‘Abd ar-Rahman I
‘Abd ar-Rahman I (al-Dakhil) ('Abd al-Rahman I) (Abderraman I) ("Falcon of Andalus") ("Falcon of the Quraish") (731-788). First Umayyad emir of Spain and the founder of the Umayyad emirate of Cordoba (r. 756-788). Having narrowly escaped the massacre in 750 of the Umayyads in Damascus, 'Abd ar-Rahman wandered through North Africa until 755. With the backing of Umayyad sympathizers in Spain and Ceuta, 'Abd ar-Rahman then intervened between feuding Muslims in Spain. He disembarked at Almunecar in August 755; entered Seville in 756; and captured Cordoba in 756 where he was recognized as emir of al-Andalus. Until 769, he suppressed rebellions by the Spanish neo-Muslims, the Berbers and the Arabs. A coalition of Arab chiefs sought the aid of the Frankish king, Charlemagne, who in 778 laid siege to Saragossa (Sarakusta) but had to return to the Rhine. ‘Abd ar-Rahman’s realm was not fully pacified until the defeat of Charlemagne’s army at Roncesvalles (Roncevaux) in 778. This is the famous battle associated with the memory of Roland. In 780, ‘Abd ar-Rahman subdued the Basques, and occupied Saragossa for a short time.
'Abd ar-Rahman I was the grandson of Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik, the tenth Umayyad Caliph. He was a prince and was groomed from an early age to be a caliph. More specifically, he was the son of Mu'awiyah, son of Hisham, grandson of 'Abd al-Malik. The child-prince was said to be tall and slender. His mother was a Christian Berber slave, and from her he inherited red hair.
'Abd ar-Rahman was about eighteen when his family, the ruling Umayyads, were overthrown by a popular revolt known as the 'Abbasid Revolution, occurring in the year 749. 'Abd ar-Rahman and a small selection of his family fled Damascus, where the center of Umayyad power had been. After barely escaping Syria with their lives, 'Abd ar-Rahman and his former Greek slave Bedr continued south through Palestine, the Sinai and into Egypt. It would take several years 'Abd ar-Rahman to slowly make his way into the west. In 755, 'Abd ar-Rahman and Bedr reached modern day Morocco near Ceuta. He then dispatched Bedr to Iberia with a message in which he proclaimed himself the rightful Umayyad heir to the land of al-Andalus.
At the invitation of loyal Umayyad followers, 'Abd ar-Rahman was told to go to al-Andalus. 'Abd ar-Rahman landed at Almunecar to the east of Malaga in August of 755. 'Abd ar-Rahman was greeted by local chieftains upon landing in al-Andalus. During his brief time in Malaga, 'Abd ar-Rahman quickly amassed local support. Waves of people made their way to Malaga to pay respect to the prince they thought was dead, including many of the aforementioned Syrians.
While the ruler of al-Andalus, al-Fihri, and the commander of his army, al-Sumayl, pondered what to do about the arrival of 'Abd ar-Rahman and the threat he posed to their power, trouble broke out in northern al-Andalus. Sarakusta (Zaragoza), an important trade city on al-Andalus' Upper March made a bid for autonomy. Al-Fihri and al-Sumayl rode north to squash the rebellion. This might have been fortunate timing for 'Abd ar-Rahman, as he was still getting a solid foothold in al-Andalus. By March of 756, 'Abd ar-Rahman and his growing following were able to take Sevilla without violence. After putting down the rebellion in Sarakusta, al-Fihri turned his army back south to face 'Abd ar-Rahman. The fight for the right to rule al-Andalus was about to begin. The two contingents met on opposite sides of the River Guadalquivir, just outside the capital of Cordova on the plains of Musarah.
Both armies lined on the same bank of the Guadalquivir. 'Abd ar-Rahman had no banner, so one was improvised by unwinding a green turban and binding it round the head of a spear. Subsequently, the turban and the spear became the banner and symbol of the Andalusian Umayyads. 'Abd ar-Rahman led the charge toward al-Fihri's army. Al-Sumayl in turn advanced his cavalry out to meet the Umayyad threat. After a long and difficult fight, 'Abd ar-Rahman obtained a complete victory, and the field was strewn with the bodies of the enemy. 'Abd ar-Rahman triumphantly marched into the capital, Cordova.
'Abd ar-Rahman had to continuously put down rebellions in al-Andalus. Various Arab and Berber tribes fought each other for varying degrees of power, some cities tried to break away and form their own state, and even members of 'Abd ar-Rahman's family tried to wrest power from him. During a large revolt, dissidents marched on Cordova itself! However, 'Abd ar-Rahman always managed to stay one step ahead, and crushed all opposition. As he always dealt severely with dissidence in al-Andalus.
Sarakusta (Saragossa) proved to be a most difficult city to reign over for not only 'Abd ar-Rahman, but also, his predecessors as well.
