#umm'asim

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First of all, thank you for following the bookscans posts, I hope you're enjoying them. Now I wanted to share some extra facts related to the third part, like the Tudmir Pact and more about Abd al-Aziz and Egilona, so here we go:

• The Tudmir pact

The pact between Teodomiro and Abd al-Aziz was signed on April 5, 713 and its text is:

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. Edict of 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Musa ibn Nusair to Tudmir ibn Abdush [Theodomir, son of the Goths]. The latter obtains peace and receives the promise, under the guarantee of God and his prophet, that his situation and that of his people will not be altered; that his subjects will not be killed, nor taken prisoners, nor separated from their wives and children; that they will not be prevented from practicing their religion, and that their churches will not be burned or deprived of the objects of worship that are in them; all this as long as it satisfies the obligations we impose on it. Peace is granted with the delivery of the following cities: Uryula [Orihuela], Baltana, Laqant [Alacant], Mula, Villena, Lurqa [Lorca] and Ello. Furthermore, you must not give refuge to anyone who flees from us or is our enemy; nor cause harm to anyone who flees from us or is our enemy; nor cause harm to anyone who enjoys our amnesty; nor hide any information about our enemies that may come to their knowledge. He and his subjects will pay an annual tribute, each person, of one dinar in cash, four measures of wheat, barley, grape juice and vinegar, two of honey and two of olive oil; for the servants, only a measure. Given in the month of Rajab, year 94 of the Hegira [713]. As witnesses, 'Uthman ibn Abi 'Abda, Habib ibn Abi 'Ubaida, Idris ibn Maisara and Abu l-Qasim al-Mazali.

Various versions of the Pact of Tudmīr are known, all of them are not contemporary and it seems that the pact had an important impact, since there are manuscripts about It writen by some authors throughout the Middle Ages, the oldest by geographer Abu al-Abbás Áhmad ibn Úmar al-Uḏrī (Dalías, Almería, 1003- Almería or Valencia, 1085), those by Abū Ja'far Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Aḥmad ibn 'Amirah al-Ḍabbī (Vélez-Rubio or Vélez-Blanco, Almería, 1155/1156- Murcia, 1203), Abu Hamid al-Garnāṭī (Granada, 1256-Cairo, 1344) and Ibn Abd-al-Múnim al-Ḥimyarī (Ceuta, 15th century- ?, 1495).

At the library of the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is preserved the manuscript of the al-Ḍabbī version of the pact (well, plus some annotations in Spanish from early 19th century) in his work Bughyat al-multamis fī tārīkh rijāl ahl al-Andalus (Wish fulfilled of the one who investigates, about the history of the men of al-Andalus), which is part of the Arabic manuscripts collection held at El Escorial (in the web you can find 153 digitalized manuscripts), started by Phillip II of Spain during the 16th century.

Btw this Arabic manuscript collection is the topic of one of the chapters of the book De Mayrit a Madrid (From Mayrit to Madrid), one of the books that is on the bookscans list, so if you want to know more about this topic, wait for when I share its bookscans.

And for ending with the Tudmir Pact, here's a map showing the cities included in the pact:

• Abd al-Aziz and Egilona

Note: The genealogical links listed below might not be 100% exact, because some data varies depending on the source. Sorry if it's a bit messy, genealogy is complicated (specially if Royal families are involved)

An interesting fact is that some sources point that Abd al-Aziz's mother was Umm bint Marwan ibn al-Hakam, a daughter of Caliph Marwan I, making Abd al-Aziz (born in 685) one of the grandsons of the 4th Umayyad Caliph of Damascus.

During the conquest, Abd al-Aziz and Egilona married in 713. Due to the name Umm'Asim Egilona is sometimes given, it's known that they had a son, although it's not known anything more about him, and they had a daughter too, Aïsha.

After the death of Musa ibn Nusayr in 715, Abd al-Aziz started to mistrust the new Caliph Suleyman, as its possible that the Caliph ordered to murder Musa.

