Abu Malik Abd al-Wahid () (died 1339) (also known as ''Abomelique'') was a son of the

Marinid The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) a ...

sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman Abu Al-Hasan 'Ali ibn 'Othman (c. 1297 – 24 May 1351), () was a sultan of the Marinid dynasty who reigned in Morocco between 1331 and 1348. In 1333 he captured Gibraltar from the Castilians, although a later attempt to take Tarifa in 1339 en ...

. Although he had lost an eye, Malik was a capable military commander and served as governor of

Algeciras Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...

and the Marinids' principal general in

Al Andalus Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the M ...

. He captured

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

from Castile in June 1333 and participated in his father's campaign against rebels in the

Kingdom of Tlemcen The Kingdom of Tlemcen or Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen ( ar, الزيانيون) was a Berber kingdom in what is now the northwest of Algeria. Its territory stretched from Tlemcen to the Chelif bend and Algiers, and at its zenith reached Sijil ...

the following year. He was killed by Castilian forces in 1339 after being ambushed on the way back from a raid against the Castilian-held town of

Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cádiz Mountains. , the ...

Capture of Gibraltar

Abu Malik Abd al-Wahid's role in Al Andalus began in 1332 when the newly crowned Abu al-Hasan responded to an appeal from Muhammed IV, the Nasrid Sultan of Granada, for assistance against Castile by sending his son and an army to help the Granadans. During 1332, Abu Malik oversaw the transportation of a force of some 7,000 men from Morocco to Algeciras. They marched on the Castilian-held fortified town of Gibraltar the following February and took it in the Third Siege of Gibraltar, which lasted nearly five months. A Castilian army under King

Alfonso XI Alfonso XI (13 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes en ...

arrived too late to save the garrison but mounted the

Fourth Siege of Gibraltar The fourth siege of Gibraltar, fought from June until August 1333, pitted a Christian army under King Alfonso XI of Castile against a large Moorish army led by Muhammed IV of Granada and Abd al-Malik Abd al-Wahid of Fes. It followed on immedi ...

between June and August 1333 in an effort to regain it. Although the Castilians inflicted a significant defeat on Abu Malik's forces, killing around 500 men during a failed attempt by the Moors to ambush the Castilian army in the Sierra Carbonera north of Gibraltar, neither side was strong enough to prevail. The Castilians had to withdraw due to political problems at home and resupply difficulties, leaving Abu Malik's forces in continued control of Gibraltar. Abu Malik, who by now called himself King of

Ronda Ronda () is a town in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep chasm ...

and Algeciras agreed a four-year truce with Alfonso as part of the peace agreement that ended the siege. It did not go into effect as Muhammed IV, who was also a party to the agreement, was assassinated the day after signing it by two Granadan nobles who feared that he had converted to Christianity. Abu Malik resumed hostilities against Castile, aided by the new Nasrid Sultan,

Yusuf I Abu al-Hajjaj Yusuf ibn Ismail ( ar, أبو الحجاج يوسف بن إسماعيل; 29 June 131819 October 1354), known by the regnal name al-Muayyad billah (, "He who is aided by God"), was the seventh Nasrid ruler of the Emirate of Gran ...

. It might have developed into a wider war backed by Abu Malik's father Abu al-Hasan, but any intentions to expand the campaign had to be abandoned when the Zayyanid kingdom of Tlemcen (now part of

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

) revolted against Moroccan rule. Abu Malik, Hassan, Yusuf I and Alfonso XI reached a fresh truce agreement in 1334 and Abu Malik was recalled to Morocco to aid his father against Tlemcen.

Invasion of Castile and death

The truce expired in 1338, by which time the Moroccans had suppressed the Tlemcen revolt. Abu Malik returned to his capital at Ronda along with a substantial force – possibly as many as 5,000 cavalry with as many foot soldiers – sent to the Iberian Peninsula by his father. The kingdoms of Castile,

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

joined forces to deal with the renewed Moorish threat and blockaded the

Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...

to obstruct the Marinid build-up. Alfonso XI mounted a series of ''

chevauchée A ''chevauchée'' (, "promenade" or "horse charge", depending on context) was a raiding method of medieval warfare for weakening the enemy, primarily by burning and pillaging enemy territory in order to reduce the productivity of a region, in add ...

s'' (mounted raids) deep into Marinid territory in 1339, targeting Ronda,

Antequera Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de Andalucía'') because of its central locat ...

and

Archidona Archidona is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is the center of the comarca of Nororiental de Málaga and the head of the judicial district that bears its name ...

. Abu Malik responded by mounting an invasion of Castilian territory, leading a raid against

Medina-Sidonia Medina Sidonia is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, southern Spain. Considered by some to be the oldest city in Europe, it is used as a military defence location because of its elevation. ...

before laying siege to Jerez de la Frontera. His forces also attacked

Arcos de la Frontera Arcos de la Frontera () is a town and municipality in the Sierra de Cádiz comarca, province of Cádiz, in Andalusia, Spain. It is located on the northern, western and southern banks of the Guadalete river, which flows around three sides of the c ...

and

Lebrija Lebrija () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Andalusia, most specifically in the Province of Sevilla. It straddles the left bank of the Guadalquivir river, and the eastern edge of the marshes known as L ...

. Although they failed to take any of the three towns, the Moors amassed a large quantity of booty from the surrounding countryside. They were on their way back to their own territory, laden down with loot, when they were ambushed by Castilian forces. The Moorish force was massacred, losing some 10,000 men killed or captured. Abu Malik was caught without armour or a horse and hid beside a stream, playing dead. He was killed when a Castilian soldier saw him move and ran him through with a spear.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Malik Abd al-Wahid 1339 deaths 14th-century Berber people 14th-century Moroccan people Marinid dynasty People from Fez, Morocco Year of birth unknown People of the Reconquista Moroccan military personnel killed in action Royalty and nobility with disabilities Moroccan people with disabilities Military history of the Marinid Sultanate