleviate the shortage in Granada.[35] Despite Muhammad's request, Alfonso IV refused to join the treaty.[8]

Alfonso XI soon broke the truce by stopping the food exports to Granada.

Juan Manuel.[38]

Marinid help and the capture of Gibraltar

Abu al-Hasan's aid to Granada consisted of 5,000 soldiers, led by his son,

besieging Gibraltar by sea and land.[38] The Marinid army was joined by Granada's troops led by Ridwan.[8] The Castilian admiral Alfonso Jofré Tenorio tried to deliver supplies to Gibraltar, but this was prevented by the blockading Marinid fleet. He attempted to fire bags of flour into the town using the trebuchets on his ships, but most of them did not reach the castle.[39] Meanwhile, Muhammad unsuccessfully attacked Castro del Río, but subsequently captured the fortress of Cabra.[40] Gibraltar's defenders surrendered on 17 June 1333, after about five months of siege, and were given safe conduct out of the town.[41] Alfonso XI heard the news three days later, when his relieving army was just a few days' march away at Jerez.[40][42]

The Marinids

Alfonso XI hastened his march, crossing the

laying siege to retake Gibraltar. The Muslims had reinforced the town by moving supplies from Algeciras, and the troops of Abu Malik stationed in that town opposed Alfonso's army.[43] To divert Castile's attention, Muhammad led a counterattack into Castilian territory, capturing Benamejí and raiding the areas surrounding Córdoba.[44] He met with no resistance because Alfonso's army was pinned by Abu Malik's forces and the Castilian nobles who were supposed to oppose Muhammad rebelled and attacked the Alfonso's castles instead, joined by Juan Manuel who had deserted Alfonso's camp.[45][46] Muhammad then marched towards Gibraltar. Muhammad initially encamped on the banks of the Guadiaro near the besieged town, and then went to the Sierra Carbonera to join forces with Abu Malik.[47] The Muslim and Christian armies faced off for several days, but after several skirmishes neither side was confident of a decisive victory. Alfonso was also worried about the destruction of his realm by his rebellious nobles. A truce was agreed on 24 August 1333, with Muhammad and Alfonso reaffirming the 1331 treaty of Seville.[8][46] Muhammad visited Alfonso's tent bringing various gifts, while the Castilian king welcomed him on foot and bareheaded as a sign of respect, and they had a sumptuous meal together.[48]

Death

Muhammad was assassinated on 25 August 1333 (13 Dhu al-Hijja 733 AH) near the mouth of the Guadiaro. Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula's sons, Abu Thabit—the new commander of the volunteers after his father's death—and Ibrahim, were responsible for the plot, although the actual killing was carried out by a slave named Zayyan.[8][49][50] According to near-contemporary historian Ibn Khaldun, Muhammad was killed by the two brothers because of his Marinid alliance: their family had been exiled to Granada as political dissidents by the Marinids, and considered the latter as their enemies. Moreover, the Marinid military involvement on the Iberian Peninsula caused the Volunteers of the Faith to lose the influence they previously had as the dominant military force fighting for Granada.[8] Contrary to the Muslim sources, which cite the Marinid factor as the motive for the assassination, Castilian sources state that Muhammad was killed because of his excessive friendliness with Alfonso XI.[51]

According to the historian Brian Catlos, the hajib Ridwan, who was present at the time of the assassination, rode quickly to the capital, arriving on the same day, and, after consultation with Fatima, arranged for the declaration of Muhammad's younger brother Abu'l-Hajjaj Yusuf as the new sultan, Yusuf I.[52] This version of Yusuf's proclamation was also quoted by historians L. P. Harvey and Francisco Vidal Castro, who attribute it to Castilian sources.[53][54] Francisco Vidal Castro favours another version in which the declaration and the oath of allegiance took place in the Muslim camp near Gibraltar instead of in the capital, and that the sons of Uthman were the ones who proclaimed him. Vidal Castro also writes that the proclamation happened on the day after Muhammad's death (26 August/14 Dhu al-Hijja).[54] Muhammad's body was recovered and buried near the manor house (al-munya al-sayyid) in Málaga, also on 26 August. As per Islamic customs for a martyr, his body was buried immediately without washing. Later a domed mausoleum (qubba) was built on his tomb and poetic epitaphs were inscribed on his tombstone.[8]