The relationship between the Caliph and Abd al-Aziz was tense, since Abd al-Aziz's title of governor of Al Andalus was given by his father Musa ibn Nusayr, not by the Caliph, so Sulayman was afraid of a possible uprising and Abd al-Aziz turning Al Andalus into an independent territory. As it is possible that Egilona suggested Abd al-Aziz to crown himself and turn away from the caliphate, or at least that were the rumours, and that alleged conspiracy led to Sulayman sending Ziyad ibn Udhara to murder Abd al-Aziz in Seville in 716.

It is not known exactly when Egilona died, although is likely the year of her death is after 718. About their daughter Aïsha bint Abd al-Aziz, she eventually married Fortún ibn Qasi, governor of Zaragoza and the Ebro valley and head of the Banu Qasi, and had two sons Zahir and Musa ibn Fortun, the later married Oneka of Pamplona. They had two sons, Mutarrif and Musa ibn Musa, whom later in the book AL ANDALUS. Historical figures there will be a chapter about (the chapter Musa ben Musa ben Qasi, the third King of Spain). Musa ibn Musa's domains were occasionally independent from the Umayyad emirate of Córdoba since he and his descendants allied with either the emirate or with Christians like the future kingdom of Navarre, whose Royal family had blood ties with the Banu Qasi, some of them being:

- Eneko Aritza, Lord "King" of Pamplona, was Musa ibn Musa's brother, since Eneko was the son Oneka had with her first husband Eneko Semenoitz

- Asona Enekoitz, one of the daughters of Eneko Aritza, niece and wife of Musa ibn Musa. Their children were Lubb ibn Musa, Mutarrif ibn Musa, Fortún ibn Musa and Awriya bint Musa

- Belasquita Garcés of Pamplona, daughter of Eneko Aritza's son, García. She was Musa ibn Musa's daughter-in-law since he married Mutarrif ibn Musa ibn Musa.

- Fortún Garcés, son of Eneko Aritza's son García. Fortun married Awriya bint Lubb ibn Musa, daughter of Lubb ibn Musa and an Arab noblewoman Ayab al-Bilatiyya. Their children were Eneko, Aznar, Belasko, Lope and Oneka.

- Oneka Fortúnez, daughter of Fortún Garcés and Auria/Awriya bint Lubb. Oneka Fortúnez married twice, she firstly wed the Emir Abd Allah I of Córdoba, she was known as Durr (Pearl), their children being Muhammad, Zayd, al-Baha' and Fatima, Muhammad's son was the first Caliph of Córdoba, Abd al-Rahman III; then Oneka married her cousin Aznar Sánchez.

Descendants by MUHAMMAD

- Muhammad, son of Emir Abd Allah I of Córdoba and Oneka Fortúnez, he had Abd al-Rahman III with a Basque woman, Muzna.

- Abd al-Rahman III, 8th Emir and first Caliph of Córdoba. He had several wifes and concubines, and many children, but the one who succeeded him was al-Hakam II, one of the sons he had with one of his wifes, a Christian captive called Maryam.

- Al-Hakam II, 2nd Caliph of Córdoba, son of Abd al-Rahman III and Maryam. Al-Hakam was succeeded by Hisham II, a son he had with the concubine, Subh al-baskunsiyya, a Basque woman named Aurora, but then she took the name Subh.

- Hisham II, 3th Caliph of Córdoba, son of al-Hakam II of Córdoba and Subh. He firstly was overthrown by Muhammad II, and became Caliph again after the second rule of Muhammad ended.

-Muhammad II, 4th Caliph of Córdoba, son of Hisham, who was son of Abd al-Yabbar, one of Abd al-Rahman III's sons. He overthrew Hisham II, but Muhammad II was overthrown by Suleyman al-Mustaín, and Muhammad II started his second rule after he overthrew Suleyman. Muhammad II's sons were Abd al-Rahman IV and Hisham III.

