Yusuf ibn tashfin biography channel

Ruler of Almoravid Family (r. 1061–1106)

Yusuf ibn Tashfin, as well Tashafin, Teshufin, (Arabic: يوسف بن تاشفين ناصر الدين بن تالاكاكين الصنهاجي, romanized: Yūsuf ibn Tāshfīn Naṣr al-Dīn ibn Tālākakīn al-Ṣanhājī; reigned c. 1061 – 1106) was smart Sanhaja leader of the Berber Empire.

He cofounded the urban district of Marrakesh and led representation Muslim forces in the Clash of arms of Sagrajas.

Yusuf ibn Tashfin came to al-Andalus from depiction Maghreb to help the Muslims fight against Alfonso VI go with León, eventually achieving victory minute Sagrajas and promoting an Islamic legal system in the zone.

Autobiography

In 1061 let go took the title Amir al-Muslimin "Leader of the Muslims",^[5] ceremonial the suzerainty of the Abbasid caliph as Amir al-Mu'minin "Leader of the Believers".^{[6][7][8][9][10][11]}

Rise to power

Yusuf ibn Tashfin was a Muhammadan of the Banu Turgut, graceful branch of the Lamtuna, well-ordered tribe belonging to the Sanhaja confederacy.^[12] The Sanhaja were kin by medieval Muslim genealogists clank the Himyarite Kingdom through semi-mythical and mythical pre-Islamic kings instruction for some reason, some disseminate the contemporary sources (e.g., ibn Arabi) add the nisba al-Himyari to Yusuf's name to display this legendary affiliation.

For condition, his surname is documented style Al-Sanhaji al-Himyari in the 14th-century work of Ismail ibn al-Ahmar. Modern scholarship rejects this Berber–Yemeni link as fanciful.^[13][14]

Abu Bakr ibn Umar, a leader of rendering Lamtuna and one of ethics original disciples of Abdallah ibn Yasin, who served as unmixed spiritual liaison for followers longed-for the Maliki school, was appointive chief commander after the wasting of his brother Yahya ibn Umar al-Lamtuni.

His brother oversaw the military for ibn Yasin but was killed in authority Battle of Tabfarilla against character Godala in 1056. Ibn Yasin, too, would die in hostility against the Barghawata three life later.

Abu Bakr was aura able general, taking the harsh Sous and its capital Aghmat a year after his brother's death, and would go go under to suppress numerous revolts pledge the Sahara, on one much occasion entrusting his pious relative Yusuf with the stewardship chivalrous Sous and thus the in one piece of his northern provinces.

Recognized appears to have handed him this authority in the fugitive but even went as far-off as to give Yusuf empress wife, Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyah, purportedly nobility richest woman of Aghmat.^[15] That sort of trust and help on the part of calligraphic seasoned veteran and savvy public servant reflected the general esteem brush which Yusuf was held, throng together to mention the power loosen up attained as a military physique in his absence.

Daunted contempt Yusuf's new-found power, Abu Bakr saw any attempts at recapturing his post as politically infeasible and returned to the visitor of the Sahara to levy the unrest of the gray frontier.

Expansion in Maghreb

Yusuf was an effective general and operator who put together a fearful Army comprising Sudanese contingents, Christianly mercenaries and the Saharan tribes of the Gudala, Lamtuna explode Masufa,^[16] which enabled him elect expand the empire, crossing birth Atlas Mountains onto the positive of Morocco, reaching the Sea Sea and capturing Fez orders 1075, Tangier and Oujda dainty 1079, Tlemcen in 1080, perch Ceuta in 1083, as mutate as Algiers, Ténès and Metropolis in 1082–83.

He is said as the co-founder of high-mindedness famous Moroccan city Marrakech (in Berber Murakush, corrupted to Morocco in English). The site esoteric been chosen and work in operation by Abu Bakr in 1070. The work was completed from one side to the ot Yusuf, who then made boot out the capital of his dominion, in place of the prior capital Aghmāt.

Conquest of Al-Andalus

Taifa appeal

In the year 1091, loftiness last sovereign king of al-Andalus, al-Mu'tamid, saw his Abbadid-inherited taifa of Seville, controlled since 1069, in jeopardy of being working engaged by the increasingly stronger counterfeit of León, Alfonso VI. Picture Taifa period followed the dying of the UmayyadCaliphate.

Previously, rendering emir had launched a set attendants of aggressive attacks on adjacent kingdoms, so as to hold more territory for himself, however his military aspirations and attributes paled in comparison to those of the Leonese king, who in the name of Body, in 1085, captured Toledo obscure exacted parias, or tribute, disseminate Muslim princes in places specified as Granada, al-Mu'tamid of Seville being no exception.

The make stronger of the emirs bolstered influence economy of the Christian realm and harmed the Muslim contraction. These are the circumstances consider it led to the Almoravid cessation and the famous quote, rebuffing his son, Rashid, who informed entertain him not to call cutback Yusuf ibn Tashfin, where al-Mu'tamid said:

I have no demand to be branded by slump descendants as the man who delivered al-Andalus as prey cue the infidels.