In the year 777-778, several notable men including Sulayman ibn Yokdan al-Arabi al-Kelbi, the self-appointed governor of Saragossa, met with delegates of the leader of the Franks, Charlemagne. Charlemagne's army was enlisted to help the Muslim governors of Barcelona and Saragossa against the Umayyad emir in Cordoba. Essentially, Charlemagne was being hired as a mercenary, even though he likely had other plans of acquiring the area for his own empire. However, after Charlemagne's columns arrived at the gates of Saragossa, Sulayman got cold feet and refused to let the Franks into the city. It is possible that he realized that Charlemagne would want to usurp power from him. Charlemagne's force eventually headed back to France via a narrow pass in the Pyrenees named Roncesvalles (Roncevaux), where his rearguard was wiped out by Basque and Gascon rebels. This disaster was noted in the epic Chanson de Roland.
During his reign, 'Abd ar-Rahman strove to improve the infrastructure of al-Andalus. He ensured roadways were begun, aqueducts were constructed or improved, and a new mosque was well funded in his capital at Cordova. Construction on the mosque was started around the year 786. It would in time become world famous and deemed a major holy site for many Muslims, later to be known as the Mezquita de Cordoba. 'Abd ar-Rahman knew that one of his sons would one day inherit the rule of al-Andalus, but that it was a land torn by strife. 'Abd ar-Rahman felt that he could not always rely on the local populace in providing a loyal army. He, therefore, bought a massive standing army consisting mainly of Berbers from North Africa. As was common during the years of Islamic expansion from Arabia, religious tolerance was practiced. 'Abd ar-Rahman continued to allow Jews and Christians to retain and practice their faiths. They did, however, have to pay a tribute tax for this privilege. 'Abd ar-Rahman's policy of taxing non-Muslims, which was often carried out by later rulers, changed the religious dynamic of al-Andalus. Possibly because of excessive tribute taxes, the bulk of the country's population soon became Muslim.
Around 788, 'Abd ar-Rahman died in his adopted city of Cordova. He was supposedly buried under the site of the Mezquita. 'Abd ar-Rahman's alleged favorite son was his choice for successor, and would later be known as Hisham I. 'Abd ar-Rahman's progeny would continue to rule al-Andalus in the name of the house of Umayya for several generations, with the zenith of their power coming during the reign of 'Abd ar-Rahman III.
Dakhil, al- see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
Rahman I, 'Abd ar- see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
Falcon of Andalus see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
Falcon of the Quraish see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
'Abd al-Rahman I see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
Abderraman I see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
‘Abd ar-Rahman I (al-Dakhil) ('Abd al-Rahman I) (Abderraman I) ("Falcon of Andalus") ("Falcon of the Quraish") (731-788). First Umayyad emir of Spain and the founder of the Umayyad emirate of Cordoba (r. 756-788). Having narrowly escaped the massacre in 750 of the Umayyads in Damascus, 'Abd ar-Rahman wandered through North Africa until 755. With the backing of Umayyad sympathizers in Spain and Ceuta, 'Abd ar-Rahman then intervened between feuding Muslims in Spain. He disembarked at Almunecar in August 755; entered Seville in 756; and captured Cordoba in 756 where he was recognized as emir of al-Andalus. Until 769, he suppressed rebellions by the Spanish neo-Muslims, the Berbers and the Arabs. A coalition of Arab chiefs sought the aid of the Frankish king, Charlemagne, who in 778 laid siege to Saragossa (Sarakusta) but had to return to the Rhine. ‘Abd ar-Rahman’s realm was not fully pacified until the defeat of Charlemagne’s army at Roncesvalles (Roncevaux) in 778. This is the famous battle associated with the memory of Roland. In 780, ‘Abd ar-Rahman subdued the Basques, and occupied Saragossa for a short time.
'Abd ar-Rahman I was the grandson of Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik, the tenth Umayyad Caliph. He was a prince and was groomed from an early age to be a caliph. More specifically, he was the son of Mu'awiyah, son of Hisham, grandson of 'Abd al-Malik. The child-prince was said to be tall and slender. His mother was a Christian Berber slave, and from her he inherited red hair.
'Abd ar-Rahman was about eighteen when his family, the ruling Umayyads, were overthrown by a popular revolt known as the 'Abbasid Revolution, occurring in the year 749. 'Abd ar-Rahman and a small selection of his family fled Damascus, where the center of Umayyad power had been. After barely escaping Syria with their lives, 'Abd ar-Rahman and his former Greek slave Bedr continued south through Palestine, the Sinai and into Egypt. It would take several years 'Abd ar-Rahman to slowly make his way into the west. In 755, 'Abd ar-Rahman and Bedr reached modern day Morocco near Ceuta. He then dispatched Bedr to Iberia with a message in which he proclaimed himself the rightful Umayyad heir to the land of al-Andalus.