- Suleyman, 5th Caliph of Córdoba, son al- Hakam, who was son of Suleyman, one of Abd al-Rahman III's sons. After Hisham II died, Suleyman's second rule started, but he was defeated and killed by the governor of Ceuta, Alí ibn Hamud al-Násir, who became the 6th Caliph of Córdoba and first Caliph of the Banu Hamud dinasty.

- Abd al-Rahman IV, 7th Caliph of Córdoba, son of Muhammad II. After Ali ibn Hamud was murdered, he was proclaimed Caliph, although it was después with Ali ibn Hamud's brother Al-Qásim, and after Abd al-Rahman IV died, Al-Qásim fully became the 8th Caliph of Córdoba.

- Abd al-Rahman V, 10th Caliph of Córdoba, brother of Muhammad II. After the second rule of Al-Cásim ended, he became Caliph, but he was murdered a year later. He was succeeded by his cousin Muhammad III.

- Muhammad III, 11th Caliph of Córdoba, son of Abd al-Rahman, who was son of Ubayd Al-lah, one of Abd al-Rahman III's sons. He had a daughter with the slave Amin'am, who was Wallada bint al-Mustakfi. Muhammad died, and Ali ibn Hamud's son, Yahya al-Muhtal returned.

- Hisham III, 12th Caliph of Córdoba, son of Muhammad II. He became Caliph when Yahya al-Muhtal was overthrown and his second rule ended. After some years, Hisham III was overthrown during a popular uprising, the Caliphate of Córdoba was abolished, so Hisham was the last Caliph of Córdoba, and the first period of Taifas began.

- Wallada bint al-Mustafki, the only child of Muhammad III, became a famous poetress. Wallada inherited her father's assets when he died and she opened her palace to the education of women from good families to women of low status and even slaves; poets and writers also attended. Among her students, Muhya bint al-Tayyani stands out, a poetress of very humble status. Wallada welcomed her into her palace, and it is said that they were lovers.

It is known that she embroidered her verses on her dresses, being the most well-known: "By Allah, I deserve any greatness/ and I proudly continue my path/ I gladly give my lover my cheek / and I give my kisses to whoever wants them"; and she did not veil on the street. Wallada participate in men's competitions, in one of them she met the poet Ibn Zaydún, with whom she had a passionate love story, as is it shown in several of their poems. Wallada had other lovers like Ibn Abdus, but she never married.

(Mental Note: I have to dedicate a post to Wallada's poetry someday)

Descendants by AZNÁR SANCHEZ

- Toda Aznárez, daughter of Oneka Fortúnez with her second husband Aznar Sánchez. Toda married Sancho I of Pamplona, a distant cousin and first official King of Pamplona. Their children were García I of Pamplona (married Countess Andregoto I of Aragon, their son was Sancho II of Pamplona), Urraca (married Ramiro II of Leon), Oneka (married Alfonso IV of León, their son was Ordoño IV), Sancha (married Ordoño II of León, their son was Sancho I) , Belasquita and Orbita (married al-Tawil, governor of Huesca).

- Sancho II of Pamplona, García I and Andregoto's son, married Urraca Fernández, daughter of Fernán González, Count of Castile. Among their children were García II of Pamplona and Urraca. Urraca married Al-Mansur, hayib of Caliph Hisham II of Córdoba, and she took the name Abda, and was the mother of Abd al-Rahman Sanŷul (or Sanchuelo), who became hayib of Hisham II after his brother ʿAbd al-Málik al-Muẓáffar (son of Al-Mansur and Al-Dalfāʾ) died. Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo had a son, Abd al-Aziz ibn Ámir, who, after the of the Caliphate was splitted into Taifas, became Emir of the Taifa of Valencia. Abd al-Aziz was succeeded by his son Abd-al-Malik, but Abd-al-Malik was overthrown by Al-Mamún, Emir of the Taifa of Toledo.