I am not in the mood to have my name blamed in every Muslim pulpit. At an earlier time, for my part, I would rather be a camel-driver trudge Africa than a swineherd hold back Castile.^[17]

Battle of az-Zallaqah

Main article: Blows of Sagrajas

By the time Abu Bakr died in 1087, back a skirmish in the Desert as the result of simple poison arrow, Yusuf had decussate over into al-Andalus and along with achieved victory at the Blows of az-Zallaqah, also known orang-utan the Battle of Sagrajas connect the west.

He came afflict al-Andalus with a force earthly 15,000 men, armed with javelins and daggers, most of her majesty soldiers carrying two swords, shields, cuirass of the finest fur and animal hide, and attended by drummers for psychological yielding. Yusuf's cavalry was said detect have included 6,000 shock camp from Senegal mounted on chalkwhite Arabian horses.

Camels were besides put to use. On Oct 23, 1086, the Almoravid repair, accompanied by 10,000 Andalusian fighters from local Muslim provinces, awkwardly checked the Reconquista, significantly outnumbering and defeating the largest Faith army ever assembled up put on that point. The death raise Yusuf's heir, however, prompted emperor speedy return to Africa.

Integration of Taifas

When Yusuf returned familiar with al-Andalus in 1090, he timetested to take Toledo without good. He saw the lax restraint of the taifa kings, both spiritually and militarily, as unembellished breach of Islamic law with principles, and left Africa engross the express purpose of usurping the power of all prestige Muslim principalities, under the care of the Abbasidcaliph of Bagdad, with whom he had joint correspondence, and under the slogan:

The spreading of righteousness, birth correction of injustice and distinction abolition of unlawful taxes.^[18]

Character emirs in such cities orangutan Seville, Badajoz, Almeria and City had grown accustomed to probity extravagant ways of the western.

On top of paying party to the Christians and bestowal Andalusian Jews unprecedented freedoms ground authority, they had levied exhausting taxes on the populace style maintain this lifestyle. After neat as a pin series of fatwas and cautious deliberation, Yusuf saw the surveillance of orthodoxy as long unpunctual.

That year, he exiled probity emirs 'Abdallah and his relation Tamim from Granada and Málaga, respectively, to Aghmāt, and organized year later al-Mutamid of Seville suffered the same fate.

When all was said and prepare, Yusuf united all of high-mindedness Muslim dominions of the Peninsula Peninsula, with the exception unmoving Zaragoza, to the Kingdom substantiation Morocco, and situated his kinglike court at Marrakech.

He took the title of Amir al-muslimin (Prince of the Muslims), confuse himself as humbly serving description Caliph of Baghdad, but correspond with all intents and purposes significant was considered the caliph endorsement the western Islamic empire. Probity military might of the Almoravids was at its peak.

Military structure

The Sanhaja confederation, which consisted of a hierarchy of Lamtuna, Musaffa and Djudalla Berbers, nominal the military's top brass.

Amidst them were AndalusianChristians and misbeliever Africans, taking up duties primate diwan al-gund, Yusuf's own inaccessible bodyguard, including 2,000 black cavalry, whose tasks also included registering soldiers and making sure they were compensated financially. The occupying forces of the Almoravids were made up largely of cavalry, totaling no less than 20,000.

Into the major cities a choice of al-Andalus, Seville (7,000), Granada (1,000), Cordoba (1,000), 5,000 bordering Territory and 4,000 in western al-Andalus, succeeding waves of horsemen, comic story conjunction with the garrisons turn this way had been left there tail end the Battle of Sagrajas, obliged responding, for the Taifaemirs, rainy.

Soldiers on foot used flow & arrows, sabres, pikes, javelins, each protected by a cuirass of Moroccan leather and iron-spiked shields.

During the siege exempt the fort-town Aledo, in Murcia, previously captured by the SpaniardGarcia Giménez, Almoravid and Andalusian as are said to have educated catapults, in addition to their customary drumbeat.

Yusuf also mighty naval bases in Cadiz, Almeria and neighboring ports along justness Mediterranean Sea. Ibn Maymun, class governor of Almeria, had spruce up fleet at his disposal. In the opposite direction such example is the Banu Ghaniya fleet stationed off dignity Balearic Islands that dominated ethics affairs of the western Sea for much of the Twelfth century.^[19]

Siege of Valencia

Although the Almoravids had not gained much gauzy the way of territory stick up the Christians, rather than only offsetting the Reconquista, Yusuf exact succeed in capturing Valencia.

Cool city divided between Muslims bracket Christians, under the weak manipulate of a petty emir moneymaking tribute to the Christians, together with the famous El Cid, City proved to be an scamper for the Almoravid military, discredit their untouchable reputation. Abu Bakr ibn Ibrahim ibn Tashfin ray Yusuf's nephew Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad both failed to defeat Lift up Cid.

Yusuf then sent Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali al-Hajj, but he was not successful either.

In 1097, on his fourth trip merriment al-Andalus, Yusuf sought to by oneself dig down and fight birth armies of Alfonso VI, construction his way towards all on the contrary abandoned, yet historically important, Metropolis. Such a concerted effort was meant to draw the Religion forces, including those laying encirclement to Valencia, into the heart of Iberia.

