Sulayman ibn al-Hakam or Sulayman al-Musta'in bi-llah ( ar, سلیمان المستعین باللہ; died 1016) was the fifth
Caliph of Córdoba
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
, ruling from 1009 to 1010, and from 1013 to 1016 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 ...
.
In 1009, after
Muhammad II ibn Hisham had led a revolt against caliph
Hisham II al-Hakam
Hisham II or Abu'l-Walid Hisham II al-Mu'ayyad bi-llah (, Abū'l-Walīd Hishām al-Muʾayyad bi-ʾllāh) (son of Al-Hakam II and Subh of Cordoba) was the third Umayyad Caliph of Spain, in Al-Andalus from 976 to 1009, and 1010–13.
Reign
In 9 ...
and imprisoned him, taking advantage of the fact that the kingdom's strongman,
Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo, was fighting in
León against the Christian king
Alfonso V, Sulayman took command of an army of Berbers who had abandoned Muhammad; by an alliance with count
Sancho García of Castile
Sancho García (died 5 February 1017), called of the Good Laws (in Spanish, ''el de los Buenos Fueros''), was the count of Castile and Álava from 995 to his death.
Biography
Sancho was the son of count García Fernández and his wife Ava of R ...
, he was able to defeat Muhammad on November 1, 1009, in the battle of Alcolea. While Muhammad took refuge in
Toledo, Sulayman entered
Córdoba, which he allowed to be sacked by Berbers and Castillans; he freed and recognized caliph Hisham II, only to depose him after a few days. He was thus elected caliph by his Berber troops, assuming the title (
laqab
Arabic language
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a 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 ...
) of al-Musta'in bi-llah ("He Who Seeks for God's Help").
Sulayman was however unable to conquer Toledo. In May 1010 Muhammad, who had reorganized his troops of "slave" mercenaries from all over Europe and had allied with Count
Ramon Borrell of
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, defeated Sulayman and conquered Córdoba, which was plundered by the Spaniards. Muhammad was made again caliph, but his mercenaries assassinated him in July and restored Hisham II.
After he had withdrawn to
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 ...
, Sulayman managed to reconquer Cordoba in 1013 with Berber help and depose Hisham II. His policy of concessions to Berbers, Arab and "slave" troops and leaders, effectively reduced the caliphate's authority to only Córdoba. In the meantime the
Zirids
The Zirid dynasty ( ar, الزيريون, translit=az-zīriyyūn), Banu Ziri ( ar, بنو زيري, translit=banū zīrī), or the Zirid state ( ar, الدولة الزيرية, translit=ad-dawla az-zīriyya) was a Sanhaja Berber dynasty from ...
of
Granada formed
an independent dynasty. In 1016 Córdoba was attacked by a large Berber army under the
Hammudid
The Hammudid dynasty () was a Berberized Arab Muslim family that briefly ruled the Caliphate of CórdobaLane-Poole (1894), p.21 and the taifas of Málaga and Algeciras and nominal control in Ceuta.
The dynasty
The dynasty is named after their ...
governor of
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 ...
,
Ali ibn Hammud al-Nasir, who conquered it on 1 July 1016. Sulayman was imprisoned and, shortly afterwards, beheaded.
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sulayman Ibn Al-Hakam
10th-century births
11th-century Arabs
1016 deaths
Umayyad caliphs of Córdoba
11th-century caliphs of Córdoba
Executed Spanish people