- García II of Pamplona was succeeded by his son Sancho II of Pamplona, who married Muniadona of Castile, and they were parents of García III of Pamplona (ancestors of the Kingdom of Navarre) and Ferdinand I of Leon, who married Sancha of Leon, who was the great-great-grandaughter of Ramiro II of Leon (ancestors of the Crown of Castile and the Kingdom of Portugal, via their son Alfonso VI of Leon). Plus Sancho II of Pamplona had a son out of wedlock, Ramiro I of Aragon (ancestors of the Crown of Aragon)

[docpiplup]

Third part of the bookscans of Al Andalus. Historical Figures, here's the previous part

Abd al-Aziz: a good governor with an unfortunate fate

When leaving for the East, Musa ben Nusayr left his son as his liutenant in Spania. Not only he had to conclude the conquest, but had to pacify those regions that, although they had already submitted to Islam, housed groups of resisters who could put in danger what has been achieved so far.

We have much less news about Abd al-Aziz than about his father, perhaps because he ruled the Peninsula for a short time, just two years before being murdered, but they all agree that he was a magnificent warrior and a skilled negotiator who preferred pact to armed struggle.

In the short period of time of his government it is almost certain that he carried out a victorious expedition in Portuguese lands, which earned him the conquest of Évora, Santarém and Coimbra, and following the instructions that his father left him, his generals continued with the conquest of Pamplona, and in the east, they occupied Tarragona, Barcelona, Girona and Narbonne. Abd al-Aziz took upon himself the responsibility of pacifying

some rebellious areas of eastern Andalusia and the Levant. He owes himself the conquest of Málaga and Elvira and the advance on lands of Murcia, at that time in the hands of a Visigoth nobleman, Teodomiro, vassal of the kingdom of Toledo, who ruled the region as a practically independent prince. And here we can see the negotiating spirit of Abd al-Aziz, who knew take good advantage of the pact he established with Teodomiro, Tudmir in Arabic, and the name by which it will henceforth be known the Murcian region.

The Christian count and the Muslim governor engaged conversations in which the second offered the first the maintenance of all his prerogatives, as count and as Christian, as well as total respect for his subjects, in exchange for the recognition of vassalage, the payment of an annual tribute and the delivery of seven strongholds, a delivery that would be carried out immediately.

Teodomiro, or Tudmir, must have weighed the pros and cons. The Christian kingdom of Toledo no longer existed, and it made no difference to be a vassal of the Goths as well as the Muslims. Without a doubt, too paid tributes to Rodrigo's monarchy and those that now Abd al-Aziz imposed were not too onerous... There was the matter of the seven strogholds, but it was better to give in on something that lose everything. The document signed between Teodomiro and the Muslim leader, one of the few treatises of this type that have come down to us, and it specifies that everyone, the count and his vassals, will preserve their religion and their churches, will maintain their rights of sovereignty and will not be bothered at any time, neither in their lives, nor in their estates,

as long as they comply with what is stipulated. And what was stipulated was the delivery of Orihuela, Baltana, Alacant, Mula, Villena, Lorca and Ello. The annual tribute consisted of one dinar in cash, four bushels of wheat and four of barley, four measures of new wine, four of vinegar, two of honey and two of oil. This tax was reduced by half for the slaves.

If we have detailed the characteristics of this treaty, it is because of its rarity. and because, according to Levy Provençal, it is the first document diplomat of Muslim Spain.

Abd al-Aziz married the widow of King Don Rodrigo, at least that is what several historians say. It seems that they met after the fall of Mérida, when the royal widow left the city with another group of captives. Some consider this wedding as a real love story, at least on the part of Abd al-Aziz, since it seems that he did not take another wife. The Arab chroniclers call her Ailo and the Christians Egilona. Some say that her husband allowed her to keep her religion, gesture that was very well received among the Mozarabs, and others say that converted to Islam and was renamed Umm'Asim, “the mother of Asim", as soon as the only son she had with Abd al-Aziz was born.