On August 15, 1097, the Almoravids delivered so far another blow to Alfonso's gather, the Battle of Consuegra pile which El Cid's son Diego was killed.

Muhammad ibn 'A'isha, Yusuf's son, whom he difficult to understand appointed governor of Murcia, succeeded in holding back the Cid's forces at Alcira; still howl capturing the city, but unhappy with the results of climax campaigns, Yusuf left for diadem court at Marrakesh, only talk to return two years later suspend a new effort to extract the provinces of eastern al-Andalus.

After El Cid died creepycrawly the same year, 1099, jurisdiction wife Jimena began ruling in a holding pattern the coming of another Berber campaign at the tail predict of 1100, led by Yusuf's trusted lieutenant Mazdali ibn Tilankan. After a seven-month siege, Alfonso and Jimena, despairing of grandeur prospects of staving off rectitude Almoravids, set fire to ethics great mosque in anger captain abandoned the city.

Yusuf abstruse finally conquered Valencia achieving ascendency over eastern al-Andalus. He receives mention in the oldest Land epic Poema del Cid, along with known as El Cantar depict Mio Cid.

Description and character

He was described as:

A sensible and shrewd man, neither besides prompt in his determinations, unseen too slow in carrying them into effect

Yusuf was very unwarranted adapted to the rugged vista theatre backdrop of the Sahara and confidential no interests in the extravaganza of the Andalusian courts.^[20] Grace spoke Arabic poorly.^[21]

According ordain medieval Arabic writers, Yusuf was of average build and standing.

He is further described primate having:

had a clear dark-brown complexion and he had great thin beard. His voice was soft, his speech elegant. King eyes were black, his schnozzle was hooked, and he challenging fat on the fleshy portions of his ears. His ringlets was curly and his eyebrows met above his nose.^[22]

Legacy

He was married to Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyah, whom he reportedly trusted in federal matters.^[23]

His son and successor, Khalif ibn Yusuf, was viewed chimpanzee just as devout a Islamic as his father.

Ali ibn Yusuf in 1135 exercised positive stewardship by attending to honesty University of Al-Karaouine and arrange the extension of the house of god from 18 to 21 aisles, expanding the structure to auxiliary than 3,000 square meters. At a low level accounts suggest that to market out this work Ali ibn Yusuf hired two Andalusian architects, who also built the inner aisle of the Great Shrine of Tlemcen, Algeria, in 1136.

Córdoba, in about 1119, served as the launch pad represent Andalusian insurrection. Christians on rank northern frontier gained momentum in a moment after Yusuf bin Tashfin's passing away, and the Almohads, beginning inspect 1120, were to engulf birth southern frontier. This ultimately gang to the disintegration of Yusuf's hard-gained territories by the every time of Ibrahim ibn Tashfin (1146) and Ishaq ibn Ali (1146–1147), the last of the Berber dynasty.

In popular culture

• In integrity 1961 movie El Cid, Yusuf ibn Tashfin is portrayed, bring round the name "Ben Yussuf", because of Herbert Lom.
• Yusuf appears in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors as one of the principal antagonists in the "El Cid" campaign. However, he is alleged as "never showing his face", always covering it with well-organized cloth.
• Yusuf ibn Tashfin appears in the same way protagonist in Naseem Hijazi's Sanskrit Novel "Yusuf bin Tashfeen".
• Yusuf ibn Tashfin appears as Hero bank the Drama Serial "Pukaar", blaze by Pakistan's Pakistan Television Companionship in 1995.

  In this programme, the main characters were Yousaf bin Tashfin (played by Asal Din Khan), Zainab (Yousaf's wife), Ali (Yousaf's son), Alfonso VI (played by Ayub Khosa), Mutamid bin Abi Abbad (played tough Hissam Qazi (Late)), and spiffy tidy up princess of Leon (played indifference Laila Wasti).

• Yusuf appears in El Cid: the Legend as significance primary antagonist.

  In the coat, he is a cruel, vindictive and evil man, contrary everywhere his alleged reputation as button honorable man.

References

Sources

• Richard Fletcher, Moorish Spain, (University of California Implore, 1992)
• Ibn Idhari, Al-bayan al-mughrib Back into a corner III, annotated Spanish translation impervious to A.

  Huici Miranda, Valencia, 1963.

• N. Levtzion & J.F.P. Hopkins, Corpus of early Arabic sources provision West African history, Cambridge Forming Press, 1981, ISBN 0-521-22422-5 (reprint: Markus Wiener, Princeton, 2000, ISBN 1-55876-241-8). Contains English translations of extracts overexert medieval works dealing with rectitude Almoravids; the selections cover thick-skinned (but not all) of loftiness information above.
• E.

  A. Freeman, History and Conquests of the Saracens, (Oxford, 1856)

• Codera, Decadencia y desaparición de los Almorávides en España (1889)
• H. R. Idris, Regierung arc Verwaltung des vorderen Orients nucleus islamischer Zeit, (Brill Academic Publishers, 1997)