Abu Thabit 'Amir ibn Yusuf () (1284 – 28 July 1308) was a
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 ...
ruler of
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 ...
for around a year. Son or grandson of
Abu Yaqub Yusuf
Abu Ya`qub Yusuf or Yusuf I ( ''Abū Ya‘qūb Yūsuf''; 1135 – 14 October 1184) was the second Almohad ''Amir'' or caliph. He reigned from 1163 until 1184 in Marrakesh. He was responsible for the construction of the Giralda in Seville, which ...
, whom he succeeded in 1307.
History
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
Abu Yaqub Yusuf
Abu Ya`qub Yusuf or Yusuf I ( ''Abū Ya‘qūb Yūsuf''; 1135 – 14 October 1184) was the second Almohad ''Amir'' or caliph. He reigned from 1163 until 1184 in Marrakesh. He was responsible for the construction of the Giralda in Seville, which ...
was 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 Sijilm ...
laying siege to the
Abd al-Wadid capital when he was assassinated. During this long siege, which had been in place since 1299, the Marinid sultan was unable to prevent a
Nasrid-sponsored pretender
Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula
Abu Sa'id Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula (; also Don Uzmén in Castilian sources; died 1330) was a Marinid prince who led an unsuccessful rebellion aiming to capture the throne, and fled to the Nasrid Emirate of Granada in its aftermath. There he served as ...
from landing in
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa.
Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...
in 1306 and seizing much of northern Morocco. The new Marinid sultan Abu Thabit, whose ascendancy was contested by four pretenders, had to choose between pressing the siege or recovering his dominions. He opted for the latter.
Acting quickly, Abu Thabit dispatched three of the pretenders, then struck a deal with the Abd al-Wadid ruler
Abu Zayyan I to allow an orderly lifting of the siege of
Tlemcen
Tlemcen (; ar, تلمسان, translit=Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran, and capital of the Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the por ...
. Abu Thabit rushed his troops back to Morocco to take on the fourth pretender, Uthman, leaving little or no garrisons to hold the Marinid positions in his wake. The Abd al-Wadids set about razing the Marinid siege camp at Tlemcen (by now, evolved into a veritable city, known as 'al-Mahalla al-Mansura') and proceeded down the coast to
Oujda
Oujda ( ar, وجدة; ber, ⵡⵓⵊⴷⴰ, Wujda) is a major Moroccan city in its northeast near the border with Algeria. Oujda is the capital city of the Oriental region of northeastern Morocco and has a population of about 558,000 people. It ...
, rolling back the hard-won Marinid gains of the last few years.
To coordinate his operations against Uthman, Abu Thabit erected a new town,
Tetouan, just south of Ceuta.
In July 1308, Abu Thabit fell ill and died in Tetouan. He was succeeded by his brother,
Abu al-Rabi Sulayman
Abu ar-Rabi Sulayman ( abū ar-rabīʿ sulaymān) (March 1289 – 23 November 1310, reigned 28 July 1308 – 23 November 1310) was a Marinid ruler of Morocco. Son or grandson of Abu Yaqub Yusuf and brother of Abu Thabit Amir, whom he succeeded ...
as Marinid sultan of
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 ...
.
Sources
*C. A. Julien, ''Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord, des origines à 1830'', Payot (1961, reedit. orig. 1931)
*C. E. Bosworth
''The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual'' Edinburgh University Press (2004), pp. 41–42
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Thabit
1283 births
1308 deaths
People from Fez, Morocco
Marinid sultans of Morocco
13th-century Berber people
13th-century Moroccan people
14th-century Berber people
14th-century Moroccan people
14th-century monarchs in Africa