The couple lived almost always in Seville, where it is still preserved, in the gardens of the Alcázar, a white tower of typical African construction, known as "the Tower of Abd al-Aziz". However, if they were happy, their happiness must have lasted little, because at the same time Seville, an envoy of the Caliph Sulayman, Ziyad ben Udhara, assassinated him in the church of Santa Rufina, converted into a mosque, while Abd al-

Aziz performed the pious duties of prayer. The charge against him, according to the caliph, was abuse of power. He was beheaded and his head was sent to Damascus.

A confusing time passed in Muslim Spain that was left without a governor. The Spanish Arabs decided that the son of a sister of Musa ben Nusayr would occupy the position until the one appointed by the caliph arrived.

The oddyssey of Prince Abd al-Rahman the Immigrant

After the violent death of Abd al-Aziz, the governors of the Muslims succeeded one another in Spain at an astonishing speed. Some barely held office for six months and It seems that only one of them lasted for about five years. They were difficult times in Muslim Spain. Had have deepen the conquest, quell the possible rebellions that could arise among groups of defeated and, also, and not less important was to make peace between the different Muslim factions, without dismissing the possibility of carrying out raids over lands of Gaul.

In the East, in turn, there was a complicated situation, such as result of the dissent of various religious groups that put the unity of Islam is endangered. Jarichis and Shiites conspired, already openly, against the Umayyad dynasty that reigned in those moments, without the caliphs having the strength or intelligence enough to face that situation that, each time, became more dangerous for them.

The flag of rebellion against the Umayyads was raised everywhere in the Muslim empire, awaiting the arrival of the "imam hidden" that was going to restore to Islam all the purity of its faith and all the splendor of its early days. The black flags, symbol of a new dynasty, the Abasid, were already flying in the Furasan and in the large Iraqi city of Cuta. Abu-l-Abbas Abd Allah proclaimed himself caliph, as a descendant of a first cousin of Muhammad and his son-in-law Ali. According to him, he was the imam that everyone expected and fought Marwan II, the last Umayyad caliph who would die with weapons in hand on July 7, 750.

The new Abbasid caliph, even before the death of Marwan, had already began the extermination of all the Umayyad princes who were left. They were persecuted to death, without mercy, and their bodies, as the maximum punishment, were left unburied. And for what no one would escape from that carnage that would cost its executioner the nickname "the bloodshed", resorted to a cruel stratagem. He proclaimed a false amnesty in which they trusted the relatives of the last caliph, which allowed, in one fell swoop, end the lives of about eighty people belonging to the Umayyad royal family, at Abu Futrus, near Jaffa, Palestine.

Only two Umayyads, grandsons of Caliph Abd al-Malik ben Marwan, distrusting the amnesty proclaimed by their enemy, managed escape from that horrible massacre. It was about the brothers Yahya ben Muawiya and Abd al-Rahman.

Everything we have seen so far is a necessary background to understand why Abd al-Rahman was called to become the first independent emir of al-Andalus.

The life of Abd al-Rahman seems like a real adventure novel, in which there is no shortage of persecutions, harassment, trips to unknown lands, the material needs, the struggles, the uncertainty...The prince would manage to save himself from the harassment of his pursuers? He would see his integrity rewarded or, on the contrary, would he end up as another victim of the Abbasids? That odyssey that would the last of the Umayyads undertake have a happy ending? From all of this We will talk next.

At the time of the great Umayyad extermination, Abd al-Rah-man had about twenty years. He was born in the year 731 in a town near Damascus, son of a Berber captive named Rah, who belonged to the Nafza tribe, which would explain the tendency of the Umayyad prince to head towards North Africa.

He hid, along with his brother Yahya, but they would soon be discovered and Yahya was captured and killed. His only chance to survive was to flee, and so he did with one of his younger brothers, his two sisters and his son Sulayman, who was barely four years old. They took refuge in a lost village, next to the Euphrates River, thinking about cross to Asia when the slightest opportunity presented itself. But the long arm of the Abbasids also reached there and his young brother died at the hands of the soldiers sent to pursue them. It seemed that there was no escape for

the Umayyad prince, when he saved himself by swimming across the Euphrates River.