At the invitation of loyal Umayyad followers, 'Abd ar-Rahman was told to go to al-Andalus. 'Abd ar-Rahman landed at Almunecar to the east of Malaga in August of 755. 'Abd ar-Rahman was greeted by local chieftains upon landing in al-Andalus. During his brief time in Malaga, 'Abd ar-Rahman quickly amassed local support. Waves of people made their way to Malaga to pay respect to the prince they thought was dead, including many of the aforementioned Syrians.
While the ruler of al-Andalus, al-Fihri, and the commander of his army, al-Sumayl, pondered what to do about the arrival of 'Abd ar-Rahman and the threat he posed to their power, trouble broke out in northern al-Andalus. Sarakusta (Zaragoza), an important trade city on al-Andalus' Upper March made a bid for autonomy. Al-Fihri and al-Sumayl rode north to squash the rebellion. This might have been fortunate timing for 'Abd ar-Rahman, as he was still getting a solid foothold in al-Andalus. By March of 756, 'Abd ar-Rahman and his growing following were able to take Sevilla without violence. After putting down the rebellion in Sarakusta, al-Fihri turned his army back south to face 'Abd ar-Rahman. The fight for the right to rule al-Andalus was about to begin. The two contingents met on opposite sides of the River Guadalquivir, just outside the capital of Cordova on the plains of Musarah.
Both armies lined on the same bank of the Guadalquivir. 'Abd ar-Rahman had no banner, so one was improvised by unwinding a green turban and binding it round the head of a spear. Subsequently, the turban and the spear became the banner and symbol of the Andalusian Umayyads. 'Abd ar-Rahman led the charge toward al-Fihri's army. Al-Sumayl in turn advanced his cavalry out to meet the Umayyad threat. After a long and difficult fight, 'Abd ar-Rahman obtained a complete victory, and the field was strewn with the bodies of the enemy. 'Abd ar-Rahman triumphantly marched into the capital, Cordova.
'Abd ar-Rahman had to continuously put down rebellions in al-Andalus. Various Arab and Berber tribes fought each other for varying degrees of power, some cities tried to break away and form their own state, and even members of 'Abd ar-Rahman's family tried to wrest power from him. During a large revolt, dissidents marched on Cordova itself! However, 'Abd ar-Rahman always managed to stay one step ahead, and crushed all opposition. As he always dealt severely with dissidence in al-Andalus.
Sarakusta (Saragossa) proved to be a most difficult city to reign over for not only 'Abd ar-Rahman, but also, his predecessors as well.
In the year 777-778, several notable men including Sulayman ibn Yokdan al-Arabi al-Kelbi, the self-appointed governor of Saragossa, met with delegates of the leader of the Franks, Charlemagne. Charlemagne's army was enlisted to help the Muslim governors of Barcelona and Saragossa against the Umayyad emir in Cordoba. Essentially, Charlemagne was being hired as a mercenary, even though he likely had other plans of acquiring the area for his own empire. However, after Charlemagne's columns arrived at the gates of Saragossa, Sulayman got cold feet and refused to let the Franks into the city. It is possible that he realized that Charlemagne would want to usurp power from him. Charlemagne's force eventually headed back to France via a narrow pass in the Pyrenees named Roncesvalles (Roncevaux), where his rearguard was wiped out by Basque and Gascon rebels. This disaster was noted in the epic Chanson de Roland.
During his reign, 'Abd ar-Rahman strove to improve the infrastructure of al-Andalus. He ensured roadways were begun, aqueducts were constructed or improved, and a new mosque was well funded in his capital at Cordova. Construction on the mosque was started around the year 786. It would in time become world famous and deemed a major holy site for many Muslims, later to be known as the Mezquita de Cordoba. 'Abd ar-Rahman knew that one of his sons would one day inherit the rule of al-Andalus, but that it was a land torn by strife. 'Abd ar-Rahman felt that he could not always rely on the local populace in providing a loyal army. He, therefore, bought a massive standing army consisting mainly of Berbers from North Africa. As was common during the years of Islamic expansion from Arabia, religious tolerance was practiced. 'Abd ar-Rahman continued to allow Jews and Christians to retain and practice their faiths. They did, however, have to pay a tribute tax for this privilege. 'Abd ar-Rahman's policy of taxing non-Muslims, which was often carried out by later rulers, changed the religious dynamic of al-Andalus. Possibly because of excessive tribute taxes, the bulk of the country's population soon became Muslim.
Around 788, 'Abd ar-Rahman died in his adopted city of Cordova. He was supposedly buried under the site of the Mezquita. 'Abd ar-Rahman's alleged favorite son was his choice for successor, and would later be known as Hisham I. 'Abd ar-Rahman's progeny would continue to rule al-Andalus in the name of the house of Umayya for several generations, with the zenith of their power coming during the reign of 'Abd ar-Rahman III.
Dakhil, al- see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
Rahman I, 'Abd ar- see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
Falcon of Andalus see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
Falcon of the Quraish see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
'Abd al-Rahman I see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
Abderraman I see ‘Abd ar-Rahman I
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