Character

His biographers wrote that Muhammad loved hunting, a common pastime of the Nasrid monarchs.[55] He was also reported to be an accomplished rider, often competing with others in the arena.[56] He was skilled in the martial arts, and interested in literature and poetry: he commissioned the Málagan poet Ibn al-Murabi al-Azdi to write verses about the Sierra Nevada and used to listen to poems as a way to relax.[8][57] In early January 1332 he fell seriously ill and rumours circulated about his death, but he recovered on or before 23 January.[8] At his death, aged around 18, he did not have any descendants, and was likely unmarried.[58]

Notes

  1. ^ Under the Nasrids, the wakil was the superintendent of the sultan's finances. Ibn al-Mahruq had held this post since Ismail I's reign.[18]

Citations

  1. ^ Latham & Fernández-Puertas 1993, p. 1020.
  2. ^ Harvey 1992, pp. 160, 165.
  3. ^ O'Callaghan 2013, p. 456.
  4. ^ Harvey 1992, pp. 26–28.
  5. ^ Carrasco Manchado 2009, p. 401.
  6. ^ O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 4–5.
  7. ^ Hills 1974, p. 55.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Vidal Castro: Muhammad IV.
  9. ^ Arié 1973, p. 98.
  10. ^ Vidal Castro: Ismail I.
  11. ^ Vidal Castro 2004, pp. 371–372, 375–376.
  12. ^ a b c d Catlos 2018, p. 344.
  13. ^ Vidal Castro 2004, pp. 374–375.
  14. ^ Harvey 1992, pp. 184–185.
  15. ^ Harvey 1992, p. 187.
  16. ^ Arié 1973, p. 188.
  17. ^ a b Rubiera Mata 1996, p. 188.
  18. ^ Arié 1973, p. 214.
  19. ^ Catlos 2018, p. 437.
  20. ^ a b c Manzano Rodríguez 1992, p. 350.
  21. ^ a b c d e Arié 1973, p. 99.
  22. ^ a b Manzano Rodríguez 1992, pp. 350–351.
  23. ^ Fernández-Puertas 1997, p. 3.
  24. ^ O'Callaghan 2011, p. 149.
  25. ^ a b c O'Callaghan 2011, p. 154.
  26. ^ Arié 1973, pp. 99–100, note 1.
  27. ^ Arié 1973, p. 247.
  28. ^ Arié 1973, pp. 199–200.
  29. ^ Arié 1973, p. 264.
  30. ^ Arié 1973, p. 200.
  31. ^ Fernández-Puertas 1997, p. 9.
  32. ^ O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 156–157.
  33. ^ O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 157–159.
  34. ^ Manzano Rodríguez 1992, p. 351.
  35. ^ O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 159–160.
  36. ^ O'Callaghan 2011, p. 160.
  37. ^ O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 160–161.
  38. ^ a b c O'Callaghan 2011, p. 162.
  39. ^ O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 162–163.
  40. ^ a b O'Callaghan 2011, p. 163.
  41. ^ Hills 1974, p. 59.
  42. ^ Hills 1974, p. 60.
  43. ^ Hills 1974, pp. 60–61.
  44. ^ O'Callaghan 2011, p. 164.
  45. ^ Hills 1974, p. 64.
  46. ^ a b O'Callaghan 2011, pp. 164–165.
  47. ^ Hills 1974, pp. 64–65.
  48. ^ O'Callaghan 2011, p. 165.
  49. ^ Fernández-Puertas 1997, p. 7.
  50. ^ Latham & Fernández-Puertas 1993, p. 1023.
  51. ^ Harvey 1992, p. 188.
  52. ^ Catlos 2018, pp. 345–346.
  53. ^ Harvey 1992, pp. 188–189.
  54. ^ a b Vidal Castro: Yusuf I.
  55. ^ Arié 1973, p. 403.
  56. ^ Arié 1973, pp. 406–407.
  57. ^ Arié 1973, p. 196.
  58. ^ Boloix Gallardo 2013, p. 73.

References

Muhammad IV of Granada
Cadet branch of the Banu Khazraj
Born: 1315 Died: 1333
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Ismail I
Sultan of Granada
1325–1333
Succeeded by
Yusuf I