But Abd al-Rahman was assigned a glorious destiny and protection of Allah he placed at his side the freedman Bard, a servant and counselor, who will accompany him throughout his life, even in the most difficult and who will maintain unlimited loyalty towards his lord, so unfortunate at that time. Bard managed to collect some wealth belonging to Abd al-Rahman and join him in Palestine. They undertook a long and dangerous journey across the Isthmus of Suez, trying to go unnoticed and rushing long and exhausting days, they arrived without problems at Ifriqiya.

This region was ruled by a Fhirid Arab who aspired to be appointed governor of Spain. He was a close relative of the Walí of al-Andalus. Some supporters of the Umayyads were refugees in Ifriqiya and, although the governor said he was opposed to the Abbasids, he thought that the change of dynasty would benefit him to make his territory an independent principality. Under this premise it is logical that Abd al-Rahman's arrival did not please him at all. Some friends warned the Umayyad prince of this situation and it was better not to trust the governor, so he decided to move away and try to enlist the support of the Berber tribes, to which his mother belonged, if they agreed to receive him. Everything was uncertainty and danger for the young prince.

Four years passed on these trips, always in search of support, of tranquility, of survival, while

The fate of the future emnir was as indecisive as it was miserable. But the prediction of an astrologer, to whom the Muslims were so fans, had told him that he was destined for the throne and Abd al-Rahman clung, with all his strength, to that horoscope when everything seemed to be going wrong and all the doors were closing before him. Only the faithful Bard kept his spirits and sustained the fallen spirit of the Umayyad.

It seems that he lived in various places in North Africa, always between the distrust of the people who feared Abbasid revenge when they knew that he was an Umayyad prince, until he landed, in this wandering life, among the Nafza, his mother's tribe, who occupied the shores of the Mediterranean Maghreb.

It is possible that Abd al-Rahman did not think of going to Spain, but settle in African lands, but time passed and no achieved nothing in particular. That's when he thought about moving on to al-Andalus, knowing that there were a important number of supporters of the Umayyads. In Muslim Spain, the panorama was also mixed. In Jaén and Elvira they were installed Syrians who had arrived from Ceuta brought by the general Balch, addicted to the Umayyads and among whom the first polls on whether Prince Abd al-Rahman would be good received and accepted.

Of course, it was the freedman Bard who was in charge of these negotiations, crossing the strait in June 754. He carried a message from his lord, and managed to meet with the Syrian leaders. Everyone was willing to accept Abd al-Rahman, but decided to consult with a very important person

which was the most considered in al-Andalus. It was about the Qaysi chief, al-Sumayl, at that time governor of Zaragoza, who was defending the stroghold from the Berber siege and Kalbi Arabs. Once this coalition was defeated, al-Sumayl listened to the proposals of Bard and his companions and took his time to think about it.

Many months passed before receiving a reply, which was positive, but in the end, fearing the Abbasid reaction or fearing that an Umayyad restoration would take away freedom from the Arabs of al-Andalus, he withdrew his support for the project. What to do? Request Abd al-Rahman to desist from setting foot in Spain or request help from other groups such as the Yemenis who had been cruelly crushed in the battle of Secunda? They decided for this last option and, from this moment, with his help, the panorama was cleared for the Umayyad prince.

A boat was chartered and a financial contribution was made so that Abd al-Rahman had some money and could pay his ransom to the Berbers who held him.

Finally, after countless waits, after long trips, after untold deprivations, August 14, 755, Abd al-Rahman set foot on Hispanic soil in the port of Almuñécar. Now a new stage began, not exempt from problems and battles to fight.

The governor of al-Andalus was, at that time, Yusuf al-Fihrí, busy suppressing a rebellion by the Basques. He decided go to Córdoba leaving his son in charge of Zaragoza and the defense of Pamplona. However, he soon learned of defeat of his hosts and the arrival of the Uma-