Muhammad IX (, 1396–1454), also known by his

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

and Castilian nicknames Al-Aysar and El Zurdo ("The Left Handed"), was the fifteenth

Nasrid The Nasrid dynasty ( ar, بنو نصر ''banū Naṣr'' or ''banū al-Aḥmar''; Spanish: ''Nazarí'') was the last Muslim dynasty in the Iberian Peninsula, ruling the Emirate of Granada from 1230 until 1492. Its members claimed to be of Ara ...

ruler of the

Emirate of Granada The Emirate of Granada ( ar, إمارة غرﻧﺎﻃﺔ, Imārat Ġarnāṭah), also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada ( es, Reino Nazarí de Granada), was an Emirate, Islamic realm in southern Iberia during the Late Middle Ages. It was the ...

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...

on the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. He was likely the father of

Aixa Aisha al-Hurra ( ar, عائشة الحرة), generally known under her Spanish name Aixa (''fl.'' 1493), was the spouse of Muhammed XI and of Abu l-Hasan Ali, and the mother of Muhammad XII. Aixa was also known by the Muslims as Aisha al-Horra; " ...

Campaigns of the Reconquista

After the successful recapturing of the Throne of Granada, the Sultan Muhammad X in 1447, Muhammad IX continued his policies with regards to the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th centu ...

. His predecessor (Muhammad X) had managed to retake a few frontier towns from the

Kingdom of Murcia After roughly two decades as a protectorate of the Crown of Castile, the territory of the Taifa of Murcia became the Kingdom of Murcia ( es, Reino de Murcia, links=no, a territorial jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile) in the wake of its Conques ...

through regular raids. Most of these incursions into Castilian territory were taking advantage of the fact that the contemporary ruling family of the Kingdom of Murcia, the

House of Fajardo A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

was preoccupied with internal squabbles. The most successful of these incursions resulted in the capturing of the town of Cieza followed closely by a much celebrated victory at the

Battle of Hellín A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and forc ...

, both of which occurred in 1448. The continued incursions by the

into Murcia obliged the Castilian monarch, John II of Castile to ask for a truce in 1450 in order to be able to better concentrate his own forces in a separate war against Juan Pacheco, the

Marquis of Villena Duke of Escalona ( es, Duque de Escalona) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1472 by Henry IV to Juan Pacheco, 1st Marquess of Villena. The title refers to the village Escalona ...

. Muhammad IX refused the truce offer in a bid to take full advantage of the disunity amongst the Castilian nobility. The following year, in 1451, the Granadan Sultan launched a fresh incursion into the Kingdom of Murcia which brought back much plunder to Granada's coffers. Between 1451 and 1452, Muhammad IX planned a large scale Algara (Arabic for incursion: الغارة) against the area of

Campo de Cartagena Campo de Cartagena, is a natural region (comarca) located in the Region of Murcia, in Spain. For administrative purposes, it is also known, as Comarca del Campo de Cartagena or Comarca de Cartagena. It is located in the southeast of the Iberian ...

. This incursion resulted in the capture of 40,000 heads of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

and around 40 prisoners, mostly pastors. These Granadan incursions eventually came to a battle at the

Battle of Los Alporchones The Battle of Los Alporchones was a battle of the Spanish Reconquista that took place on 17 March 1452. The battle was fought between the troops of the Emirate of Granada and the combined forces of the Kingdom of Castile and its client kingdo ...

fought near the city of Lorca in 1452. The battle resulted in a Granadan defeat, a truce, and an end to border skirmishes for some time between the kingdoms.

References

*Islamic Spain 1250 to 1500 by Leonard Patrick Harvey; University of Chicago Press, 1992 Sultans of Granada 15th-century monarchs in Europe 1396 births 1454 deaths 15th century in Al-Andalus 15th-century Arabs {{Al-Andalus-royal-stub